Mahindra have launched the XUV300 compact SUV in India from Rs 7.90 lakh for the petrol variants and Rs 8.45 lakh onwards for the diesel variants (all prices are ex-showroom).
The new Mahindra XUV300 is based on the SsangYong Tivoli. It carries forward the ‘Cheetah-inspired’ design from the larger XUV500 and certainly looks the part. Gaurav Gill putting the XUV300 through its paces in a racy commercial only set expectations soaring. On the inside, the XUV300 comes loaded with features including first-in-segment, dual-zone, fully automatic temperature control and three driving modes (Comfort, Normal and Sport).
Although the XUV300 is based on the Tivoli platform, the engineers at Mahindra have made significant changes to optimize the car for Indian conditions. Notable mentions include increased ground clearance and tuning the steering and suspension to combat our roads.
Life behind the wheel has been made easier with sensible additions like front-parking sensors and heated ORVMs. Mahindra have also made sure that the XUV300 lives up to the safety standards of the Tivoli. Disc brakes take care of braking duty at all four wheels; supplemented with ABS. The car also has ESP with rollover mitigation and hill-start assist. The highlight, however, is a seven-airbag system that is also a segment first.
The Mahindra XUV300 is powered by a new 1.2-litre turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The petrol engine produces 110 PS and 200 Nm of torque while the diesel mill churns out 115 PS and 300 Nm of torque. Both models will only be available with a six-speed manual gearbox for now.
Prices (ex-showroom):
Petrol variants Diesel variants
W4: Rs 7.90 lakh W4: Rs 8.49 lakh
W6: Rs 8.75 lakh W6: Rs 9.30 lakh
W8: Rs 10.25 lakh W8: Rs 10.80 lakh
Also read: Seven things you should know about the Mahindra XUV300
Story: Joshua Varghese