Mahindra XUV300 bags over 4,000 bookings as launch nears

A few days ago, Mahindra dealers across India began accepting bookings for the upcoming XUV300. Mahindra has already bagged over 4,000 bookings for the new vehicle. The compact SUV – which will rival the likes of the Maruti Brezza, Ford EcoSport and Tata Nexon, will be officially launched in India on the 14th of February, 2019. The Mahindra XUV300 is a sub-4 meter compact SUV that’s expected to have a starting price between Rs. 7-8 lakhs.

The initial reviews of the Mahindra XUV300 have been quite positive, and full of praise for the latest sub-4 meter  SUV. The XUV300 has a measure of competition in terms of performance. The SUV is the most powerful in its class in  diesels. The XUV300 is powered by a 1.5 liter turbodiesel motor borrowed from the much larger Marazzo MPV. This motor makes 121 Bhp-300 Nm on the XUV300, and is paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox. The next most powerful SUV – the Nexon Diesel – makes 108 Bhp-260 Nm.

Talking of petrols, the XUV300 leads the score here as well in terms of torque. The SUV is powered by a new, 1.2  liter turbocharged petrol engine with 115 Bhp-200 Nm outputs. The 200 Nm of torque is a segment leading number with the next best figures coming from the Tata Nexon (170 Nm) and the Ford EcoSport EcoBoost (170 Nm). The EcoSport however, is more powerful than the XUV300 in terms of absolute numbers, with both the Dragon petrol and EcoBoost units of the SUV making 120 Bhp and 125 Bhp respectively.

Moving on, the XUV300 also offers segment leading safety features. 7 airbags including a driver’s knee airbag, ABS  +EBD, hill hold assist, front and rear parking sensors, a rear parking camera, ESP and traction control are the  various safety features on offer. In terms of features too, Mahindra has really loaded up the SUV. From an electric sunroof to multiple ‘steering feel’ settings, the XUV300 offers a lot more than competition.

The Mahindra XUV300 is based on the Ssangyong Tivoli’s X100 platform. It will get a larger, 7 seat sibling in future.  For now though, the focus will be squarely on the front wheel driven, monocoque bodied 5 seat option. The Mahindra XUV300 is expected to sit at a similar position as the TUV300 but in terms of refinement and feature levels, the new SUV is a lot more advanced. Sometime by the end of this year, Mahindra is expected to add an AMT option to the XUV300.

Early next year, another key change on the XUV300 will be the addition of an all-electic variant. The Mahindra XUV300 Electric is expected to have a range of 250 Kms and a competitive top speed of about 150 Kph. Acceleration will also be very brisk, with the 0-100 Kph run taking about 11 seconds. What remains to be seen is whether Mahindra manages to price the XUV300 Electric competitively.

Via Auto.NDTV