Mahindra NuvoSport review, test drive

Less than a year after the launch of its TUV300, Mahindra has brought in another sub-four-metre SUV. We try to find out what’s different.

Published on Apr 04, 2016 12:47:00 PM

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What’s it like to drive?

As I mentioned before, there are a few mechanical changes, but they are significant. The Scorpio and TUV’s new-generation ladder-frame chassis has been squeezed into the Quanto’s body-in-white, and so the shape and stance has had to be kept identical. The engine is the next evolution of Mahindra’s 1.5-litre, three-cylinder diesel, now dubbed the ‘mHawk100’. This implies that its power output is 102hp (or 100bhp) and torque is 240Nm, and while those numbers are similar to the old Quanto’s, Mahindra says this is from an all-new engine family, and as such is closer related to the TUV300’s mHawk80 engine.

Start it up and it certainly feels that way. Refinement is improved, in that what you hear is no longer a truck-like rattle, but instead a softer rumble, but you still feel many vibrations through the tall gear lever. Idle is quiet enough and it only really raises its voice once you’re past 1,500rpm. It shares the strengths and weaknesses of the TUV’s mHawk80. It’s incredibly responsive off the line, which should make the NuvoSport easy to scoot in and out of gaps in traffic with, and torque low down is abundant in general. It’s also surprisingly smooth at lower engine speeds. However, it runs out of breath very quickly, and doesn’t have much of a top end at all. You can rev it all the way to 5,000rpm, but at that point it’s mostly just noise and nothing else. You really have to move up a gear at about 3,800rpm to make smooth continuous progress. In isolation, the NuvoSport doesn’t immediately feel like it has 20 more horsepower than the TUV300, but we’ll have to drive them back to back to be sure.

The other addition is the option of an AMT gearbox on the top two trims. Mahindra has co-developed this gearbox with Ricardo, and the first one, which we saw on the TUV300, was a big disappointment. The company has since reworked the software to “better suit Indian driving styles” and it’s this updated version that features on the NuvoSport. We only got to try it on Mahindra’s test track, but it does seem a little bit smoother than before. However, the creep function is still a little reluctant, and thanks to the weight of the car, it’s still a little nerve-wracking to do a hill start with the AMT.

The new chassis has helped dynamics a little bit, but you can’t cheat physics – this is still a tall, heavy, boxy ladder-frame SUV, and it comes with the associated shortcomings. The tall driving position does give you a commanding view out, but the high dashboard and tapering nose mean, surprisingly, it’s not easy to see where the bonnet ends. There is, as you’d expect, a lot of body roll and the steering feels rubbery and inconsistent. I know this isn’t a hot hatchback, but the simple fact is, monocoque SUV rivals are just so much better to drive. Ride quality is much better than the Quanto thanks to the new chassis, but the setup is on the soft side. So while it can iron out smaller bumps and potholes really well, larger bumps create a bigger upset. And as you pick up the pace, you’ll feel a lot of movement inside the cabin; in fact, hit a rough patch at highway speeds and your passengers will be tossed around quite a lot.