[S.MJet]

Looks are matter of personal choice but in general one of the important factors is overall proportions which sometimes do not really come out in pictures. IMO, if KUV is a well proportioned it will look decent.

For example first look at Baleno pictures did not impress me at all but found it very attractive & good looking when I first saw it in our office parking.

[Ym-enjn]

Wow, good work Mahindra.. My cheque is ready as soon as you give AMT in this.

I dont see anything wrong with the design other than small wheels. Feels fresh and different.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Little OT, but the compact cross over from Maruti, Suzuki Ignis that is expected in India late this year has an optional AWD variant. (Thread Link). There are rumors that the AWD variant will also make it to India. Little doubtful, need to wait and see. But if it does, could create a trend.

If Maruti offer the Ignis with an AWD variant, it would certainly set a trend. And perhaps nudge other mfrs. to start offering their quasi-SUV toys with AWD, which would be all to the good. Mahindra jumping on to the hatch-on-steroids bandwagon with the KUV100 was disappointment enough, and if they offer an AWD version sometime in the future (as in the XUV500), it would go some way to saving the situation. Because at the moment, calling the KUV100 an SUV is a hoot!

[Rajeevraj]

Found another small video of the interior

https://youtu.be/4sLk9XUoldo

The backside of the front center seat is quite visible here. There is also another video clip that says petrol will start at 3.9L and diesel at 4.8L. Could be a false info also.

[NST440]

Well well, just when i thought Mahindra cannot roll out a more bad looker than its Quanto, they surprise again with this hideous piece of car/suv/rick whatever one likes to call it. Seriously i do not understand whats wrong with the Mahindra designers, seems like they are either taking revenge from the management or they are usually high when designing such a horrible looking thing. It has been ages since i saw something look so darn awful. I really do not understand why these designers cannot come up with something unique and eye candy at the same time. Quirkiness can be delightful also, see the Nissan Juke and small cars of Mazda, they look amazing.

Also, can companies so freely fool us by calling such vehicle as a SUV, i mean seriously this is like going way overboard. The KUV looks like two different cars combined together and finalized prematurely. The interiors looks so confused as well. I really miss the way cars were designed earlier, macho, reliable and very car like and with designs like these, it seems some real wrong people are being recruited by these companies.

No offense though, its just my opinion, i know many would still buy it over other cars owing to their own set of reasons, but to me, its like the first real bad thing to happen in automotive industry in 2016, regardless of at whatever price this hideous thing comes in the market.

[ubermeow]

Alto, CRETA, i20, XUV500, Duster, KWID, BEAT - every design has been enmeshed and rehashed to create this enigma called KUV. I think KUV stands for Kid/Kidding/Kidder/Kidsy Utility Vehicle. KUV100 designed by kids for kids. Eyesore is a very mild word for this car.

[anand.shankar]

Another ugly lil duckling from M&M.

The concept seems fine, but over done.. over the top, those h/l are stretched way too far. and the lines are the rear are super sick! They don't even sync with the curves up front!

What they could have done is, truncated the headlight like in their new Imperio and softened and straightened that curve at the back and given conventional pull type door handles. And with meatier tires it would have looked more proportional.

Well, as a serious differentiation, they could have added an AWD option. We hardly have any AWD options in the small car zone.

This might sell only because of the Indian obsession with SUVs, and in comparison, the KWID looks more mature and well rounded off barring the small tires. Meanwhile, lets wait for the Power figures and Pricing.

[mayank0782]

Surprised to see such a strong rejection of the design even before anybody saw it in flesh.

Yes the design looks overdone and tires look puny but it doesn't seem that bad at least to me.

[MaxTorque]

Originally Posted by mayank0782

Surprised to see such a strong rejection of the design even before anybody saw it in flesh.

Exactly mate. The official launch is just few hours away and we have already concluded the product will be a flop.

In my opinion KUV100 launch should be called off considering enthusiasts are not happy with the design.

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by mayank0782

Surprised to see such a strong rejection of the design even before anybody saw it in flesh.

Yes the design looks overdone and tires look puny but it doesn't seem that bad at least to me.

Looks are indeed subjective, but think the majority is clearly not in favor of the design. The primary reason being the proportions look completely incorrect. The front and rear give the impression of a large vehicle, but the side profile just looks like a chop-job. Had the car been longer, it would have looked proportionate and not many would have complained. Further, Mahindra is positioning it as an SUV and not a hatchback. As an SUV, the design and proportions are (in my opinion) completely out of place.

I personally think Mahindra's designs typically are quirky, overdone and evoke extreme responses.

There are enough pictures and importantly videos which give a very clear visibility of the vehicle for people to "presume" it looks bad. To each his own.

[mayank0782]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Looks are indeed subjective, but think the majority is clearly not in favor of the design.

Exactly ! I did not find it looking that bad but most did.

