[thatsdileep]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

You know, since you brought it up, I am one of those, too, who is mighty impressed by Scorpio's performance. The MHawk of Scorpio just pulls like a freight train. Makes me wonder if Mahindra under-reports its BHP and torque. I mean spec sheet says it makes only 120 BHP and 280 NM of torque. But the Scorpio pulls just as good as cars making 168 BHP and 380 NM torque. It makes me wonder if the real specs are higher. Now, is there any gain in under-reporting power and torque? I don't know.

May be a VWesque cheating trick...😜just kidding...!!!

[Chillout]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

Just back from a test drive and I am highly disappointed. Here's why -

Car Driven - T8 Automatic
Dealer - G3 Motors Navi Mumbai


Positives -

1) Car looks good from all sides. Except front.
2) Overall exterior look is much better than expected after seeing in the pictures.

Negative -

1) The front looks very down market and like a tempo. The bonnet is higher than XUV but narrow and thus throwing the proportions out of the window.

2) The car is very boxy from inside. The over all feel is like sitting in a box due to sharp angles.

3) Driver's seat is horribly low. I am 5'8". If you are less than my height you will struggle to see the road ahead.

4) The tires are a tad too small for the car of this size.

5) Last row seats are a big joke. Once you close the door, there is barely any space to move. My female companion who is only 5 feet found highly claustrophobic seating there.

6) Engine is no where compared to the marvelous 2.2 M Hawk. Such a large car and so under powered. Why ?

7) The fit and finish are not as good as they seem in the picture. Scorpio is much more refined from inside compared to TUV.

8) The feel while opening and closing the door is no where near luxurious or even acceptable.

9) Lack of climate control, infotainment and other gizmos present in 10 lac + rupee car

10) No snob value even after paying as much as a Honda City.


The dealership experience was very good and people were very courteous. One good thing is people are storming to the showroom and even booking the TUV. The sales person told be they already have 70 bookings which is great. But one observation I made was, the people who came to the showroom and were disappointed, turned towards the Scorpio for a test drive. Yes I was one of them and was blown away by road presence and power. Do yourself a favor, test the Scorpio and TUV back to back.

Final verdict - Scorpio is worth couple of extra lacs in every sense if you want to buy a Mahindra and can live with less mileage.

Can TUV compete with Ecosport / Duster / Terrano ? It sure has a long way to go and if it keeps improving like Scorpio and XUV who have improved with time, someday it will. Well maybe not.

Am I buying it ? Nope.

Cheers!

If I am correct you are the first to drive the automatic, how was gear shift, I am more worried about that and the vibrations.

[thatsdileep]

Just finished a TD and here are my thoughts
City: Chennai
Dealership: India Garage, 184 Anna Salai
SA: V. Kishore Kumar (+919790944229)

Variant of TD: T8 Manual (top end version)

Exteriors Fit and Finish:
- The exterior design looks decent to see it in flesh than in pics.


Attachment 1420094
- Overall fit and finish is Quite average
- The seem lines and gaps are more than average



- The front bumper and the side panels do not seem to be aligned properly and a glarin gap between the head light and the bumper

- The headlight seems to be protruding out than sitting flush along the curvature of the bumper. See the lower line of the light compared to the bumper line in below pic.
- Paint job seems quite ordinary as the paint on the plastic parts (bumpers, etc) seems lower quality (looks slightly matte or unfinished texture) compared to the metal parts paint which is glossy and nice.
- The nuts and bolts were visible and an eye sore. Very Mahindra like.


Interiors and Space:
- Overall decent interiors for the price and great spacious cabin for the size. Got to do with the extra width of the vehicle.
- Driver seat has a lot of adjustment and good lumbar and thigh support
- I'm 5'7" and the visibility is excellent with a lot of window area and unhindered view

- The footwell is quite right and doesn't have a foot rest. So long drives might take some effort.
Attachment 1420140
- The second row bench is decent although lacks a bit of under thigh support. It is quite spacious to accommodate 3 adults shoulder to shoulder with decent leg room. Even tall passengers can fit in. See below pic of the knee room with the driver seat set to my height 5'7" but I usually push the seat back for relaxed driving position which can be equivalent to average 5'9"-10" position.

