After months of speculation, Mahindra finally came out with the potentially game changing microSUV by the name of KUV100. Mahindra KUV100 has been launched at a starting price of Rs. 4.42 (ex-showroom, Pune), while its price can go up to Rs. 6.67 lacs. This means that the competition gets wide open as the vehicle will compete directly against the likes of Hyundai i10, Ford Figo and Maruti Swift. But there are plenty of factors that give Mahindra KUV100 an edge over competitors. So let’s know what are those special things that makes it stand out.
1. New Instrument Cluster
Mahindra has not impressed in terms of instrument cluster in its previous outing which is apparent from the likes of Verito that had a very vanilla instrument cluster that did not offer much compared to the contemporary hardware used by other cars. However, Mahindra KUV100 takes a different approach this time with its instrument cluster being surrounded in a much more elegant yet sport enclosure. The needles and the digital MIS are aesthetically pleasing.
2. Placement of Gear Lever
Honda CR-V was the last vehicle that provided gear lever on the dashboard making gear shifting easy and zippy. We see the same arrangement in KUV100 that makes sure that the driver does not have to place his or her hands down for moving the lever. The dashboard is arranged in vertical manner that ensures that elements like music and A/C can be accessed with ease.
3. Safety
The competition has intensified among compact hatchbacks in the Indian market with companies standardizing safety features and Mahindra KUV100 provides the same with the presence of ABS, airbags and EBD. ABS will be available as standard features while dual airbags is optional across all the variants.
4. Warranty
There would be 2 years of warranty with Mahindra KUV100 along with unlimited kilometers coverage making sure that the owners of the car can sit back and relax without any stress of after sales service. This is a fantastic offer considering most car makers provide a particular cap on the kilometers travelled with around 30000 to 50000kms.
5. Engine
Under the hood, Mahindra KUV100 comes equipped with a 1.2 litre mFalcon petrol motor that churns out 82PS power and 114Nm torque which are decent figures, while the diesel engine powered by the 1.2 litre turbo motor generates 77PS power and 190Nm torque. These are quite healthy figures keeping the vehicle at par with the likes of Maruti Swift, Hyundai i10 and others.
6. Puddle Lamps
The undersides of all the four doors have puddle lamps that look really neat and provide utility as well. There is no other car that provides the facility of puddle lamps in the same category giving Mahindra KUV100 another edge over others.
7. Six Seater capacity
Another feature that Mahindra has smartly incorporated in Mahindra KUV100 is the additional seat at the front that can be doubled up as armrest, as and when required. This provides increased flexibility when it comes to adding an additional passenger although, how much of this change will hamper the safety of the car and its passengers, is yet to be seen.