Mahindra’s Quanto will get a facelift this year and will now be known as the Nuvosport. Spy pictures reveal that the Quanto’s mini Xylo looks have been shown the door in favour of aggressive fascia and quite a few cosmetic updates to give the crossover a fresh appearance.
The face of the Nuvosport now gets an aggressive Mahindra grille with revised headlamps and eyebrow LED DRLs. The front bumper is now much sportier and also gets a contrast coloured bulbar element. A view of the side profile reveals a black cladding to the base as well as new five spoke alloy wheels. The rear remains mostly unchanged but gets the black cladding and obviously revised badging to go with the new name.
The seven-seater cabin layout and overall design is the same as the current model but is expected to include an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, cruise control and 2-DIN touchscreen infotainment system. The cruise control will be a first in segment feature.
The Nuvosport is expected to get the 1.5-litre three-cylinder mHAWK 80 diesel engine which produces 84bhp/230Nm. It will also be offered with a 1.2-litre petrol which produces 82bhp/115Nm of torque. Gearbox options are expected to include a five-speed manual as well as a five-speed AMT for the diesel engine. It is likely to be priced marginally higher than the Quanto and will compete with the Ford EcoSport.
The Nuvosport once launched will be in the same price range as the TUV300. This is a common strategy among manufacturers to have multiple models to boost overall volumes. The TUV300 has been targeted at Tier-2, Tier-3 cites as well as rural markets while it appears that the Nuvosport, when launched, will be for urban consumers.