The SUV market trend in India has been slowly but surely shifting towards compact SUV’s that appeal to a wider section of buyers. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) – the country’s foremost home grown SUV manufacturers have had a golden run of sorts in the segment & here’s a list of things that you should know about the NuvoSport – their latest offering:
1. The NuvoSport is based on the erstwhile Quanto, compact SUV that failed to set the sales registers ringing like other SUV’s from the Mahindra stable.
2. Among the things you need to know about the Mahindra NuvoSport is that the manufacturer has based it on the larger, more premium Scorpio’s platform.
3. The NuvoSport has been launched in a whopping 7 versions, starting from 7.7 Lakhs for the base (N4) version to a shade under 10.5 lakhs for the range topping AMT equipped N8 version – all prices, on-road, Mumbai.
4. On the styling part, the front has been given a rather distinctive look, with eye-brow type LED DRL’s above the headlamps. At the rear, the spare wheel is mounted on the tail-gate, giving the car a proper SUV’esque stance, rather than the softened looks of the competition.
5. The Mahindra NuvoSport interiors have been given a thorough onceover, with full-flip & fold-down seating, advanced touchscreen infotainment system, follow-me home headlamps, cruise control, etc.
6. On the safety front too, the Mahindra NuvoSport comes with dual airbags, along with ABS & EBD systems on all but the base variant. Apart from this, it gets speed sensing door locks & an advanced anti-theft immobilization system.
7. The NuvoSport is a proper seven-seater, offering greater passenger seating flexibility in comparison to the competition.
8. Dimensionally speaking too, the NuvoSport is wider & taller than its immediate competition, therefore offering more space than the rivals.
9. The Mahindra NuvoSport mileage claim of 17.4 km/l is an ARAI certified figure, with real-world figures remaining well-within range.
10. Mahindra have worked considerably in improving the NVH & power delivery characteristics of the mHawk engine powering the NuvoSport. Which is why, even as the final output is similar to the Quanto, the real world performance & feel is leagues ahead. The game changer though is the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) that’s offered as an option on the top two variants. This move alone of a diesel-AMT option is sure to bring customers in droves to the showrooms.
Mahindra are banking heavily on their twin offerings in the compact SUV segment, and are confident that their market positioning strategy is going to ensure greater sales success than in the past.
