Mahindra has launched the facelifted version of the under-achieving Quanto SUV today. Dubbed as the Nuvosport, the sub-four metre utility vehicle is squarely aimed at urban customers. The new moniker bears evidence with the fact that the country’s largest SUV manufacturer is counting big on the facelifted model. Although it follows the lines of the outgoing Quanto, it has restyled exterior and new look interiors with revised mechanicals.
Priced from Rs. 7.35 lakh for the base variant and Rs. 9.76 lakh for the range-topping model, the Nuvosport comes in six variants (N4, N4+, N6, N6 AMT, N8 and N8 AMT) and will be positioned below the Mahindra TUV300 subcompact SUV. It will take on the Ford EcoSport and Maruti Suzuki’s recently launched Vitara Brezza. The renewed model has some interesting features and here we have listed the ten important ones for your easy understanding:
The five-door subcompact SUV has three rows of seats that can accommodate seven occupants. When Quanto was first introduced in 2012, the seven seat configuration was one of its major assets before eventually falling out in sales numbers. Mahindra has kept that attribute and is looking to maximize sales as it will appeal to the prospective buyers with big families.
To recline, the jump seats have to laid flat. Folding the jump seats alone will give 414 litres of bootspace whilst folding and tumbling the second row will enable a massive 850 litres of trunk capacity.
Dimensionally, the Mahindra Nuvosport stretches 3,985 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width, 1,870 mm in height and comes with a wheelbase of 2,760 mm. It has a kerb weight of 1,640 kg and features 180 mm ground clearance.
The proportions and the kerb weight are as same as the outgoing Quanto but it offers 85 mm more width and 162 mm more height than the Ford EcoSport which has 1,765 mm width and 1,708 mm height. The Nuvosport is 60 mm wide and 230 mm tall than the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza which stands at 1,640 mm tall and 1,790 mm wide.
While retaining the identity of the outgoing Quanto, the Nuvosport has some styling bits that have been introduced to bring a fresh external appearance. It has sharper styling elements up front with six vertical slats on the grille sheltering the Mahindra emblem.
However, the eyebrow-like LED Daytime Running Lights presented just above the headlamps and beneath the bonnet lines are a visual stand-out feature. This makes for easy distinguishing of the SUV in the crowd.
The next visually attractive feature is the sporty and class-first bonnet scoop that sends air into the upper intercooler in the engine for cooling as well as better performance. Based on a new platform and third generation chassis which also underpins the new-gen Scorpio and TUV300, the Nuvosport’s bonnet air-opening adds quite an aggression.
The trapezoidal air scoop is reminiscent to that of the one found in the Scorpio but since being a subcompact SUV, the Nuvosport’s front fascia looks like a busy place with other changes like refurbished bumpers, large air intakes and new fog lamps.
Mahindra decided not to ditch the rear-mounted spare wheel instead of fitting it underneath. This is a feature carried over from the original Quanto and brings forth a proper SUV stance unlike the budget-focussed sibling, the KUV100.
The Mahindra Nuvosport has plenty of styling elements but it’s a matter of opinion whether you like it or not. The KUV100’s flawless exterior has enticed many customers but Mahindra took a completely different step with this bold new SUV to prolong its life cycle for a few more years. In short, the first sub-4m SUV from M&M, Quanto, was a contemporary take on the Xylo but its modern facelift is a new take on the latest Mahindra products.
The new SUV has similar engine output to the Quanto but under the hood the diesel unit is from the new family of mHawk engines and can be largely related to the motor found in the TUV300. The Nuvosport gets power from a 1.5-litre three- cylinder mHawk engine which generates 100 PS of maximum power output at 3,750 rpm.
It employs dual mass flywheel as found in the TUV300 for improved Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH). The transmission duties is dealt by a five-speed manual ‘box made standard across all variants but the biggest difference to the outgoing Quanto is the introduction of five-speed AMT iin N6 and N8 trims. The mileage is claimed to be 17.45 kmpl.
The 240 Nm of peak torque produced between 1,600 rpm and 2,800 rpm means that the Nuvosport is class-leading in terms of the pulling power. In comparison, it develops 40 Nm more than the Vitara Brezza (200 Nm) and 35 Nm torquier than the EcoSport (205 Nm).
Mahindra provides the signature micro hybrid technology in the Nuvosport with the diesel engine. The start-stop system is there to not burn fuel on unwanted occasions. If the technology detects the vehicle is in idle, when in traffic jams for instance, it turns off the engine and conserve fuel and thus enabling better fuel efficiency and reduced running costs.
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