Decent SUV at affordable price.

Decent SUV at affordable price.

An entry level SUV or a feature packed car. Few months ago, I had been wracking my brain over to decide whether to go with Mahindra KUV or Maruti Suzuki's Baleno. On one hand Baleno is a feature packed car even donning the parking sensors and on the other hand you are getting a SUV. Well, After many consultations and finally listening to my heart I decided to go with KUV (K8 model). Well, to be honest I could not stand the long waiting period for baleno and KUV 100 unexpectedly met most of my conditions. To make this review easier I have divided it into pros and cons that based on my experience of driving it for the past three months. Pros : Looks : Classy look with ambient interiors. Obviously not the best in the price range but decently comfortable for an entry level SUV. Gorgeous rectangular Fog lamps with wraparound sunglass appearance gets this SUV all set for the urban aesthetics. Engine : I got the diesel version and I have to say, Mahindra has done pretty awesome job with the mFalcon diesel engine which breezes though the awesome roads of India ( No pun intended !). Mileage : I got a mileage of around 15 (it's Delhi afterall) and 21 on highways, which are pretty good from my experience. Driver's Comfort: KUV is very comfortable and more importantly highly stable at high speeds. Wide Passenger Seating : High flat floor and with good leg and shoulder room there is no question regarding the comfortness of the passengers. Good for long rides too. In fact, I really enjoyed my drive from Delhi to Agra on KUV. Cons : Weird Gear level : To me, the gear position was a bit awkward and took a little getting used to, before I could drive confidently. Not Good Braking System: Even though it has ABS, the car just skids at high speeds, which is not good at all. I even reached the service center regarding this but they found no problems. Well, don't know if this is just my car but this an issue to be concerned with and I advise you to check thoroughly if you planning to go for this. Lack of parking sensors: This car lacks basic parking sensors even though it has dual airbags. Not enough storage space : I was really disappointed with the storage space which is generally not the case with a hatchback. For starters, the space provided in the doors are just not enough to hold a medium sized bottle. The funky glove box literally has no practical usage and the dashboard looks very compact which is really a pity for a car that looks so good on the outside. Poor quality music system and speakers : Speakers are horrible. Music system is a generic one with only basic functionalities. If you are a guy who often listens to songs or radio while driving, I would advise you to consider over this. Well overall this a great SUV considering the price point and it's obvious you can't have everything at what you are paying. You have to decide what your needs are. If you want a SUV for long drives and love the funky cool design then go for it. But if you are too cautious about extra features like parking sensors, more storage space then I would suggest to reconsider. I hope my review helped !