Mahindra TUV300 spotted on test

Mahindra is likely to call its new Bolero as TUV300 as this will be the compact SUV, which will be under 4-metres. This new SUV will be targeting the rural car market and it is codenamed as U301. The Mahindra TUV300 is based on a new ladder-on-frame platform and will come with one more sibling too, which will called as the TUV500. This new compact SUV will be manufactured at Mahindra’s Chakan plant and will exported too.

The Mahindra TUV300 has compact dimensions and has rugged styling. The front will somewhat remind you of the Jeep-grille and at the rear, there is a wheel mounted on the tailgate. The Mahindra TUV300 will be a seven-seater, with the third row of seats being jump seats. The interior spacing and the seats are shared with the Quanto, Mahindra’s first compact SUV. The Quanto too is due to get a mid-life facelift.

The Mahindra TUV300 will get features like all four power windows (the switches are located at the centre like the old Scorpio), integrated music system with Bluetooth, aux and USB connectivity.

The gear lever too is borrowed from the previous Scorpio. The Mahindra TUV300 will have ABS and airbags on the top-of-the-line variants. It will be made available in three variants, SLE, SLX and ZLX like the previous Bolero.

This will be powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder diesel engine and will produce about 80-90bhp of power and will come mated to a five-speed manual transmission. There is also an option of AMT (automated manual transmission) on the top-of-the-line variant. Mahindra has downsized the engine size of the Bolero without affecting its power, which has made it a lot powerful than competition and at the same even compact.

The currently sold Bolero will continue to sell until the new TUV500 or the full-sized Bolero is launched. The Bolero will get grab door handles as seen on the Quanto. It even has a new smaller-sized new-generation Mahindra steering wheel and individual arm rests for each of the two front seats. There is sufficient kneeroom and headroom in the second row and third row is just fine for short trips.

As the length is under 4 metres and the diesel engine is within 1.5-litre Mahindra will get the excise benefit on the TUV300 or the new Bolero.

So, following are the specifications of the new-generation Bolero:

• Length(approx): Sub 4-metres
• Height(approx): 1900mm
• Width(approx): 1900mm
• Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder diesel, 95bhp of power
• Transmission: Five-speed manual and five-speed automated manual transmission
• Drive: Rear wheel drive
• Number of seats: Seven
• Features: Power steering, all four power windows, in-dash music system with Bluetooth, aux and USB connectivity, steering mounted controls, rear AC vents, ABS and dual airbags