Re: Mahindra KUV-1OO Diesel & Petrol Review.
Mahindra has powered it’s Mini-SUV the KUV100 with two all-new engines denoted as the M-Falcon series. The two engines of the KUV are 1.2 L D75 Diesel and 1.2 L G80 Petrol. The badging of the engines has been done on the front left side of the car as stated earlier. Both the new engines are BS4 compliant and mated to 5 speed Manual Box.
No AMT/AT has been provided at present.
The Diesel D-75 version of the KUV1OO gets power from the newly developed 1.2-litre, turbo-charged engine that has a cast iron block and aluminum head. The D-75 engine is capable of churning out 77 bhp at 3,750rpm and a power-packed 190 Nm torque in the range of 1,750-2,250rpm.
As this review includes the drive of both petrol and diesel KUV so first I’ll speak of the Diesel unit i.e D75. To me the diesel unit felt quite peppy and refined and the idle NVH was well tuned as well. The low end torque is indeed quite impressive in the D75 unit as it pulled effortlessly from 0-60 in 3rd gear. There was no distortion in the NVH as well. It is a impressive performer for me and with the turbo kicking in around 1800 mark, It was a pocket rocket of sorts indeed. I would say, this particular diesel engine is quite apt for CITY commute surely. Talking about the driving abilities on empty roads, since it was morning time with chill in the air and fog, the traffic was low so I could manage a speed of 80 Km/h in 4th gear with the Rpm being around 3K Mark. However, once I tried the 5 gear with Rpm around 4200 mark just to note the NVH, I felt a slight sluggish behavior in the D75 mill.
The new D75 mill comes with two drive modes i.e Power and Economy. I drove in both and mind you, the ECO mode as usual is FE oriented so it curbs the power and acceleration and it becomes a lack-luster affair. The FE for the record is 25.32 km/L but in real traffic conditions one can expect 17-18 km/L. The clutch of the diesel KUV to me appeared pretty light however I had to keep on adjusting to it.
About the Transmission, the KUV gets 5 speed Manual Box which is a smooth performer however, the length of the gear lever as well as the ergonomic placement could have been better.
Moving on the G80 mFalcon Petrol unit, the petrol engine of the KUV is all-new too with 1.2 L Capacity and is capable of producing a decent 82 bhp power at 5,500rpm and 115 Nm torque at 3,500-3,600rpm with all 3 cylinders firing in full force. However, comparatively, the petrol G80 did not perform as nicely as the D75 did. D75 is certainly far peppier than the G80 unit in KUV. Having driven both the cars back to back, I can certainly come to this inference. In the City roads, the petrol performed just as average unit and the acceleration had to be provided quite often. This engine in my view needs lot of re-work. Though I never drive at high speeds but beyond 80 km/l some effort has to be made to keep it firing in a decent way as the sluggishness becomes apparent. But in terms of NVH and smoothness, I really can’t complain about the G80 Petrol KUV. About the FE of the G80 if I may speak, then, Mahindra claims an FE of 18.15 km/L but in real world one can expect 12-13 km/L
To sum up my views on the D75 & G80, I would say, Diesel stands above Petrol. We were just 2 people in the G80 and it drove with much effort whereas D75 was certainly much effortless to drive. Considering it’s size as a car and the engine capacity, I can bet that the petrol one will get exhausted sooner if the car occupied with 5-6 pax. Apart from that, the overall refinement levels are decent thanks to the under hood cladding and proper insulation provided at strategic points in the KUV which don’t let the external noise filter inside the cabin.
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