That said, there might be many other parameters (which we would come to know very soon) which can become topics of discussion, I hope the looks dont remain "the only" point of discussion.

[Latheesh]

There were similar comments about XUV500 before its launch. But all started praising them the moment they announced the price. Same way pricing holds key for KUV too. If they price it similar to Swift level or below, we are going to see thousands of this ugly vehicles on our roads.

Finally sales number is what matter the most. If they can manage 5K per month, nothing else matters. But it clearly looks like their design center has gone to the dogs.

[i74js]

Cannot appreciate design based on the pics shown here, but M & M now knows what will sell (they have had two recent failures Quanto and Vibe).

I am quite hopeful that this will sell just because of the different design approach, the possible 6 people carrying capacity and may be AMT in near future.

Tyres are no issue, those who want bigger diameter, will go for it immediately after purchase.

M & M will even out apprehensions on a odd date

[MaxTorque]

If someone wants to watch the revealing of KUV, can be watched here

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Looks are indeed subjective,........enough pictures and importantly videos which give a very clear visibility of the vehicle for people to "presume" it looks bad. To each his own.

As you say to each his own - for my money, the KUV, Kwid, Ignis, i20 Active, Etios Cross and the rest of the toy SUV brigade have little to differentiate themselves from each other. Aside from the fact that they all conform to the same basic hatch-on-steroids formula. The day they start offering AWD options (like the Duster has), the criticism from the purists would cease!

Originally Posted by MaxTorque

Exactly mate. The official launch is just few hours away and we have already concluded the product will be a flop. In my opinion KUV100 launch should be called off considering enthusiasts are not happy with the design.

My sympathies are all with you MaxTorque. I too wish one would wait till the launch & some customer feedback - before the summary rejections based on media teaser photos alone.

Originally Posted by mayank0782

Surprised to see such a strong rejection of the design even before anybody saw it in flesh.
Yes the design looks overdone and tires look puny but it doesn't seem that bad at least to me.

Absolutely Mayank! Glad to hear sane voices like yours & MaxTorque's. Flogging a cyber horse before riding it in the flesh has taken on epidemic proportions!

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

Another ugly lil duckling from M&M..........Well, as a serious differentiation, they could have added an AWD option. Meanwhile, lets wait for the Power figures and Pricing.

The power figures have been floating around for a while (82/77 bhp & 115/190 Nm) and as mentioned else where in this thread, an AWD option would certainly set a precedent, at least in our country - setting the cat among the pigeons, so to speak!

Originally Posted by ubermeow

Alto, CRETA, i20, XUV500, Duster, KWID, BEAT - every design has been enmeshed and rehashed to create this enigma called KUV. I think KUV stands for Kid/Kidding/Kidder/Kidsy Utility Vehicle. KUV100 designed by kids for kids. Eyesore is a very mild word for this car.

Unfortunately, the hatch-on-steroids format has only so much that can be done with it! - All the examples you mentioned (including the KUV!) look more or less alike to me - just bigger & smaller perhaps. The significant exceptions being the AWD examples (Duster & XUV). And my sincere, tho' faint, hope is that the newer entrants (the Kwid & KUV) also decide to offer AWD at some point. If nothing else it may motivate the others (the herd mentality among mfrs. is deeply prevalent, make no mistake - observe the AMT epidemic taking hold!) to do the same & provide the proverbial fig-leaf for covering the wide-spread misuse of the term SUV!

Originally Posted by NST440

Well well, just when i thought Mahindra cannot roll out a more bad looker than its Quanto, they surprise again with this hideous piece of car/suv/rick whatever one likes to call it. Seriously i do not understand whats wrong with the Mahindra designers, seems like they are either taking revenge from the management or they are usually high when designing such a horrible looking thing. It has been ages since i saw something look so darn awful. I really do not understand why these designers cannot come up with something unique and eye candy at the same time. Quirkiness can be delightful also, see the Nissan Juke and small cars of Mazda, they look amazing.
Also, can companies so freely fool us by calling such vehicle as a SUV, i mean seriously this is like going way overboard. The KUV looks like two different cars combined together and finalized prematurely. The interiors looks so confused as well. I really miss the way cars were designed earlier, macho, reliable and very car like and with designs like these, it seems some real wrong people are being recruited by these companies.
No offense though, its just my opinion, i know many would still buy it over other cars owing to their own set of reasons, but to me, its like the first real bad thing to happen in automotive industry in 2016, regardless of at whatever price this hideous thing comes in the market.

Nothing wrong with M&M designers (wish they had Pininfarina on board earlier though) and as mentioned in the above posts, all the new toy-SUV brigade have no significant differentiation - a swage line here, a "character" line there, a hideous grin-like grill here or a pointless curve there - none of this makes a case for original design. At the risk of repetition I'll say that just the addition of AWD would make a major contribution to this whole quasi-SUV debate.