- Floor hump is almost non existent which makes it easy for the middle passenger to sit and relax


- The rear seats can accommodate 2 kids and only for within city trips as they don't have seat belts. Else it can fit one adult as the outstretched legs won't leave any space for the other one unless he/she has a very dear buddy to spare some room to stretch. However the headroom is very tight. At my height there is barely 2 finger gap from my head to the roof.
Attachment 1420095
Attachment 1420096
Attachment 1420097
Attachment 1420141

Test Drive:
- Initially I called the dealership to ask if the vehicle could be sent home for TD. But since the TD vehicle was not registered they said they can't go too far from the dealership.
- For the same reason as above the test drive was not more than 1.5 Kms. So can't say much details.
- First thing one will notice at the time of igniting the engine is the vibration that will be felt.
- Driveability is great for city driving as there is plenty of low end torque. Starting from a stop signal in second gear is a breeze. Gear shifts will be minimal.
- As it is body on frame structure there is quite a bit of body roll which can be evident.
- The engine noise is quite intrusive (not as high as Scorpio but still quite high compared to Ecosport or Creta) especially at higher rpms.
- The brakes are missing the bite that will instill confidence.
- There is rocking motion imparted at hard braking which is reminiscent of a Mahindra and/or body on frame structure.
- There were not too many pot holes in the TD route but in the few I've tried to run through the TUV was composed and could absorb them well.
- I tried to ramp up the engine in 2nd gear to higher rpms (around 3000+) and seems like it was running out of breath. I doubt if it would be a great highway cruiser at high speeds and overtaking at high speeds light be a concern. Can't confirm this in the short 1.5km TD.

Dealership Experience:
- Great experience.
- SA was very knowledgeable
- SA was using a tablet to show the features and also comparison of TUV with competitors (Ecosport, Creta, etc)
- When asked about insurance if it can be procured outside he first said no and after confronting he hesitated to say yes.
- This dealership is recommended

Price list:
Attachment 1420129

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by Chillout

If I am correct you are the first to drive the automatic, how was gear shift, I am more worried about that and the vibrations.

The gear shift was apparent in terms of noise levels but the shifts were smooth. No complaints there.

[Akhil@Bengaluru]

i tried my hand on photo shop. I thought bit of blackening on the lower side and C pillar looks good on the TUV3OO. I liked the outcome .. Waiting for the official review of the TUV...

[thatsdileep]

Originally Posted by thatsdileep

Just finished a TD and here are my thoughts

Forgot to mention a few more observations:
- There is under bonnet insulation padding. Even after that there is quite a bit of engine noise heard in the cabin

- The cabin lights are only present at the front, however can be rolled to adjust the direction. The Bluetooth mic is located just in front of the cabin lights.

- The wheel wells get a plastic under lining which seems good quality. There is also rubber covering to protect the suspension and other components.

- There is decent amount of storage and cubby holes in the cabin.





- The ac has an ac Eco mode which acts as a pseudo auto climate control. As per SA it turns off when the temp is achieved and just blows normal air. I'm guessing it might be just a thermostat.

- The steering is perfect size and has quite a good feedback and weighs up well. It might be a bit heavy for people used to light steering (Hyundai, Honda cars) but definitely instils confidence. Not sure how it will behave at high speeds.



Mods please feel free to combine this with my previous post.
Thanks

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

8) The feel while opening and closing the door is no where near luxurious or even acceptable.

Very honestly, I was floored by the TUV's drive. No, the engine didn't impress me, but few other things did.

I agree on most counts of your post & would stand by them, but honestly, open the door of a Scorpio and have a look at how the door is made & then, have a look at TUV's. Appears premium.

Ride + handling combo was good, if its replacing the Bolero, then must say, it is leaps ahead. You got to sample it.

The interiors are ok, not in the league of EcoSport, but I found them better than Duster/Terrano siblings.

Absolutely detest the way it looks from front, especially head-on. Butch looking is nice, but the designer didn't do much with his pen. I am sorry, but doesn't look good [On par with Quanto/Xylo]

I do not know as to how comfortable the middle seats would be. The padding is thin and there wasn't much space when seats were pushed to make way for an average + Indian male driving.

The rear seats was a bad idea to start with.

The 3 cylinder thrum and its [lack] of torque is evident in 1st gear. Have driven an A-Star for a fair bit and can relate to it.

Originally Posted by pgsagar

You know, since you brought it up, I am one of those, too, who is mighty impressed by Scorpio's performance. The MHawk of Scorpio just pulls like a freight train. Makes me wonder if Mahindra under-reports its BHP and torque. I mean spec sheet says it makes only 120 BHP and 280 NM of torque. But the Scorpio pulls just as good as cars making 168 BHP and 380 NM torque. It makes me wonder if the real specs are higher. Now, is there any gain in under-reporting power and torque? I don't know.

Don't think so. If caught, they would be all over in WWW. Have a look at VW memes.

