This is India’s most INSANELY modified Mahindra TUV300 SUV

Want a Jeep but can’t afford one? Well, this TUV300 is what you need. Sunmac Automotive from Coimbatore has just modified the TUV300, and the butch compact SUV from Mahindra now looks like a Jeep Cherokee, at least from some angles. The modifier is asking 1.5 lakh rupees for this modification.

For this kind of money, you get a completely refreshed front end, which makes the TUV300 look like a Jeep Cherokee from up front. Changes include sharper headlamps (from an Audi SUV), a seven slat Jeep grille, a tweaked front bumper that now includes running lamps, and a satin bumper insert that adds some width to the front end.

The bonnet gets a full re-profile to make the front look curvier. This is a key element that removes the boxi-ness of the original design. The profile of the TUV300 has been left untouched, and this makes the design look awkward. Perhaps, the upcoming, longer TUV500 would be a better base for this modification.

At the rear, the spare wheel makes way for a cleaner tail gate, which also has the Jeep logo stuck onto it. This sums up the exterior tweaks. Under the hood, the modified TUV300 retains the 1.5 liter. twin-scroll turbocharger equipped 3 cylinder diesel motor, a far cry from the powerful V6s that the real Cherokee features.

The stock motor is sold with two states of tune, 84 Bhp-240 Nm and 98.6 Bhp-240 Nm. 5 speed manual and automated manual transmission options are on offer. The TUV300 is rear wheel driven, and the only compact SUV in the class to feature a body-on-ladder chassis. This makes it quite heavy.

Meanwhile, Mahindra has no plans to offer a four wheel drive layout on this SUV, although a longer version (called the TUV500) of it is in the works. The SUV is a decent seller. Strengths include high ground clearance and a mammoth street presence. Prices start from 7.53 lakh rupees.

Images courtesy TUV300 group on Facebook