[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by al pacino

Let's agree to disagree here . You asked me compared to which car it looks better I gave you my opinion . Rest if the car is well accepted or not the market will decide .

There is nothing to agree or disagree. I liked the car when I just saw the front but overall I will never like the proportions. You have full right to like it and there is nothing wrong about it.

This is my last post on looks of the car, after all it is in the market now and we will see a lot of then on roads.

[rajeev k]

Quirkiness or ugliness may or may not have a new name. But this car/SUV is going to sell well, if it drives well and is trouble free.
At this juncture, it makes me remember Mr. B.V.R. Subbu's words during the launch of the Santro. He said that when one is behind the wheel, one is not going to see it.

[sansvk]

From what I have seen here, the front and rear views are decent, the side profile is odd. First time buyers would be interested in this vehicle. It certainly offers something different in profile and packaging.

[callvvijay]

I think I'm going to say the same thing what almost everyone says here - the KUV-100's side profile is as quirky as anything can be - while the front and rear of the car are really good individually.

The lengthy bonnet is not matched at the rear and it feels like the rear has ended abruptly. I see that the length of this car is 3675mm. With another 325mm in hand, I just wonder why didn't Mahindra try something different? I'm sure that if the car was a bit more lengthier, the proportions would have been more apt and would have won accolades.

[aaggoswami]

To me, the car looks unique, but not in a very positive way. Its overall stance is disproportionate. M&M is certainly capable of coming up with better designs. The separate panel extending from headlight to base of A-pillar is absurd. Looks apart, yet to drive it but I fail to digest the logic of 3 occupants in front seat. Seriously not recommended for safety concerns. Ease of ingress and egress might make this product quite practical for city runs.
Somehow, I feel M&M for car buying public is related only with UV and SUV and may be tractors. Hence M&M came up with SUV tag for this car. Whatsoever it might be, its pretty impressive that we have a new player in the segment which has its a very separate set of character. Whats USP of this car ? Wagon R offers good height, sophistication is covered well by Hyundai and even Maruti.

I hope that this car offers better safety than Grand i10 ( that falls in similar price range ) which miserably failed and entire structure was very much unstable. Again, like Zica the motors are critical for M&M if they wish to splash success in high volume small car segment. Full points to M&M for offering ABS as standard, which is essential for Indian roads. Let see what reliability and long term ownership costs turn out to be. 185 section tyres is smart move. But I dont see adjustable front head rests, M&M could have avoided this.

Its kinda confused product, but can accomplish a few things IMO.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

An awful awful looking car which demeans car design and everything good that cars stand for. God it is an eyesore. If you have any class or an appreciation for finer things in life or even a general idea about car design, you would not touch it with a barge pole.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Quirkiness or ugliness may or may not have a new name. But this car/SUV is going to sell well, if it drives well and is trouble free.
At this juncture, it makes me remember Mr. B.V.R. Subbu's words during the launch of the Santro. He said that when one is behind the wheel, one is not going to see it.

While watching the KUV100 webcast, I was amazed by the sheer amount of bullshit being spewed. Apparently what makes this an SUV is it's "macho stance" and "roominess"; the "sunglass" type headlamps and "clenched fist" like ORVMs make it "kool". However, at the end of the launch event, they showed an advertisement (with Lucky Ali's "tere mere saath jo hota hai" as the background score) that said nothing nothing about the vehicle, but tried to sell a lifestyle. I can see the advertisement connecting with a younger audience. I hope the younger audience is smart enough to realize this "lifestyle" thing is pure bunkum (in fact, if that's all they want, the Kwid is a better option).

Negativity aside, if we were to compare the two home grown manufacturers, Tata Motors and Mahindra, Mahindra has continually been able to gauge the pulse of the market better. Mahindra understands our market. I have often wondered how/why Mahindra hasn't fallen into the same rut of public perception that Tata Motors has (e.g. the oft quoted taxi image) despite selling similar quality cars (with respect to fit and finish/engineering).

[Geo_Ipe]

Much eagerly awaited launch form Mahindra! All this while, from the spy pics and stuff, I wasn't quite sure which category this 'car' would belong to. Now that it is launched and we have the specs and more clear pictures, we have to call it a HATCHBACK.
Come on guys! How can anyone call this vehicle and SUV?? 36xx mm in length, 170 mm ground clearance etc etc. are not the specs of an SUV!

As far as the 'looks' debate is concerned, I'd go with 'downright ugly'.
Note to Mods - Can we have a poll on that aspect, please?

