Mahindra S101 spied. EDIT: KUV100 announced

[JOY_MRC]

Here are some photographs of the interior of the Mahindra KUV100 that have been doing the rounds of the Internet. It's interesting to see the kind of front seats that Mahindra has chosen for the KUV100. This has an extended front passenger seat, making it almost like a bench, just like the Datsun Go has. The best part, as you can see in one of the photos is that the centre portion of the seat can be flipped down to form an armrest with a storage space in it. Although, no one should sit in the centre as it is a safety hazard, don't be surprised to see kids being squeezed in there. God forbid, if the driver brakes hard that dash mounted gear lever is going to do some serious damage to whoever tries sitting in the middle. Why offer such options in the first place? [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2284[/ATTACH]
(Image courtesy: Motoroids) The dash mounted gear lever looks neat. But that handbrake protruding from under the dash is a bit of an eyesore.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n2285[/ATTACH]
Check out the drop-down back-rest cum arm-rest. Quite innovative.

I too hate the gear lever positioning and is that a pull type Handbrake lever i see?.Overall,the feel and quality of finish seems to be really good.Mahindra is really trying hard it seems.Kudos

[I Live For Speed]

Hey Roshun so a friend of mine is looking to buy a car in the 5-7 Lac range. He asked me about the KUV 100 and you know I'm clueless on these cars

He has an exhaustive list of cars he's considering -i20 elite, i10 grande , Swift (up coming one or the existing one depending on the price) , Baleno, Ecosport or a fully loaded Kwid ( honestly I don't think you can compare a fully loaded Kwid with it , can you?)

can you please help out

[Roshun]

That's a pretty interesting comparison. Let me try and be objective about it, with the 'little' information we have about the Mahindra KUV100 - although the launch is around the corner, on January 15th. We assume Mahindra will price it between Rs. 4 lakh (Rs. 3.99 lakh for the base petrol perhaps) and Rs. 7 lakh odd for the top-end diesel. We know Mahindra is not offering an AMT on it in the beginning, as both petrol and diesel engines will come with 5-speed manual transmissions, driving the front wheels (transverse engine, front wheel drive). We also know that the 1.2 litre mFalcon series of motors are three cylinder engines - putting out 82 bhp of power / 114 Nm of torque in the petrol and 77 bhp of power / 190 Nm torque in the diesel. These are really competitive figures, and being three-pots, one can assume the fuel efficiency at least for the diesel will be in Swift territory (22-23 kmpl) and about 18-19 kmpl for the petrol. Let's see how this would stack up against each of the cars you've mentioned above, I Live For Speed :
Mahindra KUV100 vs Hyundai Elite i20 vs Maruti Baleno
There's really no price comparison here, as they are in different segments. For the price of a mid variant Elite i20 petrol, you will likely get the top end diesel KUV100. Sure, I don't really expect the KUV100 to compare with the Elite i20 on refinement and perhaps interior quality, but it will definitely have better interior space and you can trust Mahindra to load it with a decent number of goodies. Again, comparing performance and handling is not really possible at this juncture - but given that the KUV100 sits pretty tall, it won't likely be able to beat the Hyundai Elite i20 in handling, although power/torque figures for the petrol are comparable. If a buyer is looking at value for money, the KUV100 will possibly be better.
If you compare the KUV100 against the Maruti Baleno, the arguments that hold true for the Elite i20 also hold for the Baleno, except perhaps on power/torque figures - where the diesel KUV100 and Baleno are nearly even matched.
Mahindra KUV100 vs Maruti Swift
This is where it gets interesting. The power and torque figures for the petrol and diesel KUV100 are comparable with the power and torque figures of the Maruti Swift, which just happens to be the second largest selling car in India. The advantages that the KUV100 would have include better ground clearance, higher driving position, possibly better headroom and knee room (that dash mounted gear lever also saves on space) and better luggage space too. It would probably go after buyers who were also considering the Ford EcoSport - buyers who want some SUV qualities in their vehicles.
Mahindra KUV100 vs Hyundai Grand i10
The car that the KUV100 has firmly in its sights is the Hyundai Grand i10. The KUV has slightly better power specs to boast of in the diesel variant, while petrol figures are similar. The KUV100 will again clearly have an advantage on space and ground clearance, not to mention road presence. Plus, Mahindra is offering ABS as standard and airbags as an option on all variants - this is something Hyundai does not offer.
Mahindra KUV100 vs Ford EcoSport
If you ask me, the Ford EcoSport is probably another vehicle that may feel some heat from the KUV100 - mainly on price, assuming Mahindra prices it between Rs. 4 lakh and 7 lakh. The Ford EcoSport too, when it was initially launched had a very attractive price tag, but it has since become more expensive. The KUV100 has a similar stance (uncanny resemblance up front as well) and will likely be a little more spacious compared to the EcoSport (going by initial spy photos). However, the EcoSport has better power / torque figures, so performance-seeking buyers will likely cough up more for the EcoSport. But buyers looking for space and practicality at a value-for-money price tag (read family buyers, first-time buyers) will probably go for the KUV100.
Mahindra KUV100 vs Renault Kwid
Here it's a reverse argument compared to the comparison with the Ford EcoSport. Buyers who are absolutely on a budget - where price means everything will pick a Renault Kwid, as the top-end Kwid will likely be at the same price as the base model petrol KUV100. So buyers seeking a little more power and a little more space may stretch to the KUV100. The good part is the safety kit Mahindra is throwing in as an option - dual airbags and ABS, whereas Kwid does not have ABS and has only one airbag as an option on the top-end model.

