Mahindra TUV300 : Official Review

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by Tushar

Door opens wide enough, but the edgy styling is an ergonomic disaster. The tip of the door (top right) can hit your face easily if you don't watch out:

Disaster happened already...

Went to a nearby showroom to take a TD of XUV500. Couldn't resist having a close look at TUV300 in black looking all too good........

One second later.....
Wham !!! I am opening the drivers door and second later I am hit with the protruding edge. I am sporting a nice bruise on my forehead now...

I still don't remember what all of the choicest abuses I whirled around involuntarily. And after I had a look inside the vehicle all I could notice was FAULTS

Jokes apart and some ergonomics messed up and as an existing Xylo owner I find TUV300 a decent attempt at being a proper SUV that ticks almost all the boxes what a buyer is looking for.
I hope that it spells success for the home grown brand.

Cheers,
AB

[PapaBravo]

Thanks for the detailed review Tushar. It cover almost all points one would require while booking TUV.

Originally Posted by Tushar

Apart from the moderate power output of the engine, what holds the TUV300 back is the sheer weight. At 1,590 kg, the body-on-frame TUV300 is significantly heavier than the monocoque EcoSport (1,248 kg) & Duster (1,180 kg).

The duster weighs 1300+ kgs IMO. Shall check in the manual though.

Regards,

Pawan

[theroadrunner]

5 Star Rating for the detailed Review Tushar! Must say, this was one of the most awaited reviews on TBhp. I waited and waited and finally test drove it last weekend. You are spot on with all the observations. However, like someone mentioned earlier, the Sales person mentioned the ground clearance is 191 MM against 184 stated here. That apart, I did feel that the paint job on the bumpers left a lot to be desired. It was very obvious on the white T8 on display where the bumper paint appeared to have a grainy surface as compared to the rest of the body. When asked, the sales guy responded: "Sir, it is bumper sir. You cannot expect the same paint quality of body on bumper sir." Pathetic response. The noise inside the cabin was very audible for the short run that I had and also the body roll when doing a U-turn. Turning radius upwards of 5 mtrs is what the guy told me. I had test drove on a still-being-laid national highway so, like in the review, each of the undulations was very much felt. The tyres seemed adequate and braking could have been a little more sharper. Wonder how this will affect Bolero as it appears to be better packaged than it. The worst feedback I received was from my mum, who said: "Nice, but is not as comfortable as a hatch". So true. Rear bench has poor underthigh support that it will feel obvious when doing long runs. All said, this vehicle has an amazing street presence and no amount of photos can do justice to its voluminous stance. Should do well. A value for money upgrade if this is anyone's first SUV.

[ikoneer]

Thank You Tushar and team for the detailed review. I have been waiting for this review for a long time now

How is the body roll and bounciness of the Tank, Assuming if its going to be a single or double occupancy most of the time, is the ride comfortable?

I once traveled in a scorpio with 5 passengers and did not like it, was getting bounced throughout the ride, can it be the same with the Tank?

[RJ411]

Everytime when I read a official review thread I use to ask myself how come these guys are managing such a comprehensive report.

But it gets better and better in every review. No wonder why it takes so much time.

After Rahul Dravid it is our reviews, which are the most consistent

Scorpio-derived gear lever is a talented dancer!

The above comment was just fantastic

[GhostRider28]

That's a wonderfully detailed review Tushar - comprehensive enough to be a one stop guide for someone wishing to buy the TUV. Rated 5 stars
Eagerly awaiting an official review and test drive of the AMT version.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by Tushar

Other Points:
• Not only do the doors auto-lock once you start driving, they also auto-unlock after you switch off the ignition.
• When you lock / unlock the doors, the mechanism is very audible on the inside...and outside.

That means, in the city traffic signal a two wheeler guy/bystander beside my car knows exactly when to open the door and scoot with laptop bag placed in the rear seat

[achyu]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

That means, in the city traffic signal a two wheeler guy/bystander beside my car knows exactly when to open the door and scoot with laptop bag placed in the rear seat

But then it will be easy for you to chase the guy because people will automatically make way for the TUV

[swami69]

Lovely review with great details. This vehicle looks great with that boxy design, i love it.

Swami

[100BHP]

Wow thank you Tushar and team. That was one incredibly exhaustive review.
Any inputs on the AMT performance ?

[grevvity]

Excellent review. Rated 5 stars. Coming to TUV 300, I think its a bold move my Mahindra to pitch TUV in sub 4 meter cross/suv segment where all the other manufactures are already a year or two ahead. At the end of the day the quality and refinement is still a disappointment. I was under an impression that it has improved this time but proved wrong after going through this detailed review where all the crude areas are highlighted.

[GTO]

Guys,

While Tushar responds to the other posts, just two points:

1. The ground clearance is indeed 184 mm. Reconfirmed with Mahindra. 190 / 191 mm figures have been floating around, but they aren't correct.

2. We will be driving the AMT. However, there are some other reviews in the pipeline. Once we're done with those, we'll be taking the TUV300 AMT out for an extended drive.

Originally Posted by chandrda

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

I was waiting for someone to point that out. As things stand today, the TUV300 is:

- Competing across many segments

- And is also in no man's land.

