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TUV300 Ownership Review: Taming the Tough
Hi All
I own a TUV300 from 30/12/2015 and I hope this TUV300 ownership review will help you to get a better idea about the vehicle.
Search for a new car
My car search started in 2015 October. I wanted to upgrade from my Zen which was driven 72000 km in which 37000 was my contribution. My height is 6.2, hence Zen was compromise ,though it had decent legroom when driver seat is pushed back to maximum. However long drives and drives with more than three passengers were problematic. Still I love this car for its peppiness and reliability. One major criteria for new car was excellent leg room and thigh support. I stay in Bangalore outskirts and there are number of bad stretches of road. For this reason I preferred a SUV or a car which can perform well in bad roads.
Initial criteria
I would like to mention it as my initial criteria, since the preference keep on changing after test driving each vehicle
Budget : 6 to 8 lakhs
Fuel preference :petrol (since my average monthly use is 1000km)
Brand: Any
Features : My preferences were in the following order. First comfort then reliability then mileage then looks then resale value and finally maintenance cost.
Options considered
I believe that the major reason for rejecting these cars is that I was comparing the throttle response with that of Zen. I was expecting the same throttle response with each of these cars, whereas many of them failed in that Area. Do a gentle push on the zen accelerator and it zooms ahead (thanks to a low 790Kg lkerb weight and 1000cc engine which is not tuned for fuel efficiency). I generally do not rev up the engine hard as well. So whenever I mention that the pick up is less, that means the pick up is not as good as zen with a gentle push on accelerator
1. Hyundai i20
I liked this car’s looks, all online reviews were also good. For the same reason my expectations were too high when I took the test drive.I must say the test drive was very disappointing. Pickup was not as good as I expected. Suspension was average. I was expecting the old i10 kind of smooth suspension but I could feel most of the bad roads inside cabin. I guess they have a slightly harder suspension setup for i20. Legroom was better than many other cars but not adequate for my height..Hyundai’s costly maintenance was another concern.
2. Figo aspire
This car’s interiors was nicely designed and it looked premium.The driver seat was very comfortable with excellent thigh support. Only negative factor in the interior was that the head room was very less, my head was almost touching the roof. I also did not like the exteriors of the car, especially the Aston martin inspired grill. Ride quality and driveability was decent except the suspension set up. It was too shaky; I had the feeling that the car will not be able to handle bad roads.
3. Ecosport
I always felt that this is a car made to look like an SUV. The driver seat was too cramped and the headroom was also poor. I did not find it worthy to spend 10 lakhs+ and buying Ecosport which will not be that comfortable for a driver with my height.
4. Tata Zest
Like i20, expectations were high when I took test drive. It is a feature rich car. Handling was really nice with the very light steering, pick up in sport mode was good. I liked the design as well. Interior design was nice but the dash board plastic and seats looked cheap quality. My wife did not like the interiors. Driver seat thigh support was also not good. Resale value and after sales service was another concern.
5. Duster
Out of my budget. I would have pushed the budget if I did not come across the following reviews. More car / crossover like; the monthly sales figures showed that it is losing popularity so I was worried about the resale value.
6. Baleno
Rejected mainly because of the popular baleno accident picture on net. After owning a Maruti for three years I was not very impressed about the safety standards of Maruti. I had very bad experience when my zen collided behind a Chevrolet Beat at 15 KM/hr speed. The beat had minor scratches on its bumper, but my car was trashed. I had to replace bumper, headlights, grill, front bonnet, radiator and AC condenser. After this incident, I had decided not to buy a maruti again. I knew Baleno was an impressive package at that price, but after reading the aforementioned news I did not even test drive it.
7. Safari
From childhood it was my dream car. Since I drive mostly in city roads in bumper to bumper traffic, I thought it will not be a good idea to own a Safari. Resale value was another reason not to buy it. Otherwise I would have considered pushing my budget.
8.Used Punto or Linea was another option considered but when I decided to buy new car, I did not consider these Italian beauties.
Then enters the Tough (TUV three double O')
I did not have any plan to buy TUV till I test drove it. Even the test drive was done after trying all the aforementioned cars. But the test drive changed everything. I was very impressed with the following factors
First I test drove the manual version. Gear lever vibration and engine noise at high rpm was a concern. The sales executive gave me the reason that the vehicle was driven harshly that too by people having different driving styles. Then I tried the automatic version after a week. I had to wait for a week since the auto-shift version was not available with Sireesh Auto, Silk board at that time. I asked them to get the vehicle to my apartment since I wanted to try the parking. I was worried whether this bulky car will fit in our moderate parking slot. However parking was not a difficult task. The AMT version was very smooth and did not have the vibration or engine noise. After the second test drive I decided to go for TUV. I wanted height adjustable seats and arm rests which were available only in the top end model. So I had two options, T8 manual or T8 automatic. price difference was Rs. 80000 in Bangalore. I was already pushing my budget and hence decided to settle for T8 manual. After a lot of debate and voting, me and wife decided to go for white color. I liked the blue followed by white and she liked the orange followed by black and then white. So white was a compromise which satisfied both of us.
