Since the launch of KWID indian have proved their obsession with the SUV looks on any car(irrespective of the size) even a formula that now NANo should rap around itself and become the cheapest SUV(if that whats all Atleast TATA will call it then) Any ways jokes apart. Kool Utility Vehicle is the new car from the stable of Mahindra with background music by Lucky Ali(song- tere mere sath jo hota hai)
Exterior As the name stands the car does look cool but it reminds me of Sangyong Tivoli alot when you look at it from front, headlights are way to similar to the ecosport, but with translucent extension running across the bonnet inspired by my sunglasses, but according to me its the best place to house the mFalcon badge of the new lineup of engines by Mahindra, the front grill looks disappointing to me but its totally upto you in that department, the bumpers are good highlighted nicely with mat black Finish938844 and looks overly sporty, This rugged color is carried forward to wheel arches, skirts the the rear bumper as seen in SUV’s and its good for the eyes. But from the side the car looks odd with a long extended bonnet and doors to squeezed up and tail section does looked chopped from a bigger car and adding to it are 14" alloys which even make the looks worse thus if you a fan of looks ignore the side profile completely and the rear will make you happy with Audi Q7 inspired tail light with a practical boot like hatchback but the rear windscreen is narrow. Its not as taller as Wagon R but definitely Wider than any product in its segment.It got 243 ltr boot space which is a big one but not very practical on to load a lot of stuff in there
- Interior* As soon you step in the roomy cabin will blow your mind even I was surprised how Mahindra managed it in such a small hatchback I am sorrySUV.
But do go for 5 seater car irrespective of six no matter how appealing its to you. The quality of plastic is way beyond the likes of Mahindra and is even better than some Marutis and hyundais in this class even inside the glove box, it has a sunglasses store above the inside RVM which is flimsy a bit and same is seen on the door knobs.
But as my experince say the panel housing the Stereo system and AC knobs will get scratched very soon and Mahindra obsession of putting badges even inside the car makes it look cheaper. You get the gear lever housed inside the dashboard(as seen in all tempos running around us) buts its done to give a leg room to the middle passenger in front(if you opt for 6 seater version which I am against of why I will tell you in a short while). I loved the vertical AC knobs inspired from older JAZZ. The seat fabrics are light in color and so are the storage plastics but with dual tone dashboard with black sporty looks it looks great on the car of this segment. Better Audio system with Bluetooth support( But tata Zica audio System sounds better than this).And the car is full of hidden storage space like under the seats under the floor which are very good if you planning on something illegal but jokes apart atleast it gives you some more space.
Front seats are flat and well cushioned the rear seats are good for two adults and a kid with adequate leg room and a lot of headroom.
Drive Quality: The engine has nice figures on paper and the engine is quick to revv but not as much as the Honda’s i-Vtec but certainly punchier than maruti’s K series engines
Diesel option is much better though as all of the 190Nm torque is delivered at as low as 1750Rpm which makes it better commuter in city(in 3rd or 4th gear it will move easily with lesser gear shifts) and more better on higways adding the exact grunt you need for overtaking with out much down shifiting. And happily doing triple digit speed diesel is where il put my money on as its got a large amount of torque to play with. But I certainly missed AMT transmission and will eagerly wait for it as the clutch is not that light. And the tempo inspired gear shifter will need some time with it for getting used to it. Gear box is very smooth and I liked that. And with 170mm clearance and longer suspension through I can tackle the roads of India but its not a anywhere go car since it lacks power in that part and thus its not at all a off-roader. Thus finally I can say it Its* a Hatchback*.
Ride Quality: It got famous mahindra’s springy feeling suspension which I personally dont like much but then to the ride is sturdy and you dont get thrown around in the cabin thanks to the monocoque chassis which makes it even more agile an nimble to drive.But the feedback from steering is very poor and body roll is way to much reminds me totally of Wagon R and thus the braking is strong and gripy and quick with abs and ebd. but because of its tall body it will make the car wave around a bit on hard braking and will make you jump inside the cabin which was a trend started by Mahindra in the "scorpio". The car tends to change direction a bit depending on the no. of people in the car and which side of the car is heavier on hard braking.
Safety ABS is standard across all variants and Mahindra has even given an option of Air bags for sensible buyers like you and me. But the addition of third seat in front when you opt for 6 seater car is utter foolish as in that seat only a kid or small size adult can be seated but making it very dangerous for that passenger since the distance between dashboard and passenger is minimum with no airbags provide there if car met with an head on collision it can be proved very fatal for that passenger even in a less impact-full accidents thus please dont opt for it as you are putting safety for that passenger at stake and instead opt for 5 seater one which will even give you more cupholders and storage to keep your things in.
So it leaved me impressed overall and for mileage as company claimed 25 km/ltr I got 18 overall with mixed riding condition(50% city 50%highway) and on petrol near 12.5-13km/ltr but as I have saidin all my reviews I am not a better driver as you.
If you find this review usefull please share it. Since its the newer car I couldn’t find drawbacks which comes up in the cars after a period of time will update this review soon with that with some more time with the car.
- and one thing I found worth sharing do visit KUV100 official site as it even offer xchange of your older car hassle free there