EcoSport - Is it really a competitor? The two are as different as chalk and cheese
Ertiga - Why not? Same price 7-seater. But one is a 7-seater MPV, the other an SUV. Now, if we include the Ertiga, why not the Mobilio?
Tata Movus - Why not? SUV body style, great engine, space & reliability.
Mahindra Bolero - Definitely some price overlap here
Tata Safari (old) - Why not? Price overlap + 7 seater + SUV
Xylo - Why not? Price overlap + 7 / 8 seater
Duster 85?

Everything considered, the one direct & exact competitor we found was the.......QUANTO!

Originally Posted by achyu

But then it will be easy for you to chase the guy because people will automatically make way for the TUV

[BlackStinger]

A detailed and a comprehensive review of the TUV300. Been waiting for it ever since its launch by M&M . Deserves a 5 star rating !
My two cents on the latest offering from the Mahindra stable :

Design & Exteriors : As mentioned by quite a few, its either a love it or a hate it kind of design. Having said that , I kind of liked it mainly because of its close resemblance to some erstwhile Jeep models, especially the front end.

Interiors : Much improved if you consider the quality that is usually dished out in all M&M vehicles ( not counting the XUV500 of course!)

Engine Performance: Though the mHawk 80 does its job adequately, M&M could have introduced additional options with the 2.2 engine as well , like Hyundai's Creta (1.4 and 1.6) and MSIL's SCross ( 1.3 and 1.6) . Maybe they are in the pipeline , who knows? Also sorely missed is an AWD version.

Ride & Handling: Seems like it has inherited the undesirable portions of these traits from its older siblings (Xylo/Quanto and Scorpio) . Mahindra had an excellent opportunity here to improve on these aspects but clearly missed out. If they can do it with the XUV500 why not the TUV300??

[suhas_pm]

Thanks a ton to Tushar and Team for the detailed and critical review. I've been waiting for it since ages. A big T~H~A~N~K~S !!!

I especially appreciate the facts clarified in the review that are rather mis-leading e.g. 2 stage turbocharger!

Personally, I have following immediate points about this vehicle:
1. Why the 2nd row seat is not sliding?
It is a very useful feature and is missed very badly. Even Scorpio does not have it (I have got mutually exclusive replies on this question from dealers - one said NO for any variant while other said YES to variants that have 3rd row seat facing front - any comments pls?).

I currently own an Indica Vista and the comfort and leg room of 2nd row seat in it is a death kiss. I simply cannot stand any vehicle that has not-so-good 2nd row seat; unfortunately most hatches are not as good even if all of them are better than my current car in all possible aspects other than that 2nd row seat, anyways; that was a side-point.

2. In an era wherein 6th gear offering is in for even smaller engines (e.g. Duster) and similar engines (e.g. SX4-S-cross' 1.6L variant) what is stopping Mahindra from offering it in TUV 3OO and Scorpio? Or they think this is how the user base is meant to use their vehicles? Come on - when other vehicles are purring around at 100 km/h at ~1800RPM (SX4-S-cross in 6th and similar is Duster), why TUV 3OO and Scorpio should sweat at higher RPMs? I simply fail to understand the logic behind non-provision of 6th gear.

Frankly speaking Scorpio has been (has ALWAYS been since I saw it 10+ years ago) my dream vehicle of all times. I am a mechanical engineer and have stayed in 3 countries but this vehicle has always been my dream. I was praying like anything for that sliding 2nd row seat and 6th gear when Mahindras were about to launch the new generation Scorpio but they disappointed me again...

Fellow bhp-ians, Tushar & Company and Mods - are my expectations too far fetched in Indian scenario (I hope not looking at SX4-S-cross, Duster, even XUV 5OO has the 6th gear)??? Am I being unreasonable in these??? What could be the factors that are stopping Mahindras from offering that 2nd row sliding seat and that 6th gear???

Regards,
Suhas

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[RavenAvi]

Fabulous review, Tushar & Aditya! Rating this one a fully-deserving 5 stars!

The mass market has been really spoilt for choices lately, and Mahindra increases the confusion more by bringing in the TUV300 as a worthy alternative to C1-segment sedans and even B2-segment hatches! They deserve a serious pat on the back for maximising cabin space and carving out enough space for 7 people in a sub-4m vehicle. Goes to show anything's possible in the R&D rooms when you put your will to it, eh?

The TUV300 is pretty impressive when you take the plastics & interior quality into acount. Outside, it's got the rugged look of a tough, no-nonsense vehicle. Mahindra should have given the car a few more goodies to truly make the package complete - the top variant needed to come with an Automatic Climate Control unit and rear AC vents. (Is this the first 7-seater SUV to NOT feature rear AC vents? Correct me if I am wrong here)

As soon as coriollis described his experience, I went "OUCH!" But surely! Mahindra engineers must have tested this huge ergonomic blunder out before giving it the thumbs-up for mass production? Maybe if enough owners end up with black & bruised foreheads, we might see a correction to this in the mid-life facelift.

I can also foresee another potential problem here - the kids in the 3rd row yelling to Papa to raise the fan speed of the AC unit on a hot summer day! And Papa yelling back to them to calm down, because his face and his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel have frozen solid and need thawing!

But overall, a decent effort by Mahindra. The TUV300 should do well in monthly sales given the cross-shopping segments it will ply in, and because of the absolute lack of competition against it.