Mahindra TUV300 : Official Review

[shashanka]

A comprehensive review and well worth the wait! Thank you Tushar and all other T-BHP mods who contributed to this smorgasbord. I am now convinced - I will plonk my hard-earned on the TUV 300. There is nothing else on the immediate horizon that comes close in the VFM stakes - plus that humongous street cred, plus those super-pugnacious looks (much like our boxer Kluso when in placid form). Like so many of us do when investing in a car, I shall wait a while for the initial teething niggles to be ironed out, and then decide whether its to be the manual or the AMT.

Apart from the minor niggles which you have high-lighted - the unprotected fuel tank is not really so minor - the one real grouse which one can't get around is that 1.5 litre engine. Or rather its anaemic output. If it produced 100 bhp/250 nm in the Quanto a couple of years ago, then M&M has had time to develop & tweak the motor to higher output, instead of retarding it by 16 bhp/20 nm! And what is all this hot air about 2-stage t/charging! - since when has twin-scroll t/charging turned into 2-stage (or multi-stage) t/charging? I sincerely hope that T-BHP would get to the bottom of this so that the ambiguity/misconception (if any) is removed from one's mind.

And once again Tushar, thanks for that great review!

[extreme_torque]

Excellent review as always. Cannot say the same about the car though. The styling is all over the place. The front is the best, the sides and the rear profile is just plain horrible. It is still too high for its width, the side profile is spoiled by the D pillar which seems to make an "/\" with the A pillar and the door frame with it pointy end looks downright dangerous.

Being a ladder frame it too heavy for its size too no wonder the weezy 84 bhp engine struggles. The excuse being given is it is abuse friendly but then so is Tata Sumo Grande and Mahindra's own Bolero and to me they are far more versatile, practical and also look better while doing so. After the initial hype dies down this is going to meet the same fate as the Quanto. Not impressed.

[pamiboy]

Impressive as it may, I simply cannot go past it's fugly disproportionate looks. The second row door looks like its cut in half (when compared to a sedan's door) . But I understand it is due to the size restrictions imposed by government for whatever reasons. Is there any possibility the rules will change in future? probably not . Anyway I'll yawn for now.

[Wanderers]

Thanks for this comprehensive review. I was looking forward to this review even though I was not inclined to this car till I saw it in person.
In reality it looks better thanthe photographs.

I am looking forward to test drive this car as we plan to buy one except that we are little worried about the engine performance.

[TMRT]

Complemented with another awesome video illustration almost the same day TBHP review goes live. Now that's what I call coincidence.

With this TBHP becomes the complete encyclopaedia on research of TUV augmented by CaptainRex ownership review.

Nice summary of all the features. The host forgets to mention some of the cons mentioned in TBHP official review, overall a great job!


https://www.facebook.com/mahindratuv...9055848239452/

[Jred]

Thank you for the excellent review and the review deserves 5*.

The TUV surprisingly looks much better in person than photographs, menacing from the front, with bit of flaws from the sides and back.
@akash_m - I have heard top speeds of 110-120 is comfortable, post which it struggles. I am not sure if this has something to do with the test drive vehicles which were used or it is a norm. I am also told the AMT version is worth trying. I would love to have a test drive soon to check this myself.
Jay

[mi2n]

Excellent review as usual, but considering the slew of launches makes it even more special. Kudos to the team for doling out such intricately detailed reviews at a time when your workload has most likely peaked to new heights.

Coming to the car, I find it very desirable. At a time when capable SUVs are going out of the reach of the common man the TUV brings in a sigh of relief. Most cannot afford to keep separate vehicles for daily office commute and weekly errands. The TUV seems capable of playing both the roles. It's reportedly city friendly and fuel efficient for your daily commute and at the same time it is capable of taking on bad roads / hilly terrains for those adventure getaways too. Admitted that the power to weight ratio is almost shameful but still wouldn't it fare much better than a 68bhp / 1.2 ton low ground clearance FWD hatchback ? In my humble opinion, 85 bhp, if delivered cleverly, could still be just enough.

My next car purchase is due only in 2017. The TUV currently tops the wishlist and I hope the initial niggles get sorted out by then. Maybe they would add a bit more juice to the engine too or even as a limited edition, plonk the glorious 2.2l mhawk.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by narenteam

Good review by Tushar and team! :clap
It would been twice as sweet if had come a few weeks earlier.

1. Speed
2. Comprehensiveness
3. Accuracy

Pick any TWO .

Inspired from the rules of the tuning world (cheap, fast & reliable - pick any two).

