A big shout out to Raman Nehra for sharing this detailed ownership review of his Mahindra KUV100 with us. You too can share your user review, travelogue etc. on CarsIndia by submitting it here.
I have been regularly driving the Mahindra KUV100 since the past 6 months. It was bought in September 2016 after I suffered a horrific accident on my motorcycle – a Hero Passion Pro. The accident caused a major injury in my left knee. Due to this, the doctors advise me to not ride a motorcycle. But I needed a commuting vehicle for my home to college (and vice versa) runs. This meant that I needed to buy a car. So the KUV100 was brought home in September 2016 and thus I am now sharing my user review and ownership experience of the Mahindra KUV100 K8 variant.
Things I Love
- SUV-like looks
- Higher ground clearance
- Rare to be seen on the roads
- Easy to use interiors. Looks quite unique
- Top-end model is fairly well loaded
Things I Don’t Like
- Styling might look a bit quirky to a few
- The tail light cluster is a bit awkward
- I don’t like the gear lever placement on the dashboard
- The front seat’s bench structure is unnecessary. No one can sit in the middle comfortably
Why did I buy the Mahindra KUV100?
I love SUV design. We have a Maruti WagonR in 0ur family, and the best thing I like about it is easy of entrance and exit in the car. This is primarily due to the WagonR’s taller roof line. Hence I needed a car that could offer the same taller appeal. Now my budget was around 6 lakh rupees. This meant I could not opt for crossovers like the Renault Duster and Hyundai Creta, while compact SUVs like Maruti Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport were also out of the price band. Thus I shortlisted three cars that I felt would fit the taller look that I wanted – Maruti Suzuki Ritz, Renault Kwid and Mahindra KUV100. The Ritz was about to be phased out as per various news portals, while the Kwid was basically an entry-level car. So I went ahead with the KUV100. Regarding the colour, I went ahead with the safest options – Silver, as I am planning to keep the car for around 5 years. Maintaining a darker shade can be a headache in our dusty conditions.
Mahindra KUV100 – Ownership Review & User Experience
In the past 6 months of ownership, I am fairly content with the KUV100. Mine is a petrol model which has a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine. Due to it being a three-cylinder unit, the vibration can easily be felt inside the cabin. This car is very noisy, especially when standstill. One you accelerate the car, the vibration comes down, but noise increases. There is no point in your drive that you won’t feel noise or vibration in the cabin.
But the best thing about the KUV100 is the ease with which it can be driven around city. The SUV-like styling helps in giving a great view of the front as well as the back. You sit a bit higher as compared to other hatchbacks. This gives a commanding view of the road ahead. I also like the fact that the dashboard’s upper area is not very wide. For example, in the Swift, the distance between the front windshield and steering wheel is very large. This makes it difficult to judge the front of the car. However, in the KUV, this distance is lower and hence it is extremely easy to take the car in and out of traffic or tight parking spots.
Another thing that I like is the gear lever. Its placement on the dashboard surely looks odd, but it falls to hand brilliantly. You don’t need to take your eyes off the road to find the gear lever. This is surely the best car in terms of the ease with which gears can be shifted.
But there is one thing which is very irritating of the KUV – the Air Conditioner. It just isn’t capable of cooling the cabin sufficiently and quickly. The blower sound is a bit loud in the second and third position, and below it, nothing happens in the cooling department. So the only option is to hear that irritating sound continuously is you don’t want your shirt to get all sweaty.
Mileage – Kitna Deti Hai?
This is the worst part of the KUV 100. Since it is a three-cylinder engine, everyone expects a good fuel economy. However, this isn’t really true. The Mahindra KUV100 mileage figure revolves around the 13-14 km/l mark in city, while it can manage just 17 km/l on highway. Strangely, my dad’s WagonR has even given us up to 21 km/l on the highway and regularly manages around 16 km/l in city traffic.
Additionally, the mileage figure of the KUV100 further comes down to around 9 km/l if you use the AC continuously. This was a very big drop and I initially though it is an issue with my car. But when I contacted Mahindra service centre, they mentioned that the AC’s compressor is a bit larger than other cars, which is why the AC affects the mileage so drastically. This is strange, because the AC in itself isn’t any beneficial!