Mahindra XUV300's Korean cousin Ssangyong Tivoli facelift revealed

The SsangYong Tivoli facelift which has been undergoing testing forever now, has been finally revealed in South Korea. The Tivoli facelift shares its underpinnings with the Mahindra XUV300 SUV.

The latest official images suggest, the Tivoli facelift gets a completely refreshed exterior styling with a sharper looking front fascia. With the mid-cycle update, the SUV has gained sleeker looking headlamps, remastered front bumper, completely new LED fog lamps, and bigger intakes. Moreover, the front main grille has also received a mildly updated design.

Over the rear, the updates are more significant in the form of a new tailgate, updated taillights, and rear-bumper.

With the facelift, the Tivoli's cabin has gained a new dashboard design which features a bigger 9-inch touchscreen infotainment supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Moreover there is also a 10.25-inch instrument cluster which replaces the previously found 8-inch unit. The company also claims usage of new soft-touch materials to give the overall cabin a more premium feel.

Mechanically, the SUV comes with a new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Interestingly, this is the same engine from the Mahindra & Mahindra's mStallion range which was up for display at the Auto Expo 2020. This engine is known to deliver 129 PS and 230 Nm of torque. It is also expected to be introduced in the XUV300 later this year. The company will also share this powerplant with Ford under Mahindra-Ford joint partnership.

The Tivoli (Korean-spec) also gets two more powertrain options - a 1.5-litre T-GDi petrol and a 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine. A 6-speed manual and a torque converter automatic unit are the few transmission options available in the new Tivoli.

Mahindra bought SsangYong in 2010 but failed to turn it around even despite several attempts. Ssangyong Motor in April received a $32.86 million (around ₹251 crore) special fund raised by Mahindra & Mahindra. (Read more details here).