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Old 14th September 2018, 14:39   #1
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Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

The Mahindra TUV300 Plus is on sale in India at a price of between Rs. 9.59 - 10.99 lakhs (ex-Delhi).

What you'll like:

• Brilliant 2.2L mHawk engine has transformed the TUV300! It's totally worth the price premium
• Increased length brings more seating space in the 3rd row
• A very viable alternative to the outdated Scorpio & antique Bolero
• Robust, abuse-friendly build & construction. Good road presence too
• Boot space has gone up to 696 litres (expandable to 888 litres)
• Features: 7-inch touchscreen system, 2 front armrests, adjustable lumbar support, ECO mode etc.

What you won't:

• 3rd seat row is only for kids or short adults. What's worse, 2nd row legroom has reduced in the Plus!
• Ride quality is nowhere as cushy as its car-based rivals. Can get bumpy
• Steering is on the heavier side at parking / low speeds. Requires effort to use
• No AMT Automatic. Sub-4m TUV300 gets it
• Some important features missing (rear a/c vents, seatbelt height adjustment, dead pedal, option of a 4x4 etc.)
• Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble


Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 14:46.
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Old 14th September 2018, 14:39   #2
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Since the Mahindra TUV300 has already been reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on changes made to the Plus variant. To read the full review, click here.


Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 14:45.
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Old 14th September 2018, 14:39   #3
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When we drove the original TUV300 in 2015, we found it to be a competent product overall, save for the under-powered 3-cylinder engine. Well, Mahindra has fixed that & how! The TUV300 Plus gets the popular 2.2L mHawk diesel that powers the Scorpio & XUV500 and their 6-speed MT too. The state of tune is lower though (same as the earlier pre-facelift Scorpio). Simply put, the larger engine has transformed the TUV300's character.

This 'Plus' variant also gets more room in the 3rd row, but don't believe Mahindra's claims of this UV being a 9-seater (details in the interior post). You should view it as a 5 seater with a huge boot, or a 5 + 2 seater as the last row is only suitable for kids or short adults.

With the 2.2L engine, the TUV300 Plus is now a viable alternative to the expensive + outdated Scorpio as well as the antique Bolero. It is newer, has the same engine, the same chassis and some other advantages (e.g. driver's seat is more spacious than the Scorpio).

Launching this 'Plus' variant is an effective way of expanding the TUV300's appeal and increasing its sales which have been averaging at ~2,500 units / month. Price-wise, the TUV300 Plus commands a premium of Rs. 99,183 on the top model (P8 vs T10), just Rs. 36,036 on the mid model (P6 vs T8 - difference is lower as its priced under 10 lakhs) and Rs. 70,321 on the base model (P4 vs T6+). Frankly, it's a no-brainer. The engine alone is worth the price difference - all the other stuff is an added bonus. Do note that the sub-4m TUV300 base variant gets dual airbags and ABS, but the Plus' base variant doesn't. Weird.

The TUV300 Plus is perhaps the only car in recent times that had a soft, selective launch before its proper nationwide introduction (related post).

Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review-tuv300plus.png

So, what's new on the outside?

The Mahindra TUV300 Plus is an extended version of the regular TUV300. The company has lengthened the rear portion (beyond the C-pillar) to accommodate 2 extra seats in a sideways-seating configuration. The bigger news is under the hood though:


Front fascia remains unchanged, except for some minor changes. It still commands good road presence and makes the driver in front give way when he sees this in the rear view mirror:


The rear now gets a more rounded shape than the earlier boxy design (reference image). The spare wheel has moved to the center, as compared to the regular TUV300's offset position. The HMSL has become smaller. IMHO, the boxier shape of the sub-4 meter TUV300 looks better:


Looks so much better from the side; it's a lot more proportionate than the regular TUV300's funny side profile (reference image). The car is longer by 405 mm, but shorter in height by 27 mm (roof rails are gone). The wheelbase has remained the same:


Look at how well the extra length has been incorporated:


The front gets a revised bumper design, along with changes to the headlight and fog lights:


The static cornering light functionality has been removed and replaced with a blank (reference image). The feature was useful on rural and B-town roads with poor illumination:


