Mahindra TUV300 Vs Ford EcoSport Vs Hyundai Creta; Specification, Price comparison

The battle for supremacy in the burgeoning compact SUV segment intensified with the arrival of Mahindra TUV300. Mahindra forayed into the sub-four metre SUV segment with Quanto, which was launched in 2012. Quanto was essentially a trimmed down version of Xylo MPV. However, the vehicle was not as successful as expected and there were very few takers.

Learning the lesson from the past experience, Mahindra brought TUV300, an all-new vehicle. The UV maker claims the compact SUV's design is inspired by battle tank and the vehicle is built on an all-new platform.

TUV300 is pitted against the likes of Hyundai Creta and Ford EcoSport. Hyundai Creta is the latest successful model for the Korean manufacturer. The company had to increase the production to 7,000 units per month owing to the overwhelming response.

On the other hand, EcoSport is the bread and butter model for Ford India and one of the early entries in the compact SUV segment. That leads to the question of which of these three compact is the pick of the segment?

Let us check out the key specifications of Mahindra TUV300, Hyundai Creta and Ford EcoSport, and find out which vehicle makes more sense to buy:

Engine Specifications

Mahindra TUV300 comes in only diesel engine. The 3-cylinder 1493cc mHawk80 engine that gives 84bhp power and 230Nm torque. The engine comes paired to either a five-speed manual or an AMT gearbox.

Hyundai Creta has two versions of diesel engine, while the 4-cylinder 1396cc engine develops 89bhp power and 220Nm torque, the 4-cylinder 1582cc engine gives 126bhp and 260Nm. Both the engines are mated to 6-speed manual transmission, while the bigger engine is also available with the 6-speed automatic transmission.

Ford EcoSport comes in 4-cylinder 1498cc engine that develops 90bhp power and 204Nm torque mated 5-speed manual transmission.

The information indicates TUV300 is the least powered vehicle among the three. It also comes with three-cylinder engine, while the other two have four-cylinder engines. Hyundai Creta comes with a choice of two engines and conventional automatic transmission. EcoSport is not available in automatic transmission with the diesel engine. The USP of TUV300 is the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), first for any SUV sold in India.

Dimensions and weight

TUV300 measures 3,995mm in length, 1,835mm in width and 1,839mm in height, having a wheel base of 2,680mm and 384-litre of boot capacity.

Hyundai Creta measures 4,270mm in length, 1,780mm in width and 1,630mm in height. The Hyundai compact SUV also comes with 2,590mm wheel base and 400-litre boot storage.

Ford EcoSport, on the other hand, is 3,999mm long, 1765mm wide and 1708mm tall along with 2520mm wheelbase. EcoSport has 346-litre boot capacity.

TUV300 and EcoSport come under the sub-four metre category and eligible for excise duty cut from the government of India. Despite being the shortest among the three, TUV300 is the only vehicle that offers seven seats. In terms of width and height, TUV300 leads among the three.

Fuel Efficiency

Ford EcoSport steers ahead in fuel efficiency with 22.67kmpl, while 1.4-ltre Hyundai Creta offers 21.38kmpl and the 1.6-litre engine returns 17.37kmpl in manual transmission and 16.01kmpl in automatic transmission. TUV300 returns 18.09kmpl which is not impressive enough.

However, TUV300 boasts of micro-hybrid technology as in Scorpio. The technology switches off the engine when the vehicle idles for certain duration and switches the engine back on the moment your leg presses the clutch pedal. Hence, it burns less fuel and reduces pollution.

Price

All prices, ex-showroom Delhi

Specification sheet