New Delhi: Tata has officially unveiled its latest 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine at the 2023 Auto Expo. It is part of the Tata Hyperion engine series and utilises a four-cylinder, direct injection setup. It is estimated that Tata has been developing this engine for over five years. Generating 170PS and 280 Nm, Tata’s latest 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine is expected to get both manual and automatic transmission options. It remains to be seen if the automatic will be a dual-clutch unit or a torque converter. Before it is introduced with the Harrier and Safari, Tata’s latest 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine will debut with the all-new Sierra. The latter is scheduled to be launched on November 25.
The Sierra will also be getting a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, derived from the latest turbo unit. It will be offered with the entry-level variants of Sierra. This naturally aspirated engine will not be available with the Harrier and Safari. With the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine, the Tata Harrier and Safari will become more accessible. It can target a larger market segment. Rivals like the Mahindra Scorpio N and XUV700 already enjoy the advantage of having both diesel and petrol engine options. Tata Harrier is currently available at the starting price of Rs 14 lakh, whereas the Safari starts at Rs 14.66 lakh. These are the latest prices after the GST reforms, where the prices of Harrier and Safari base variants were reduced by Rs 1,00,00 and Rs 83,700, respectively.
The Harrier and Safari, Tata currently utilises the Stellantis-sourced 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine. It generates 170 PS and 350 Nm of torque and is offered with the transmission options of the 6-speed manual and 6-speed torque converter automatic. This engine could also be seen in the Jeep Compass and MG Hector. It is manufactured at the Stellantis plant in Ranjangaon, Pune, a joint venture between Tata Motors and Stellantis. It is expected that Tata’s latest 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine will be manufactured at the same facility. The newest engine could be used with the Jeep Compass and Meridian, allowing more options for buyers and improving accessibility.
While the Jeep Meridian has been a diesel-only model since launch, the Compass was earlier available with the 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine. It was discontinued in 2023 due to stricter emission norms. Tata’s latest 1.5-litre turbo engine will unlock with similar benefits for the Compass and Meridian, as expected with the Harrier and Safari.
