[rpmx1000]

This is a very competent and competitive product, but if this is an SUV, so is a Baleno Don't forget 174 mm GC there...

[procrj]

Went to talk to my SA at the showroom and had a quick 10 km test drive of the 1.2 petrol. Interesting titbit - my SA mentioned that the new mFalcon petrol is a much refined version of the verito petrol. This got me interested as I havent read/heard about this before.

All comparisons are against the 3 pot WagonR that I own.
Where does the KUV score:
1. Comfortable front seats and driver gets a dead pedal. Pedal & foot-well spacing is good
2. Height adjustable seats - has a decent range and will surely help find a comfortable driving position
2. ABS+Airbags on the K8
3. Good NVH. No vibrations on the pedal or gearstick. Start the engine and you dont hear much. Rev it above 4K RPM and you get this throaty grunt which sounds good
4. Rear bench space is good - both headroom & legroom (this is after adjusting to my driving position. I am 6 ft tall)
5. Very chuck-able with 2 people on board. Can easily weave in & out of traffic
6. Loads of cubby holes and space to store small things
7. Oodles of spaces in the engine bay. Can easily fit a 1.5L engine in there. Hope this is because of the crumple zones and safety aspect that M&M have been talking about
8. Butter smooth gear shifts. Almost as good as the Grand i10/i20 gear shifts. Very short and sure. Gear lever falls to hand easily once you are used to it

What I did not like:
1. Very high dash position & the concave shape does not help. Even though I am tall, I struggled to take a sharp left which I knew had potholes. Front visibility is an issue and would ask everyone to take long test drives before you put your money on the table
2. Not a lot of torque. WagonR is not a torque monster but the KUV when fully loaded with 5 adults will struggle on moderate inclines and will need generous help from A pedal
3. Very poor rear visibility. 3 headrests in the rear bench is a big obstruction and you need rear parking sensors or camera if you dont want to ram into obstacles
4. Expensive - The K8 diesel is 8.6L onroad in Bangalore whereas the TUV300 T6 is 9.3L onroad
5. Reverse gear shudders and jerks when reversing up inclines. Had to do this to get the car out of the parking space and almost ended up stalling the car. Need to provide A pedal input else the car will stall while reversing up an incline

Did not get a chance to drive on bad roads and hence not commenting on the ride & handling.

Other bits of info that I managed to get from the SA:
1. Majority of the bookings & test drives are for the K6,K8 Diesel
2. Quiet a few customers ask about AMT and when it might be launched

[rrsteer]

What a line up from Mahindra - KUV, TUV, Bolero, Scorpio, XUV!
Given there are also recent reports of them looking to launch more Ssang Yong SUVs , things are only looking bright for them.
Time to seriously look at their annual reports - after Maruti they seem to be best positioned auto company. Very very agile company compared to the other home grown major.

But on the other hand - their showrooms will definitely be a car lovers nightmare! Just imagine you are driving on a clean smooth road with serene surroundings and soft music for company and you happen to pass by a massive glass facade - with each of these models - KUV, TUV, Scorpio and XUV lined up and their monstrous front faces with those shiny sharp teeth (aka the front grill) staring you down as if - let loose and they will grab and bite you in the neck.

[harry10]

So, I read Times of India in the morning. They wrote an article about the launch. Title is something like - Cheapest SUV launched by Mahindra. I mean come on, I expected better from the leading newspaper in the country calling this a SUV and misleading readers. It's Mahindra's job to sell cars so they can call it anything but media should be responsible enough to show the true picture.

It may sell in the initial months cos of honeymoon period every car enjoys but then I don't see it selling with so many new launches in pipeline from other manufacturers. I will be surprised if Mahindra manages more than 3k sales after 6 months.

My issue is with the design and design only. Ugly is a strong word for any car but this one is really odd and disproportionate no matter how I look at it. I would prefer a Figo, grand i10, zica or even a Kwid over this purely on basis of design. As a prospective customer in this segment I had high hopes but now I don't even feel like taking a test drive.

[teemus]

My friend visited the showroom yesterday and was impressed.

Here are some of the observations by him:

• KUV has similar sort of space inside as Ecosport.

• Legroom is sufficient

• Thigh support for the back seats is not that good

• Boot is smaller, much like Swift

• 5 seater has lots of storage compartments, so practical.

• Gear lever though it takes getting used to, is smooth and feels like a joystick

He even shot a video, here is the link

KUV 1OO by Mahindra - Walkaround

He is from Nashik so perhaps he has a soft corner for Mahindra!

For me, it definitely is not an SUV and is not remotely good looking.

[vsathyap]

Is it just me or do the wheels (tires) looks really puny? The bold crease-lines over the wheel arches adds to this effect and I feel there are too many creases and lines and what-nots spoiling the looks of the car. The designers must have thought "Curves... flowing design.... straight cuts...?? What do we use??? Why not all!?!?!" and must have come up with this hotch-potch of a design. I don't feel too comfortable being in this vehicle (am still wondering whether to call it a car, hatch, SUV, UV, etc and hence the term 'vehicle'), specially at speeds over 80kmph as it looks really unstable. I'd like to see how much body-roll and probably the degree of understeer the vehicle has!

