Five reasons why Mahindra needs to get the Ssangyong Tivoli to India

If you are an average Indian automotive customer and are in the market for a new SUV, the choices available to you are huge and increasing every day. Although Mahindra is the largest manufacturer of SUVs in India, their presence in the sub-4 meter SUV segment has been missing till they recently announced the TUV300. The new TUV of course will go up against the likes of the Ford Ecosport and the sub-4 meter Hyundai SUV that will make an appearance next year. For now though, Mahindra also needs a soft-roader type SUV that will take the fight straight to the Hyundai Creta and this is where the SsangYong Tivoli comes into play. So here are five reasons why Mahindra needs to get the Tivoli to India as soon as possible.

Exterior Design

The SsangYong Tivoli is a nice looking car but does take some getting used to especially since there are quite a few creases, lines and curves to wrap your hear around. That said, the Tivoli does showcase some very current and forward design elements like the inbuilt possibility of having a two toned car right from the factory. The SsangYong designers have also taken cues from some  more expensive European SUVs which makes the Tivoli quite a bit more attractive than the likes of the Hyundai  Creta for example. We also particularly like the wide and muscular wheel arches which incidentally also make an appearance on the XUV500. This car then adheres to most of Mahindra’s design philosophy while adding a bit of Korean-European design into the mix.

Interior Design

From whatever pictures we have seen, the SsangYong Tivoli looks like a giant step up from the Rexton that we get in India. For starters, there is none of the beige interior business atleast on the UK spec models. What we do like is the sheer amount of brushed aluminum that they have used to offset the black and grey interior. The aluminum finished gear selector combined with the gloss black inserts in the dashboard too looks great. We also like the faux carbonfibre look that adorns the door panels and gives the Tivoli a hint of sportiness. The only concern we have is the quality of the plastics. Although it all looks rosy in pictures, the dashboard and centre console plastics have to be of the highest quality to go up against the likes of the Creta.

Customization options

Although this will not find many takers in the larger scheme of things, the fact that in the UK you can choose from a large range on interior options and insets makes this car even more attractive to the customer who wants to opt for a personal touch. The My Tivoli package as it is called offers customers the chance to customize interior and exterior colors including dashboard inserts, door panel and steering wheel leather and of course the kid of seats they want. You can choose to go classy with a beige interior, go sporty with the likes of a red accented interior to match the red exterior or be subtle and opt for the standard grey instead.

Engine options

Although the Tivoli was originally only launched with a petrol engine, it now also has a diesel version which of course would be the apt one to get to India. The petrol engine is a 1.6-litre motor that makes 128PS of peak power and 160Nm of peak torque. The diesel on the other hand is a 1.6-litre motor that gets 116PS of peak power and 300Nm of peak power. Both engines come with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic gearbox and are offered with a front wheel drive or all wheel drive setup. All in all, the package certainly seems apt to take on the likes of competition like the Creta and the upcoming Volkswagen SUV.

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Price

One of the biggest reasons why we need the Tivoli in India soon is how affordable it is in the UK market which in turn would reflect to an even lower price tag in the Indian market if Mahindra decides to add a large level of localization. Even with prices starting at about 11 lakhs for the lower end trim levels and going up to about 14 lakhs for the top of the line car, we still think there is a huge market of people that are more than willing to buy this car. Of course what remains to be considered is whether Mahindra should badge the Tivoli a Mahindra or a SsangYong. In either case, we think they have a potential winner in their hands.