Did you know the Mahindra Bolero & TUV300 are legally ‘compact cars’? Here’s how

10 years ago, the Indian government declared that all cars measuring less than 4 meters in length, and with petrol engines smaller than 1.2 liters, diesel engines smaller than 1.5 liters as ‘small cars’. The government also gave these cars excise duty benefits. But did you know that MASSIVE looking cars such as the Mahindra Bolero and the TUV300 are also now ‘small cars’ or compact cars? Unusual, but it’s true and here’s how.

Months ago, Mahindra shortened the length of the Bolero by chopping the front and rear bumpers. A new, 1.5 liter-3 cylinder turbo diesel engine was also added to the MUV. The result? The Bolero is now a ‘small car’. Yes, it can still seat up to 8 adults in its sub-4 meter form but for all technical purposes, is a small car in India. The sub-4 meter Bolero is called the Power Plus and has been doing very well for Mahindra thanks to lower excise duties (cheaper price tag).

A couple of years ago, Mahindra chopped up the Xylo platform, re-engineered it and created the TUV300 compact SUV, which also measures less than 4 meters in length but is almost as tall as the Toyota Fortuner. And with that height, it’s street presence is massive and the TUV300 can be a scary sight in rear view mirrors.

Why, the TUV300 even has such a high driving seat that driving one will actually make you look down upon the Fortuner, quite literally. The TUV300 has a sub-1.5 liter turbodiesel engine as well, which also means that it’s legally a ‘small car’.

There’s another little known car that’s also technically a small car but is actually pretty huge on the road. We’re talking about the Mahindra Nuvosport, which was known as the Quanto before a restyling effort. The Nuvosport, like the Quanto, is a very poor seller and we won’t be surprised if you haven’t even seen one on the road. The Nuvosport shares its chassis, engine and most mechanical bits with the Mahindra TUV300, but is slightly costlier, and thanks to its poor sales, will soon go out of production. Who says BIG ‘small car’ equals big sales.