The foglamps get an inverted L-shaped chrome insert above. The shape of the lights is identical to the regular TUV300:


Hard plastic protection plate at the front:


The car rides on bigger 16-inch alloy wheels shod in 215/70 profile Apollo Apterra tyres. Compared to the 15-inch setup, the sidewall height has reduced from 6.35 to 5.93 inches - not cool as the larger the sidewall, the better the ride quality. That said, the larger wheel fills out the wheel well much better:


mHawk D120 badge sits on the front left fender:


Roof rails have been deleted for a cleaner look:


Notice how this crease extends all the way to the end of the car! This has been one of the signature elements of the design and it has been accommodated in the lengthening process:


The rear overhang has increased - all of the extra 405 mm length has been added here. The D-pillar also slopes down neatly compared to the regular TUV300's. D-Pillar wears the body colour unlike the regular TUV300's blackened one:


The TUV300 Plus gets simple, new wraparound taillights...


...and here they are in action:


Increased glass area allows more light into the cabin:


Plus variant gets a different rear bumper. The middle area now gets a contour to accommodate the spare wheel, while the reflectors have become smaller:


We feel the 'TUV' fonts are a size too big:


Plus variants begin with a "P", where the TUV300's variants do so with a "T":


Side by side with its smaller sibling. The minor differences at the front will be spotted only by keen-eyed enthusiasts. Thanks to the test car's silver colour, the chrome bits don't stand out as much as on the other colours. If you like bling, don't sweat - Mahindra's accessory brochure has plenty of the shiny (gawdy?) stuff:


While the TUV300's rear ends abruptly, the Plus looks more wholesome. Because of its length & larger engine, the Plus falls into a higher tax bracket:


A comparo picture of the rear - it is easy to make out the rounded shape of the new car:

Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 14:45.
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Old 14th September 2018, 14:39   #4
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So, what's new on the inside?

Ingress and egress remain unchanged from the TUV300. This might be a problem for the elderly or those with knee ailments. My aunt had difficulty climbing into the middle row seats. Thankfully, the side steps mitigate this issue to some extent. The door opening action also requires caution - the sharp door edge comes quite close to the person opening it from the outside & it can strike you! The biggest change however has been the new upholstery and touchscreen system (also available in the T10 variant of the regular TUV300). The cross-stitched, perforated seat covers look premium and well put together.

The 3rd row seats have been lengthened to accommodate two more people. However, in doing so, the engineers have moved the middle row seat a little forward, which has resulted in lesser leg space for middle row occupants. This is TERRIBLE! In GTO's relaxed driving position (he is 5'10"), there was hardly any legroom available behind. Also missing in the car are rear A/C vents. For the sub-4m iteration, it was ok as the cabin was smaller. But with the increased length, it is one feature we sorely missed. Not that the A/C is inadequate, just that it takes a long, long time to cool the entire cabin on a hot day.

Updated infotainment system & new upholstery are the biggest changes here compared to the car we originally reviewed in 2015:


Chunky steering wheel remains unchanged. Ergonomically, it feels good to hold. On the downside, it is heavy at low speeds. Mahindra really needs to learn how to tune its steerings; most of their cars have poorly calibrated ones:


No changes to the driver console, except for the backlighting of the MID:


Beige doorpads are retained; however, the fabric insert now gets a black shade (earlier dark brown):


A closer look at the fabric part. It is comfortable to use, especially when you want to rest your hand on long highway drives:


Seats get a sweet stitch pattern in beige-coloured fake leather. Sides & back of the seat are covered in black:


Headrest gets a neutral design. It is however slightly on the harder side:


A closer look at the seat pattern. The stitching is via white threads, while the rest of the area is perforated:


The seat adjustment levers also get the black treatment. The adjustable lumbar support is a boon on long drives:


Driver and passenger armrests are covered in this faux leather material. They are very comfortable to use:


For someone of my height (6'), I found that I could comfortably change gears with my left arm resting on the armrest. However, those of a shorter height or with shorter arms might not be able to:


The IRVM is identical to the TUV300, but the longer length means that the driver has to rely on parking aids. The car has parking sensors & the head-unit is 'reverse camera ready' (you can fit one at an extra cost):