Originally Posted by TMRT

Nice summary of all the features. The host forgets to mention some of the cons mentioned in TBHP official review, overall a great job!

He obviously wouldn't. It's a promotional video from Mahindra!

[venkats2001]

Outstanding level of detail! Rating thread a well deserved 5 stars!

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Excellent review as always. Cannot say the same about the car though. The styling is ............same fate as the Quanto. Not impressed.

Forgive me extreme torque, but I guess your slip is showing! I hold identical views about hatch-backs in general (FWDers aargh!!) and boulvardiers in particular, such as soft-roaders & X-overs!

[narenteam]

Originally Posted by GTO

1. Speed
2. Comprehensiveness
3. Accuracy

Pick any TWO .

Inspired from the rules of the tuning world (cheap, fast & reliable - pick any two

Agree with you, GTO. I will pick options 2 and 3.

[deetjohn]

A superb review with amazing detail Tushar. Thanks for sharing with us.

Originally Posted by Tushar

The mHawk 80 isn't a revv happy unit, but it certainly isn't under-powered, thanks to the 230 Nm of torque which is more than the Innova (200 Nm). Slot into 3rd gear and even at 20 km/h, the pick-up is effortless. While the torque figure is impressive, the real gem is the rpm it delivers it at (1,500 - 2,250 rpm) which is lower than the EcoSport (2,000 - 2,750 rpm) and Duster 85 / 110 (1,900 / 2,250 rpm).

The updated EcoSport TDCi with 100 PS makes 205Nm @ 1750-3250 rpm unlike the old one. The TUV is still ahead, but that's quite an impressive tweak by Ford to make the peak torque available early and for longer which is more relevant for this review here.

[skoda0505]

Originally Posted by Tushar

The Smaller yet Significant Things:

SUVs look best when they've "earned their dirt"! Don't see this colour in the brochure? It's because the "combat green" is a made-to-order shade:


Interested buyers can get this colour by sending it to the Mahindra customization center in Mumbai after registration. The cost of painting is Rs 63,000 + taxes:

How is a color change allowed after registration of the vehicle ? Does the RC book need to be updated after the color change?

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by shashanka

Forgive me extreme torque, but I guess your slip is showing! I hold identical views about hatch-backs in general (FWDers aargh!!) and boulvardiers in particular, such as soft-roaders & X-overs!

Oh well I guess to each one its own. And guess what it is rear wheel drive not because Mahindra wanted it. If you know what I mean.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

The DSM mentioned that all out of state billing will happen till 29th Oct and billing for Pune happens on 30th and 31st, Pune being nearest to Chakan plant where the TUV is manufactured. He is hoping that around 70 odd TUVs will be allotted to this dealership. He said that he will be able to confirm on 1st Nov afternoon, whether my car is in the dispatched lot or not. If yes then it may take 2-3 days for unloading the car at their Phursungi stockyard and another 3-4 days for RTO registration. I am hoping against hope that my car arrives in that lot and I get the keys at least on Dhanteras.

Today afternoon the Dealership Sales Head called me and gave me the good news that my Molten Orange, TUV3OO-T8 has been billed to the dealership. He even offered me other color options. He said the T8 is getting available in Molten Orange (my booking color), Verve Blue, Bold Black and Majestic Silver. He asked me to confirm my color choice within an hour. Since I was outside I initially thought of calling home and getting confirmation from family. But that would be a waste of time as each member would have his/her different choice. Though I loved the Verve Blue, I stuck to the original Molten Orange and gave him my confirmation then and there itself.

I told him that I would be holding back some payment so that in case there are any issues after my PDI, those would be fixed immediately. He said that I would have to make the complete balance payment (9.75 lacs) and they can give me the car prior to registration. I can use it for some time and only when I am completely satisfied with it they can send it for registration. Couldn't argue much on that point and thought that was logical.

So in the next one hour (around 5pm) I am going to the dealership to make the balance payment. By that time they should inform me the VIN.

The sales head mentioned that the car will be dispatched from the factory by 2nd, land in their stockyard on 3rd, 4th they will do their PDI and on 5th Thursday it will be at the showroom ready for delivery (without registration). I am thinking of taking the delivery on 5th use it that day and give it back on 6th with issues to be addressed if any and accessories that I want to get fitted (mostly floor mats and mud flaps, even thinking about side armor skirt and body wheel arches if available). 7th I can take a retest and give the clearance for registration, so that I can take the registered car on the auspicious occasion on Dhanteras (9th Nov).

Please let me know your feedback/ suggestions if the above sounds to be a reasonable plan.