Mahindra is all set to launch a more powerful version of its TUV300 sub-four-metre SUV. So far, the TUV300 had been available with Mahindra’s mHawk80 1.5-litre, three-cylinder diesel engine that makes 84hp and 230Nm of torque. The more powerful version of the SUV will feature the mHawk100 version of the same engine – the one that does duty on the recently launched NuvoSport. Power and torque numbers are expected to rise to about 100hp and 240Nm respectively.
The original TUV300’s underwhelming performance and subsequent customer feedback are said to have prompted Mahindra to bring out the more powerful version. In fact, the TUV300 mHawk80 that weighs upwards of 1,600kg is among the slowest cars we have tested in recent times; in the manual guise, 0-100kph takes 19.52 seconds. The mHawk100 should help improve performance to some extent, especially on the highway.
You can expect the more powerful TUV300 to be priced higher than the mHawk80 version, which will continue to be on sale. However, the higher prices will further reduce the gap between the TUV300 and NuvoSport. Having two similar-sized SUVs in the same price bracket could prove to be a problem for Mahindra.