The smaller HMSL unit at the top brings slightly better visibility. Get that camera installed though - it's easy to miss objects parked close to its tail:


Centre console with the 7-inch infotainment screen:


The console buttons are backlit in orange. The screen offers excellent visibility, even under direct sunlight:


The car borrows the 6-speed gearbox from the Scorpio, but with different ratios. The reverse gear is above 1st and is easy to engage:


Airbags and ABS + EBD are offered only on the top two - P6 and P8 - trims. The base P4, targeted towards fleet operators, misses out on this. Weird as the sub-4m TUV300 gets these as standard across the range:


Front cabin lamp is identical to the TUV300 and other cars in the Mahindra stable. The 'Auto' replaces the earlier 20 sec wording and is the right side up (reference image). Also notice the different design for the microphone housing:


Seatbelt colour is the same as before, but the top mount is now in black compared to the beige earlier:


Rear doors too get the same treatment as the front...


...with the black fabric replacing the earlier brown:


The rear seat is flat, but the upholstery is more welcoming than before. Keen-eyed BHPians would spot the ISOFIX marking only on the seat behind the driver:


A look at the minimum and maximum leg space for the middle row occupants. This has definitely decreased from the regular TUV300. The middle row seat has indeed been moved ahead to make some more room at the back. It's a poorly thought-out decision as the 2nd row is more important than the 3rd. Space behind a 5'10" driver has become very limited:


Aditya (5'10") sitting and demonstrating the rear legroom with the driver's seat adjusted for his position. It was barely an inch or two, while in the regular TUV300, he had 3-4 inches of knee room (see how it was before). With GTO's laidback driving position, there was simply no legroom to speak of here:


Here is the single ISOFIX attachment point. Usually carmakers provide two. That said, one is better than none


The top tether is located behind the seat:


A cheap looking middle cabin light has been installed between the 2nd and 3rd row seats. Functionality-wise, it is on par with the front one, minus the swivelling bits. The large roof area in a lighter shade makes the cabin feel airy:


Tailgate loses the useful storage pockets and bottle holder. This has mostly been done to liberate every mm of available space for 3rd row occupants:


Ingress & egress aren't easy. You have to climb up using the step, and then sit down! The high loading lip doesn't make it any easier:


Mahindra says 4 adults can sit here, but the company is kidding itself. For one, there is not enough knee room for 4 adults - 2 on either side. These chairs are best for either two adults (still not ideal as headroom & thigh support are limited), or short adults & children. No seatbelts or air-conditioning here. Further, sitting perpendicular to the direction of travel could trigger car sickness in some people. The seating position is identical to the regular TUV300's, with the only change being the increased width. We consider the TUV300 Plus to be a 5 + 2 seater; certainly not a 9-seater as Mahindra's brochure claims:


The bench seat gets plain seat covers compared to the patterned ones in the front. These seats are identical in all dimensions to the TUV300, except for the increased width. See how low the seat is placed:


Fold both seats up and the boot space increases to 696 litres. This bigger boot is a notable advantage over the compact TUV300. Note: The restraining strap of the LHS seat was broken in our test car, hence it did not fold up fully:


The middle row tumbles down and this is where you will appreciate the black seat back. It won't get soiled when carrying cargo:


With both rows folded, the boot space increases to 888-litres!


Another look at the cargo space:


This car is ideal for airport runs. Had loaded almost 100 kg worth of luggage and there was still space for more. Owners of this car, get ready to be called by family & friends for airport pickups and drops :

Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 14:43.
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Old 14th September 2018, 14:39   #5
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In-Car Entertainment

The 7-inch touchscreen system gets Aux-in, Bluetooth and USB inputs. It has MapMyIndia navigation, but misses out on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (a major omission IMHO). This head-unit is the same as in the TUV300 T10 variant. Sound quality is ordinary - nothing to write home about:


Mahindra logo welcomes you on startup...


...followed by "Mahindra Rise"!


