When Mahindra first introduced the Quanto to the Indian market, we didn’t really know how to react. It was a smaller version of the Xylo, but with a really unattractive rear side. It had takers, primarily because of the space and its SUV-ish appearance, along with the fact that it could seat seven and came with a peppy engine. Other aspects of the Quanto didn’t really appeal to masses which resulted in declined sales. Come 2016 and Mahindra decided to do away with the Quanto, but only to replace it with the NuvoSport. The new machine now rests on the monoladder chassis of the new Scorpio and carries some ingredients from its predecessor. We tested the machine last week and here’s what we think of it!
Price of Mahindra NuvoSport – Rs. 9.38 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, Delhi)
Looks
The NuvoSport has quite a commanding presence on the road. Though it may not be as prominent as its sibling the Thar, but nonetheless it commands attention. The daytime running lights add a contemporary touch to the overall design, and the newly designed grilled with the hood scoop further ups its brawly quotient. The front angle is the most appealing, and it’s good to know the hood scoops aren’t just cosmetic, but actually functional, increasing the air intake to the engine. We got our hands on the top of the line N8 manual transmission variant which came with side footsteps making ingress much easier. The spare tyre mounted on the door of the boot emphasizes its SUV-ish looks, and the body colour panels make the NuvoSport look business suit classy.
Engine
Mahindra says the NuvoSport bears an all new lighter, and a more refined engine. Verbally it may sound different, but the specs on paper don’t differ much from the Quanto. The NuvoSport bears a 1.5 litre engine that offers 100 bhp of power and 240 Nm of torque on the tap of the throttle, making one feel like a jockey onboard a racehorse whose stable gates have just opened,literally. The 2-stage turbocharger performs well with barely any turbo lag. The engine feels well refined and one can opt to drive in either the Eco or Power mode, and the difference is immediately visible once you switch between the two. While the Eco mode won’t allow you to go beyond a certain speed and rpm in a particular gear, the power mode will obviously let you touch the pedal to metal, it will however take some persistence and patience till you even get close to the red line.
One the rev limiter kicks in the Eco mode, the vehicle will hold the revs at 3500 rpm and won’t go beyond 40 kmph in second gear; and not beyond 80 kmph in third. Mahindra has done a smart job by opting for this feature which helps keep hooligans like me in check, but then it just sucks the fun out of driving such machines and going crazy! Then again, one doesn’t really expect people wanting good fuel economy from a vehicle to be hooligans either. The N8 also comes with an optional start stop feature making bumper to bumper traffic drives far more bearable and fuel efficient.
Interiors
The interiors of the NuvoSport carry certain components forward from the Quanto and you can immediately make that out with the weird circular door knobs. I supposed this has more to do with the design philosophy of the machine, as throughout the car, be it the interiors or the exteriors, you won’t really see any sharp edges. There is plenty of storage space in the front for you to store bottles and cups, and I’d definitely say that the use of storage space was quite smartly designed.
The NuvoSport N8 comes with a tilt and adjust steering wheel. Since we tested the top of the line variant, it came with steering controls which were quite easy to manoeuvre; the steering grip could get better though. The only downside is the size of the steering wheel – it feels a tad too big ergonomically. The touchscreen music system works well, and comes with colour changing backlit lights. Bluetooth connectivity is flawless. I initially had trouble syncing my phone with the car’s Bluetooth, but after removing the existing devices, it was quite easy to connect the phone. I assume it allows only five devices to be connected at one go; call quality via Bluetooth is also quite clear and the music system is loud, and nothing short of brilliant!
The driver’s seat on the NuvoSport is adjustable but only on 2 levels – low and high. The tall driving stance offers a good view of the road ahead, and inspires a certain level of confidence. It’s easy to set the angles of the electronically adjusted mirrors as the N8 comes with unidirectional buttons instead of a circular stalk, which aids in adjustments even while driving. However the only downside is that one cannot close or open the orvms electronically, that is still manual.
The cabin lights are adjustable making them extremely handy, but the amount of light they throw is useful only for front row passengers; another light in the second row would have been beneficial. As mentioned earlier the NuvoSport has plenty of room; second row passengers have ample leg room, and with even three well-built people seated the space doesn’t feel cramped. Though the third row has two seats, sans seat belts, it is best kept for luggage. Incase you need more boot space, the second row seats can be folded in a 40:60 manner, upping the boot capacity from 414 litres to 850 litres.
The overall grey-black dual tone colour scheme in the NuvoSport gives it a touch of classiness. Quality of plastics is decent if not the best and finishing on the car could definitely improve by a huge margin. The faux leather trims on the car doors of our media car had already started peeling off, and this is for a car which has done around 8800 kms only!
Performance & Handling
The NuvoSport has a good low end torque and power deliver only gets linear as the revs climb higher. The clutch is incredibly light, and even with the tall gearing the car doesn’t lack the punch needed in traffic. Manoeuvring the NuvoSport even through tight spaces and chock-a-block traffic is a breeze.
Performance wise the NuvoSport pretty much checks all the right boxes but, handling is a different story altogether. The suspension set-up is soft enough for you to jump the car over potholes, craters and speedbrakers without impacting your spine, but at the same time it is too soft to induce nausea even while driving on city roads. I can just image the havock it will wreck on the passenger’s gut when in the mountains. As I mentioned earlier, the NuvoSport gallops ahead with the enthusiasm of a race horse thanks to the 240 Nm of torque, and the ride quality feels equally gallop-y for all the passengers.
Driving at high speeds even on straight roads, one gets a feeling of being on a ship, and tackling bends will give you the impression of this ship trying its best to survive in turbulent waters! It bumps and sways all over the place. In just the first 50 meters of driving this car I could make out the massive body roll it would throw if I ever thought of pushing it hard in corners. It won’t take much to fish out the rear, and if it’s not that easy to topple the NuvoSport in a corner, trust me it ain’t that difficult either!
Bringing this gentle giant to a standstill is easy, but braking on the NuvoSport could improve by a huge margin. The front disc brakes do the job sufficiently, however I feel adding discs at the rear would do justice to the size and torque of the car when bringing it to a halt.
Verdict
Given the fact the NuvoSport is the only car besides the TUV300 in the sub 400 meter category to offer seven seats; it makes for a good family car. It’s overall on-road persona is impressive and it serves well its purpose of existence i.e. to provide ample space to its occupants, be sturdy enough to tackle most Indian road conditions and give the owner an SUV-ish feel.. Would I recommend it? Yes. If you have a big family, like to travel outdoors quite often and have extensive commute hours, then the NuvoSport if a good buy for its price. Soccer moms please note – it also comes with automatic transmission.
Photo Credits: Divyanshu Boora