M&M is milking the Scorpio brand. In a Xylo H9, you have rear fog-lamps, leather seats and compare its price with a Scorpio, its on par with S8. And then factor the discounts for a Xylo. If I didn't need a 4WD, I wouldn't have considered a Scorpio, the Xylo is a much better car IMHO.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

4) The tires are a tad too small for the car of this size.

Just wanted to add that the TUV300 has a taller tyre sidewall than even the Scorpio! Honestly, on a body-on-frame SUV, I prefer it this way as it leads to a noticeable improvement in ride quality. They are also very popular in the offroad community as the potential of wheel damage is lesser (due to more cushioning).

IMHO, SUVs look great with smaller wheels + tall tyres. That's one of the reasons I haven't upgraded my Jeep's 15" rims. In my recent tyre change, I opted for tyres that have an even taller sidewall than what she was running earlier.

Here's a wicked example of small wheels + tall tyres:

Source

I'm never going to own a Fortuner, but if I would, the first thing I'd do is get smaller 15" rims with tall tyres.



Obviously, these are extreme examples, yet I can assure you similar thought has gone behind the TUV300's tyre & wheel size. On body-on-frame SUVs, a tall sidewall + small wheel is preferred over short sidewalls + big rims.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just wanted to add that the TUV300 has a taller tyre sidewall than even the Scorpio! Honestly, on a body-on-frame SUV, I prefer it this way as it leads to a noticeable improvement in ride quality. They are also very popular in the offroad community as the potential of wheel damage is lesser (due to more cushioning).

IMHO, SUVs look great with smaller wheels + tall tyres. That's one of the reasons I haven't upgraded my Jeep's 15" rims. In my recent tyre change, I opted for tyres that have an even taller sidewall than what she was running earlier.

Here's a wicked example of small wheels + tall tyres:
Attachment 1420609
Source

I'm never going to own a Fortuner, but if I would, the first thing I'd do is get smaller 15" rims with tall tyres.



Obviously, these are extreme examples, yet I can assure you similar thought has gone behind the TUV300's tyre & wheel size. On body-on-frame SUVs, a tall sidewall + small wheel is preferred over short sidewalls + big rims.

Thanks for putting light on this GTO. Sure your knowledge on subjects such as these is phenomenal.

Maybe smaller wheel arches would have made the tires look proportionate. Unless they have a T10 AWD coming up with bigger rims.

[nishant kar]

GTO ... have we tested the TUV 300 yet. When is the official Review expected.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just wanted to add that the TUV300 has a taller tyre sidewall than even the Scorpio! Honestly, on a body-on-frame SUV, I prefer it this way as it leads to a noticeable improvement in ride quality. They are also very popular in the offroad community as the potential of wheel damage is lesser (due to more cushioning).

IMHO, SUVs look great with smaller wheels + tall tyres. That's one of the reasons I haven't upgraded my Jeep's 15" rims. In my recent tyre change, I opted for tyres that have an even taller sidewall than what she was running earlier.

Here's a wicked example of small wheels + tall tyres:
Attachment 1420609
Source

I'm never going to own a Fortuner, but if I would, the first thing I'd do is get smaller 15" rims with tall tyres.



Obviously, these are extreme examples, yet I can assure you similar thought has gone behind the TUV300's tyre & wheel size. On body-on-frame SUVs, a tall sidewall + small wheel is preferred over short sidewalls + big rims.

Yes, these are called deep-dish bowl rims. Some customised trucks (yankee speak for SUVs) have as tiny as 12/13 inch deep bowl rims with high chrome finish buried in huuge sidewall fat rubber. Yes, low-profile tyres look good only on sportscars and low-rider sedans. Not at all on SUVs. Something like this.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by nishant kar

GTO ... have we tested the TUV 300 yet. When is the official Review expected.

Probably in the works as per this quote in GTO's bimmer thread

Here's what I meant: This weekend, the 5 will be sitting idle in the garage. Reason = Have to take the test TUV300 out on the highway.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3805789

Yet to see a TUV3OO on the road - though the test vehicles can be found running around

[wilful]

Has the AMT version hit the dealerships yet? Anyone seen it or driven it?

[TMRT]

Got a call from Kandivli G3. They have an AMT TUV T8 available for TD

[mukul32]

Overdrive India's road test video review was up a couple of days ago, checked it out today. And have to say, great review. Entertaining, frank and informative. Keeps things honest. Doesn't simply narrate specs, or glorify the car too much, or speak the manufacturer's tongue, like many other reviews do. Would call it one of the better video reviews by OD recently.

https://youtu.be/jHvAnrdriE4