A statutory warning is displayed on startup. However, unlike some cars requiring you to explicitly press OK, it goes off on its own (which is the way we like it):


FM gets 6 user configurable presets:


AM too is available with the same number of presets:


User-friendly interface with a well-sized dialpad:


Press the Info button beside the screen and this comes up. You can see information like distance to empty (nicely designed graphic!)...


...warning alerts if any (like low fuel warning)...


...service due information...


...and the e-manual:


It currently has information on the infotainment system and reverse parking assist system (parking sensors). The infotainment menu gets options like introduction, driver information, radio etc.


Damn cool! An instructional video will play (provided the car is not moving) on the selected topic:


Here is a snapshot from a video showing you how to use the driver information system...


...while this one explains about the rear parking sensors:


When a compatible device is connected, the appropriate menu option gets highlighted. Good UI:


As mentioned earlier, sound quality is ordinary. Additionally, 3rd row passengers might ask to crank up the volume (they don't have speakers there) causing it to be very loud for those on the front seat:


Bundled offline maps are provided by MapMyIndia. Very easy to use. Information like GPS strength, audio alert volume and time is displayed at the bottom. The menu can be opened up by pressing the 3 horizontal bars. On the right side of the screen is the zoom in/out control and a display menu button. We still prefer Google Maps though!


The display settings include the mode (auto / day / night) as well as an option for 2D / 3D maps:


The menu options = Take me home (default home address), My Places (saved locations), My Routes (History) & Settings:


A look at the various settings:


Kudos to Mahindra for including so many regional languages...


...including Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi etc. for navigation prompts:


System language though can only be English:


Driver assist menu can toggle on or off the various options as below. Do note that over time, maps will need to be updated to get accurate / newer information from the service centre:


The search button on the Maps home screen has a list of Points of Interest (POI), apart from search history:


Even level 2 was sufficient in daylight. The display has good visibility:


The colour can be tweaked in case you are playing a video from a USB drive:


You can also choose what is displayed when the system is on standby:


This is how the screen looks in standby mode:


Over & above the usual fader / bass / treble options, you get this EQ and a bunch of presets:


Even the volume can be adjusted from here, although you will obviously prefer to adjust it using the rotary knob / steering mounted controls:


SDVC = Speed dependent volume control offers 3 sensitivity levels:


Pressing the Eco mode button pops up this alert, along with an irritating audible announcement 'Your TUV300 is in Eco Mode'!


Engaging reverse gear turns on the parking sensors. Don't miss the distance readout in centimeters:

Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 14:42.
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Old 14th September 2018, 14:39   #6
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Driving the 2.2L Diesel



Unlike the TUV300's 1.5-litre diesel unit, the Plus gets the superb 2.2-litre engine from the Scorpio & XUV500 in the 120 BHP guise (same as the pre-facelift Scorpio). This brilliant mHawk engine has transformed the TUV300's character. If you are buying a TUV300, get the Plus variant for this engine alone. The price premium is totally worth it. It's a jewel of an engine with good driveability, power, fuel economy and refinement.

The 2179 cc mHawk diesel produces 120 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 280 Nm torque @ 1,800 - 2,800 rpm. The ARAI fuel economy rating is 15-15.3 km/l across the variants. Surprisingly, despite weighing lesser than the Scorpio, it has similar FE numbers as the older car - 15.37 km/l (120 BHP) and 15.01 km/l (140 BHP).

After a disturbing vibration on start-up, the diesel's clatter settles down and eventually displays its more refined side. Engine noise isn't that intrusive while idling. At cruising speeds, the engine is barely vocal. The motor has an extremely refined nature on the move. Only once the revs cross 3,000 rpm does its sound filter into the cabin. The engine note is actually likeable, and isn't tractor-like or crude as the Innova's. While cruising on highways, noise from the road, engine & wind are within acceptable limits for this class of car. However, a certain hum & vibration are felt throughout the cabin when you lug the engine (this could be noticed on the Scorpio as well). Don't drive at too low an rpm in too high a gear.