Also, 2 airbags optional and ABS+EDB on all variants, and add the middle bench on the front for a third passenger???? (in all probability a kid who doesn't mind having the centre console and gear lever spoiling his face in the event of sudden braking/accident)?!?!? Seriously? This looks like there was a huge "internal" design war within Mahindra while one team wanted a few things, while another had totally different priorities, and someone along the higher management came along and said "why don't we mix ideas from both teams"

[MaxTorque]

Mahindra is offering both 5 seater and 6 seater variants in KUV100's all trim levels. So a customer has option to choose whichever one suits to him/her. Also it's not at all advisable to seat a child in front seat.

During the launch Dr.Goenka was telling that it is not a seat for regular use but in case of emergency/for a short duration trip. Also it meets all guidelines set by regulators while designing a seat.

[Self Driven]

Saw the car while driving on the outer ring road in Bangalore, Mahindra still not wanting to learn from Quanto. You cant just take a proportionately designed car(read XUV) and try to get it through a photo copier and use the scale down button.

Though I applaud the efforts by Indian manufacturers to get more share in the market with more options to choose from, got to understand and accept that our market is also maturing

Let me wait for a owner's take

[lifebuoy]

A great effort by Mahindra to plonk in a SUV-ish car alongside the KWID. Although I am a hard core TATA fan, I have to appreciate this effort. The design is no doubt quirky, the three seats on the front design has me absolutely baffled ! A reminder of the Amby and Padmini days eh ? Mahindra has ensured its sales, if it bombs in the personal segment, it will continue in the taxi segment for sure ! Kudos to the design team for this thought.

Again, the safety aspect is blown to bits with three up front ! Do we have any test facility to test this setup ? Don't know. What about a child up front, which is going to be the most preferred combination with the Junta ?

Secondly, with this 6 seater design comes the requirement of the middle front passenger's leg space. The gear console has been cleverly done away with, with an i10 like shift positioning.. Good. However, all the AC machinery and under dash eqpt has had to be pushed upwards, which results in the sand dune like positioning of the dash. For a six footer like me, may not matter much in terms of forward visibility, or for taxi wallahs, who don't care for anyone in front, but the average Indian is going to find things difficult, no doubt. Add a bull bar up front (which most will) and your judgement of the front space is further killed. Bad design at that.

The AC vents get further pushed up, which may create a cooler upper half that most junta like, with the hair blowing and feeling "cool", however, the seat backs, lower portions, legs and thighs, may not get sufficient air. On the contrary, the ARIA's vents are vertical and though cool the cabin effectively, throw a blast at the passengers and chill your face and hands so much that one has to keep them permanently deflected away !

The headlamp reflectors look small for the size of the car, however, their high positioning and with always-on-high-beam-junta, this is going to be another nightmare on the road for others (like the scorpio, TATA Ace, Indics Manza / Vista, etc)

The pricing should have been more competitive and a CNG variant would have the taxi and personal car market in NCR booming, what with the stupid odd-even logic that just went by ! The KUV has the potential to kill the TUV AND the Quanto (if not already discontinued by Mahindra).

With some great pricing and service ramp-up, the ZICA can also become a competitor. However, the SUV styling is no doubt going to make this another XUV for Mahindra.

[msk_kapoor]

Has anyone seen how a k2 variant looks. Any reference to any snaps. i searched and couldn't find any.

[prakhar1998]

I really don't understand why so many people are hating on this vehicle. I personally believe that it offers excellent value.

Yes, the design might be a little outlandish and not to everybody's taste, but considering other factors such as the space, the focus on safety, drivability, features etc., I think its an excellent proposition.

One factor that Mahindra really needs a pat on the back for is the focus on safety. ABS and EBD standard on all models is a feat, considering the competition. Optional airbags on all models is something that other manufacturers seriously need to adopt. I really hope Mahindra's claim that it will pass the BNCAP tests ends up being true.

Companies like Hyundai, whose India made cars of this segment such as the i10 and the Grand i10 failed miserably in crash tests just showcase the stark difference between the "global" manufacturers and "local" manufacturers.

I really hope this car sells well. The Tata Zica which will be battling with the KUV is also an excellent vehicle, and it goes to show how much progress cars made my Indian manufacturers have experienced, and I hope to see more of such commendable products.

[300 KMPH]

Not the best design in this price bracket but this will look terrific with branded big aftermarket wheels and some wide rubber. Talking about safety, seeing the modern xuv scoring 4/5 stars in NCAP and the old Scorpio getting honest 2 stars, the kuv should be capable of getting 3-4 stars in my opinion. Well, I might be wrong as well!


Let's see the competitors now. Well, almost all cars costing till 10 lakh. Grand i10, swift are in danger we all know but what I think is even the beefed up elite i20 active can be in danger too.

[The Rationalist]

What were the guys at Mahindra thinking when they decided to design a sub 4m CSUV? They had 3999mm to play with and they came out with one having a length of 3675mm, wasting 324 mm or 32cms! If I were at the helm of Mahindra, the entire design team behind KUV would have been enjoying permanent holidays already. Or maybe they have plans of long wheel base KUV the LUV!

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by 300 KMPH

Let's see the competitors now. Well, almost all cars costing till 10 lakh. Grand i10, swift are in danger we all know but what I think is even the beefed up elite i20 active can be in danger too.

Is it? Really? Hope you are not joking.

This non-cohesive, disproportionate contraption can never challenge the handsome guys in the market, imo.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by 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.

callvvijay, I think yours has been the most perceptive take on the KUV in this thread, post launch. If it had been that little bit longer, the mini-XUV tag would have been easily appropriate & accepted.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

.......Who design a car based on a Shade? It is so silly that it is not even Juvinile.

Really? Then I wonder why Porsche Design would actually design a shade!
Which then went on to become an icon!