Mahindra is on the rise, expanding its model portfolio at a rapid pace with newer models entering across segments.
Mahindra is on the rise, expanding its model portfolio at a rapid pace with newer models entering across segments. The XUV5OO got a major facelift, as well as the Thar. Then there was the TUV3OO, and now the KUV1OO, which is the latest offering from Mahindra as it enters the small car segment (though the KUV is a fairly large car). Mahindra’s 1st attempt incidentally to enter the small car or the hatchback segment was with the Verito Vibe a few years back. Sadly, it did not really do well as it was more a chopped-off version of the Verito sedan. KUV stands for Kool Utility Vehicle. How ‘Kool’ it really is, is what we find out in our exclusive road test review of the Mahindra KUV1OO right here.
Mahindra KUV100 Exteriors:
First look at the KUV1OO and you think it is still a concept car. The car stands tall and wide, and more looks like a Mini SUV of sorts. The vehicle stands 3675mm in length and 1705mm wide. The overall height of the car is 1635mm while it has a ground clearance of 170mm, which are very mini SUV type of proportions. It’s taken 4 years, 350 employees and around Rs. 1,200 crores to develop the KUV1OO.
The Mahindra KUV100 has a lot of curves and body lines running across it. The face gets the Mahindra family grille in slim dimensions with six sharp teeth adorning it with the Mahindra logo boldly placed in the middle. The headlights come with a wraparound styling and also LED daytime running lights. They are so stretched back in design, that they end just near the A-Pillar where the bonnet mates.
The front bumper is pretty tall and makes for more than 70 percent of the face of the KUV. This is a rounded bumper that comes in body color while the lower section is left unpainted in matte black to give the SUV an off-road look. The bumper also gets skid plates under it in silver finish. The fog lamps are placed at a slight angle and are rectangular in shape. The bonnet is neatly sculpted in design and comes with deep body design lines that make it look a lot muscular and beefed up. The bonnet is large and wide in proportion and completes the SUV look on the front end of the KUV along with the high bumper.
Coming to the sides of the KUV1OO, you first notice the tall stance of this car and the roof rail that makes it look taller. The roof goes sloping towards the end. The extended stretched headlight with ‘KUV1OO’ written on it on one side and powered by mFalcon on the other side gives a very smart look to the sides. The doors have a sharp body line, additionally there is a sharp curvy body line that starts just above the tail light and extends itself till the middle of the rear door. The lower section on the door and the running board come with plastic body cladding and so do the wheel arches to enhance the SUV appeal.
Another unique design feature on the sides of the KUV is the rear door handles that are placed flat on the C-Pillar. Such styling and placement of the door handles is seen on the Chevrolet Beat. The wing mirrors have knuckle-like styling on them and are pretty large in size. The door frames come with blacked out masking, glass area is huge on the KUV. MRF ZVTS 185/65 R14 spec tyres do their job here and you also get multi-spoke silver alloys.
At the rear, the styling element is the twin stage tail lamps along with chrome-lined reflectors placed in the rear bumper and the sharp body line that extends itself on the rear door. The rear bumper gets its lower section in unpainted matte black finish. A largish rear spoiler adds to the design element of the rear section. The rear windshield is slightly curved on its either corners mating with the boot lid nicely. There’s also a wash wipe and glass defogger on the fully loaded KUV1OO K8 variant that we tested.
This is a smart looking vehicle, with a lot of road presence and gets instantly noticed due to its SUV-cum-Concept looks. Build quality on the outside is good and so is the paint job. The KUV1OO overall demands a lot of attention and due to its SUV-like proportions and styling makes it stand out from the other models in the segment.
Mahindra KUV100 Interiors:
Once you open the door of the KUV and enter it, you will be happy to see how easy it really is to step in and out of this vehicle. This is simply because of the height and the wide doors of this vehicle. The cabin area is large and feels roomy partly because of the large glass area and partly because it actually is big. The dash is in dual color with black on the top and grey on the lower side. You also have a glossy wood insert that runs across on the passenger side of the dash.
The instrument cluster gets round dials for the RPM and speedo while you have the multi function display in the middle, reading out the odometer, trip, fuel and engine temperature. The reddish orange accents and needle on the cluster look very neat. The instrument cluster gets a thick silver band surround that engulfs the assembly unit. The steering has a three-spoke layout with steering-mounted buttons on it and with a thick silver band placed on it for ornamental value. You get manual height adjust for the steering, but adjust for reach is not offered.
The center dash on the KUV is very uniquely designed. It is flat and has the gear shifter integrated on it. The AC control rotary knobs are placed neatly on the left under the others and these knobs come with chrome lining, giving them a premium look. On the top of the center dash you get the entertainment system that comes with a tiny, neat grey scale LCD screen. You also get to know the Distance to Empty reading, and the other settings can be controlled using this Head unit. Coming back to the gear shifter, this is a short throw shifter that looks very neat and is placed bang in the center of the dash. The Hyundai i10 had a similar shifter but this one’s placed way ahead, like many small Japanese cars. The handbrake is a pull-type unit and this too is placed in the center dash at the lowest corner along with a 12V charge dock.
