Mahindra XUV300 AMT to Tata Harrier Petrol: Upcoming SUV facelifts & upgrades

The word Sports Utility Vehicle may have lost its original definition in the Indian auto market, but there is no doubt in the fact that it is the fastest growing segment among all others. For the same reason, there are a slew of new SUVs lined up for launch this year and the year next. However, apart from all new SUVs, the auto market will also see a host of facelifts and new variant if SUVs being launched in the meantime. Read along to find out which all SUVs are getting a facelift or new variant in the coming time.

Mahindra TUV300 Facelift

Expected launch timeline: late 2019

 

The Mahindra TUV300 facelift has been in works since some time and has been spotted testing also. We expect the new model to arrive in the Indian market by mid or late 2019. Apart from a fresh body design, the car will get several new features also. Since now the company will have another compact SUV in the segment in the form of XUV300, the TUV300 will be priced lower. It will come with airbags, parking sensors, ABS+EBD along with other standard safety features that have been made mandatory by the upcoming safety norms.

Mahindra XUV300 AT

Expected launch timeline: End 2019

The Mahindra XUV300 has received a pretty good response till now and the bookings have already crossed 12,000 mark in about 28 days. The sub-compact SUV comes with both petrol and diesel options but misses out on an automatic transmission option. This has held back many customers from buying the SUV since the demand for automatics has soared quite high of late. The automatic transmission on the vehicle will be an AMT unit and will be available on both engine options. Expect the launch to happen during the late third or fourth quarter of 2019.

Maruti Brezza Petrol

Expected launch timeline: Early 2020

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza may be the best selling vehicle in its segment but one of the major chink in its armour is the lack of a petrol engine. Maruti is expected to launch a petrol engine powered Vitara Brezza this year that will further broaden the customer base of the vehicle. The petrol engine is most likely to be the 1.5 litre unit that is currently found under the hood of the Ciaz. Also expected is a facelift of the Brezza since it has been going on without any changes since its launch in 2016. The facelift will bring in some new features on the table along with refreshed exterior styling.

Toyota Vitara Brezza

Expected launch timeline: 2020

Toyota will also launch the rebadged version of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza in the Indian market next year. Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza will help Toyota to enter the ever-expanding sub-4-m compact SUV segment, which is currently populated by numerous vehicles from Indian and international manufacturers. Toyota Vitara Brezza will get a new name and will also get changes that will make it look more like a Toyota vehicle. The engine and transmission options will remain similar to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza SUV. Toyota is expected to launch the all-new car by early 2020.

Renault Duster

Expected launch timeline: 2019 end or Q1 2020

Contrary to earlier claims, the upcoming Duster in India will not be a generation update and will be different from the one sold in the international markets. The Renault Duster facelift will come with a new set of headlights with integrated LED DRLs, raised bonnet, new roof rails, new alloy wheels, new tail lamps, and slightly updated body panels to make the Duster look new. Renault may not offer the 85 PS version of the 1.5-litre diesel engine with the new Duster. Instead, the 1.5-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre diesel engine are expected to be updated to meet the upcoming emission norms. There will be a 5-speed manual transmission for the petrol engine and a 6-speed transmission for the diesel version.

Tata Harrier AT/Petrol

Expected launch timeline: 2019 end for AT, 2020 for Petrol 

The Tata Harrier currently comes with only one engine-transmission pair. However, this is set to change soon as the company will offer both automatic transmission and petrol engine on the SUV in the coming time. The transmission will be brought much before the engine arrives though. The auto tranny we are talking about is a six-speed unit sourced from Hyundai. The petrol engine, on the other hand, will be an all-new 1.6-litre turbocharged unit that is currently under development. The four-cylinder, direct injection petrol unit is expected to produce power figures in the range of 120-140 Bhp. The Harrier automatic could be launched by the end of this year. However, the petrol Harrier will come only in 2020, probably by the third or fourth quarter.

Isuzu V Cross FL

Expected launch timeline: Mid 2019

The facelifted version of the D-Max V-Cross has already been spied testing in India a couple of times. Cosmetic changes on the facelift include revised bumpers with new lamps and DRLs. The pickup truck will run on hot looking machined cut alloy wheels. The 2019 version is also expected to get slight revisions to the cabin including added features. However, the biggest change will be the new, smaller 1.9-litre engine that produces 150 PS of power and 350 Nm of torque. These figures are higher than what the current 2.5-litre unit puts out. The heart transplant is being done because of the upcoming BS-VI emission norms. The 4×4 drivetrain will remain a standard fitment and an automatic will also be introduced, making it the only lifestyle pick-up to get an auto-diesel combination in India.

Jeep Compass Trailhawk

Expected launch timeline: 

The Compass Trailhawk’s launch has already been pushed back by several months now. To let you know, the Trailhawk will be the more hardcore version of the regular Jeep Compass with higher clearance and better approach/departure angles. Further, the Trailhawk gets better aesthetics and certainly looks like it means business. It will also get an automatic transmission with the Diesel engine, something that is seen as a big shortcoming on the normal Compass. It will be priced higher than the current top-end model of the Compass and could come with enhanced off-road drive modes.

Hyundai Tucson Facelift

Expected launch timeline: May 2019

The Hyundai Tucson facelift has been in waiting for long but will be finally launched around May this year. The facelifted SUV will come with a new cascading trapezoidal grille, sharper headlights with integrated L-shaped LED daytime running lights, new bumpers along with new fog lamp housing. The interiors will also get several changes including a new centre console, an 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system, revised instrument cluster, and an electronic parking brake. Hyundai might retain the same pair of engines along with similar transmission configuration. Apart from this, new driver-assistance features like autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera will also be part of the facelift package.