Mahindra TUV300 : Official Review

[Rajeevraj]

Exceptionally detailed review. Thank you.

Is there any reason why manufacturers shy away from offering their AT variants for reviews? Ideally they should be offering one variant of all engine/transmission combinations. What is the point in holding back?

[nmenon]

Excellent Review, rated 5 stars.
Lets see how this 'tank' of the road works out.
Looks imposing and someone in a small hatchback seeing this in the RVMs will get out of the way in a hurry.

[aak91]

Finally the Official Review is up. Was waiting for it desperately.
Well put together and detailed review. Good Job!

I am considering this car for my factory running purposes, though doubtful if it can take the abuse of time and rough use.

[Argan365]

Excellent Review & rating a thoroughly deserved 5 stars. This is definitely a love it or hate it design and Mahindra seems to be taking that approach right from the Quanto days. It does look a lot more butch and commanding.

Do we know about the driving experience with the AMT and if the Auto does enough justice to a vehicle of this size.
Also is this the same AMT that will make its way into its premium sibling, XUV ?

thanks,
Argan

[Arindam_Nayek]

Originally Posted by Tushar

Big shoutout to S.Gokul for pointing this out. The owner's manual has an image of the instrument cluster. Notice how there are warning lights for features not currently offered - VSC, 4WD low, diff lock, hill start assist, hill descent control etc. Provisioning for the future?

Much awaited review. Thank you Tushar for covering all the minute details. Rated 5 Stars.

Good effort from Mahindra too.
Hope to see the VSC, 4WD low, diff lock, hill start assist, hill descent control etc in future. Add the 2.2 Mhawk to the list too.

[famousshoes]

Originally Posted by Tushar

Even at idle, the gear lever shakes like a pup after a bath. The vibrations are at their worst when you switch the engine off (the whole car shakes about).

Wow thank you Tushar and team. That was one incredibly exhaustive review. Felt like I just had a virtual test drive! Disappointed to know the gear stick shiver and cabin shake still remain a trademark.
Also the spare wheel removal procedure is such bad design, wonder who thought it up.

"Those upgrading from a sedan will find it rather agricultural to operate"

Totally love that line!

[ThomasZach]

While the exterior look is anything but pleasant (for me), Mahindra seems to have done a good job inside. Mahindra deserves a pat on the back for their efforts to continuously improve. How I wish TATA learnt a thing or two from them.

[sallubhai]

Wonderful review! Sometimes I wonder, how you guys can make out time from your usual day to day work schedule for such an exhaustive review!!

[GKMahajan]

Dear Tushar,

Great compilation! I have liked the vehicle in principle.
I have now decided to stick to automatic vehicles only. Twice I have fixed a TD of the AMT and failed to reach! My bad!
After going through your very thorough report, I shall have to make it happen

[sidzzone]

Brilliant review, rating it 5 stars! TUV300 looks great and those looking for a good looking, butch, affordable SUV - this would be it. Only wish Mahindra had an extra variant with 4x4.

Good to see both Mahindra and Tata making some strides in improving quality. The "agricultural" feel that you get after driving a sedan is something that would appeal to me!

[ta.joseph]

I really liked the TUV300. I'll admit I am a Mahindra fan. I have driven my uncle's Xylo for about 30,000 kms and have been very impressed with the overall package. At an odo reading of 1,80,000 kms now that Xylo is still going strong without any major hiccups.

When the plan to get an SUV at home, I batted hard for the TUV300. Unfortunately, the commuter image of Mahindra and the ride characteristics when compared to its competition; Duster (The fight was between these two even though they compete in two different price categories) the Duster obviously won over the hearts of my siblings.

[human_wheels]

Excellent review. Also noticed that the review pic



was earlier revealed by S2 in the other TUV thread:

[achyu]

Originally Posted by Tushar

The Mahindra TUV300 has been launched in India at a price of between Rs. 6.98 - 9.20 lakhs (ex-Delhi).

Awesome review as always, Tushar! Thank you so much. Rated a deserving 5 stars. Going forward, do we expect anything "double-oh" to be reviewed by Tushar?

Absolutely right - you either love it or hate it. I, for one, loved what is on offer but my wife hated it - called it a box and reminded her so much of Quanto. Sigh.

I test drove the vehicle for kicks (while waiting for my XUV5OO's delivery) and was very impressed. At this price point, you do get quite a lot. 84 BHP may not sound like much but trust me, the 230 Nm torque at 1500 rpm makes up for it. Work the gears a bit and you will find yourself cruising at 100 kmph in no time. And like you said, people just give way and I would pick this up (T8 at 10.3L on road in Bangalore) any day over a Duster or an Ecosport - more features on offer than a Duster and no tension of people jumping in front of you + the good ground clearance.

The cruise control and dead pedal will be missed though. The rear a/c vents not so much - the cabin is cooled rather quickly and turning down the blower will not bother the occupants at the back much and will save you, the driver, from freezing to death.

Couple of funny incidents that I witnessed at the dealership:

1. Mahindra seems to be slow in moving the vehicles to the dealership or may be the dealer has not been fast enough, I don't know. One customer was at his wits' end because he still hadn't received his TUV and his first EMI was due in 2 days! He ended up taking delivery of the display vehicle! While I can understand his frustration, one can only hope that the vehicle behaves well and pray that this urgency isn't common place in his life.

2. At that time, a test drive vehicle wasn't available in the showroom. India Garage had only one mule that they rotated between three showrooms in Bangalore. One eager customer so badly wanted to 'feel' the vehicle that he got the keys from the SA, switched on the engine and promptly moved the vehicle forward a few meters and then back, INSIDE THE SHOWROOM! The SA's face was a sight to behold - the "Holy Mother of God! What do I do?" look . The dealer has, since then, got a dedicated test drive vehicle for this showroom.

Cheers

[chandrda]

Once again an Excellent & Neutral Review.

Like its said in the review, the front shape of the TUV is growing on me everyday and I don't hate it anymore, at least as to when I saw in the beginning.

As with any Mahindra vehicle, I would give it at least a year to sort out all the niggles and issues. It my personal experience having owned a scorpio and from what I read about XUV.

Also, couldn't help notice in the review. There is no price/specification comparison with the rival and also there is no Competition Watch. Does it mean TUV has no Competitor in this sector

Regards

[umeshd]

Exceptional details in review. Rating a full 5 stars! This review will really help those considering a TUV300.

Repeating one question which has been asked already. Did you get any chance to drive AMT ? Thats my only interest left in TUV.