Trial by wire – EV off-road test ft. Tata Harrier EV and Mercedes G 580 | Autocar India
Hello from learn off-roads training grounds near Pali in Maharashtra. Now if you’re an Autoky India channel regular you will know that this is familiar territory for us where we’ve brought together all manners of off-roaders. The SUVs with us today are also familiar but they’re not quite what you think they are. Now, this is a Tata Harrier, all right, but it’s a Harrier EV, which in topsp spec form gets two motors, enabling all-wheel drive. It’s Tata’s first 4×4 in years. This is a Mercedes G-Class, but its official name is G580 with EQ technology. In simple English, it’s a G-Class electric. Before you type in a furious comment, know that this is not a comparison. The two SUVs are built to very different philosophies and there’s a few crores between them in price. What this is is a glimpse into what could be the future of off-roading. [Music] I’ll start the day proceedings in the Tata. The Harrier EV is built on a monok chassis, the sort of template we’ll see more of in the electric SUV space. Don’t read too much into Tata’s quadwheel drive branding, though, that suggests motors at each wheel. Power comes from twin motors, one at each axle, that make a combined 313 horsepower. A pre-flight check reveals an unexpected omission. There’s no rear tow hook. Better be careful. As is SOP, the tires are aired down to 18 PSI for a broader footprint, but it feels like we’ve literally started on the wrong foot. The Harrier EV’s estimated 192 mm unladen ground clearance isn’t exceptional to start with, and dropping tire pressures reduces the gap to the ground further. Not ideal when there’s a big battery to be mindful of. Now, the battery is designed to take a beating like this, but uh I have to tell you, we’re still in the early stages of off-roading with electric SUVs, so uh it’s always at the back of your head. You don’t want to cause any, you know, long-lasting damage. On call are off-road modes that tweak throttle response, ESP, and power delivery. Mud ruts is the default mode for much of the day with rock mode called into action when the going gets well rocky. I can’t feel the tech at work, but the camera crew outside report seeing the Harrier EV switch bar between the front and rear wheels on the slushy path to the obstacles. My first point of note, the silence. It’s like driving in stealth mode. Obstacle one is the side slope. Okay, so the side slope. Um, one of my least favorite obstacles. I hate driving at this angle, but we’ve got a job to do, a few tests to run. So far, so good. I get my line wrong, and with no telltale loud revs of an engine to tell me I’m botching it, it’s the eventual lack of progress that makes me back off. Attempt two is better. [Music] Silent progress is the name of the game and when instructed [Music] and yeah a little bit of wiggling around with the steering wheel but it caught grip and uh I think that was pretty smooth given the conditions and the fact that this is riding on highway tires. Uh so well done. Things get trickier at obstacle two, the articulation pit. Okay, now um articulation. This is going to be the challenging one particularly for the Harrier EV because it’s a test of approach, departure, ramp breakover, as well as good old-fashioned ground clearance. And that’s where the issue lies. It doesn’t have the ground clearance, I think, to really pull this one off with absolute comfort. Okay. The battery is well protected, but hearing thuds on an EV is never nice. Okay. So full faith in my spotter. The final pit is vicious. Testing approach angles to the limit. The front bumper lip does graze though nothing breaks. Okay. So, little bit of momentum saves the day. And here we go. Okay. I’m just happy it’s done with. I’d have also liked smoother power delivery. I also found the throttle a bit hesitant and then suddenly the power rushes in. So, that modulation is very important especially in a situation where every kilometer per hour counts for a lot. The course gets trickier in obstacle 3 that starts with the descent on a ruted path. An unexpected find over the prep is that there’s no proper hill descent control, only an off-road assist function that behaves like a low-speed cruise control. Trouble is, the lowest speed setting is 6 kph. And on a steep slope in a 2.3 ton SUV, that feels far too quick. So, gentle taps on the brake pedal will be needed. Okay. Sharp descent. Uh it’s a ruty trail, so really easy does it. Lots of uh slipping, sliding. The Harrier does touch the surface below, but the tires remain the main contact points. The good thing on EVs is with their under bodies being flat, there’s nothing to snag. The climb up and out of the obstacle is the real test because it’s a steep, mossy rock face. The prep involves engaging rock mode, activating the underbonnet camera, and fine-tuning my lineup to my spotter’s satisfaction. The Harrier claws up gamely, needing some side to side steering at the top to keep momentum alive. We don’t get to test the 600 mm wing ability, but what the trail easily establishes is that the Harrier EV has the smarts and the power to take you where no ice Harrier can. thing is when you encounter something slightly trickier, slightly more challenging, uh the Harrier EV’s tires put it on the back foot as does the ground clearance. It’s still decidedly a soft rotor. Let’s put it this way, the Harrier EV isn’t quite the car that’ll let you reclaim your life in a way the original Safari did. [Music] [Music] In the world of electric 4x4s, the G580 is an apex predator. It’s boxy, upright, and unapologetic, and climbering in is still a step-up job, even with its tires aired down, but it’s under the skin where things get properly interesting. The G580 sits on a ladder frame like a proper