Mahindra recently launched their new subcompact SUV in the market. Called the XUV300, it has been priced at Rs. 7.90 lakhs for the base petrol model while the top end diesel variant retails for Rs. 10.80 lakhs. In its segment, the SUV competes with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford Ecosport and Tata Nexon among others.
Among these, the Ford Ecosport has been present in the market for the longest duration and is a fairly popular vehicle. It will also be one of the more serious rival to the XUV300 since it too is quite feature loaded and has powerful engine option. However, the question now is how do these two SUV compare to each other when it comes to road presence. For the same, here is a video by RIDER 3003 which shows both the SUV alongside each other.
While there is no doubt in the fact that the Ecosport is one good sub compact SUV, the XUV300 does have an advantage in terms of road presence. This can be attributed to the fact that it is the most fresh vehicle in the lot and also is the widest vehicle in the segment. Those straight lines and square face further make it look bigger than it actually is. Since the XUV300 is based on the Tivoli which is larger than 4 meters in length, it has got a similar big SUV stance despite being shortened to be under 4 meters. The XUV300 may look taller than the Ecosport in the video and pictures here, but in actual its the Ecosport which is more taller than the other.
The rear end of the XUV300 feels like things were done in a hurry by the time designers reached the rear end of the SUV. However, there is a good reason why the rear end looks a bit quirky. Mahindra chose to not cut down on the wheelbase when the Tivoli was being trimmed so as to make its length under 4 meters. This has led to the XUV300 getting a wheelbase that is the longest in the segment; though at the cost of the rear end looking a bit like it was abruptly shortened. Nonetheless, the LED tail lamps do brighten up things at night.
The XUV300 has a monocoque body as is the norm with new age SUVs. Mahindra has made sure that the new SUV does not fall short on any aspect and hence has loaded up the SUV with a host of features, including many segment firsts. This includes dual-zone climate control system, 7-airbags, disc brakes on all wheels and steering modes among others. Other features include cruise control system, sunroof, leather seats, touchscreen infotainment system, ABS+EBD and more. On the safety front, the XUV300 again comes with class leading features like 7 airbags, ABS+EBD, ESP, roll over mitigation, hill Hold, disc brakes on all four wheels, front parking sensors, rear parking sensors + camera, speed alert and seat belt reminder.
Talking of engine and transmission options, the Mahindra XUV300 is offered with both petrol and diesel engines. The petrol engine is a newly developed 1.2 liter-3 cylinder turbocharged unit that makes 110 Bhp of peak power and a class leading 200 Nm of peak torque.The diesel engine is a 1.5 liter-4 cylinder unit that puts out class leading outputs of 115 Bhp power along with 300 Nm torque. Both engines get 6 speed manual gearboxes as standard. AMT options for both engines will be made available later this year. The drivetrain configuration on the XUV300 is front wheel drive.
Mahindra offers the XUV300 in four variants – W4, W6, W8 and W8 (O), available across two variants. Though the XUV300 is priced at a slight premium over its competition, Mahindra has tried to justify the price tag by using class leading features and engines. It will be interesting to see now how the market of sub compact SUV takes shape now.
Also Read: 5 custom, modified Royal Enfield motorcycles