The Mahindra TUV300 recently enjoyed a facelift, and now looks more socially acceptable, almost like an older-model Suzuki Jimny. The New TUV300 has many features that count in its favour. Let's see why you should consider the Mahindra TUV300 1.5CRDe T8, the only model in the line-up.
1. It's affordable and light on fuel
As the name suggests, the Mahindra TUV300 1.5CRDe T8 has a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder turbodiesel engine with 74kW and 240 Nm, which is not to be sneezed at. It's no firecracker, but offers sufficient power for its purpose. Its average fuel consumption is rated by Mahindra at 5.4 litres per 100 km, which is excellent. While that's perhaps a little ambitious on Mahindra's part, we reckon 6-7 litres per 100 km is more realistic, according to TUV300 owners. The 60-litre fuel tank is supposedly capable of 1111 km, but just to be sure, bargain on about 900-1000 km. Pricing for the new TUV300 is a pocket-pleasing R254 999.
Related: The facelifted Mahindra TUV300: A lot of 7-seater SUV for little money
2. It's the only seven-seater, body-on-frame SUV you will find at this price, new
Not many new seven-seaters can be had R254 999. The most basic petrol-powered Honda BR-V 1.5 Trend (which is more wagon than SUV, and front-wheel driven) costs R247 400. In the Toyota stable, the evergreen mom's taxi namely the Avanza 1.5 SX, costs R274 500, and it's more of a minibus / MPV than anything else.
The TUV300 is built to withstand India's poor roads, so our proudly-South-African-potholes won't prove to be too much of a challenge.
Related: Top 4 things you need to know about the (pre-facelift) Mahindra TUV300 (April 2020)
3. If you buy a used model, you can save quite a bit of money
Mahindra's lesser-known models will unfortunately be prone to swift depreciation, and the TUV300's used-car pricing reflects this. But, if you are on the lookout for the bargain of the century, why not opt for a pre-facelift 2019 model with low mileage? We found one with 30 000 km on the clock for R179 900 in Sunninghill (see below). It's peanuts for the amount of car you're buying.
*Photo credits: Images courtesy of Mahindra South Africa.
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