1000 kms in a TUV 300

[dkm]

Good day all,

I had a 3 day short trip to Kannur, Kerala for some temple visits. I had my mom, my aunt and my in laws joining from my hometown directly to Kannur. So with me, wife and her bro joning, Palio won’t be sufficient to take them around.
So, after considering many options, including car rentals, I checked with a friend of mine who owns a TUV 300.. if he could loan his vehicle for 3 days. He gracefully obliged and I took the car on Friday evening from office, tanked up and went to home.
Left my dear Palio with him, just in case if he needs for a short city drive.

Experience with TUV (driven 1000 kms )–

1. Was extremely difficult to park in my parking lot (slot is big, but approach is 3 right angles) and very less driveway width– had to park in the visitor parking..
2. The vehicle has a real tall stance, one can see much far ahead, excellent road presence.
3. Has decent power, turbo kicks in as early as 1200rpm, did not face any issues in the ghat sections, on flat roads, car easily went up to 110kph, I didn’t push higher(felt its capable to go higher speeds).
4. Need not worry about Bangalore’s idiotic cabbies who always runs on high beams.. can bully them if you want like they do on cars..
5. Small potholes and speed bumps can be skimmed through,
6. Lot of cubby holes for water bottles and knickknacks
7. Now, for some points which I didn’t like –
8. Gear shifter vibrates terribly.. the 3 cylinder mill and its effects.
9. No rear AC vents; the temperature was overall cool as it was raining all the way..
10. Driving the TUV gave me something for free – back pain.. after the 1st day of about 350kms from Bangalore to Kannur, I had back ache, the reason is very simple, poor seating.
11. Seats are not bolstered properly, side support is poor, ergonomics of the pedals are also not good, I started feeling ankle pain on my right leg. Something to do with my leg position for Throttle and Brake pedal.
12. Considering my colleague moved from an i20 to TUV, I wonder if it was a wise choice. It’s a 5 seater with decent boot space or a 5+2 short adults seater for short drives.


The above points are based on my observations, others may have a different perspective altogether..

[Birdie]

Good review of the TUV 300, DKM.

I was reading a post on Team BHP regarding best seating in cars. Very few mention if at all about Fiats there. But, my experience has been excellent with the Palio. After a day long drive, I feel fresh and no aches and pain. The back and thigh support is exceptionally good in a Fiat. Add to this the dead pedal and positioning of the ABC pedals, it makes it a pleasure to drive.

The gear shift vibration is a trademark of all Mahindra vehicles... However, the tall stance and visibility is an advantage.

[Vijethcm]

@Birdie. Fully agree. In fact I found the Palio more fatigue free than the Punto. Punto in it's own right is good for the long drives.

[Rudrah]

Nice short review of the TUV, dkm.

I second to you, this car has a great road presence and i'm sure sitting in the driver seat will make you feel you drive a real SUV. I have seen manoeuvring in TUV is a breeze compared to its size whereas Fiats still struggle with the latest gen cars too. Power also seems on the tap. The initial pickup on the go seems good.

IMO the backpain you had would be mostly because you're used to your Palio seating and its position from the pedals. I'm sure after a week or so, you would had been settled on the TUV. It happens usually when you switch to any other car if you have driven your car the most all the time.

The vibes feature has been in the DNA of Mahindras so you gotta ignore it. But the same I've seen it in a test drive vehicle of Hexa too.

Overall it seems a good package to own and i'm sure your friend who migrated from i20 must be feeling the same.