Mahindra KUV100 review, test drive

 

The styling will surely split opinion amongst potential owners but if you can digest the oddball proportions and styling, the KUV100 actually offers plenty. It’s got road presence which sets it apart in an ocean of conventional hatchbacks, as well as a well turned-out and spacious cabin with plenty of equipment on board. Commendably, safety has been given due importance too except for the sixth seat. The KUV’s engines, though unexciting, are also up to the job with decent everyday performance and more importantly promise to deliver on fuel economy. It’s an easy car to drive as well and this only helps the small Mahindra’s case.

 

The KUV doesn’t have any of the go-anywhere characteristics that you’d expect in an SUV and even its 170mm ground clearance is just par for the course, but remember this is an SUV only in marketing speak. 

 

In true Mahindra tradition, pricing is keen with the base petrol K2 starting at Rs 4.42 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune) and the Rs 6.76 lakh diesel K8 topping off the range. These prices put the KUV in the heart of the hatchback segment where competition is the most intense. But its unique positioning as a hatchback-turned-SUV or vice versa could make the KUV100 the disruptive cat amongst the pigeons.