By : RACHNA TYAGI
MUMBAI :
There is a reason why I’m increasingly beginning to spot quite a few of Mahindra XUV300s on our roads. In fact, only a few days back, I saw two brand new ones in my neighbourhood, within a distance of 500 meters of each other. There is little doubt that it is fast becoming a popular choice and why not? Afterall, it is a very capable sub-four-meter SUV. In fact, it may be remembered that when Mahindra launched the XUV300 a few months back, it had several segment-first features. Soon, Mahindra, upped the ante and launched the XUV300’s AMT avatar, with two variants, W8 and W8(O), both of which, in my opinion, should also find several takers.
XUV300 which is based on SsangYong’s X100 platform (Think Tivoli), takes on Ford Ecosport, Tata Nexon and the Maruti Suzuki Brezza. However, Mahindra’s huge advantage lies in its diesel AMT offering, which like its manual variant, also has a lot going for it starting with excellent refinement levels, and that is a big reason for its draw.
Take the beautiful ivory-coloured, airy interiors for instance… so inviting. As opposed to the dull, onyx-coloured, or even boring jet-black interiors on offer, by some of the rivals. The use of this beautiful colour, along with the proportionately sized glass windows, immediately give the cabin a sense of spaciousness. Add to that the fact that it does come with a long wheelbase of 2600 mm. That along with the fact that there is no transmission tunnel protruding from in between the drivers and the passenger’s seat from the front to the rear actually means more free space thereby allowing 5 occupants to be seated comfortably inside. The light coloured upholstery as well as the light coloured hard plastics, also don’t mean high maintenance either. On the contrary, a closer examination reveals that it is not terribly difficult or frightfully expensive to keep the light coloured interiors of this SUV looking super fresh and renewed.
The instrument cluster has a host of rather loud colours for my taste. Both the colours as well as the brightness of the displays could do with a bit of colour toning. The MID displays which gear you’re driving in, always a useful feature to have while driving. Then there’s the seven-inch touchscreen which works well and has adequately sized buttons for those with large hands. Not to mention Apple Carplay as well as Android Auto.
Mahindra XUV300 diesel AMT not only has very good build quality but it also has some serious road presence and with projector headlamps, LED DRLs and strong diamond-cut alloys, it exudes a certain confidence. The tail lamps are a beauty, to say the least, and they burn extra bright too – a prerequisite these days, for people who live and drive in smog-filled cities such as Delhi where visibility during winters is a huge challenge. Besides, the segment-first features such as 17-inch alloys, front and rear fog lamps and all-wheel disc brakes to name a few, the XUV300 diesel AMT also gets hill-launch assist. Then there is the boot with 265 liters of capacity and is actually roomy enough to stow away enough camping gear should you decide that you want to make the road your home for a while.
We got our hands on the W8 variant and came away mighty impressed. The driving position offers excellent road visibility and the seats are well contoured, also neither are they too stiff nor too soft. The AMT gearbox is from Marelli and I must say that this 6-speed AMT gearbox delivers a surprisingly good performance. The slightest throttle inputs are enough to see what this compact SUV is capable of and it is quite at ease on different terrains too. It misses out on different drive modes but that’s not really a deal breaker. It must be noted that the AMT gearbox has been made available only on the diesel and the petrol models give it a miss, for now. The gearshifts can be felt slightly but this AMT unit is definitely better than the ones we have seen on other Mahindra vehicles before. Even on high speeds, you never get the feeling of compromised driving because of the AMT gearbox. Besides, there’s also cruise control on offer. Also, there is the manual mode if you want to squeeze more fun out of your driving experience. Then there is the generously sized dead pedal which is always a nice thing to have in any vehicle. The Hill-launch assist feature also works well without giving you any nervous moments and the brakes have enough bite which should put your mind at ease. The ride and handling of the XUV300 Diesel AMT is very good and this makes for an excellent choice for all those who’re looking for a smart and slick sub-four-meter compact SUV, not just for your intra-city commutes but also as a great highway companion.
Though we drove the W8 diesel AMT variant of the XUV300, priced at 11,49,800 (Ex-showroom), it is actually the W8(O) variant which is the one that you should go for if you want all the bells and whistles in this compact SUV. The diesel AMT is a smart and sensible choice and needless to say, it commands a premium of 50,000 plus as compared to its diesel manual counterpart but then we'll say, with all the safety features and the fact that it is a diesel AMT, it is definitely well worth it.
