Tata H5X Siped in Production Body

The upcoming Tata SUV spied with clear interiors for the first time. The new SUV borrows its platform from the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Tata Motors showcased two concepts at the 2018 Auto Expo. One of these was the 45X premium hatchback concept. The interiors were inaccessible at the time but Tata recently released the official images. The second one was the Tata H5X SUV that is slated to launch early next year. The upcoming Tata SUV borrows its platform from the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Certain reports on the web suggested that the H5X could be named ‘Harrier’. Both of these concepts showcase Tata’s latest Design Impact 2.0 design language. A third concept carrying the same design language will be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Want to know more about the upcoming SUV, read along.

Tata H5X SUV Spyshots – Introduction

Our friends at Autocar India posted the first ever spy shots of the upcoming Tata H5X SUV. The spy shots confirm our report on the comment made by Head of Design at Tata Motors, Pratap Bose claiming that the production version will carry 80-85% of the design elements. Tata officials also claimed that all future Tata vehicles will carry largest wheels in their respective segments. The concept was running on 22-inch wheels, and it would’ve been sick if they made it to production, but in the real world, the prototype was running on 19-inch wheels.

Tata H5X SUV Spyshots – Exterior

The production model gets the big and bulky wheel arches of the concept. What’s clearly different from the concept is the sloping roofline is absent and to compensate, the designers have expanded the shoulder line upwards. This translates to kids feeling suffocated on the rear seats because the window sill is high and they can’t look directly out of the window. This clearly is a cost-saving measure as coupe-like roofline eats up headroom and intense research and development is required to fit one with enough headroom left inside. The front fascia is heavily camouflaged, but the thin LED headlights along with the Tata’s trademark ‘humanity line’ will definitely make it to the production version.

Tata H5X SUV Spyshots – Interior

Checking the inside of the upcoming Tata H5X SUV, we notice the plush seats with additional bolstering on the sides. The material looks premium although we doubt it will be anything but faux leather. The prototype has the entire top portion of the dashboard covered meaning the production version could feature dual-tone dashboard and even premium materials like soft plastic. The cabin in the images features 8 storage spaces in the front itself meaning a very practical approach. The infotainment system screen is a 7-inch touchscreen unit. Several buttons to control the infotainment system can be seen right below the vents. The automatic climate control button follows right at the bottom. The gear knob displays the 6-speed transmission doing its duty in the H5X prototype.

The prototype of the upcoming 2018 Tata H5X SUV shows seating space for only 5 people and we expect the 7-seater version to come out during the festive season of Diwali next year. The rear bench looks wide enough to seat three with a centre armrest if less are seated. The bench itself has no split but that shouldn’t be a problem considering the already spacious boot. The footwell seems flat on the SUV pointing towards a 2WD car. The 4WD will carry a hump in the middle as the Discovery Sport too has one. The scooped out front seats will offer additional legroom at the rear. The rear aircon vents are missing but the off plastic piece at the rear of the centre armrest suggests that the rear ac vents will be placed there. Indian customers have become fond of sunroofs and no matter how meaningless they are in most regions of India, customers demand the feature in the smallest of the vehicles. We couldn’t spot one in the prototype and perhaps there isn’t going to be one on the production version as well.

Tata H5X SUV Spyshots – Specifications

The upcoming Tata H5X SUV is based on the Land Rover Discovery Sports platform and will likely weigh less than 1,650 kg. Since the Tata’s SUV shares its platform, the wheelbase will be identical too at 2,741 mm. Under the hood will be a Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre Multijet II engine that will be good for 140 bhp on the 5-seater version and 170 bhp on the 7-seater version. The prototype was spotted sporting a 6-speed manual gearbox. A ZF-sourced nine-speed automatic gearbox is also expected on the 4×4 version of the upcoming SUV. Bosch tuned ECU should allow you to select between various drive modes on the H5X as well.

Tata H5X SUV Spyshots – Launch Price

The upcoming Tata H5X SUV, upon launch, will compete with the likes of Hyundai Creta and Jeep Compass. The 5-seater version of the H5X SUV is expected to launch in mid-2019 whereas the 7-seater version is expected to launch during the festive season of Diwali. These suggestions do cater to our belief of everything going smoothly. Since the engine is being sourced from Fiat, the platform from Land Rover and a near production ready design, we expect the H5X’s production version to launch as expected.