Though this car is gonna be a commercial success! Its selling point is not gonna be the 'Young SUV' or 'Young Indians' monickers - but that FRONT BENCH SEAT! If the KUV can be registered as a 6-seater, imagine how many they'll fit into it in tier II, III and the rural set ups!! Driver + 2-3 in the front, 4 (or maybe 5) in the rear bench, and we have a 8-9 seater! That too, at 6 lac OTR! With the Bolero legacy, Mahindra will sell these like hot cakes in the above mentioned markets. As a fellow BHPian mentioned, monthly sales should hit 6-8k easily!

[raj_5004]

I am not going to comment on the styling. Enough has been spoken about it's cohesiveness and puny tyres. It surely looks awkward in pictures but those who have seen it in person says it looks decent. If styling was a priority to Indian consumers, Swift Dzire, Innova and Alto 800 would not have been great sellers.

Nor am I going to crib about the 6 seats since they are giving us the option of choosing the conventional 5 seater option.

I'm not complaining about the safety aspect in the middle front seat in a country where we lack basic driving etiquette and the top 3 selling cars have failed miserably in crash tests and where people don't wear seat belts until they are fined.

I'm also not going to rant about the company calling it a SUV because these are marketing tactics and clearly an attempt to get into the hatchback segment by a company known only for it's SUVs. This is not the first time we have heard atrocious claims in advertisements. I mean do we really believe that XYZ toothpaste is recommended by all dentists or that ABC hand wash removes 99.99% germs or that the cream makes you fair like Kareena Kapoor in 7 days?

People who have driven it have said the seats are comfortable, NVH is good, engine is peppy, gear shifts are great and pricing is good.

Let's see how this car is accepted, especially considering the fierce competition in this segment.

[Samfromindia]

Official Autocar first drive review out now:

https://youtu.be/vCfX8JiuW84

[mrbaddy]

I was in Vijayawada on a holiday with family. Didn't open Team BHP since morning and when I opened at 5:30 pm, I realized that KUV100 was launched. Not having anything worthwhile to do, I called up a local dealer (Automotive) and checked if the car is available for display and test drive. After their positive confirmation, asked my 10-year old car enthusiastic son if he wants to checkout the car too. Off we go to the showroom. (I'm not even remotely thinking of buying a car in this segment, and just wanted to spend some time with the car to see if I can recommend this to anyone else).

I checked out about 80% to my satisfaction along with a 10 minute test drive. My observations below.

• Front looks good. Rear & Side profile is messy. Even ORVM's have some sort of curves on them. And this is coming from a person who does not have strong negative opinions about any car's looks. I typically have only "looking good" or "looking okay" opinion about looks of anything and not just Cars.
• Headlamps light up the road well. The headlamp extension till A pillar is just black plastic ccovered with transparent glass. Driver side has KUV100 lettering on it, while passenger side has mFalcon lettering.
• Interiors look good, but on K2 & K4 they look average without the piano black treatment.
• Gear Lever: Taken a minute to adjust, but it is cool and was easy afterwards. In fact I liked this setup better than conventional setup. Note that I'm 6'1" with long hands.
• Hand Brake: Pull Lever placement is not a problem and the lever goes under the dashboard. However engaging the lever needs one to stretch for reaching out. Not sure how long will this lever hold up considering its build quality. Releasing handbrake is simple. Just twist the lever and it'll go under dash releasing the brake. However it is notchy and didn't go in fully. I had to twist it again to release the brake.
• AC: Just one word. Chiller. Although I drove it around 6:30 pm in winter, those who knows Vijayawada can say that this place is really humid. At speed 1, the cabin is cooled in couple of minutes. It is silent at speed 1, but became loud but bearable from speed 2 onwards. Air flow direction knob is notchy, I tried checking the air flow at footwells and came back to default option (main vents), but it still kept blowing air at footwells (option 2). I informed SA of this and he said he'll get it checked. Probably, the knob is notchy in this car.
• Front Bench Seat: Nice try, but hard luck Mahindra. How can you compromise on safety of center passenger, when you are offering airbags as option from base variant onwards. Confused priorities. Fore aft adjustment is combined with passenger seat. Suitable for only below 5'5" persons. 5 seater has large storage spaces between the seats. To offer a front 3rd seat, driver and front passenger seat widths are comprised. Front center seat can be folded down to use as hand rest for driver and passenger, but it became mighty struggle to put on seatbelts in this set up and I had to lift up the center seat again to succeed. K2 variant comes up with only 6 seater variant. All other variants come with both 5 and 6 seater options. That makes it a total of 24 derivatives/options/variants. Production Nightmare and Quality Control issues could come up. PDI should be thoroughly done to check for all features to be present for respective variants by all prospective owners. 6 seater is priced around 6000/- above respective 5 seater variants.
• Audio sounds decent. SA mentioned that the audio unit and speakers are same as TUV. I'm not an audio expert, so can't comment much. A small joystick is offered to control tracks/albums/volume/power.
• Lot of storage areas in K8 variant. There is even a storage area to place shoes just under rear center passenger legs.
• Test drive (Diesel) was good. No unnecessary comments by SA in between. He is not aware of the full details which helped. Power delivery is linear and NVH is well controlled. Engine looks refined from the short test drive.

