M&M turns heat on rivals with XUV300

The Asian Age.  | Michael Gonsalves

Business, Autos

Mahindra XUV300 is not only chic looking, it also brings with it a number of segment-first features.

The Mahindra XUV300 is within the crucial sub-four-metre length but it is still the widest compact SUV on sale and also has the longest wheelbase in its class.

PUNE: Mahindra, the utility vehicle specialist, on Thursday launched the all-new subcompact Mahindra XUV300 with an aggressive pricing starting at Rs 7.90 lakh for the base W4 petrol variant and Rs 8.49 lakh for the base W4 diesel variant.

With over 4,000 bookings registered till now for the Mahindra XUV300 from January, the new car is squarely pitted against the popular Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza (Rs 7.67-10.64 lakh), Tata Nexon (Rs 6.36-Rs10.80 lakh) and Hyundai Creta (Rs 9.60- 15.64 lakh) on the Indian roads.

Mahindra XUV300 is not only chic looking, it also brings with it a number of segment-first features and a powerful diesel engine to take on rivals. Its cheetah-inspired design is head turning, fun-to-drive performance, best-in-segment safety features, first-in-segment hi-tech features and class-defining interiors, make it an exciting model.

Clearly the XUV300 diesel at Rs 8.49 lakh will give Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, which is dominating the subcompact SUV space a run for its money. Even the XUV300 fully-loaded W8 (O) variant would even poach some potential Hyundai Creta buyers.

“The XUV brand when launched in 2011 was an inflection moment in our automotive journey,” Anand Mahindra, chairman at Mahindra Group said.

With the launch of the XUV300, the brand has taken the aspirational levels higher, he pointed out.

“Based on the SsangYong Tivoli’s X100 platform, the XUV300 is a true blue global product which combines Korean technology with the Indian innovation and finesse. The XUV300 would appeal to all, especially today’s millennial, who would cherish the vehicle’s fun-to-drive nature,” Mahindra boasted.

The Mahindra XUV300 is within the crucial sub-four-metre length but it is still the widest compact SUV on sale and also has the longest wheelbase in its class.

Sold in four variants such as W4, W6, W8 and W8 (O), features which would be standard across the range include two airbags, ABS, disc brakes on all four wheels, LED tail-lights and all four power windows.

In addition to those, the W8 gets dual-zone automatic climate control, a 7.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system, a reverse camera, cruise control while the range-topping W8 (O) packs even more kit in the form of front parking sensors, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, a sunroof, and a class-leading seven airbags.

The XUV300 is powered by the same 1.5-litre diesel engine that debuted in the Marazzo, making 117HP and 300Nm of torque along with a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, which churns out 110HP, and 200Nm of torque.

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