Mahindra have updated their popular compact SUV, the KUV100, adding the NXT suffix. We drove it recently at the company’s Chakan facility near Pune.
Keeping the buzz alive for the KUV100, which started a whole new segment last year, Mahindra have updated it adding more zing to the overall package. With the humble KUV100 becoming KUV100 NXT, the changes on the new model are more cosmetic than technical. Mahindra is offering the new KUV100 NXT in five variants – K2, K2+, K4+, K6+, and K8. We recently drove the K8 diesel variant at the company’s Chakan facility, which is also the birth place of the KUV100 NXT, and this is what we had to say.
To start with, the KUV gets a bold new fascia that features a redesigned grille where the angled slats now extend to the top of the front bumper, which has also received aesthetic changes. It is more angular and has a wider lower grille than before. The fog lamps have slimmed down a bit however, the positioning hasn’t changed. The headlamps on the other hand get a double-barrel treatment with the turn indicators now moved to the bottom of the layout. The LED Daytime Running Lights remain as they were.
The KUV100 NXT hasn’t changed much from the side as the profile remains identical to the pre-facelift model. The only minute changes that can be seen on the side profile include dual-tone paint job, and 15-inch wheels. The rear-end of the KUV, however, has been updated in-line with the front end. It gets a revised rear bumper, new edges to the integrated spoiler, clear-lens tail lamps, and a slightly reworked tail-gate.
Things have changed on the inside as well but not as much as the exterior. The cabin remains the same with new upholstery, the same dashboard layout, steering wheel, and instrument console, with the addition of a gear indicator. There are a few notable enhancements in there, though. The centre console, which retains its unique layout with the gear shift stick jutting out of it, gets new air-con controls that look neater than before. There is also a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system which has been borrowed from the top-spec TUV100 T10. It features Mahindra’s Bluesense app compatibility, navigation, driver information, Bluetooth audio, and hands-free calling. However, you only get this system in the K6+ and K8 variant, with only the K8 getting navigation. Apart from the infotainment and slightly different looking centre console, the KUV100 NXT retains the same storage spaces like the under seat and floor boxes, multiple cup holders, a 243 litres of boot space, that is expandable to 473 litres, and a cooled glove box. These changes come together to give the KUV100 NXT a more contemporary look, which should be able to lure in more consumers.
