The TUV300's cabin is a real surprise. Its like no Mahindra that we've seen before. The variant which is used for the test drive is the T8, which is one of the seven trims that the company offers. Its essentially the top-of-the-line variant, minus the autoshift gearbox. As soon as you swing a door open, you are treated to an overly pleasant design with sober dual-tone color scheme which, for once, is neither over-the-top loud nor looks to be put together under a stringent budget. Fit and finish is definitely better than before, but there still is some room for improvement. Inputs from Italy's Pinninfarnia design studio is what Mahindra had announced at the time of the TUV300's launch back at its factory in Chakan, Pune. Very much evident, and very much appreciated. Everything from the high, uncluttered dashboard, down to the hard materials and use of silver finished plastic bits around the cabin looks well thought out and could be further described as being classy. The XUV500 inspired instrument cluster is informative and looks great too.
You'll have to quite literally climb in to the cockpit of the TUV, so it feels quite tall, and it'll feel even more so on seeing the amount of headroom available once seated inside the TUV300. The cabin feels nice and airy with the big window area, good amount of cubbyholes and storage spaces for oddities up front flaunts much of the little Mahindra cabins practical side too. The seats are a tad flat, yet offer decent support and space for comfortable drive over long distances. The driver even gets some lumbar support. However passengers seated in the two jumper seats at the tail end will feel confined for space and rather uncomfortable on long drives considering the TUV300 lacks rear AC vents. Mahindra has even made good effort to keep NVH levels low inside the cabin, with there's very little grunt from the engine seeping in to the cabin.
Beneath the TUV's flat bonnet lies a new member of the mHawk engine family, the mHawk80. The 1493cc, 3-cylinder motor puts out 82.5hp and 230Nm of grunt with the help of twin-stage turbos. At the wheel, the motor is a treat at city speeds, with a moderately light steering and a decent amount of torque available lower down in the rev band. Try to gather serious momentum really quick, and you will be disappointed. Grunt kicks in from as low as 1,500rpm and is stront up to the 3,800rpm mark, after which the motor sounds very stressed and runs out of breath. You'll really have to work the five-speed manual box to get up to triple digit speeds in a jiffy. To sprint from 0-100Km the time taken is approximately 18.61seconds. The 5-speeder with its short throws isn't the slickiest in the business. Once up to triple-digit speed, the TUV shows off some good aptitude in the ride and handling department, thanks to the anti-roll bars and the third-gen Scorpio derived chassis.
Considering the gross weight of 2225Kg, performance of this tank -inspired compact SUV doesn't completely disappoint. Although this T8 variant comes with a decent amount of features like electric ORVMs, drivers seat height adjust, armrests for both front seats, static cornering lamps, Bluetooth integrated music system, voice messaging, micro-hybrid tech, eco mode, parking sensors, auto door lock, two airbags and it even comes fitted with ABS and EBD, but the brakes setup of discs up front and drums at the rear, could have been configured better. Mahindra has stated that they have also made safety tech available on the lower variants as paid add-ons.
Overall, in the bracket of ₹6.9 Lakhs for the base variant, ₹9.12 Lakhs for the feature-rich AMT trim, the Mahindra can be seen as a stern opponent to its competition in the form of the Renault Duster and Ford Ecosport, which it undercuts with its pricing and space. The TUV isn't the best compact SUV to look at, but definitely a step up over other Mahindra's on the inside. Good interior room that includes a decent amount of safety and comfort tech and the new engine isn't the most efficient.
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