Booking
It was already December 3rd week when I made up my mind to go for tough. My plan was to buy 2016 model but then I got a very good deal for my Zen and sold it immediately. It as 40% more than what Mahindra offered in exchange. So “OLX mein bhej diya”. Me and my wife loved our zen and it was a mixed feeling to sell it. The day after, I walked into the Mahindra showroom expecting that I can get the vehicle in 10 days time which was the promise they made during test drive. Sales team told me that the production of 2015 model is stopped and I should wait till Jan 20th. I was in dilemma since it is too difficult to manage one month without a car. Mahindra also did not have an option to loan a car till delivery. So I told them the fact that I may not buy TUV if I have to wait for another month. Then Mr. Jnanesh the sales team lead came to my help and told me that he can Arrange a white T8 within a week. This vehicle was already in transit from the production site, it was booked by someone but finance settlement was going to take more time.That's it, I immediately booked the vehicle by paying 15K.
There was no discount offered since it is a new launch. I also did not spend much energy on bargaining. They gave me a good discount on the bumper to bumper insurance. But since I opted for extended warranty and on road assistance the on road price remained almost same. Including everything the price on road was Rs.1032416. Mahindra arranged the finance from SBI. I had to visit bank once for sanction and later for submitting documents after registration. Overall the financing process was smooth.
Delivery
I was still doubtful about the one week time frame they promised for delivery. So I did a follow up and he promised me everything is going as planned. After 5 days he called me saying that tank is in Bangalore.I wanted to do a PDI and went for it next day.The vehicle was driven only 13.2 km. There was only a minor white paint spill on B Pillar, which they fixed. Everything else looked fine. He told me that I can take the delivery next day after temporary registration. So one week after booking, I had my tank delivered as promised. I spent only 30 min in the showroom on delivery day. Did one more round of checking to ensure that everything is fine. They had placed one small Ganesh Idol in the dashboard and also kept a garland in bonnet. Basic accessories like carpet was provided free. The also gave me 8lt diesel voucher.
I must say that I was very impressed with the Mahindra sales team, they were very professional in their approach and ensure that everything happened as planned. Big thumps up to the team.
I was little scared to take the tank on road that too in peak traffic. However driving this bulky vehicle is not at all a difficult affair. Thanks to the big OVRMs, driving position, reverse park sensor and responsive steering. On the way to home we did a pooja in temple near our home.
First impression
After driving the vehicle for first 100 KM I realized it is not going to be difficult to tame this tank. It is very easy to drive.
First long drive
My first long drive was after completing 500Km. Destination was Belur channa keshava temple. Did not push vehicle above 3000 rpms since there is a drive in period of 1000km.
@3000 rpm vehicle reaches 115 km/hr. I drove it at 120 km/hr (~3200 rpm) for few seconds. Reaching till 100 km/hr is very smooth after that it not as easy to hit 120 km/hr. Above that I am not sure yet :). For your information I was driving the vehicle keeping AC eco mode on.
I drove 550 Km in one day and did not have any problem or fatigue. Drive was very comfortable and enjoyable. drove around 150km at night. I found eco mode very useful for night drives when I want to limit myself from overspeeding. With a regular push on accelerator the eco mode gives speed in 75 km/hr range. If you push hard, even in eco mode it is possible to reach 100 if you push hard. When you climb a hill in the eco mode vehicle lacks power. So I had to push to normal mode whenever there was hilly area to climb. My co passenger also like the long drive on our tank. The armrests, seat and steering height adjustment are really helpful in long drives.
I will keep updating the review once I complete the first servicing. Thanks for reading
Hi All
I own a TUV300 from 30/12/2015 and I hope this TUV300 ownership review will help you to get a better idea about the vehicle.
Search for a new car
My car search started in 2015 October. I wanted to upgrade from my Zen which was driven 72000 km in which 37000 was my contribution. My height is 6.2, hence Zen was compromise ,though it had decent legroom when driver seat is pushed back to maximum. However long drives and drives with more than three passengers were problematic. Still I love this car for its peppiness and reliability. One major criteria for new car was excellent leg room and thigh support. I stay in Bangalore outskirts and there are number of bad stretches of road. For this reason I preferred a SUV or a car which can perform well in bad roads.
Initial criteria
I would like to mention it as my initial criteria, since the preference keep on changing after test driving each vehicle
Budget : 6 to 8 lakhs
Fuel preference :petrol (since my average monthly use is 1000km)
Brand: Any
Features : My preferences were in the following order. First comfort then reliability then mileage then looks then resale value and finally maintenance cost.
