2016 Mahindra NuvoSport

Mahindra reckoned that its Quanto needed a new dose of life and in the process performed a nose job on the existing design before christening it the ‘NuvoSport’. In this episode, we review Mahindra’s five-speed AMT version and highlight the obvious dump of the clutch pedal. Here’s the gist.

The new Mahindra NuvoSport, according to its maker might be the ideal tool for adventure seekers, but behind the marketing curtain, it is the replacement of the Quanto. It uses the same shell as the Quanto – same doors and the same roof – but the NuvoSport sits on a new ladder-based platform. It's the same that underpins the Scorpio and the TUV300. So, it's lighter, more rigid and dynamically better set up than the older non-hydroformed chassis.

Not many know this but it’s the Mahindra Quanto that bucked the trend and kick-started the compact crossover rage among Indian buyers. With no signs of the EcoSport in Ford dealerships back then and the totally underwhelming Premier Rio as its only competition, the Quanto had it easy early on.