[TusharK]

According to a media report, Mahindra is planning to launch a facelifted version of the TUV300 in 2019 and that work on the project has already commenced.



While the TUV300 is expected to get minor styling updates, reports suggest that Mahindra is likely to strengthen its structure to comply with future crash test norms. The new regulations will be applicable for cars sold from October 2019 onwards.

The updated TUV300 is also expected to receive a BS-VI compliant engine. Currently, the compact SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder diesel unit that puts out 100 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and a peak torque of 240 Nm @ 1,600-2,800 rpm. While, a 5-speed manual transmission is standard across the range, a 5-speed AMT is offered as an option on select variants.

Source: Autocar India

Link to Team-BHP News

[vshankarhere]

Originally Posted by TusharK

According to a media report, Mahindra is planning to launch a facelifted version of the TUV300 in 2019 and that work on the project has already commenced.

While facelift is usually good news, am not sure how Mahindra is going to treat its TUV300. Off all the models sold by Mahindra, Bolero and to some extent TUV300 have classic looks with no overdone extrovert design shouting at your face. Hope Mahindra does not overdo the facelift. Engine wise, now they have two choices of 1500cc engines under their disposal. Are they going to ditch the 3 cylinder in TUV and opt for the 4 cylinder one in Marazzo or continue with the same option? Why would they have to develop two different engines for slightly different applications, isn't their development going to shoot up unnecessarily?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Currently, the compact SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder diesel unit that puts out 100 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and a peak torque of 240 Nm @ 1,600-2,800 rpm.

Tip for Mahindra -

Replace it with the 1.5-litre, four cylinder diesel engine from the Marazzo producing 122PS and 300Nm. And is getting good appreciation for being refined as well!

Viola! Best facelift done.

PS - Not sure if it's possible though, as it was designed for the transverse layout of the Marazzo.

[knaveen]

Originally Posted by vshankarhere

Are they going to ditch the 3 cylinder in TUV and opt for the 4 cylinder one in Marazzo or continue with the same option?

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Tip for Mahindra -

Replace it with the 1.5-litre, four cylinder diesel engine from the Marazzo producing 122PS and 300Nm. And is getting good appreciation for being refined as well!

Or the easier option will be to fit the engine from the TUV300 Plus. Its the mHawk 2.2 from the pre-facelift Scorpio. But then, TUV 300 Plus may lose its USP.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by knaveen

But then, TUV 300 Plus may lose its USP.

They also lose out on the sub-4m + 1500cc diesel tax advantage - which will significantly affect the pricing.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by knaveen

Or the easier option will be to fit the engine from the TUV300 Plus. Its the mHawk 2.2 from the pre-facelift Scorpio. But then, TUV 300 Plus may lose its USP.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

They also lose out on the sub-4m + 1500cc diesel tax advantage - which will significantly affect the pricing.

Third party liability insurance premiums will be significantly higher for the 2.2L engine compared to 1.5L (~8k vs ~3k odd).

With multi year premiums becoming mandatory, it may push the on- road price even higher.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

They also lose out on the sub-4m + 1500cc diesel tax advantage - which will significantly affect the pricing.

As it is, due to BS 6 norms, a significant price shock on diesel cars will hit the Indian auto market. OEMs have been saying that BS 6 diesel cars of 1.5 litres will cost ~Rs.75000 to 1 lakh more and bigger engined cars will cost even more (+1.5 to 2 lakh or so).

[vshankarhere]

Originally Posted by knaveen

Or the easier option will be to fit the engine from the TUV300 Plus. Its the mHawk 2.2 from the pre-facelift Scorpio. But then, TUV 300 Plus may lose its USP.

I doubt. The TUV300 will probably chug along with the existing 3 pot. I only wonder why do they have to develop two different 1.5 L diesels. Am flummoxed..

[Turrrb0]

Originally Posted by vshankarhere

I doubt. The TUV300 will probably chug along with the existing 3 pot. I only wonder why do they have to develop two different 1.5 L diesels. Am flummoxed..

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Not sure if it's possible though, as it was designed for the transverse layout of the Marazzo.

I think as CrAzY dRiVeR metioned, IMO too that could be a big reason as to why they developed 2 different engines, but how difficult is it to make the 4 pot 1.5L engine work in a longitudinal layout?
Could it be that the 3 pot was a stop-gap jugaad engine until the latest 4 banger was developed?
From all the reviews I've read and watched. The new Marazzo engine sounds like it could be a winner.

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by vshankarhere

I doubt. The TUV300 will probably chug along with the existing 3 pot. I only wonder why do they have to develop two different 1.5 L diesels. Am flummoxed..

The 3-cyl 1.5 was a relic from the Quanto (shudders). The engine is not a bad one. It is reasonably refined, the dual scroll turbo has really good low end torque, so it never feels underpowered in the city, and the 100PS model has adequate power even on the highway, IMO. It was the initial 80PS model that really gave it a bad name. By the time Mahindra came out with the 100PS model, the reviews and the verdict was already out, with only a few outlets even giving it a second glance. If you look at the TUV3OO reviews on Youtube, most of them feature the 80PS model and compare it to the lighter 100PS ecosport and the even lighter 90PS Brezza, and it's no wonder that the TUV loses out. Personally, I feel that the TUV is great to drive in the city, and very responsive right off the throttle.

I think that with the Marazzo, M&M wanted to start off with a clean sheet of paper, inside and out. They wanted to get it right the first time. The positioning of the Marazzo meant that refinement and power would have to be spot on, and the TUV mill didn't cut it. It's a good start. They have also understood that the figures matter. 120bhp and 300Nm are peak figures, but they sound impressive enough. But it seems that the trade-off is in the driveability, as reviewers have mentioned the tendency to stall, which is indicative of inadequate low end torque.

