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Old 7th March 2016, 09:54   #16
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya View Post
Pressing the center button activates the search / panic function. Once pressed, the hazard lights start blinking and the alarm beeps for 30 seconds, allowing the absentminded to find their car in a parking lot.
Superb review. Loved Aditya’s eye for details!
I wonder how KUV100 go so much of storage space when Scorpio has any. Cool packaging!
Liked your comment “allowing the absentminded to find their car in a parking lot”

This car, sorry SUV should be a game changer to Mahindra!
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Old 7th March 2016, 10:13   #17
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Again another great review.

I don't think the Junta who are interested in this car will notice the side profile or the dangers in the 6 seat arrangements.

To put in perspective to what Aditya told about Tier II cities, my Brother in Law who is into farming is all praises for this car. He has made two trips with friends to Bangalore to check the car in Showroom. They all love the styling, 6th seat and under seat storage.

I think Mahindra has got it right for this segment atleast.

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Old 7th March 2016, 10:31   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chandrda View Post
Again another great review.

I don't think the Junta who are interested in this car will notice the side profile or the dangers in the 6 seat arrangements.

To put in perspective to what Aditya told about Tier II cities, my Brother in Law who is into farming is all praises for this car. He has made two trips with friends to Bangalore to check the car in Showroom. They all love the styling, 6th seat and under seat storage.

I think Mahindra has got it right for this segment atleast.

Regards
Lovely review. This car is a hit now and considering the unique styling it is expected from people who like stylish cars. Again term stylish differs. The 6th seat issue in terms of safety is now acknowledged by most and its time Mahindra give their perspective here. Contrary to what most feel, this car is going to be accepted in urban areas in good numers.
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Old 7th March 2016, 11:29   #19
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Great Review there Guys, Kudos

Its been a habit lately to write whenever Mahindra launch a vehicle, " Weird, Wacky, Gawd , Over the Top designs, Ugly", But time and again sales of Mahindra cars proves that they know what they are doing.

If you want to grab attention and sale in India, you have be a Maruti or a Hyundai, Else you have to be so lucky. Elegant designs don't help much here (Ask Fiat).

Though I don't like the side profile, but in person KUV does have some presence among all the other hatches. And wonderful packaging also. Its great the Mahindra offering ABS as standard and Airbags as optional across the range (though most people will not opt for it and go for some fancy chrome bits )
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Old 7th March 2016, 11:35   #20
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

I like the products from Mahindra. They have retained their position as the third biggest manufacturer for quite some time now, even though their highest selling models were only UVs and not hatchbacks.

The Scorpio is a great UV for the price. I still drool when I see a clean Bolero with good alloys and chunky tyres.

The XUV5OO was a masterpiece when it was launched. Even now, it is selling about 2500 units ever month, for a vehicle which costs 15-18 Lacs.

TUV3OO was another decent product. I drove the AMT version and came home impressed. Pretty spacious, good interiors, nice ride, good NVH and attractive pricing.

Only glitch in their product lineup is that most of their product lineup is overstyled, even though the product itself is very competent.

Look at TATA - their styling (Bolt, Zest, Taigo, etc.) is classy and timeless. Mahindra should adopt the same strategy (hopefully they will, with the acquisition of Pininfarina). Another area to improve is the suspension tuning. With these two areas covered, Mahindra will be nothing less that the best desi automobile company since I can vouch for the fact that they are far more responsive to market reactions, changes and customer feedback, when compared to TATA.

Coming to the KUV, a nice little product with excellent practical engine. I may never buy it because I cannot stand the way it looks!
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Old 7th March 2016, 12:00   #21
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Great Review Aditya.

Rated 5*.

KUV1OO is surely a 'different' offering in the segment. Seems Mahindra has achieved what it set out to. Like you mentioned, I would prefer the 6 seater version but use it strictly as a 5 seater. Safety should come first and the 6th occupant is definitely not safe.

Good things:
- Safety Kit as Option throughout
- Engines suitable for the Job
- Features such as Puddle Lamps, ISOFIX Seats, Cooled Glovebox, Ambient lighting for door handles, Panic braking indicator, DRLs etc
- Can be booked via Flipkart.

Bad things:
- Missing rear camera and sensors
- Poor audio quality
- Tiny boot space
- No auto function power windows.

I simply cannot understand who decides the feature list for any car. When one can offer ambient lit door handles, why can't they give auto power windows.
Similarly, reverse sensors (and cam) would be more useful than puddle lamps.

Overall, KUV1OO leaves a good, positive impression.
Hope it translates to sales.

One query, you mentioned the below:
Shifting between PWR and ECO modes is possible even on the move, and the difference is immediately obvious. In ECO mode, the diesel becomes a completely different / tamer car. One needs to press the accelerator a lot more under the same driving conditions. Even over 1,750 rpm, it doesn't move with any urgency. Throttle response is much slower in ECO mode and max revvs are limited to ~3,600 rpm.

Doesn't pressing the accelerator more translate to a drop in fuel economy? Then how does this become the ECO Mode?

Last edited by drive2eternity : 7th March 2016 at 12:02.
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Old 7th March 2016, 12:00   #22
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Aditya,

This seems to be a good vehicle. Your appraisal of the vehicle deserves 5 stars - so given!
Are you saying that this is the 'garibon kaa Amitabh'?
From your feedback I got a feeling that those who cannot afford proper SUVs will be tempted by the KUV. Is that right?
Another stupid query - with the addition of AUTO in the future (even if it is AMT) do you think this will be Value For Money?

