Mahindra is going to launch the NuvoSport on April 4 for the Indian market. Though the car is a facelifted version of the Quanto, the first impressions are pretty good. Well, what all has changed on the ride and handling bit will be clear once we get a hands-on experience. But, for now, here are few new things which we can expect from the NuvoSport.
SUV looks
The Quanto was mostly criticised for its MUVish looks and didn't click much with urban buyers. However, the NuvoSport doesn't look like an MUV, but more like a compact SUV. The fascia gets these aggressive looks which are commendable. Though many people might not approve of the new design, the engineers do need a pat on the back for improving the Quanto's looks.
New Nomenclature
Mahindra's Verit'o', Quant'o', Xyl'o', Scorpi'o', XUV 5o'o', TUV 3o'o' and KUV 1o'o' has this obvious thing in common. This time, Mahindra is not using the 'o' letter to end the name of the car even if the new Nuv'o'Sport has ‘o’ in it.
AMT gearbox
Apart from the conventional five-speed manual gearbox, Mahindra will offer the five-speed AMT (automated manual transmission) with the diesel variant. Though this is not a conventional automatic transmission, this AMT gearbox will add to the convenience with clutchless gear shifts.
Two drive modes
The NuvoSport's 1.5-litre three-cylinder mHawk diesel engine will offer two drive modes – Power and Economy. These modes have varying outputs as the engine puts out 74.6kW (100bhp) of power at 3,750rpm and 240Nm of torque at 1,600-2,800rpm. In the economy mode, the engine has a power output of 53.4kW (71.6bhp) and 180Nm of torque at 1,600-2,100rpm.
Six Variants
The NuvoSport will be offered in six variants - N4, N4+, N6, N6 AMT, N8 and N8 AMT. The N4 will be the base variant and the N8 is the top-of-the-line trim that will boast of all the features.
Additional features
Coming to the features part, the exterior boasts of LED daytime running lights, round fog-lamps and new five-twin-spoke alloy wheels. Mahindra has packed the NuvoSport with some new equipment that includes a touchscreen audio system with Bluetooth and voice command recognition. We can expect the company to have used better quality materials in the cabin.
Aggressive pricing
The NuvoSport is a sub-four metre vehicle and based on the compact new generation platform of the Scorpio. A vehicle under four metres in length in India gets excise benefits, eventually helping the manufacturer price the vehicle competitively. If launched at a starting price of less than Rs 6.92 lakh, the NuvoSport will undercut the Maruti Suzuki Brezza and the Ford EcoSport by a good margin.
