The Mahindra TUV300 Is A Surprisingly Likeable Car

 'Once in a while a car arrives that nobody is excited to drive but then it knocks your socks off with its cute charms,' says J. Van der Post as she drives the Mahindra TUV300.


The Mahindra TUV300 arrived at our office amidst other test units and was parked in a corner. It's akin to a new kid at school that hasn't made any friends yet.

 

I was always the one who'd introduce myself to lonely, shy new kids at school - "Are you new here? I'm Janine..." It's also how I met my best friend at university. 

 

It was the same with Mahindra's TUV300. I don't blame my workmates for not being excited about driving it since one of our previous test with its smaller sibling, the KUV100, was a fiery experience. And besides that, the build quality left much to be desired.

 

The difference between the KUV100 and TUV300 is night and day, with the latter, a much-improved version of the former.

 

The interior colour is an acquired taste and it's not really an SUV but it can grapple gravel roads.

Here are 5 reasons that might make you like this car:

1. It's not a bad-looking vehicle

The TUV300 isn't the most adorable-looking car, nor is it sexy in any way... but, it's not ugly either and judging from Mahindra's previous offerings, that's a good thing.


2. It's such a friendly car.

A warm, friendly gentleman's voice welcomes you every time you start the car. No, really, the voice says "Welcome to your Mahindra TUV300".

It also pauses the audio to tell you when you switch to Eco Mode.

 

3. It's like an over-protective parent

It tries to tell you very calmly that you seat belt is not fastened, getting more excited the more you don't adhere to its friendly request. But it's Eco mode is something special and left me giggling every time I turned it on, or off.

The car literally goes into what feels like 'limp mode', akin to a parent gently holding the harness  tighter when their child wants to run off in a shopping mall. It also has dual airbags, but since this is a seven-seater, I'd like to see more airbags for rear passengers too.

4. It sips fuel like a princess having a cup of tea.

Eco mode certainly helps reduce the fuel consumption a whole lot more. During my couple of days driving the KUV300, I hardly used any fuel. Mahindra SA claims a combined fuel figure of 5.4-litres/100km. 

5. Ohmygosh, it's so spacious!

The second row of seats genuinely sits three adults comfortably without anyone having to remove elbows from their sides. I usually prefer seven-seaters to have the third row of seats fold completely flat into the floor to maximise boot space, but I enjoyed the TUV300's two seats in the boot. 

There are two individual seats on either side of the boot, with the seat part neatly folded up. This still leaves more than enough space for shopping bags or other larger items. And, the seats are not just for small kids - because you don't really want them sitting there anyway (for safety reasons, they should be in car seats), adults can comfortably ride along and have a great chat facing each other.

There are a couple of niggles such as the window controls sitting in the centre console next to the handbrake lever. The positioning is a bit awkward, and you often find yourself fumbling to put the window up or down. And the voice commands' novelty wears off after a while and becomes annoying rather than cute.

 

But with all that said, this car makes for a decent family vehicle: it's spacious, economic and is affordable from R254 999 for most customers trying to find something affordable that won't cost a limb or two. 

 


Article source: https://www.wheels24.co.za/NewModels/5-reasons-why-mahindras-tuv300-is-a-suprisingly-likable-car-20170621


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2016 MAHINDRA BOLERO POWER+ ROAD TEST REVIEW

Image
The Bolero Power+ is Mahindra's idea of a more powerful and slightly smaller option to its wildly popular utility vehicle. We put the vehicle to test in jam packed Mumbai a day before Dussehra and also in the semi-urban areas around Mumbai where the roads demand a rugged vehicle like this. Engine This is the real star of the package. The 3-cylinder motor from the TUV300 is a gem, and I have always enjoyed the oodles of torque available right from the word go. In the new Mahindra Bolero Power+, however, the engine has been detuned to make 11PS less. But, let me assure you, the engine feels anything but underpowered. From 0-80kmph, she pulls effortlessly. That's nothing special, but try doing 18km/h in third gear in any other manual car and you'll either stall the engine or cause considerable grumble and judder. No such issues with this engine. In the same vein, the engine refinement is impressive for a UV. The amount of sound-deadening material used under the h
Read more

A Quick Guide To The Mahindra Pik Up

Inspired by the traditional American pickup and designed to be as tough as the terrain it tackles, the Mahindra Pik Up for sale was certainly worth considering when you're looking for a bakkie. The Indian automotive manufacturer is in for a tough fight though. The bakkie segment is one of South Africa's most competitive, with major players like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger leading the way in terms of sales according to NAAMSA vehicle sales reports. Does the Mahindra Pik Up have what it takes to tackle its competitors and make an impact on the bakkie market in South Africa? We look at what it offers for local customers so you can decide for yourself. A brief history of Mahindra Pik Up Mahindra & Mahindra first entered the automobile market when the company obtained the licence to manufacture Willys Jeep vehicles. Later, the company began to produce its own range of light commercial vehicles. In 1996, Mahindra created the Scorpio SUV which then developed into the Pik Up
Read more

Upcoming 2020 Mahindra Thar SUV Rendered, Gets Jeep Inspired Design

Image
The upcoming 2020 Mahindra Thar has been spotted multiple times and based on the spy shots, new renderings have been made Mahindra and Mahindra, India’s largest utility vehicle manufacturer will soon launch the all-new Thar in India as the second generation model and has been spied doing tests wearing full camouflage many times. The next-gen Thar will replace the current Thar that has long been in the market and was recently paid a tribute by launching a limited-run Thar 700 edition. The 2020 Mahindra Thar SUV has been rendered using the visual cues from the spy shots by Motorbeam giving us an insight on how the SUV would look like. As per the rendering of the artist, the upcoming 2020 Mahindra Thar will have an evolutionary design, having ample similarities to the outgoing model, including the overall stance and size. However, there’s an increase in the width and the big wheel arches make it have an imposing stance. The wheel size is bigger and there’s a snorkel too. The a
Read more