The versatility of the mHawk is impressive. The TUV300 Plus is lighter than the Scorpio (1690 kg vs 1810 kg) making it feel sprightly within the city. The power to weight ratio for the TUV300 Plus is 71 BHP / ton compared to the Scorpio's 66 BHP / ton!! The torque to weight numbers are 166 Nm / ton and 155 Nm / ton respectively. How's that for the cheaper car? Turbo-lag is superbly controlled and the mHawk offers excellent urban driveability. Forget downshifting for speed breakers, you can drive off from a standstill in 2nd gear itself! The engine is that tractable! 3rd gear can be used as an automatic to potter about in the city all day long. You'll never complain of the low-end torque of this engine. The TUV300 even climbs the city's flyovers in 4th gear without breaking into a sweat (no downshift required). Throttle responsiveness is good and all it takes is a gentle tap on the accelerator to commute around the city.

The mHawk diesel feels equally at home whilst cruising on the highway. It has ample grunt across the rev range. Overtaking is a breeze, thanks to the punchy mid-range. The engine revs up to a maximum of 4,800 rpm and is rather free-revving by diesel standards. Power-shift the TUV300 Plus and there's adequate torque to make the wheels chirp in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear! Of course, like most other diesels, it's best to stay clear of the redline, upshift at lower rpms and enjoy the torque instead. Cruiseability is fair - in 6th gear, 100 km/h comes up at 2,150 rpm & 120 km/h at ~2,600 rpm (Scorpio does 100 km/h at 2,000 rpm & 120 km/h at ~2,500 rpm). The gear ratios have been slightly tweaked by Mahindra, mostly to make the car cope better with the extra weight when fully loaded. Where the regular TUV300 would struggle with a full load of passengers, the TUV300 Plus doesn't. As the Americans say, there's no replacement for displacement!

Power is now transmitted to the wheels via the same 6-speed unit of the Scorpio. The gearbox has well-defined gates, although they are placed far apart. It is adequately smooth but don't get me wrong, this isn't a slick-shifting gearbox like modern C-segment sedans. It remains a notchy unit and will dissuade you from upshifting aggressively. A big downer is the excessive vibration felt on the gear lever - it is always moving. Whatever the speed or driving condition, the gear lever is continuously shaking & dancing. Drive over rough roads and you'll see the lever shake as the transmission moves about on its mounts. The clutch isn't excessively heavy and you won't complain on the open road; however in traffic, you will whine as it does require weight to operate. Vibrations can be felt on the clutch too. These are directly proportional to the engine rpm. There is no dead pedal, yet there is sufficient space to rest your foot on the floor.

Micro-Hybrid Technology (Note: nothing 'hybrid' about it): Come to a halt, engage neutral and you'll see the start / stop light on the instrument cluster blink thrice. After this, the engine switches off to maximise fuel economy. This happens every time you come to a stop (say, at traffic lights). The electrical system is still working, but obviously the air-con compressor is deactivated. Any driver input on the clutch pedal and the engine fires up again. This start / stop operation is far from seamless; the entire cabin uncomfortably shakes when the engine turns on & off. It can get VERY annoying. Because the air-con compressor switches off, the cabin can also get hot on a sunny day. No, I'm not a fan of this Micro-Hybrid feature at all, and am thankful that there is a button to switch it off. That said, there isn't a doubt that this system automates what a lot of commercial / fleet drivers practice manually. It's made the job easier for them. They'll probably keep the feature activated at all times.

Ride quality remains more or less the same compared to other ladder-on-frame siblings from the stable. We did feel that ride comfort has improved a little bit compared to the sub-4 meter TUV300 we'd originally driven in 2015. It's surely more liveable now, but the suspension is far from what you'd call plush in the city. As the speeds increase, bad roads are eaten for breakfast! When others were carefully babying their rides on bad roads, we were flying through the potholes at 50-60 km/h. At 40-50 km/h on a city road, you can feel the suspension doing its work (though quietly) and there is always a little up & down bouncy movement. You're always well aware of the road conditions underneath as you feel the smallest of undulations & imperfections. Sharp, deep or tall bumps are prominently felt inside the cabin and there is a lot of lateral movement experienced inside the cabin. This side-to-side swaying on bad roads can make passengers very uneasy. It must be noted that, as with some other body-on-frame SUVs, the ride does get better with load / more passengers onboard. The suspension is robust too and you'll never slow down for rough roads at speed.