Coming back to the TUV, I think that they should add a lot more detailing, and put on bigger wheels and tyres. We have 3 sporty, city slick mini SUVs, but what's missing is a mini THAR, or a mini HUMMER, which the TUV has potential to be. If you look at the Hummer design, it's full of detailing, like the off-road looking bumpers, exposed tow hooks, fuel cap, mirror, bonnet scoop, door handles, mirrors, side cladding etc. There's also the huge tyres (not just the wheels, but huge, high profile tyres) that define the stance and the go anywhere prowess of the vehicle. The armor kit for the TUV adds a lot of this to the stock TUV, but the stance is completely spoiled by the wheels of the car which are tucked too much inside the body.




See how ugly this looks. The wheels which are already too far inside the body, seem to go further in with the cladding, making the track look even narrower. The 215 section tyres do no favours to this car either.

Also see how Mahindra's designers seem to have no idea how to make the lights and the bumpers meet. They seem to be fighting two design briefs, one to keep the bumpers integrated with the body, like in conventional SUVS, and another, to create separate, off-road bumpers that look so good on the OTR built jeeps. They have mashed up both the themes quite badly, as can be seen from the weird lines below the headlights and the tail lights.

To see how it should be done, here's a pic of the H3's bootylicious behind.



I have seen exactly one TUV with the wheels done right. This was in Cochin, and the car had 235 section tyres on negative offset 8J chrome wheels and everything else was stock. It looked awesome, and he was gone before I could take a pic.

So please Mahindra, get the stance right this time around.

They should also do something about the grille. It's too inset, and blends with the body, when it should be standing out. The lights also don'd follow the body line, making for an awkward piece of flat surface between the light and the light catcher on the bumper.



To see how a front end should be done with clean, simple lines, see the new Jimny. Feel free to borrow from it, Suzuki isn't going to sell it here anyway..



And so ends my sermon. Do with it what you will, M&M. You already have the XUV300 to do the sporty thing, so let the TUV become what it should have been from the start.

[JediKnight]

My wish list for TUV 300:

1. Resolve the rear wheel articulation issue. Or make MLD as standard fitment.

2. Improve low speed ride. the current one is too bumpy.

3. Introduce a four wheel drive version with snorkel low range and locking differentials. May be with the 2.2L engine from the plus.

4. Either fix the AMT or get rid of it completely. Or introduce a proper AT.

5. General improvement in quality. At least the core components should be bullet proof.

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by JediKnight

My wish list for TUV 300:

1. Resolve the rear wheel articulation issue. Or make MLD as standard fitment.

2. Improve low speed ride. the current one is too bumpy.

3. Introduce a four wheel drive version with snorkel low range and locking differentials. May be with the 2.2L engine from the plus.

4. Either fix the AMT or get rid of it completely. Or introduce a proper AT.

5. General improvement in quality. At least the core components should be bullet proof.

Agree with every point. I think they should've collected enough data from the 'test mules' that they sold the TUV3OO to since 2015 to get it right this time.

The diff lock as a standard fitment is a great idea, as it would add a bit of actual ability to the TUV. Maybe it can finally walk the walk and not just talk.

+1 for the 4WD model. But even if they don't do the 4WD, a TUV3OOS model with the 2.2L would be awesome.

I agree that they should get a proper Torque Converter AT, or at least get the AMT from Marelli like everyone else. Those AMT boxes seem to have the least issues. I would love a diesel slushbox at this price range though. The only decent diesel automatic SUV is the Creta Automatic which is a segment above.

Mahindra already has the six speed automatic transmission from the Scorpio, that can handle 120bhp. It should be easy to fit it on the TUV, considering the TUV mill is derived from the same engine.

The interior design is simple and elegant. But it doesn't match the exterior at all. I think it should be a bit more flamboyant, and the quality should be at least at Marazzo levels. Again, this should not be hard considering they have a supply chain in place for Marazzo.

Overall, I think that the TUV as it is sold right now is overpriced. Every other competitor surpasses it on equipment levels for each variant. I think they need to redo the variants and offer more stuff on the base and mid variants as well. The Nexon for example, is as well equipped as any compact sedan at the same price range.

[knightrider_7]

I would like the facelifted TUV 3OO to have the features which were offered in the now discontinued Nuvosport. Cruise control, speed limit warning, rear 60:40, rear centre armrest, reclining rear seat etc. were there on the Nuvosport IIRC.

[TusharK]

Mahindra TUV300 facelift caught testing

A test mule of the TUV300 was seen sporting minor exterior updates and new features, which suggests that Mahindra could be gearing up to launch the facelifted version.



The spy images suggest that the TUV300 facelift gets new X-shaped spare wheel cover and LED daytime running lights. It is also reported to get new design alloy wheels and it has blacked-out D-pillars, integrated rear spoiler, roof rails and a rear wiper. Reports suggest that Mahindra might also update the TUV300's body structure to comply with the upcoming crash safety regulations.



The car appears to have a similar dashboard as the current TUV300 equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system.



Currently, the TUV300 is available in 6 variants. It is powered by a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder diesel engine that produces 100 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 240 Nm of torque @ 1,600-2,800 rpm. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT.

Source: Autocar India

Link to Team-BHP News

[JS Kwt]

2019 Mahindra TUV300 (facelift) testing,
Launch by 1 April 2019



Link