Mahindra NuvoSport review, test drive

What is it?

On one hand, it’s a facelift of the discontinued Quanto – Mahindra’s first attempt at a compact SUV, which came about by chopping the rear off the Xylo MPV. You can see it in the body panels which are similar, if not identical, from the A-pillar backwards. On the other hand, it has ditched the Xylo’s ladder-frame chassis and uses the newer, stiffer, lighter, hydroformed one from the Scorpio and TUV300 instead. So technically it’s a new car that deserves its new name – NuvoSport – a hardly subtle nod to one of its potential competitors, the Ford EcoSport. But since Mahindra so recently added a sub-four-metre, ladder-frame SUV – the TUV300 – to its line-up, was there need to launch another, and what does the NuvoSport do differently?

Well, it certainly does look different from the TUV300, but whether it’s better for it is up to you. I personally think it has more character than the TUV’s crude-looking blocky shape, but it’s not what you’d call pretty. The frumpy bulldog face is created by a huge air dam at the base and also a large and high-set grille. On either side of this are headlamps capped by strips of LED running lamps, while fog lamps and a faux bash plate feature lower down, and if the nose of this SUV wasn’t crowded enough, there’s also a wide intake high up to feed the new top-mounted intercooler. There’s an abundance of black cladding all around the car now and, as mentioned before, the sides are identical to the Quanto, which is to say flat and upright. The only changes are new ‘mHawk100’ badges and a chrome accent under the mirrors, and smart new 16-inch alloys. At the back, it’s exactly the same, except that the colour scheme has changed a little, with a lot more black colour to help cut the bulk.