Mahindra’s XUV 500 has become one of its leading lights in the Indian automotive market, and to solidify their stance in a segment rife with cut-throat competition, Mahindra have announced a more financially conservative version of the car.
Priced at a highly competitive Rs. 10.83 lakhs (ex-showroom Mumbai), Mahindra hope that this down-sized version of their marquee will attract a wider consumer base.
This new variant means that the XUV 500 now has four options to chose from – the W4, W6, W8, and W8 AWD. Visually, all the cars appear alike, the only difference then, is that the W4, W6, and the W8 have only Front Wheel Drive (FWD), and the combination of features on offer in each variant. When the W4 is compared to the next stage in the XUV 500 hierarchy: the W6, some features that you would expect the manufacturers to have done away with in the interest of cost-cutting have instead been left intact. This list includes the LED lined projector headlights, the twin-row air conditioning system, wing mirrors with electronic adjustment system intact, sound system including four speakers, six-way adjustable driver’s seat, and even the central locking remote. Safety features such as ABS, EBD, and dual airbags haven’t been ignored in the interest of financial austerity either.
What is missing however are the more luxury oriented features such as the telescopic steering adjustment system, steering mounted controls, rain-sensing wind-screen wipers, cabin climate control, cruise control, cornering headlights and the fog lamps situated in the front of the car. Under the hood however, the W4 is powered by the same 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine, and also sports the same 6-speed manual gear box as all the other variants in this model.
