Mahindra launched the TUV300 back in 2015. The car has a boxy design and completely out of proportion. But, we never expected Mahindra to launch the same vehicle in a bigger size and with some minor changes. The TUV300 Plus is longer in size and also gets a new engine.
Exteriors – The TUV300 Plus continues to carry the boxy design from the TUV300. The TUV300 Plus is longer than regular TUV300. This extension in length has helped the TUV300 Plus to be proportionate. There is some minor change in the fog lamp housing, apart from that there are no such visible changes. The TUV300 Plus gets larger 16-inch wheels instead of the older car's 15-inchers.
Interiors – There are no major changes to the interiors. The dual tone black and beige dashboard is the same from the TUV300. The quality of materials used in the new car hasn't improved a bit. The touchscreen infotainment system along with speakers is the same from the smaller car. Many features like reverse parking camera and sensors, auto retractable ORVMs and rear AC vents are missing on the TUV300 Plus.
The seats at the front are comfortable but the seats in the second row lack proper under thigh support and knee room. The car has side facing seats in the third row. There are no seatbelts for the third row thus compromising the safety of the passengers. The side facing seats lack both knee room and shoulder room.
Performance – The TUV300 Plus gets the mHawk 2.2-litre engine as the 1.5-litre engine from the old TUV300 was too underpowered. The mHawk engine manages to give 120 PS of power and 280 Nm of torque. The 6-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission on offer with this vehicle. The engine is crude and vibrates a lot even at low RPMs. However, the engine is very robust and reliable. There is some turbo lag till 1800 RPM and the engine redlines at just above 4000 RPM. The engine feels punchy mostly in the mid-range.
The mileage of the car is around 14 km/l without the ECO mode. The ECO mode just reduces the performance and doesn’t increase the efficiency. The TUV300 Plus is equipped with ESS, this system shuts the engine down when you halt the car at the signal and the engine is restarted at the press of the clutch. The clutch on this car is light but has a long travel and gear shifts are notchy.
Driving Dynamics – The steering is heavy and lacks feedback moreover it doesn’t give the confidence to take the vehicle to a higher speed. The car continues to be bouncy as the previous TUV300, however, the bounciness reduces with increase in the vehicle speed. The suspension on this car can take a hell lot of abuse, which is good if we think of the condition of our Indian roads. The brakes on the vehicle are average.
Verdict – The Mahindra TUV300 Plus comes with a good engine, however, ride quality and fit & finish are poor. If you can compromise on these things then the rugged TUV300 Plus is a good choice. This MPV is mostly targeted towards semi-urban and rural areas where people prefer abuse-friendly cars.