That said - we first need to test drive the KUV100 to really get a feel of it and put things in perspective (what if it is really heavy? what if it's handling is not up to the mark). But beforehand, this is how I see it stacking up against the list of cars mentioned in the previous post.

[Jijo_Malayil]

Check out this video of somebody spotting KUV100 in one of Mahindra dealership. Looks odd to be honest! What do you think? KUV100 will be launched on the 15th of January 2016.

via Indianautoblog.com

[I Live For Speed]

Odd? I think you're being too nice, its UGLY. Yes, all caps ugly. Mahindra has to do away with this obsession with creases, XUV was overkill when it came to the creases and now they've done the same with the KUV 100.

BTW I came across some more pics of the KUV ( on Shifting-gears.com). They managed get some insanely detailed pics!!!

so it has DRLs!

Tiny rims!

No ORVM indicators ( BUT THERE IS A CREASE COZ MAHINDRA ( apparently it's a pumping fist (with a few fingers missing))

Beat like rear door handles

I like the lamp ( ONLY THE LAMP, the butt is butt ugly)

The interiors are okay-ish by mahindra standards + considering the price bracket

Do not like the look of instrumentation cluster

The all new Mfalcon engine

The front passenger side actually looks quite alright!

From the look of things , your legs are gonna hate you on long drives if you're in the rear seat

More pics here http://www.shifting-gears.com/2016/0...e/#prettyPhoto

*Apparently* Pininfarina had a hand in the design of this car, my guess is they designed that tail lamp coz you know it's one of few things that looks good on the car ( The butt in general is not pretty, but the lamp is )

[Jijo_Malayil]

I Live For Speed Ugly is the term! Hopefully they will price it aggressively! Anything around 4 lakhs for the base petrol variant will make it an instant hit. Beware KWID!

Design, features and value-for-money will still be KWID's USPs when compared to KUV100.

Boot looks really cramped, definitely smaller than the Renault Kwid

KUV100

Renault Kwid

[I Live For Speed]

hahahaha WOW , the Kwid might just have a larger boot when it comes to the usable space and loading convenience, unless Mahindra is giving a custom set of travel cases/bags with the KUV.

[themallustig]

More spy shots, you get a clear idea of what the interiors of the Mahindra KUV100 looks like. The in-built media system looks a little cheap.

But don't miss the third seat belt for the front seat. Ladies and gentleman, we have a genuine SIX seater ;-)

'jugaad' is one word that comes to mind. Mahindra can officially sell it as a six-seater! (Unlike the Datsun Go). I wonder what happens to the occupant sitting in the middle when you slam the brakes, not cool!

[Jijo_Malayil]

15th January, Updates from the launch webcast! Fingers crossed! Surprise us Mahindra.

Check out the webcast at http://www.mahindrakuv100.com/webcast/

[Jijo_Malayil]

KUV100 Live Updates

KUV100 targets the under-7 lac utility vehicle segment. KUV100 targets the young who aspires to own an SUV but necessarily don't have the resources to own one - Pravin Shah.

Mahindra's mFalcon series debuts with KUV100. This includes Mahindra's first in-house developed petrol engine.

Anand Mahindra says KUV100 will be a game-changer, just like when they launched the Scorpio (which turned around Mahindra's fortunes in India).

Diesel KUV100 gives 25.32 KMPL mileage! This is the ARAI certified mileage!

Petrol KUV100 gives 18.15 KMPL!

[NikilSJ]

The KUV100 will go against the Swift and Grand i10.

A screen grab from the webcast shows that the car will come with roof rails, wide tyres and double barrel tail lamps. However, the rear has a lot of creases which I personally don't like.

[NikilSJ]

Here's a screen grab of the interiors.

So now we can confirm that the KUV100 will indeed get a dashboard mounted gear lever. The interiors get a dual tone treatment with piano black interiors.

[NikilSJ]

The KUV gets a front suspension travel of 150mm and 200mm travel at the rear and a ground clearence of 170mm. So it should be a comfortable car to drive.

[Roshun]

The KUV100 is an official SIX seater. The front has three seats, with seat belts for all seats. The SIX seater can be easily converted to a five seater, by dropping down the arm rest.
Official mileage figures:
Diesel KUV100 with D75 mFalcon engine: 25.32 KMPL mileage!
Petrol KUV100 with G80 mFalcon engine: 18.15 KMPL!
Boot space of 243 litres.
Comes with micro hybrid technology.

[Jijo_Malayil]

First in class features in KUV100