Girish Mahajan
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Old 7th March 2016, 12:06   #23
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

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Originally Posted by Aditya View Post
We find the design gawdy, but a lot of folk in smaller towns loved it. Roof rails and black plastic cladding slapped on for the SUV effect:
I take an exception to this statement. Are the people from smaller towns some sort of outcasts who have some different tastes as compared to folks in cities. A met quite a lot of people in NCR region who loved its look.
I find this attitude of some city folks very disgusting, who think of smaller town/village folks as inferior to their big cities/metro counterparts.
At the risk of not sounding off topic i'd like to add that am also not a big fan of its interiors and side profile. The dashboard center console in particular, looks like somebody punched it in the face and the lower jaw went sideways
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Old 7th March 2016, 12:29   #24
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Fantastic review Aditya!

I do wish that Mahindra scales down the design quotent on their vehicles! For a change, the TUV was not overdone - but seems like Mahindra is back at it again with the KUV. But then, looking at the success of the XUV (first iteration), loud designs sell in India! so then, who am I to comment? The KUV has all the makings of another success story!
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Old 7th March 2016, 12:32   #25
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

The Car is sure to turn heads. But which way, is something i cannot completely ascertain !

My one question is, why would they not want to utilize the length till 3999 Meters. I think the car with little more length and some toned down style would have been very pleasant to the eyes.

Switchable ECU Maps is a good feature. Bumper to Bumper Traffic vs Highway cruising is a completely different ball game, And i think all car manufactures should bring in feature. Thumbs up for that

Its hard to fathom which segment it is likely to attract. The Ads surely bill it as youthful, wanna be SUV with new age features. However, youthful doesn't always have to be quirky !

Last edited by Mi10 : 7th March 2016 at 12:37.
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Old 7th March 2016, 12:59   #26
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Awesome review. The car certainly packs a look from the front. I think the quirky side view would be taken care of in the face-lifted version.
Happened to drive the diesel version at one of the Mumbai dealerships and was pleasantly amazed with the gear-stick. Spot on ergonomics and sorted interiors. Very much drivable in the city w/o the Eco mode and ESS system.
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Old 7th March 2016, 13:14   #27
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by drive2eternity View Post
One query, you mentioned the below:
Shifting between PWR and ECO modes is possible even on the move, and the difference is immediately obvious. In ECO mode, the diesel becomes a completely different / tamer car. One needs to press the accelerator a lot more under the same driving conditions. Even over 1,750 rpm, it doesn't move with any urgency. Throttle response is much slower in ECO mode and max revvs are limited to ~3,600 rpm.

Doesn't pressing the accelerator more translate to a drop in fuel economy? Then how does this become the ECO Mode?
Thanks. The ECO mode changes the engine mapping and reduces the throttle response and makes acceleration gradual, which is always better for economy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GKMahajan View Post
Another stupid query - with the addition of AUTO in the future (even if it is AMT) do you think this will be Value For Money?
Nothing stupid here . As I have mentioned, it is not a great highway car and best driven in the city. Automatics are definitely more convenient to use in the bumper to bumper traffic of cities. An automatic will certainly help the KUV's cause. The value for money factor will be decided by which transmission Mahindra uses and how the car is priced.
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Old 7th March 2016, 13:53   #28
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Is KUV100 an SUV?

Since the time KUV100 was launched, this debate has been going on in my mind. And it has been re-ignited after going through the official review of the car.

Initially, it was a big no from my side. I was ready to accept that the Ecosport is a (mini) SUV but anything smaller than that just can't be an SUV.

However looking at the Indian market trends and comparing it to that of the much developed markets of Europe and USA, it is clearly visible that our definition of a segment is very different than that of those markets.

For example-
1. The VW Jetta is called an executive sedan in India and is associated with luxury and social status, whereas the same car is nothing but a compact sedan in the USA, much like our Dzire.
2. Cars like VW Passat, Skoda Superb and Honda Accord are considered as entry level luxury cars in India, whereas in the other markets, they are nothing but mid-sized cars, much like the Honda City.

Similarly, the current Mini-SUV's of India like the Ecosport are called nothing but Sub-Compact Crossovers in the European market and it is actually the cars like the Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V which are called Compact SUV'S.

So, applying the same logic to the KUV, can it be the first Sub-Compact SUV/ Mini-SUV of the Indian market?
I guess that this segment will be expanded by the soon to be launched Maruti Ignis.
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Old 7th March 2016, 14:29   #29
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

Superb review as usual!

Yes, there are horribly quirky designs at so many places, but on the other side, there also seem to be some unique firsts, like the under floor storage.

One thing that struck me is that, with the gear lever not being flat on the ground, you can no longer 'rest' (put weight of) your hand on the gear lever! For city driving, if you are on the 1st/3rd/5th gear, can you rest your hand and still prevent a shift back to Neutral?
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Old 7th March 2016, 15:31   #30
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Re: Mahindra KUV100 : Official Review

This is such a perfectly timed review. I am going to be booking my new car today and was in such a dilemma between the KUV and Grand i10. I am over 6 feet tall and the tall seating of KUV was very comfortable but I was unable to choose it over the Grand i10 due to a long list of doubts. Now all have been cleared by this extensive review. I'm certainly booking the grand i10 for its much more mature ride and handling package.Will post an ownership soon
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