Mahindra TUV300 Compact SUV launched in India at Rs 6.9 lakh

Mahindra has launched its sub 4-meter compact SUV, the TUV300 in India at a price point of Rs 6.9 lakh (ex-showroom Pune). The new car will go up against the likes of the Ford Ecosport and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha amongst others. The TUV 300 will be available in six variants - T4, T6, T6+, T6 AMT, T8 and T8 AMT and will be powered only by a diesel engine.

ABS and airbags are optional in all variants and the TUV 300 comes with a 3 year/1,00,000km warranty.

The TUV 300 is powered by a mHawk three-cylinder diesel engine which makes 85PS of power and 230Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a five speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels and also comes with the option of a five-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). The company claims a fuel economy figure of 18.49kmpl.

Prices:

T4:  Rs 6.90 lakh

T4+: Rs 7.25 lakh

T6:  Rs 7.55 lakh

T6+: Rs 7.80 lakh

T6+ AMT: Rs 8.52 lakh

T8: Rs 8.40 lakh

T8 AMT: Rs 9.12 lakh

The new TUV300 will be an important tool alongside the likes of the ever popular Bolero, Scorpio and the XUV500 in terms of increasing Mahindra’s presence in the Indian market. The TUV300 is more important as Mahindra’s last sub 4-meter offering, the Quanto has not really sold in great numbers in recent years after an initial boom. That said, the TUV300 has a much better chance of success mainly as it looks like a conventional SUV and more importantly a brand new car as compared to the Quanto that looked like a shrunken Xylo.

The TUV300 comes with a 1.5-litre engine that makes 85PS of peak power although the badge says mHawk80. The TUV300 gets a 5-speed manual gearbox and is also available in an AMT version, which puts out slightly less power at 82PS. Although there are no plans to introduce a four-wheel-drive version soon, it is very much in the works. There will also eventually be a left hand drive version of the TUV300 aimed at export markets like South America.

Stay tuned to ZigWheels.com for our extensive Test Drive Reviews and Comparisons for the TUV300.