Re: Mahindra TUV300 : Official Review Well, what do you know?
I was in a car accessories shop near my home in Selaiyur (Chennai) when I bumped into a M&M employee who happened to work on the design and testing of the TUV 300 and is now working on the U321 project at Mahindra City, Chenglepet.
I was busy explaining to the irreverent accessories shop, why I want a custom-made backrest for the passenger in the middle seat in the 2nd row (to prevent the neck's hyperextension, in the event of hard-braking or in an impact), when a silent customer told me that he's a Mahindra employee.
He was very inquisitive and curious to know what I thought about the TUV. I told him that I'm very happy and the pride in his eyes was worth beholding!
Anyways, I took the liberty of getting the following opinions from him, concerning the TUV -
1) On Rogerabs and other rubber/PU dampers to control bounce and bodyroll in the TUV - "I can't say how the vehicle will behave quite frankly, should a puncture or a tyre-burst occur, when you fit such things. We tested the TUV 300 against 850 DPVs (design point validations) such as its behavior when a puncture occurs at high speeds and the OEM set-up is best left unchanged. Don't do it."
2) On the suspension setup in the TUV 300 - "We know what the customer wants in India, with a rugged UV. While the TUV does bounce over speed-breakers, the positive for you is that it can be driven at high speeds over very bad roads. It can take most of what the typical Indian customer can throw at it. There's a trade-off."
3) On wheelspin in TUV 300 - "We didn't install the MLD after taking a cost-benefit study. There was a 5% reduction in price as a result. If you want, get it installed by making a complaint. In roughly a year's time, the next version of the TUV will be out and we're trying to get a more even weight distribution to all 4 wheels by reducing the center of gravity of the car by around 20 mm. Wheelspin may not be an issue in the next version."
4) On the life of the MLD kit - "With servicing and maintenance, it's as good as any other part...I don't think there is a problem with it." (I am not raining on Shashanka's input in this thread, where he warned of a 60,000 Km inflection point after which the MLD requires an overhauling of sorts. This was the M&M engineer's opinion, take it or leave it.)
Soon enough, he had to pay attention to the sunfilm being stuck on his own vehicle, a Santro(!), so I didn't bug him any further.
Me? I'm going to get a fixed (rather than an adjustable) headrest installed for the 2nd row seat right in the middle. I'm waiting for a quote from the accessories guy this evening. The Mahindra employee had helped the shop owner understand how to drill the frame of the seat and insert a headrest. They'd have to take off the fabric of the seat and the cushions to get this done. PS: Gut-feeling tells me he's genuine, as opposed to posers who bandy about fancy stories. For instance, I've met my share of pot-bellied truck drivers in the US who were eager to narrate fancy stories ("...and when the body count touched 500, I told my team that I just can't do black ops anymore. That was how I ended my stint with the SEALs. And now, they don't make 'em like they used to anymore.") But then again, the man I met may not be a 100% or even 80% correct with some of his opinions.
Last edited by locusjag : 7th April 2018 at 12:52.
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