G should, but tucked within is a 116 kWh battery pack with a carbon composite armor plating for the underbelly. Then there are four motors, alleged QWD, so to speak, one at each wheel. The motors make a combined 587 horsepower and a staggering 1164 Newton m. Each motor can act independently and together with a clever two-speed gearbox for a low range effect, the system is as hardcore as it is high-tech. The obstacles tell the story. Now, the side slope in uh the G set uh the off-road mode to trail, which is uh fairly standard stuff, low range is not in the picture as yet. Uh anyway, I don’t think this is the most challenging of obstacles for something like a G. Uh the standard G400, the G63 have just treated this as a walk in the park. Uh let’s see how it goes. So that top heavy feeling is still there. You still feel intimidated by the view out. Time to exit. Not much struggle. The lack of a suddle is real. Just slipped and slid its way back into comfort and security. Absolutely chill. The G makes the sides slope feel like a non-event and makes light work of the articulation course too. Now articulation in the G580, it’s got all the right angles if I may say so. It’s got uh more than ample ground clearance, but there is obviously a point of difference to the standard G-Class. Now, that has three lockable differentials. This has four individual motors controlling each of the four wheels. So, you do uh lose a sense of control uh on your own, but the electronics are doing all the hard work, all the thinking for you. And honestly really nothing to it. Now in this slow Taichi of weight transfer I do find that the movements were more dramatic as I remember correctly uh in a G63 or a G400D here. Maybe because the center of gravity is lower that big battery pack nice and heavy and low down in the body. The movement from side to side with one wheel in the air isn’t as dramatic. The weather gods seemingly throw in the tal with ominous clouds making way for bright sunshine. Even so, the third obstacle does present an opportunity to dip into the G’s box of tricks. Now, the V-Rat in uh the G580. Let’s go. So, this is a scenario to actually make the most of low range, which is a feature on the G580. So, really slows things down to a lazy slow crawl. You can set descent speed to as low as 2 kph. I love this about the G that you can always see the extremities of the bonnet thanks to these high set indicators. And now it is going to be time to climb up this otherwise intimidating rocky face. So yeah, now I need power out. I’m not even at half throttle. Not half throttle. and just absolutely wo. This is um it’s the most effortless off-roading I’ve done in my life. But nature has a way of humbling even the mighty. The G580 boasts 100% gradability, which means it can climb up a 45° slope. Our final challenge is a steep slushy incline that’s beaten everything we’ve brought here in years past. The G makes promising progress before its HD tires give up the fight. They spin, dig in, and eventually leave us with a slow puncture. It’s a shame because we were yet to get to the G580s party tricks. 850 mm of water waiting G steering, which breaks the inner wheel and speeds up the outer wheel to tighten the turning radius, and the Instagram hit GT turn, a full 360° spin on the spot. These features would have to wait for some other day. All we get is very dirty and very tired trying to change the G’s tire. Back on the move, there are things to talk about. Some good, some not so much. It’s commendable how Mercedes has kept the essence of the G-Class retaining that body onframe construction. This really heavyduty feel, the suspension, all that as it is on uh as you’d expect on a Jeep, but modernized it with this. Absolutely cutting edge powertrain. It’s a very different G-Class experience, but it is a G-Class experience. This is the most effortless off-roading experience I’ve had in my life. Uh really, this is not uh a very easy course. Uh especially some of the obstacles in the monsoons can get really uh well tricky. But in the G580, it’s got all the power that you need with those four motors doing all the calculations themselves real time. Uh you really don’t have to bother much. But on the flip side, that also takes away some of your involvement from off-roading. Now, off-roading is um almost a very personal sport because it’s just you and your machine and a spotter. you three have to work in conjunction. But in a vehicle so smart, so intelligent, so overqualified for the job, you can tend to feel just like a mere passenger. You feel like a hero without necessarily having the skills. It’s a bit hollow if I can be honest. The silence also helps you feel at one with the surroundings yet disconnected from your vehicle. Truth is, off-roading in an EV is simply not as immersive an experience as it is in a petrol or diesel vehicle. There’s also the matter of range. EVs hate going against gravity and heavy EVs doubly so. The Harrier dropped 11% charge over 7 km of the trail, while the G580 lost 7% over 6 km. That makes deep wilderness exploration a challenge. In an ice SUV, a jerry can is always a backup. With EVs, there’s only so far you dare to venture. EVs then can take over the urban jungle. For the real one, an ice off-roader will do just fine. Thank you very much. [Music]
Electric vehicles are becoming commonplace on our roads but can they cut it off-road? Nikhil Bhatia brings together two extremes of the electric SUV spectrum – Tata Harrier EV and Mercedes-Benz G 580 – to get the answer.
Cameraperson: Harshan Panchal, Sharad Vegada, Roshni Manghani
Editor: Siddhesh Kadam
Chapters –
0:00 – Introduction
0:45 – NOT a comparison!
1:10 – Tata Harrier EV off-road
7:36 – Mercedes G 580 off-road
13:58 – Takeaway
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