Options considered
I believe that the major reason for rejecting these cars is that I was comparing the throttle response with that of Zen. I was expecting the same throttle response with each of these cars, whereas many of them failed in that Area. Do a gentle push on the zen accelerator and it zooms ahead (thanks to a low 790Kg lkerb weight and 1000cc engine which is not tuned for fuel efficiency). I generally do not rev up the engine hard as well. So whenever I mention that the pick up is less, that means the pick up is not as good as zen with a gentle push on accelerator
1. Hyundai i20
I liked this car’s looks, all online reviews were also good. For the same reason my expectations were too high when I took the test drive.I must say the test drive was very disappointing. Pickup was not as good as I expected. Suspension was average. I was expecting the old i10 kind of smooth suspension but I could feel most of the bad roads inside cabin. I guess they have a slightly harder suspension setup for i20. Legroom was better than many other cars but not adequate for my height..Hyundai’s costly maintenance was another concern.
2. Figo aspire
This car’s interiors was nicely designed and it looked premium.The driver seat was very comfortable with excellent thigh support. Only negative factor in the interior was that the head room was very less, my head was almost touching the roof. I also did not like the exteriors of the car, especially the Aston martin inspired grill. Ride quality and driveability was decent except the suspension set up. It was too shaky; I had the feeling that the car will not be able to handle bad roads.
3. Ecosport
I always felt that this is a car made to look like an SUV. The driver seat was too cramped and the headroom was also poor. I did not find it worthy to spend 10 lakhs+ and buying Ecosport which will not be that comfortable for a driver with my height.
4. Tata Zest
Like i20, expectations were high when I took test drive. It is a feature rich car. Handling was really nice with the very light steering, pick up in sport mode was good. I liked the design as well. Interior design was nice but the dash board plastic and seats looked cheap quality. My wife did not like the interiors. Driver seat thigh support was also not good. Resale value and after sales service was another concern.
5. Duster
Out of my budget. I would have pushed the budget if I did not come across the following reviews. More car / crossover like; the monthly sales figures showed that it is losing popularity so I was worried about the resale value.
6. Baleno
Rejected mainly because of the popular baleno accident picture on net. After owning a Maruti for three years I was not very impressed about the safety standards of Maruti. I had very bad experience when my zen collided behind a Chevrolet Beat at 15 KM/hr speed. The beat had minor scratches on its bumper, but my car was trashed. I had to replace bumper, headlights, grill, front bonnet, radiator and AC condenser. After this incident, I had decided not to buy a maruti again. I knew Baleno was an impressive package at that price, but after reading the aforementioned news I did not even test drive it.
7. Safari
From childhood it was my dream car. Since I drive mostly in city roads in bumper to bumper traffic, I thought it will not be a good idea to own a Safari. Resale value was another reason not to buy it. Otherwise I would have considered pushing my budget.
8.Used Punto or Linea was another option considered but when I decided to buy new car, I did not consider these Italian beauties.
Then enters the Tough (TUV three double O')
I did not have any plan to buy TUV till I test drove it. Even the test drive was done after trying all the aforementioned cars. But the test drive changed everything. I was very impressed with the following factors
- Excellent leg room and thigh support
- Excellent head room
- Good road presence and driveability
- Decent pick up
- Bad roads were not at all a problem for the TUV. I could drive at 40 km/hr in very bad stretches of road without much trouble
- Interior was decent and all basic features where present.
First I test drove the manual version. Gear lever vibration and engine noise at high rpm was a concern. The sales executive gave me the reason that the vehicle was driven harshly that too by people having different driving styles. Then I tried the automatic version after a week. I had to wait for a week since the auto-shift version was not available with Sireesh Auto, Silk board at that time. I asked them to get the vehicle to my apartment since I wanted to try the parking. I was worried whether this bulky car will fit in our moderate parking slot. However parking was not a difficult task. The AMT version was very smooth and did not have the vibration or engine noise. After the second test drive I decided to go for TUV. I wanted height adjustable seats and arm rests which were available only in the top end model. So I had two options, T8 manual or T8 automatic. price difference was Rs. 80000 in Bangalore. I was already pushing my budget and hence decided to settle for T8 manual. After a lot of debate and voting, me and wife decided to go for white color. I liked the blue followed by white and she liked the orange followed by black and then white. So white was a compromise which satisfied both of us.
