Mahindra XUV300 AMT just a month away from launch

Mahindra is prepping up AMT variants of the just launched XUV300 compact SUV. The AMT variants of the XUV300 will be launched next month, and will be available with both petrol and diesel engines. The AMT unit will be a 6 speed unit, designed to work with the existing 6 speed manual gearboxes of the Mahindra XUV300. Introduction of the AMT option on both the petrol and diesel variants of the XUV300 will make the SUV the second in its segment – after the Tata Nexon – to offer such an option on both engine options.

The job isn’t over for @GoenkaPk. Straight after the #XUV300 launch Mahindra boss tests drives AMT automatic variant which is due next month pic.twitter.com/BB9ealPFXh

— Hormazd Sorabjee (@hormazdsorabjee) February 14, 2019

Autoparts maker Ricardo is expected to be the supplier of the AMT unit considering the fact that other Mahindra AMT models also have Ricardo-sourced units. As for pricing, the AMT equipped variants of the Marazzo are likely to be priced about Rs. 50,000-60,000 higher than the manual trims.

AMT, which expands to automated manual transmission, is now the top choice for budget automatic cars. This is because the AMT technology is a bridge between manuals and more sophisticated automatic gearboxes. AMT essentially automates a manual transmission by using an electronic control unit and mechanical devices to control the clutch and gear shifter.

It’s much cheaper to implement, and also a lot lighter than conventional automatic gearboxes. It also offers better  fuel efficiency than regular automatic gearboxes. These factors make it a top choice for budget cars, and most cars  under Rs. 10 lakhs sold in India are now opting for AMTs instead of conventional automatic gearboxes.

Apart from the Mahindra XUV300, the Marazzo will also get the 6 speed AMT option with its 1.5 liter diesel engine – the one that it shares with the smaller SUV. Other offerings from Mahindra that are available with the AMT option include the KUV100 and the TUV300.

The Mahindra XUV300 was just launched yesterday, and prices of the petrol variants start from Rs. 7.8 lakhs while  those of the diesel variants start from Rs. 8.49 lakhs. The petrol powered SUV uses an all-new 1.2 liter-3 cylinder  turbocharged petrol engine that puts out 110 Bhp of peak power and a class leading 200 Nm of peak torque. The diesel engined models borrow the 1.5 liter-4 cylinder turbocharged unit from the Marazzo, and make class leading outputs of 115 Bhp-300 Nm.

The SUV gets a slew of segment leading features that make it India’s best equipped sub-4 meter compact SUV. 7 airbags including a driver’s knee airbag, multiple steering modes, hill hold, front parking sensors, dual zone climate  control, an electric sunroof, ESP with roll over mitigation, cruise control and electric boot release are some of the  prominent features of the top-spec XUV300. The SUV is available in four variants – W4, W6 W8 and W8 (O). The top end trims also get a dual tone paint job that involves a contrast roof finish. A touchscreen infotainment system with  Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is standard on the top-end variant.