Mahindra KUV100 NXT

Synopsis

The era of increasing traffic has forced the car makers to go the compact way, even forcing the SUV maker Mahindra into the compact car market. The hard tried and potentially tested S101 compact SUV was seen on its testing phase from a long time.

The car has been many times quoted to be a tall boy hatchback, an affordable crossover and a compact SUV. Finally, Mahindra has launched the newcomer and named it KUV100, the 'Kool Utility Vehicle' for the city. It is a compact crossover and enjoys the benefit from its sub 4 meter length in tax relaxations. It comes with a starting price of INR 4,42,000 for the base petrol variant and INR 6,76,000 for the top spec diesel variant. Prices shown are ex-showroom Pune.

Mahindra missed out the XUV100 badge from its newcomer intentionally so that no one misinterpret both the offerings to be from a same segment. KUV, TUV and XUV would focus on 3 different segments of car riding experience.

Exterior

KUV100 comes with Chevrolet Beat style rear door handles and its overall design is a bit boxy, providing longer wheelbase and shortening the extra dimensions like the TUV300. The sharp lining and broad front fascia, mixed with the ultra slim front grill makes the design seems special to the public. Cladding further adds to the muscular appeal whereas the DRL's boost the overall aggressiveness.

The car is all about practical living and provides a good set of spider alloy wheel design. Roof rails define its Mahindra SUV character whereas the dual tone bumpers further boost the magical charm. Headlamps are stretched nearly to the A pillar and wide stance improves its overall road presence. Mud flaps and rear spoiler, along with the chrome inserts make the KUV100 a complete visual pleasure for the viewers.

Interior

The short bonnet design improves the overall interior room whereas the specialty also includes a flat bed at the front as well as the rear. When it comes to the dashboard, it gets a nice piano black finish with dual tone black and beige as the standard shade across the car. The HVAC dials are in straight line, making space for the dashboard mounted gear shift lever. This makes place for a 3+3 passenger layout in the KUV100 (also available with an option of 2+3 seating layout). Silver inserts in the dash as well as the steering wheel provides a more premium feel and the edges of the dashboard are also fully justified with a floating design.

Instrument Console

KUV100 comes with a simple and smart looking 2-pod instrument console with an LCD panel in the center. The dials are Red, showing tachometer in the left pod and speedometer in the right. The center screen houses everything like odometer, trip-meter, digital fuel gauge and other technological features like gear shift indicator.

Engine & Gearbox

The engines for the KUV100 are 1.2 L petrol and diesel units, oriented towards better fuel economy and lesser emissions. The new series of mFALCON engines are 3-cylinder and BS4 complaint.

The diesel motor is named mFALCON D75. The 1198cc CRDe motor produces 77 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 190 NM @ 1,750-2,250 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and provides the best in class low end torque, simply pointing at a powerful overall riding experience. The diesel KUV100 returns a certified mileage of 25.32 kmpl.

The petrol mFALCON G80 engine is also 1198cc, all aluminum MPFi, producing 82 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 115 NM @ 3,500-3,600 rpm. The gearbox is again a 5-speed manual unit and the engine can be termed as the most powerful 3-cylinder engine in the segment. More power at lower rpm in the petrol engine provides a hassle free city ride. It returns a certified mileage of 18.15 kmpl.

Comfort & Convenience

Mahindra provides the most comfortable riding experience in the segment with its flexible 6-seater and full time 5 seater KUV100. The car comes loaded with features like under floor storage, follow me home headlamps, cooled glove box, sunglass holder, cup holders, front and rear seat armrest's, puddle lamps and mood lighting. The KUV100 comes with a 6-speaker infotainment system loaded with AUX, Bluetooth, USB and steering mounted audio controls. Power windows, electrically adjustable ORVM's and central locking with remote keyless entry makes it one of the most loaded options in the segment.

It provides excellent headroom, legroom and shoulder room whereas its long travel suspension provides a comfortable ride on uneven surfaces also. It uses Eco and Power modes for the diesel variants and Micro Hybrid technology for improved fuel efficiency. It comes with 243 liter of boot space, expandable upto 473 liters by folding the rear seat. The 12V sockets on both front and rear seat is a blessing from Mahindra.

Safety

KUV100 offers a much safer drive with ABS and EBD standard across all the variants of the car. Mahindra follows the future safety norms and has passed most of the tests which would be applicable on all cars from 2019. It comes with dual front airbags and ISOFIX child seat mount on the top trim, offering the airbags on very trim in the optional model. It provides automatic speed sensing door locks and comes with automatic hazard lights on panic braking. It offers a first in class dual rear fog lamp option for a safer ride experience.

Variants & Shades

The KUV100 comes in 4 different variant named K2, K4, K6 and K8 (K2, K4 and K6 also available with optional airbags). Except the top variant, all the others are carrying an optional variant with airbags. The car is offered in 7 shades namely Fiery Orange, Flamboyant Red, Aquamarine, Designer Grey, Dazzling Silver, Midnight Black and Pearl White.

Ex-showroom Price

The most effective part of the new KUV100 is its price range. The petrol variant for the KUV100 comes within a range of INR 4,42,000-5,91,000 whereas the diesel range comes in INR 5,22,000-6,76,000. These prices are ex-showroom Pune. KUV can create its distinctive position in the society as it offers a lot more than traditional hatchbacks around the town.

Visual Comparison

Infographic

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