Booking
It was already December 3rd week when I made up my mind to go for tough. My plan was to buy 2016 model but then I got a very good deal for my Zen and sold it immediately. It as 40% more than what Mahindra offered in exchange. So “OLX mein bhej diya”. Me and my wife loved our zen and it was a mixed feeling to sell it. The day after, I walked into the Mahindra showroom expecting that I can get the vehicle in 10 days time which was the promise they made during test drive. Sales team told me that the production of 2015 model is stopped and I should wait till Jan 20th. I was in dilemma since it is too difficult to manage one month without a car. Mahindra also did not have an option to loan a car till delivery. So I told them the fact that I may not buy TUV if I have to wait for another month. Then Mr. Jnanesh the sales team lead came to my help and told me that he can Arrange a white T8 within a week. This vehicle was already in transit from the production site, it was booked by someone but finance settlement was going to take more time.That's it, I immediately booked the vehicle by paying 15K.
There was no discount offered since it is a new launch. I also did not spend much energy on bargaining. They gave me a good discount on the bumper to bumper insurance. But since I opted for extended warranty and on road assistance the on road price remained almost same. Including everything the price on road was Rs.1032416. Mahindra arranged the finance from SBI. I had to visit bank once for sanction and later for submitting documents after registration. Overall the financing process was smooth.
Delivery
I was still doubtful about the one week time frame they promised for delivery. So I did a follow up and he promised me everything is going as planned. After 5 days he called me saying that tank is in Bangalore.I wanted to do a PDI and went for it next day.The vehicle was driven only 13.2 km. There was only a minor white paint spill on B Pillar, which they fixed. Everything else looked fine. He told me that I can take the delivery next day after temporary registration. So one week after booking, I had my tank delivered as promised. I spent only 30 min in the showroom on delivery day. Did one more round of checking to ensure that everything is fine. They had placed one small Ganesh Idol in the dashboard and also kept a garland in bonnet. Basic accessories like carpet was provided free. The also gave me 8lt diesel voucher.
I must say that I was very impressed with the Mahindra sales team, they were very professional in their approach and ensure that everything happened as planned. Big thumps up to the team.
I was little scared to take the tank on road that too in peak traffic. However driving this bulky vehicle is not at all a difficult affair. Thanks to the big OVRMs, driving position, reverse park sensor and responsive steering. On the way to home we did a pooja in temple near our home.
First impression
After driving the vehicle for first 100 KM I realized it is not going to be difficult to tame this tank. It is very easy to drive.
- Pick up is awesome till 80, road visibility is also awesome.
- Gear ratio are perfect for city drive. 3rd gear has a good range from 20 km/hr to 45 km/hr.
- ESS is a very good feature but I am not sure whether the frequent switching on/off of engine is good for battery and engine. So I stopped using it.
- Eco mode is very sluggish and I did not like it for city drive.
- Reverse parking sensor is of decent quality, did not observe any major problem with that. Sometimes I feel there is a slight delay in updating the distance to obstacle on screen. I am yet to confirm it.
- Bluetooth hands-free is one feature I use a lot.
- Storage is sufficient, though my 5 inch screen phone does not fit properly to the storage near gear lever. SoI have to keep it on the space provided on top of dash.
- Engine is almost silent till 1400 rpm above that till 2500 there is acceptable level of noise creeping in to cabin. Above 2500 engine becomes little noisy and vibrating.
- I did not travel in back seat yet, my friend who travels regularly on ecosport gave the feedback that the back seats are more comfortable that ecosport.
- I am getting a mileage of 13 in city. I expect it will increase slightly after first service.
- It is better to drive the vehicle at 30-40 km/hr in bad patches, if you go slow the vehicle shakes more
- There is body roll while turning at high speed but it is manageable not annoying.
- AC eco mode is another useful feature. It helps in saving fuel. TUV has a very powerful AC and hence eco mode is more that enough for Bangalore climate. Even in eco mode I keep the cooling level the first quarter.
- An advantage of the high riding position is that during night drive you are saved from high beams of other vehicles except heavy vehicles.
First long drive
My first long drive was after completing 500Km. Destination was Belur channa keshava temple. Did not push vehicle above 3000 rpms since there is a drive in period of 1000km.
@3000 rpm vehicle reaches 115 km/hr. I drove it at 120 km/hr (~3200 rpm) for few seconds. Reaching till 100 km/hr is very smooth after that it not as easy to hit 120 km/hr. Above that I am not sure yet :). For your information I was driving the vehicle keeping AC eco mode on.
I drove 550 Km in one day and did not have any problem or fatigue. Drive was very comfortable and enjoyable. drove around 150km at night. I found eco mode very useful for night drives when I want to limit myself from overspeeding. With a regular push on accelerator the eco mode gives speed in 75 km/hr range. If you push hard, even in eco mode it is possible to reach 100 if you push hard. When you climb a hill in the eco mode vehicle lacks power. So I had to push to normal mode whenever there was hilly area to climb. My co passenger also like the long drive on our tank. The armrests, seat and steering height adjustment are really helpful in long drives.
I will keep updating the review once I complete the first servicing. Thanks for reading
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