Mahindra Maxximo priced Rs 2.79 lac

Mahindra has launched the mini truck – Mahindra Maxximo – in India at a price of Rs 2.79 lakh (ex-showroom Navi Mumbai).

The Maxximo is powered by the world’s first 2 cylinder C2 CRDe engine, according to Mahindra. The Maxximo was unveiled at the recently concluded Auto Expo 2010.

After the recently launched Mahindra Gio, targeted at the extreme low end of the market, the new Maxximo can carry 850Kg of load thanks to its 25 bhp DOHC engine and 4 valves per cylinder. Maximum torque is 5.5 Kgm, adequate for the purpose. It is clearly more powerful than the Tata Ace which offers just 16 bhp and 3.8 kgm of torque.

Mahindra claims a milage of 20KMPL for the Maxximo. The mini truck is available in 4 colors. The Maxximo has Leaf-spring suspension setup at the rear with 6 leaves. The cargo body is reinforced to make it strong and long-lasting. The loading area 3.2 sq. m.

The company also offers a package which includes free maintenance for one year or 40,000 kilometers – something the small-cargo transport market should find attractive.

The Mahindra Maxximo is the safest vehicle in its class, says the company, thanks to a Load Sensing Proportioning Valve which ensures better control while braking as well as stringent frontal crash impact norms. Another interesting feature is a drive-by-wire system – sorry, we do not know exactly how that works.

Interiors are reasonably well-appointed for a vehicle in this class, with a dual tone interior, a long bench for the co-driver to lie down, as well as a cable operated gearshift mechanism which allows car-like gear shifts in the Maxximo according to Mahindra.

Negatives? As you can see from the photos on this page, the Mahindra Maxximo looks a bit odd from the front – not that the cargo transport market would have any problems with that!

The Maxximo incidentally happens to be the first model to roll out from Mahindra’s new plant at Chakan.