2019 has been an eventful year for SUV launches with several manufacturers launching new SUV models in various segments till now. This includes the Tata Harrier, Nissan Kicks, Mahindra XUV300, MG Hector, Hyundai Venue and the upcoming Kia Seltos among others. Today, we pick three of the lot and bring you the ownership reviews of these SUVs. The SUVs we are talking about include the Mahindra XUV300, MG Hector, and the Hyundai Venue.
Mahindra XUV300
The XUV300 was launched by Mahindra in the first quarter of this year and the vehicle has garnered a decent response from its buyers. The video below by Car News By Rishabh Arora shows Rishabh, who himself owns a Mahindra XUV300, talking about his vehicle which he bought nearly 3.5 months back at the time this video was uploaded. He owns the W8(O) petrol variant and the vehicle covered had done more than 4,300 km till the upload date. According to him, the XUV300 may seem to be a bit expensive to many but overall it offers solid bang for the buck. Some of the features he was impressed with are cruise control, 7-inch infotainment system, heated ORVMs, auto IRVMs, and 7 airbags (peace of mind factor) among others.
According to Rishabh, the XUV300 petrol offers good pickup and the steering has a confidence-inspiring feel to it. Further, the option to choose between three steering modes is quite useful and the feature really works. He said that he was quite satisfied with the music system and the manual gearbox was quick to shift. However, he was not very happy with the boot space and said it could be better, though he doesn’t need much boot space often. More important for him is the legroom and the XUV300 offers plenty of it. The build quality of XUV300, according to Rishabh is pretty solid but the NVH levels, as well as the centre console design, could have been better.
Apart from that, the cabin is pretty well put together and the seats offer a good mix of comfort and firmness. There are several storage options which are useful and the door pockets are wide and practical. Rear AC vents could have been an excellent addition on this vehicle good bouns and that is something whose lack is certainly felt by Rishabh. As for the mileage, the owner gets around 12.5 km/l in the city while highway driving results in mileage of 15-15.5 km/l. Powering his car is a 1.2 litre, 3 cylinder turbocharged unit that churns out a maximum power of 110 Bhp and a class-leading 200 Nm of peak torque
MG Hector
The MG Hector has launched a couple of months ago and the British origin but Chinese owned company has received an overwhelming response from buyers. The Hector is currently running with waiting periods of up to six months in some cities, which speaks volumes about the number of bookings MG has taken to date. Talking about the video above by BMC HD Videos, a red MG Hector is shown here which is owned by a guy named Prasoon. This review is actually more of feedback regarding Prasun views about his new vehicles and what he feels regarding the car in view of his experience till now.
The Hector shown here is the top end Sharp variant with a petrol powerplant. Also, it is the automatic gearbox equipped variant (DCT) which translates into an ex-showroom price of Rs. 16.78 lakhs (Delhi). According to the Prasoon, MG delivered his Hector about two weeks back from the date of video upload and till that time, he had driven around 1,800 km in his shining glaze red Hector. He actually owned a Hyundai i10 before this and this is his second vehicle. The upgrade is quite substantial and the same is felt by Prasoon too as he says that driving this behemoth around the city is quite a task due to its large size. To let you know, the MG Hector is the largest SUV in its segment.
However, Prasoon also adds that the Hector is a breeze to drive on the highways and has excellent highway manners. He went for a hill drive a few days back and came back quite happy with the performance and overall experience he had with the HEctor. The NVH levels are also well under control and it offers unbeatable value for money in the segment. Prasoon also told that he test drove the Jeep Compass and the Tata Harrier too but ultimately settled for the Hector which impressed him the most. Talking about this Hector, it is powered by a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that pumps out 141 Bhp of power along with 250 Nm of torque.
Hyundai Venue
The Hyundai Venue is the latest entry in the sub-4 meter game and has proved itself to be a market-disrupting product. It dethroned the Maruti Vitara BRezza from the top-selling throne last month which is a feat in itself. The video below by ecardlr shows Nitin Aggarwal and his Hyundai Venue that he bought in July. Graduating to the Venue from a Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Nitin actually seems to be quite pleased with his buy and has done more than 1,000 km till date. He also owned a Hyundai i10 in past and thus is not completely new to Hyundai cars but here the company has really proved its mettle, says Nitin.
The reason why he went for the Venue were many, First, he wanted a car from the sub-4 meter SUV segment only. Secondly, he was looking for a modern car with all the latest features and thirdly, an automatic gearbox was a must for him. For the same, he got himself the top end Petrol DCT variant that cost him nearly Rs. 13 lakhs. Before buying the Venue, Nitin also tried out the Mahindra XUV300 and was impressed by it too but the lack of an auto box option was a deal-breaker for him, though an auto box has been launched for the XUV300 now. As for how he likes the Venue, Nitin says he is absolutely in love with the way this car looks and the interiors have also impressed him. Among the many features it has, he feels the BlueLink connectivity feature is the most advanced and quite practical.
It feeds him with a plethora of information regarding the SUV along with allowing him to start the car and the AC as well before he even reaches the car. However, the navigation services provided by the infotainment are not up to the mark when compared with google maps. Talking about other interior bits, the seat comfort on the front is superb but the headrest positioning could have been better for him. The rear seats are also decent but a bit more legroom would be welcomed. Also, seating 3 on the rear bench can be crampy. Moving on, Nitin feels that the all-black interiors are perfect for this car and the inclusion of an air purifier is a thoughtful touch.
The quality of fit and finish is excellent and so is the build quality of the car as well as the NVH levels. Talking about how it feels to drive the 1.0 petrol DCT variant of the Venue, Nitin says that the engine offers a serious punch and the 7-speed DCT is quite slick, resulting in a combination that ensures you are never short on power. As of now, he gets mileage of around 10-11 km/l in the city but that is said to increase after the first service. Some of the other flaws he found with the car are the suspension setup which could have been better and the lack of side airbags at this price point which is an absolute bummer. Powering the car is a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine that puts out 118 Bhp of power along with 172 Nm of torque.
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