MAHINDRA XUV 3XO
Mahindra are celebrating 20 years of local distribution. They combined a press extravaganza celebration with the launch of the new Mahindra XUV 3X0 recently. The sub-compact segment of vehicle sales grew this year by almost 120% as purchasers moved over to the roomier options with attractive prices and refined small turbo-petrol engines.
All the heavyweight directors were on hand and Rajesh Gupta, MD, rolled out their very ambitious plans. Mahindra have become the fastest growing brand on local roads with the highest level of sales on record. With a growth of close to 80% in just one year they are placed in the top five performers in the local vehicle market.
The global footprint of Mahindra is astounding. From research facilities in the UK that focus on digitalising, racing technologies to smart city research and global design operations in Finland and Turkey, Japan, China and the USA – as well as their original production site in India. They have also established an assembly division and parts back-up in Durban to handle the anticipated growth of their brand.
Mahindra have drawn from all their research and produced an amazing new entry level vehicle that is fully loaded with top trim luxury with an enticing low price.
A 360-degree inboard camera, six air bag deployment, the largest in-segment panoramic sunroof, plus stability control are just part of the new XUV 3X0’s credentials.
The vehicle viability continues with an array of engine options where even the base models are packed with a punchy refined 82 kW, 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine, which is designed to offer great fuel savings with good maximum performance. This comes complete with smart steering modes of comfort, normal and sport automatic transmission which is handled with a third-generation torque converter for seamless gear changes.
Mahindra’s drive to make the XUV 3X0 a more sportier looking SUV are apparent to see with bold updates to the grille and striking boomerang front headlights complete with LED daylight running lights.
Once inside the vehicle there’s a refreshed interior with premium finishes that abounds everywhere. There is also a 10” HD touch screen, digital instrument display, air conditioning, climate control switching to accentuate the upmarket feel for their new contemporary vehicle and much more.
We got to test drive the vehicle for over 400 kilometres at the lavish Sun City venue. Experiencing the vehicles first hand highlights the potent engines which deliver excellent flexibility. The latest ADAS level 2 safety driving features are at hand for peace-of-mind on the road. It delivers a good ride quality with its refined McPherson suspension.
There is very low noise and vehicle harshness to ensure all drivers arrive at their destination feeling relaxed on any journey. Amazingly the 1,2 small turbo engine can still sprint to 60 km/h in a pretty quick time of around 4.6 seconds.
To be able to deliver this Mahindra’s fully loaded SKD vehicle from India is available at R254 949 – a value-for-money feat all on its own. They are gearing to sell over 1 000 of these units per month from their assembly plant near King Shaka Airport.
I don’t think that market projection will not be far off the mark as this brand’s upwards momentum continues in the South African at a pace.
By Ian Groat
