Mahindra & Mahindra introduced an all-new TUV300 (Tough Utility Vehicle) compact SUV within the price range of Rs. 6.90 lakh – Rs. 9.12 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune). Claimed as the toughest SUV in India, the Mahindra TUV300 takes on the Hyundai Creta, Ford EcoSport and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. Available in three trim levels – T4, T6 and T8, the TUV300 has been designed at Mahindra & Mahindra’s Kandivli-based Mumbai office with inputs from Pininfarina. Whereas, the research & development of the SUV was carried out at Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) in Chennai.
Unlike the sketch and teaser images, the vehicle looks pretty alright in flash and might surely attract buyers due to its rugged feel. The Mahindra TUV300’s design is claimed to be inspired by a “battle tank” with features like raised shoulders, high front nose, flat roof, straight bonnet and high ground clearance. The compact SUV has a commanding road presence, thanks to its high ground clearance and bold stances. The vehicle sits on a new ladder frame chassis that makes it more compact and lighter than the Bolero. It’s the same platform that underpins the new Scorpio. On the front fascia, the car features bold grille with chrome inserts, static bending headlamps, black bumper, flat bonnet and rectangular fog lamps.
Though the side profile looks plain and boxy, in fact the vehicle’s tyres too look undersized due to square-shaped wheel arches. That said, the prominent character line, roof rails and blackened C-Pillar help the vehicle’s side profile look sporty. The vehicle’s rear profile too looks simple but has a neat design that gives it a no-nonsense appeal. With aggressive stances and rear-mounted spare wheel, it looks like a proper SUV despite being it the sub-4 metre vehicle. Other design elements include body-coloured door handles and wind mirrors, outside rear-view mirrors (ORVMs) and vertical tail-lamps.
Inside the cabin, the car gets a dual-tone black and beige interior theme with hexapod centre console with piano black finish, and 7-seats (5 +2) configuration with two single jumper seats behind the second row. The compact SUV offers best-in-class headroom and legroom. The chrome bezel surrounded instrument panel features a multi information display (MID) in the middle, a speedometer on right and a tachometer on the left. It gets two large dials with chrome highlights that add more to its sporty appeal.
There is a three-spoke steering wheel with audio system controls, Bluetooth telephony and contoured palm grips. The power window switches and parking brake lever are positioned towards the rear end of the center console. It offers best-in-class boot space of 384-litres that can be expanded up to 720-litres. Mahindra claims that TUV300 is ready ahead of time to meet the upcoming safety regulation – October, 2017.
The Mahindra TUV300 is powered by a mHawk architecture based engine – called mHawk80 – that makes it more powerful and efficient than the Bolero. This 1.5-litre mHawk80 turbocharged diesel engine is capable to produce a maximum power of 84bhp and 230Nm of torque. This power-unit is boasted with the Micro hybrid technology which we have already seen on various Mahindra products including the Scorpio.
The compact SUV also gets the start-stop option that helps the engine save fuel and reduce emissions. This hybrid technology automatically switches off the engine when the vehicle comes to a halt, and gains life again once the clutch gets operational.The new Eco Mode system balances engine power for driving and AC usage. It also helps in achieving optimum fuel economy. Transmission options on offer are a 5-speed manual, and a 5-speed AMT (automated manual transmission). Mahindra claims that TUV300 returns a fuel efficiency of 18.49km/l. This makes it one the most frugal cars in its league.
