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M&M TUV300 review: Living with the Urban Bolero

NEW DELHI: With a bunch of names doing rounds in the heavily-contested sub-compact SUV segment, Mahindra TUV300 wouldn't feature in discussions, in most cases. Neither tech-loaded nor supremely luxurious, a butch TUV300 stands apart from the crowd in its way.


The SUV is built with intent, reminding you of the aging Bolero, which broke into the scene nearly two decades ago.

A rightful heir, TUV300 carries forward several structural and styling cues. Mahindra went on to offer a midlife facelift to the car earlier this year, in the process flushing out the AMT variant.


TUV is robust as a rock, quite literally, and as the name suggests, tough utility vehicle. We spent a couple of weeks with the car, and here are our top picks for choosing the facelift TUV300. Or should you?


What’s new in looks?

Boxy, some might say, I feel the design extremely quirky and interesting. To begin with, the car features an all-new ‘highway red’ colour and a few cosmetic retouches. The rear gets a clear tail lamp and an ‘X-shaped’ cover on the spare wheel, which is mounted on the tailgate. That said, side-opening tailgate structure isn’t the easiest to access coupled with high lip-loading. The boot is sufficient when the two jump seats are left unused.


The front fascia is minorly updated, with a blacked-out grille, LED DRLs in the headlamp housing, making it somewhat sportier over the previous generation. Side profile retains the layout with a body-on-ladder frame. The large windows, grey roof rail, blacking cladding on the built and sidestep don't really help the new TUV300 leave an impression visually. Perhaps, a bit more urbane and bigger than the rivals!


How is the feeling inside?

Crude! It's a no non-sense design with minimal comfort features. Hop inside, and the first change you witness here is the inclusion of a touchscreen infotainment system. The touch response is decent, however, the set up misses out on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Well, the reverse parking camera on the tailgate provides that extra cushion of comfort to filter the TUV300 through crowded confines.


It's an all-beige inside, with black shade used thrown around. The buttons, switches, and dashboard are rock-solid, although offer a very plasticky feel. The quality of plastic used inside gives you a sense of durability.


No complaints about the headroom and legroom due to the generous amount of space on offer. The seats are large, holds the shape well, however, lack of under-thigh support doesn't make TUV300 an automatic choice for putting long on the highways. The driver's seat is a good place to be in only if you're five-and-a-half-foot tall, thanks to a substantially raised front deck.


The seats are wound with soft-touch material with rectangularly-stitched patterns. Three passengers can easily fit into the second row, which is devoid of a handrest and middle headrest. All the seven seats are not the handiest unless you wish to fill the rear-third with luggage. Getting into or out of the last row is quite a task. Even if two adults fit in, the posture is far from pleasant, and also misses out on seat belts.


Ride quality:

Honestly, I was somewhat taken back at the first rendezvous. Switching to a manual transmission after a while, and with long gear throws and heavy action on the clutch lever, Mahindra is known for, I was almost certain for a few inconsistent driving experiences during initial few days. It took a while to get used to the five-speed manual configuration, which transmits power to the rear wheels. Just for numbers, the 1.5-litre, three-cylinder diesel unit belts out the power of 100 horses.


The short-spaced gears offer a strong bottom-end punch, allowing the TUV to keep in pace with city traffic. The throws are long and the clutch is surprisingly light. The start-stop idling system onboard cuts off the engine at every pause in the traffic. Probably that helps in saving some fuel, yet it isn't the best in the business, being very sluggish to respond while returning to life.

I choose to venture into highways as much as I drove in the cities. It's surely not lightning fast, with a cruising sweet spot around 110 kph. The bottom-end performance is decent while the car shine is the mid-range, making the best use of torque till 4,000 rpm. Top-end performance is below average, and the engine redlines quickly, going past 5,000-rpm mark. There arrives the reality-check. People opting for TUV300-ish kind of SUV aren't into the business of racing against time, gunning it on the highways.


Foot on the pedal, thumb the starter and you find noise creeping into the cabin around 2,000 rpm. The clutter grows louder and deafening as you push the SUV harder. Diesel powertrain's driveability is decent and the icing on the cake is a brilliant fuel efficiency. The sufficiently large fuel tank supplied over 950 kilometers on a single tank of fuel. Expect a mileage of around 20kpl on the highways, while 18kpl for city runabouts.

Mechanical parts were not lost in transition, with M&M holding back to most of the elements from the previous generation, including the stiff suspension set up. The shockers are stouts, ironing out the bumps and bad roads without breaking a sweat. That said, the ride quality is considerably bumpy, with a fair amount of body roll and lateral movement. Stability in triple-digit speeds isn't something I can whole-heartedly endorse, neither would the manufacturers. The stock body-on-ladder frame isn't exactly performance-oriented, nor does M&M commit to people planning to shell their money in that segment. Durability is the name of the game here, and in case, you are expecting more, XUV300 can be an alternative.


Big in space, low on comfort! Who is going to buy it?

It goes against the trend. Unlike the modern crop of SUVs, the TUV300 isn't laden with luxurious features or incredible looks. If you glance at TUV300 geographic presence, the SUV presents its case. Equally found in a semi-urban and rural landscape, Mahindra TUV300 has made its mark, replacing the aging Bolero to an extent. Priced between Rs 8.5 lakh - Rs 10.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the likes of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Honda BR-V, and Renault Lodgy compete with the Mahindra offering in terms of space but the TUV300 dons an unrivaled territory when it comes to durability.




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