Within the city, the TUV300 Plus is an absolute breeze to drive. The tall driving position, responsive engine and the fact that every other car seems to make way for 'the tank' makes things easy. The turning radius of the car remains 5.35 meters (same as the regular TUV300). Out on the highway, straight line stability is satisfactory. It doesn't feel nervous cruising at 120 km/h on the expressway. Don't go hard cornering in one though - this isn't a UV built for that. Its road manners are fair as long as you drive it in an easy manner. Don't get carried away though - the TUV300 Plus is still a top-heavy SUV and you must exercise caution around corners. Even as a passenger, you can feel its top heaviness. While the tyres offer satisfactory grip levels in dry & wet conditions, you still don't feel confident enough pushing the car due to its bumpy and unsettled behaviour. The rear especially gets jumpy over broken roads. Drive safely & conservatively, as you would with most other body-on-frame UVs. This breed of vehicles is easy to topple in an emergency manouveur and it's very difficult for the average driver to regain control once the limits are exceeded. Monocoque UVs like the Lodgy and Ertiga will run rings around the TUV300.

The car gets a hydraulic power steering unit. When will Mahindra learn to tune its steerings? The only talking point about this steering is that "it steers". Other than that, the weight is inconsistent and it feels vague in the city as well as on the highway. At parking speeds, the steering requires effort. This is a pathetic job by whoever was in charge of the hydraulic steering.

We wish that the TUV300 got a 4x4 variant (perhaps in the future?) as it is very capable of handling abuse from rough & inexistent roads. It's easy to see why the vehicle would be so popular in rural India. The ground clearance is rated at 184 mm (identical to the regular TUV300). Further, we took the TUV300 Plus through some awful roads and needless to say, it didn't scrape anywhere at all.

Ample hood insulation is provided:


The 2.2-litre engine is a tight fit in this engine bay:


The same engine in the Scorpio gets a plastic cover, but here, it is bare & looks ugly. Charge us 200 bucks more, but don't skimp on such things, Mahindra:


Air filter is on the left side. Cleaning / replacing it would be an easy task:


The diesel fuel filter (marked W109) is also at an accessible spot. Working on this engine for routine jobs must be easy!


A peek at the turbo (with a lot of rust!):


ECU is safely tucked away behind the battery & close to the firewall. This placement should also keep it away from damage in case of water logging:


Some bits clearly need more work. This welding joint looks awful. As if it was done at a local garage...

Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 14:41.
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Old 14th September 2018, 14:39   #7
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Other Points

• Why is the engine in the lower state of tune? For no other reason, but to keep the Scorpio & XUV500 as the ‘more premium’ SUVs. We’ve seen this with other manufacturers too (e.g. different tunes of the 1.3L MJD by Fiat, 1.5L DCI by Renault-Nissan and Honda giving the City a 6-speed MT).

• This is the coolest disclaimer we ever saw (i.e. ...continuously improving our products...)! Some owners of the 84 BHP TUV300 were very unhappy when the 100 BHP variant was released:


• Bull-bars have been banned by the government (related thread (Government to take strict action against bull bars & crash guards)), but it still features in the official accessory brochure . This is rather irresponsible of Mahindra. Will Mahindra offer sunfilm too?


• The touchscreen ICE is 'reverse camera ready' and one can be fitted from the dealer as an accessory. Check out all the accessories here - Accessories Brochure.pdf:

Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 14:47.
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Old 14th September 2018, 14:58   #8
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Official Reviews. Thanks for sharing, rating 5 stars!

Quite a transformation indeed! Driving the old TUV300 and the Plus back-to-back is like jumping from an Alto into a Swift (engine-wise), or a Rapid to an Octavia. The all-rounded 2.2L mHawk has given this tank the muscle it always needed. I have no doubt in my mind that the TUV300 Plus is going to take customers away from the Scorpio & Bolero, both. Mahindra wouldn't mind. As a wise man once said, if you don't cannibalise yourself, someone else gladly will.

As with all Mahindras, the TUV300 has also improved with time. Mahindra is good at continuously updating their products.