The seats get fabric upholstery and the driver’s seat comes with manual height adjust. The front passenger seat on the KUV is rather unique. With the Flexi-Seat, you have seating for 3 passengers in the front row thanks to the extended front seat and the missing center console unit. The shifter and hand brake has been placed on the center dash making space for the extra passenger in the middle. The middle passenger also gets a back rest that, when not needed, can be folded down in the front which then converts into a center arm rest for the driver and the front passenger.
The front seats are generous in proportion and offer good amount of back and under thigh support to the occupants. The front seats get integrated fixed headrests and also a neat style element, a gap in the head rests of the front seats that not only look nice but also let the rear passengers some view through it. With the front flexi seat in action, the third passenger can sit in the middle but has to spread his legs and place one to the left and other to the right of the center dash. Not to the best of comfort, but nevertheless, this makes it a `more car per car’ thing.
The rear seat gets three adjustable head rests and also a folding center arm rest. The rear seat is wide and broad, with the comfort level being excellent with lots of head room, knee room and shoulder room giving you a very SUV-seating feel. The cabin area has lots of cubby holes and storage space placed in the door pads and one neat closable one placed under the steering. Apart from this, you get a removable storage bin placed under the front seat.
What is very unique and innovative is a hidden secret storage place under the rear floor area. The boot area on the KUV is 243-liters that can be expanded to 473-liters of cargo space with the rear seat folded down. Loading area on to the boot is a bit restricted due to the intruding tail lamp housing but nevertheless the boot is wide and deep, with the other storage bins and places adding up the USPs. The cabin area on the KUV is spacious, build quality is good and the attention to detail is also nice. The Flexi-Seats, unique gear positioning and the storage places are its key USPs.
Mahindra KUV100 Engines, Drive and Suspension:
The Mahindra KUV1OO is available in two engine options, Diesel and Petrol. These are newly developed from scratch engines that Mahindra calls as the mFalcon series of engines. The KUV Petrol comes powered by the mFalcon G80 motor. This is a 1198cc 3-cylinder unit that makes 82BHP @ 5500RPM and has 115Nm of torque between 3500-3600RPM. This engine gets dual variable value timing on it. This engine gets mated to an all new 5-speed manual transmission.
The diesel version of the KUV gets the diesel version of the D75 mFalcon engine. This is a 3-cylinder 1198cc Turbocharged with intercooler CRDI engine that makes 77BHP @ 3750RPM and produces a healthy 190Nm of torque between 1750-2250RPM. This motor also is mated to a new 5-speed manual transmission.
How does it feel to drive them?
Driving the Petrol KUV, the engine feels highly refined, and even though it’s a 3 pot unit there are no undue vibrations or harshness on it. Shift to the first gear and you begin to like the soft clutch on this one. The initial power delivery is decent and as the speed builds up you begin to like the KUV even more. The gear shifting on the KUV and the mechanism used is precise and perfect. We loved the positioning and the shift action that this in-dash shifter offered.
The steering feedback is on the heavier side. The all-aluminum engine helps in keeping the overall weight of the car down and this goes a long way in making it agile and spirited. You need to shift gears a bit more often to stay in the power-band, but the sweet shift action just tempts you to do so. Mahindra claims a fuel economy of 18.5 kmpl and we don’t doubt that as the KUV petrol did just that during the test runs. There is some amount of body roll experienced due to the overall height of the vehicle. Brakes are good enough, offering a decent amount of bite. The suspension setup is tuned on the softer side, but does a good job at it. The KUV drives well on the city roads, while doing a fairly decent job on the highways too.
Driving the Diesel version, you instantly notice a slightly heavier clutch in place and a bit more engine clutter. The three-pot diesel engine is refined for its class. Power delivery is good, as this has higher torque figures being a diesel. The cabin insulation is good. Power delivery is linear and it’s when the turbo kicks in, that this baby Mahindra offers you its full fun factor. Turbo lag is minimal and like the Petrol version the Diesel one too has excellent and precise gear shifting. The Diesel KUV feels very relaxed on the highway and you can do speeds in excess to 125kmph with it.
Mahindra claims a fuel economy of 25.32Km/L on it. The diesel unit gets an Eco and Power mode button which basically cuts or adds to the throttle response, aiding the fuel economy. Driving in the Power mode for the city and Eco mode for highway cruising is what I liked.
Mahindra KUV100 Safety:
You get dual airbags as standard from the base K2+ model upwards, while ABS with EBD is standard across all trim levels. This is a very good move and we hope the rivals take a note of this and make it a norm from now on. You get speed sensitive lock and unlock, auto hazard lamps on crash and anti-theft to name a few.
Mahindra KUV100 Verdict:
After driving both the KUVs, we came to the conclusion that this indeed is a Kool Utility Vehicle, with tons of utilities and space galore, not forgetting the Flexi-seats. The engines are best suited for the car, the build is good and the design is very appealing. This is a car that will appeal to youngsters and families that want ‘more’ car per car, with it offering a lot more than most of its rivals currently in the segment.
Mahindra KUV100 Photo Gallery:
Pics: Ritesh Madhok
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