[landcruiser123]

Is this a monocoque or a Body-on-frame car?
That'll decide whether it's FWD/RWD and how it'll perform.
Looks like Mahindra is trying to getting into the high volume segment.

[Ragavsr]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Need to understand if the airbags will work as expected on a full bench seat at the front. How will the 3rd passenger if any be safe?
What happens if the passengers are not sitting in alignment to the airbag?

I presume airbags will work fine when two people are seated on the front .

But I would strike off the KUV from my buying lost of its going to launch with front bench seats.

For tall drivers , the bench seat is an obstruction when it's comes to shifting gears as the lack of space between the seats prevent free movement of the arm in changing gears.

I found that this was a problem when I took a test drive of the Datsun Go.

Bench seats had become antiquated long time back and there is no need to bring it back.

[MaxTorque]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Is this a monocoque or a Body-on-frame car?
That'll decide whether it's FWD/RWD and how it'll perform.
Looks like Mahindra is trying to getting into the high volume segment.

It is a monocoque car

Originally Posted by Ragavsr

I presume airbags will work fine when two people are seated on the front .

But I would strike off the KUV from my buying lost of its going to launch with front bench seats.

I think the fate is already written. The front seat is bench type. But the gear ever is placed on on dashboard (towards bottom).

[snan]

Reminds me of Nissan Juke and for me that is not nice. It looks quirky, non conformist, even funky maybe. But these kinds of designs typically is binary - hate or love with nothing in between. I hate it as much as I love Ecosport. Also would be interesting to see how it handles. In the end I hope it doesn't end up being a "cheap carnival trick on wheels" for the sake of Mahindra given it is designed and developed in house and in country.

[StepUP!]

Why can't M&M get rid of the superstition of naming their cars ending with 'O'? Is that too difficult? Gusto, KUV, Canto, double O? Really? But I agree nothing can beat Creta
So their next cars will be I guess xxx three O?

[deetjohn]

The design is very confusing and the KUV lacks cohesion. The front and side profile looks like it came from different cars with disparate body styles. And I really don't like the two very sharp creases on the side.

Had hoped Mahindra turned a corner with the neutral TUV. They did a nice job with the rear and side of that one even though the front is a little bulky. But with the KUV, it looks like its back to the older days for Mahindra.

[i74js]

I like the design of car, Chevy beat was a hot favorite among young executives for the initial 2 -3 years after it was launched and the odd placed door handle was not a show stopper for the sales.

M & M experimented with vertical door handles in XUV and it was accepted by consumers.

Among the sub 4 meters products, I see this launch with good future as between KUV and TUV, M & M will capture a wide spectrum of buyers looking for a car-like look and an SUV-like look from one stable, which is good.

I am looking forward to this launch as it will keep the manufacturer busy while the ban on high volume diesel machines prevails.

[girimajiananth]

The front has a bench seat ? As is 3 seats like the old ambassador and Fiat ? How are they going to manage the seat belts and airbags ?

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

The front has a bench seat ? As is 3 seats like the old ambassador and Fiat ? How are they going to manage the seat belts and airbags ?

As far as I have seen from spy pics, I guess it is two bucket seats with a small centre seat.

The back rest of this centre seat folds down when not in use and doubles as an armrest for the front passenger.

[rahul412]

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

The front has a bench seat ? As is 3 seats like the old ambassador and Fiat ? How are they going to manage the seat belts and airbags ?

See these pics. Front is a bucket seat only ( & not Ambassador like bench seat) & the mid one can be folded ( still wont look cool I guess).

[engine_charan]

Iam really not sure what Mahindra has in mind with this launch. At least, other manufacturers show the car at the launch and will not divulge the price details. It is too early to comment on the car without seeing in full flesh and I will hold my opinion once it is launched wholly as a Car and not just images.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The design is very confusing and the KUV lacks cohesion. The front and side profile looks like it came from different cars with disparate body styles. And I really don't like the two very sharp creases on the side.

Had hoped Mahindra turned a corner with the neutral TUV. They did a nice job with the rear and side of that one even though the front is a little bulky. But with the KUV, it looks like its back to the older days for Mahindra.

But the general public prefers razzle-dazzle rather than cohesive design or design integrity. The comments here in this thread itself is ample proof!! A curve here or a slash there without any rhyme or reason is what sells - Mahindra has understood that it seems.

But as others have said, why the hurry Mahindra, without even getting the vehicle ready? Compared to the build-up they had for TUV and the properly planned and executed launch later on, this looks like a hotchpotch effort!

[ajitkommini]

From the images I feel the wheels look disproportionately small compared to the overall height of the car.

[shashanka]

I find a lot of free-flow talk about design cohesion and design integrity! This leaves me a little fogged. For a country which has leaped-frogged (within a generation) from Armada/Ambassador/Padmini to a domestic design studio (DC, bagging a contract for an Aston Martin prototype among others) and home-grown products like the XUV, TUV (and now the KUV!) seems like pretty good going from where I stand.

Both Japan (earlier) & S.Korea (later) were at the recieving end of a deluge of sniping & sarcasm (in the 60's & 70's and in fact right upto the early 80's) from the erstwhile pundits - the British motoring press!
And the current status of the three industries is there for all to see - Japan & S.Korea are right up there on the marquee, whereas the British industry is just about managing to dig themselves out of the hole they had dug themselves into -with a little help from our own Tata Motors!

So please let us not pass judgement before tasting the pudding!

[kvsingh13]

Here is what I predict for this vehicle :-
1. Would look like a mini car when we see it in real flesh. Including those small tyres.
2. Would be priced below TUV300 but will be more popular than the same. The price difference however will not be significantly high.
3. Would be able to tackle the competition because of the competitive pricing.