Trivia: I believe this is the first time that 2 TUV300 threads will be no. 1 & 2 on our homepage. The other one is BHPian Cr4nkshaft's Travelogue:
Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review-capture.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 14th September 2018 at 15:01.
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Old 14th September 2018, 15:24   #9
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

Has anyone in the forum bought the TUV300 Plus yet? It has been over 3 months since this vehicle was launched.

I had a question, has anyone been able to buy the TUV300 Plus and replace the 2 jump seats at the back with a single forward facing bench seat along with 2 seat belts or lap belts? How will such a jugaad work for 2 kids at the back or 2 not so tall people?

There is no mention of ISOFIX Child Seat Mount on the Brochure, I am glad they have at least one provided. Happy to see manufacturers bringing this important feature in their new models to cater to people like me, who have a small child and wish to take thier children on their car seats for better safety.

Last edited by AdityaDeane : 14th September 2018 at 15:40. Reason: Added more details
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Old 14th September 2018, 16:02   #10
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwasp View Post
What you'll like:
• Increased length brings more seating space in the 3rd row

What you won't:

• 3rd seat row is only for kids or short adults. What's worse, 2nd row legroom has reduced in the Plus!
Are these points not contradicting each other ?
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Old 14th September 2018, 16:26   #11
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

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Originally Posted by gkveda View Post
Are these points not contradicting each other ?
What it probably means is that essentially the sub 4m vehicle's 3rd row was pathetic even for children, while this variant is much better in that aspect
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Old 14th September 2018, 16:32   #12
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

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Originally Posted by gkveda View Post
Are these points not contradicting each other ?
The point of contention, I believe, is with the 3rd row.

Yes, the Plus version does get additional shoulder room in the 3rd row (thanks to the 405 mm of extra body-length and thanks to the reduction of legroom in the 2nd row).

But just as it is with the sub-4m TUV 300, when you sit down in the 3rd row, your knees point up at the heavens (for most adults) and there is no under-thigh support or seating comfort to speak of. And then there's the nauseous sideways motion to deal with. I believe all that's been carried over to the TUV 300 Plus. The additional shoulder-room does nothing to alleviate these aspects of the 3rd row seats in the TUV 300 Plus.
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Old 14th September 2018, 20:17   #13
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

That's a great update for TUV, never knew about it being around for last three months. 2.2L mHawk will certainly make this car really good for out of city work. But then today even city driving with its potholes and merciless traffic is no better than a rough country ride, so this car should fit the bill adequately.

I feel its not a family car in the conventional sense, a body on frame design can never match the comfort of unibody design. Its car meant to enable you rough it out with relative comfort and safety. Its a jeep with some luxuries.

Today on the road, its a huge comfort and relief to drive a car with high seating position, good all around visibility and rough external demeanour, TUV ticks all three, Brezza's and Creta's tick the first two only.
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Old 14th September 2018, 21:02   #14
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

I liked the TUV 300 and the extended version with the same street presence but with more space and creature comforts sounded like a winning formula. Engine change notwithstanding, I think Mahindra should have really worked on increasing the space and comfort on the middle row of seats. Last row is always going to be a compromise and to do it at the cost of the middle row was a dumb move. I really dont know who they are targeting with this unless its for the taxi market.

Last edited by bigron : 14th September 2018 at 21:05.
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Old 14th September 2018, 23:06   #15
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Re: Mahindra TUV300 Plus (2.2L mHawk) : Official Review

The TUV300+ though with better engine and more space, feels a little out of sync. The styling is questionable, reduced second row legroom, no static bending lamps, no android auto or apple car play, no rear ac, no proper third row of seats, no led lighting elements, auto ac, cruise control etc.
It sure will appeal as a better product than Scorpio, Bolero to those looking for alternatives in Mahindra world. For an urban dweller there are much better options available in this price bracket.
If Mahindra can give it nice interiors with a reasonable feature mix coupled with a smooth autobox, this product might attract more buyers. Hint: Honda Amaze
P.S. Mahindra is also bringing in their sub 4m compact SUV which might have the winning formula with choice of Petrol and Diesel engines.

Last edited by PraNeel : 14th September 2018 at 23:10.
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