Whew. The wait for some good photos of the Mahindra Xylo has been seriously trying for us. Mahindra has been as secretive as the KGB when it came to avoiding leaks of pictures of the Xylo. With some good reason – pre-release photos of cars get criticised endlessly, and takes away from the anticipation.
This time it worked – curiosity built up to a fever pitch, and automobile forums and bloggers were inundated with requests for photos of the Mahindra Xylo. And all everyone got were a few grainy pics.
Well, we have a minor Mahindra Xylo photo gallery here for you. Without much ado:
Ah well. Not exactly the most flattering pose there, right? The huge front grill – looks like a cross between the Scorpio and Bolero grills – is not as bad as we thought it would be from the initial grainy photos of the Xylo. But it is not doing any great favours to the rest of the car, either. Overall, tolerable.
Chunky alloy wheels, integrated bumper, muscular stance – its all there. If you generally have always liked the Mahindra look in the Bolero or the Scorpio, chances are you would like the Xylo too.
We think this is the angle from which the Mahindra Xylo looks the best. The read end looks nice, the bumper looks well integrated – and the tail lights are good-looking, though everyone may not like the flourish.
From this angle, the Mahindra Xylo looks very SUV-like. It definitely looks more masculine than the Toyota Innova – that is probably what Mahindra intended it to look like. Would that work better in the market, or would people prefer the more tame lines of the Innova? We are not sure. In the end, aesthetics are hardly the deciding factor when purchasing a vehicle – especially an MPV – in India. It looks tough and well-built – we personally prefer the more sleek looks of the Innova, but this is a pretty personal decision.
In the end, what would help someone make up his mind are not the photos, for sure. The most important factor would be the price differential between the Innova and the Xylo. Then would come the interior space, and driving comfort, where we suspect the Xylo might score over the Innova.
For now, enjoy the photo gallery, and then rush over to the nearest Mahindra Xylo dealer for a test drive.