After the TD, SA tried to take the customer feedback in a form. I told him that I'm not a prospective customer so no point in wasting another paper noting my details. He did have an open discussion trying to take feedback of the car. I told him to not try to sell as SUV. They were told the competitors would be Grandi10 and Swift. SA mentioned that the suspensions have 150/200 (front/rear) mm travel. I couldn't check this out as my TD was in the smooth ring road tarmac. Although Ground Clearance mentioned as 170 mm on paper, it looks to be much higher.

As I'm handling this post from mobile, I'm leaving the feedback at this. Pardon the picture quality.

[Karthik Chandra]

Come on guys. Let stop the debate on the design and focus on the crux. How come there is no discussion on the following which are offered?

Safety

1. Optional airbags
2. ABS with EBD as standard in all variants
3. ISOFIX child seat in K8

Comfort

4. Front arm rest (6 seater config.)
5. Rear arm rest.

Utility

6. Under seat secret compartment
7. Compact glove box to the right of the steering wheel
8. Versatality

These are unique features at this price point. When a car is launched without Airbags and ABS we make a lot of noise but when it is offered, we fail to acknowledge.

Front and rear look good, its the side profile thats messed up. Nevertheless, the Autocar review suggests that there is more than sufficient leg room at the rear with the front seat set for a 6 footer, the ergonomics are also better with the gear positioning being comfortable.

IMO this car is unique and I'm sure it'll be a 'bang for your buck' offering

[humyum]

Sorry to say Mahindra, but you should spend money on designing cars too rather than just fancy presentations and nonsense claims of why this is an SUV da dada da da. Maruti's and Hyundai's look 2 generations better than this contraption Mahindra calls a car.

The 3rd passenger in the centre is a joke, in case of a crash, you will have the centre console plastered on your face. Where is the airbag for the 3rd passenger in the front ? Or its okay if he dies in a crash?

I don't know how a company which made an XUV has come up with crap after crap in its other models.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by al pacino

I suggest you see the car in real and then form a opinion . I personally found the car super fugly when I saw the pics , but in real the car looks way better then pictures .
Imho it looks way better then celerio ,micra , brio and etios cross .
The quality of interiors are nice too .
I respect your subjective opinion about the looks , but the car does look nice in real then in pics .

No way it doesn't! Those cars are quirky and i have no issues with quirky. I dont like quirky design personally but I understand why someone would and that is totally fine by me. This one not only quirky, it is ungainly and disproportionate. Those headlights extensions designed to be like the arms of a shade is like the dumbest most daft design choice I have ever heard. Who design a car based on a Shade? It is so silly that it is not even Juvinile.

[drsingh]

Whatever you say about product design,but Mahindra has got the Product packaging,marketing,features list spot on. The Varun Dhawan ad with the Lucky Ali song is really well done.


They have to target the people who want a 'Look at me' car even though it might be quirky.otherwise the competition is more mature and refined.

Buying on EMI, the Baleno and Figo Aspire offer better value.

But the ability to squeeze 6 people in a fuel efficient Diesel vehicle that provides decent comfort for a long weekend getaway has been marketed well.Try that in a Swift.

If they can organise a Road trip program like the ones they have for the other serious SUV's ,it would add to the USP.

This vehicle reminds me of Samsung's mobile phone strategy where they market low end handsets by using the premium 'Galaxy' name and similar design language to their flagship handsets.even if that meant poorly designed but unique phones sometimes.

[Karthik Chandra]

KUV 100 official accessories














http://www.mahindrakuv100.com/pdf/ac...20brochure.pdf