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Originally Posted by extreme_torque I love the Safari's and the Scorpio's of this world and can also understand the pov of someone who wants to buy a XUV500 instead of the former two. I still cannot begin to like the TUV300. It feels and looks like a shortcut. It doesnt feel like a throughly engineered state of the art product like the XUV500 nor has the simplistic tough has nails engineering of the Tata Sumo or the Bolero.
Its a bit characterless if you ask me. |
I get to what you're saying. But I would rather say that the TUV isn't characterless, but somewhat purposeless, aimless - if one may say that - in the market. It offers a lot on its own, and is a pretty well rounded package for the money, but against the competition, doesn't excel in any particular job.
As a purely urban SUV, the EcoSport kills it. It has the more 'urban' design of the two, the better interior, more features and a more powerful engine. Agreed it'd show its sissy side if you show it some mud, but most urban customers won't care to. The TUV on the other hand may appear too crude to them.
If we think of the rural market, they love their Bolero far too much to think of the TUV. The Bolero is tougher than the tough (pun intended), easy to maintain, efficient and cheap. The TUV is more expensive, has a smaller engine and isn't as utilitarian as the Bolero. Also, I won't exactly vouch for the TUV's ability to carry half a tonne of farm produce, or a dozen people, or both, as per the situation. The Bolero does it all, and hardly breaks a sweat (or a word to the law).
For people seeking those extra seats, the Ertiga (or Mobilio) does the job far better, while being better finished and arguably more reliable.
For the ones looking for a full size SUV, they'd buy the Scorpio over this. It has the 2.2 mHawk, proper three rows of seats and far more grunt for highway speeds. And a certain political appeal to it too!!
Hence, the TUV finds itslelf as the jack of all trades but master of none. It had to have a unique appeal for itself to find its own customer base. Right now it can only survive from crumbs out of other cars' sales. Maybe SUV appeal for compact MPV customers, or road presence and extra seats for compact sedan customers. It can be fairly sure of having all the Quanto and Etios Cross customers in its pocket though.
And it's not as if there is no place for the TUV here. It could have carved out a nice niche for itself - the adventure hunters on a budget. There is simply no proper SUV with 4WD this side of ten lakhs, save for the Thar, or maybe the Gypsy. (oh, wait. The Force Gurkha exists too, right? But let's just conveniently 'forget' it and move on.)
Now, Mahindra have showered phrases like 'tough', 'true blue SUV' and 'battle tank' throughout the TUV's marketing process. And then launched it in RWD configuration only. That is what still surprises me somewhat. The TUV is short, not too heavy, has lots of low end torque, extremely short overhangs, a ladder frame and decent ground clearance. It simply deserves a 4WD system. The current TUV is also good for the rural roads, and occasional ghat trip, but in 2WD guise, it simply doesn't inspire the 'my car can take it all' kind of confidence, which a lot of SUV buyers may be looking for.
A 4WD, low ratio box and maybe hill descent assist and other electrical nannies for the top end variant will make the TUV a complete package. It also looks edgy and square, like a hardcore SUV generally does. There could realistically be a T4+ 4WD and a fully loaded T8 4WD variant for the TUV. And anyway most TUV buyers get it for the proper SUV credentials and tough 'battle tank' appeal, and many won't mind spending those extra thousands for a lot more substance under the skin. But more importantly, people will sit up and think about the TUV, as a proper 4WD SUV at the 10-lakh price point sure sounds delicious. Also, if it works well enough, it could earn its own fan base, just like the Scorpio or Safari, over time. The boxy and Jeepish styling would also suddenly start making a lot more sense, and would become more acceptable to the people.
Take this: the T4+ variant costs about 7.3 lakhs ex-showroom right now. And it has airbags and ABS too. Add the 4WD, and the pricing may go around 8.5 lakhs ex showroom, and somewhere over 9 lakhs on road. That gives a proper ladder frame SUV with ABS and airbags, and 4WD as standard, and a huge scope for equipping it and customising it further. Similarly, the T8 4WD could cost somewhere under the 11 lakh mark on road, and that's great value for a fully loaded SUV with 4WD.
Maybe Mahindra are afraid the TUV would threaten the Scorpio 4WD and hence are not launching it. I feel they should have given priority to a 4WD variant instead of the tricky AMT at launch. That would have done wonders to its image, 'battle tank' pretensions and initial market impressions.