Mahindra had earlier facelifted the TUV300 sub-4 meter compact SUV to keep it fresh and appealing the market. The facelifted model came with a few design tweaks that gave it an updated look and there was no mechanical change in the vehicle in the facelifted model. Mahindra had also updated the TUV300 to follow the latest safety norms that came into force in April. The new safety features present on the facelifted model of TUV300 are ABS, airbags for driver and co-passenger, seat belt reminder, speed alerts and the aforementioned reverse parking sensors. Now the latest development on the TUV300 front comes in the form of the UV maker discontinuing that AMT gearbox option on the SUV. TUV300 came with AMT automatic gearbox on T8 and T10 variants of the SUV.
Talking of the changes on the facelifted model of TUV300, one can notice the tweaks on the front and the rear parts of the sub-4 meter compact SUV. There is a 5-slat grille on the front part of the TUV300, the headlamps have been tweaked and the fog lamps are placed beneath the headlamps on either sides of the bumper insert.
Coming to the rear of the facelifted TUV300, there are a few changes here as well as the tail lamp now comes in clear glass finish, something that has been seen on the Scorpio as well. Rear parking sensors also make an appearance on the back side of the new TUV300. The facelifted model comes with the same 1.5 liter 3-cylinder engine that is paired to a 5 speed manual gearbox. The engine is rated to deliver 100 Bhp and 240 Nm on the latest model of the TUV300.
However, coming back to the discontinuation of the AMT variant of the SUV, this could be a hint of the UV maker streamlining its line-up for the arrival of AMT model of XUV300 in the market. Although another reason for the discontinuation of the AMT gearbox on the TUV300 could be the number of complaints that the company had received regarding the gearbox. To let you know, the AMT gearbox on TUV300 was fraught with problems and a lot of customers also complained about the same.
The ladder-frame setup of the TUV300 makes it a very rugged vehicle in the segment where other vehicles such as Maruti Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon, and XUV300 come with front wheel drive and are aimed at mainly urban consumers. The brand places the rear wheel driven TUV300 as a more rough and tough alternative to the aforementioned rivals. Now that the AMT option on TUV300 has been discontinued, the customers in the sub-4 meter SUV segment who want a diesel engine with a gearbox are only left with a few options that include Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Tata Nexon as both offer an AMT gearbox with diesel engine in the segment.