Mahindra has taken the plunge into the high volume hatchback segment with their most affordable offering yet, the new Verito Vibe.
The car is essentially a trimmed-down Verito sedan built to take advantage of excise benefits for cars under 4 metres in length while also packing the now renowned Renault K9K 1,461-cc, four-cylinder diesel engine. The Verito, or Logan as it was earlier known as, is considered by many as a car with immense practicality, while not being a winner on the styling aspect. The new Verito Vibe aims to correct that with not just better overall packaging, but also a competitive price tag.
The Verito Vibe features styling akin to the Verito, but with a reworked front end and a completely redesigned rear-end. While looks are entirely subjective, the aggressive front-end styling may just appeal to quite a few car buyers. The carbon finish front grille, smooth air-dam and smoked glass headlamps gel well with the bold wheel arches. The available 14-inch Champagne alloy wheels wrapped in 185/60 R14 tyres are a nice touch and fill up those wheel arches well; 172mm of ground clearance is another noteworthy point. Streamlined ski racks on the roof add to the butch quotient and while the streaming LED tail lamps set it apart from the competition as far as a distinguished rear is concerned. Space is another strong point for the hatch as well with a 330 litre boot. It measures 3,991mm long and 1,740mm wide riding on a 2,630mm wheelbase – just the right kind of dimensions for a good hatch. A dry weight of 1,150 kgs should mean good road holding and a stable ride as well. On the safety front, a collapsible steering column and cross member structure are standard across the range while the top-end variant gets ABS with EBD and a driver airbag.
Coming to the details which many are waiting for; under the hood, we have the 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine which many have come to love for its torque delivery characteristics and, of course, its frugal nature. With 65 PS and 160 Nm on tap, the engine may seem to deliver lower numbers than its major competitors, more notably the Ford Figo, Maruti-Suzuki Ritz, Toyota Etios Liva and Chevrolet Sail Hatchback, but it has the goods to take it to the pack, especially on the efficiency front with Mahindra claiming 20.8 km/l. Mahindra are offering the Verito Vibe with a 3-year/1,00,000-km warranty.
Mahindra has launched the Verito Vibe in three variants – D2, D4 and D6 – starting at Rs 5.63 lakh for the D2, with the D4 and D6 priced at 5.89 lakh and 6.49 lakh respectively (ex-showroom, Mumbai).
