Nuvosport - A carry forward from its Sibling

Exterior When I first saw it, it looked like a Quanto. Oh surely, it is a descendant of the Quanto. But the real change lies in the face of the new Nuvosport. Yes, that is where, M&M have made a significant change to make it appeal to the masses. The large & robust bumpers have been split into two sections. The honeycomb airdam chins into the metal scuff plate. The grill too looks like a big chunk of a honeycomb. planking into the headlamps with LED eyebrows. The proportionate scoop in the bonette feeds in air to the functional turbo inter-cooler. However, the wheelsize now is a 16" alloy. The tailgate has a new wheelcover, better looking than the previous one.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The interiors are a let down as they are familiarly carried from the Quanto. The only big change is the all new 6.2" touch-screen with GPS navigation. Steering mounted controls as well. However, the plastic quality is not up to the mark & that is where M&M face a serious concern. The interior has all new leather seats. When considering the rear seats, they are comfortable & have an exceptional knee & head room. But the rear seating is a little upright, only when the third row seats are in operative position. When folded the rear seats can be reclined to a comfortable seating position. Now coming to the jump seats in the third row, that are only suitable for compact/small passengers, but that too for a short trip. All in all the entire cabin is roomy with lots of storage space for your tic-tacs & can be considered as a practical one.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The driving position is really high. You get a nice view of the road & all around apart from the partial blockage of the A-pillar on both the sides, especially on turns, parking etc. A same motor as in the TUV300, but with more power of 100BHP as compared to TUV's 84BHP. That surely reduces the mileage, however ARAI claim a 17.4KMPL, but then the real world scenario might have some different figures. Good traction control, as it has more power, so moving around in the city is a breeze. Gets to triple digits very comfortably, though beyond 3800RPM, its seems stretching a rubberband to far without an output. However, we do feel a considerable amount of engine noise slipping into the cabin. Steering is not that precise & needs constant input at high speeds.

Ride Quality & Handling It is more of a practical car with all the features collectiveky put in or you can say "Jack of all Trades & Master of none". I assume that on sharp/steep turns there is a fair amount of body roll. On rough roads with significant bumps, the rear passengers may toss around. But, then that is related to all the cars that are high from the ground with reasnable ground clearance. However, the chasis on this product is the one churned out from the Scorpio & is surely better.

Final Words Looks better than the Quanto & better engine performance & refinements levels too have gone up. But at the end of the day it still feels like an outdated product in a new avatar. But what we have under the skin is quite as much a sibling called Quanto.

Areas of improvement Mileage a concern for the India mass. Plastics of a low quality, the dash is the same old from the Quanto except for the touch screen that feels as a significant change. Its is priced higher than the TUV300, though I still feel the TUV may just have an edge over the Nuvosport. Well, that anyway leaves the customer for more choice.

Spacious, 3 quarter is impressive, High seating positionRubbery Gear Box, A-Pillar Blind spots, Cheap plastics, Low Fuel Economy