Mahindra TUV300

Synopsis

Mahindra has launched the much awaited TUV300 in India starting at Rs. 6.98 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi). The introduction of compact designed utility vehicles has gone far with every manufacturer trying its best to win the segment and boost up the sales of these more practical and sensible vehicles than present day hatchbacks.

Mahindra has a good place when it comes to utility vehicles and the Indian SUV manufacturer is focusing deeply this time on the small engine 7-seater machine, capable of providing the best of both worlds, tough build and everyday utility. TUV 300 is a car best suited for the above description and Mahindra finally gets a real competition for the Hyundai Creta, Renault Duster and others in the segment.

Exterior

The car gets more focus on its definition than its exterior styling. It gets a short bonnet, with almost very little designing and limited space under the hood. The m-Hawk 80 logo rests on its square shaped fender, which is nothing longer than the diameter of the wheel. The sub 4-meter limit made the design go this way for better interior space in the first 2 sitting rows. The car gets boxy elements all over its design with most of the panels being flat.

This makes the TUV look compact, tough and useful inside the city traffic conditions as well as the off road exploration. The battle tank design, as quoted by Mahindra can be clearly seen in its design and the simplicity of this beautiful design has been excellently presented by the manufacturer. From the design of the alloy wheels to the front Jeep like bumper design, everything has been kept matching to the tough image of the compact SUV.

Interior

The car gets a better interior than the entry level Mahindra utility vehicles. The dashboard looks clean and the instrument console scores all the points. The basic theme of black and beige is carried all over the vehicle with excess of bottle spaces and other places for keeping our belongings. The feeling of being premium can be felt as the hexagonal silver boundary to the center console and air vents looks adorable. The car gets square air vents and dial type controls for the air conditioner. The reasonable sized MID is placed centrally to the music player buttons and the whole arrangement looks good on the car.

Instrument Console

The TUV300 gets sporty 2-pod instruments cluster with chrome linings around both of them. It gets a small display in the center of both the instrument dials, making it nothing less than all the cars in its class. The left pod gets the tachometer whereas the right is for the speedometer. All the LED indicators have been placed in the center upward space, with the odometer being digitally shown inside the screen.

Engine & Gearbox

The engine on the TUV 300 is an m-Hawk 80 motor with twin stage turbocharger. It produces 80 BHP @ 3750 rpm and 230 NM @ 1500-2250 rpm. The excellent performance engine comes with an ability to eliminate turbo lag by presenting 187 NM of torque at just 1100 rpm, which is pretty close to idle. The power is transferred to the road through rear wheel drive and the TUV300 gets an option between 5 speed manual as well as AMT gearbox. The AMT unit is the first in its class, providing easy riding while in the city traffic and making the TUV300 a real useful machine for this year.

Comfort

Like most of the Mahindra offerings, the car gets an excellent riding dynamics and a comfortable ride experience. The last two seats being jump seats are tight as the vehicle is less than 4 meter and Mahindra claims that those are for children only. The comfort gets further enhanced by large legroom values, which for the first row is 1034 mm and for the second is 916 mm. Being boxy and having a flat roof has also benefited the SUV by providing 1015 mm and 1014 mm of headroom for the first 2 rows.

TUV300 gets a power steering from its base model, making every model an equally fun drive. It gets an AC with heater for better temperature control inside the vehicle and gets electrically adjustable ORVM’s for further ease of mind. The steering mounted controls keep the driver easy on his/her needs. The tilt able steering and driver seat height adjustment further brings perfect driving position. The feature list goes along with its all 4 power windows, rear defogger and washer, remote keyless entry, lumbar support for the first row seats and smart storages. It even gets smart storage options for keeping the magazines and other belongings safe.

Safety

The TUV300 becomes a Rockstar with its excellence is every field. The safety has been enhanced with a tough body structure which is made from high strength steel and brings higher torsional rigidity for better impact absorption. The compact SUV also gets 2 front airbags for reducing the impact of front collision and keeping the occupants safe. It gets ABS with EBD for prevention of wheel at hard braking and providing enough traction for a safe rescue from the situation.

Advanced Features

The TUV300 introduces a concept of economy mixed with power, making it the best a person can get at its price. It gets static bending lights for better lighting when taking turns, which is enhanced by addition of an extra bulb near to the corner. It gets the follow me home as well as lead-me to the vehicle headlamps, making it easy to get out or reach inside again in night times. The driver information system with voice messaging provides the alerts like low fuel, seat belt alert and hand brake on warnings vocally as well as visually.

Mileage

The TUV300 is claimed to return a mileage of 18.49 kmpl from its 5-speed manual transmission models whereas the AMT models are returning 17 kmpl. The mileage is further enhanced in the TUV300 using the Micro-Hybrid technology, which turns off the engine when its idle for more than 2 seconds and comes back to life with a press of clutch pedal. This saves a lot of fuel and proves the TUV300 to be a great car in all aspects.

Shades & Variants

Mahindra TUV300 comes in a total of 7 variants namely T4, T4+, T6, T6+, T6 AMT, T8 and T8 AMT. The shades available for the new comer are Red, White, Silver, Blue, Black and Orange.

Ex-showroom Price

Being a compact vehicle, the TUV300 falls under the lower tax segment. The TUV300 starts with a price tag of INR 6,98,000 and goes up to INR 9,20,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).