Mahindra’s TUV300 is all set to get launched on 10 September 2015 for which bookings has begun for an amount of Rs. 20,000 at all Mahindra’s dealerships across the country. The vehicle is gaining lot of curiosity from the buyers due to its sub 4m profile and jeep inspired design. Earlier Codenamed as U301, the TUV300 has been spotted a number of times in the country. The compact SUV will be positioned above the dud seller Quanto and will try to establish the car maker in compact SUV segment. In the meanwhile, let look at what TUV 300 has in store for us:
Price and competition:
With over 90 percent localization levels expect TUV300 to be priced between Rs. 6.5-9 lakhs (ex-showroom) and will take on the likes of Ford EcoSport. The affordable range should give the home grown manufacture price advantage over its rivals.
Design:
The TUV300 has been developed and designed at Mahindra research valley (MRV) and said to be inspired by battle tank in terms of design. Up front, TUV300 gets high front nose with Jeep reminiscent front grille having chrome borders. The headlamps are angular which slightly extends at the sides; front bumper is massive which houses large air inducts and rectangular fog lamps.
Moving to the side reveals that the company wants to maximize the space inside with SUV’s sub 4m stance. Bold shoulder lines, stylish alloy wheels, blackened D-pillars add some flavor to the boxy design of TUV300. At rear which reflect the Quanto image but in reality it’s quite different as it get a tail mounted spare wheel with cover, huge vertical tail lamps, a foot step and rear parking sensors. The SUV is expected to be offered in six paint schemes– Red, Silver, white, blue, orange and black.
Interior:
As per the recent spy shots which reveal the SUV getting a black dashboard along with beige option housing silver accents, multi function steering wheel, infotainment system with USB, AUX-in and bluetooth functionality. Being a Mahindra, it’s all about practicality along with the features so expect oodles of space. The SUV will be available in 5+2 seating configuration with two jump seats in the third row.
Engine:
Under the hood of TUV300, Mahindra will use a new mhawk 80 diesel engine which is said to be a revamped version of 1.5l 3-cylinder diesel engine which powers Quanto. The engine will be sending power to rear wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. An AMT gearbox is also on the cards.
The TUV300 is likely to come in three variants T4, T6 and T8 and Mahindra is hoping it to sell in range of 4000-5000 units a month.
