Mahindra and Mahindra’s new 5 seater compact SUV, codenamed S201 has been confirmed for launch this financial year. What could be named as the XUV300 upon launch, has now been spied at one of the highest motorable roads in the world, at Khardung La in the Leh, Ladakh region.
Based on the European spec SsangYong Tivoli, the Mahindra XUV300 for India has been developed and re-engineered to suit domestic road and market conditions. The car was spotted going towards Nubra Valley.
Mahindra XUV300, a sub-compact SUV, will be positioned on the SsangYong X100 platform which is the same platform on which the Tivoli is based. The XUV300 could also borrow exterior features from Tivoli and XUV500 with projector headlamps with DRLs, a toothed front grille with a honeycomb mesh pattern, flared wheel arches, large alloy wheels and wing mirrors.
Being projected as an entry level compact yet premium SUV, the XUV300 will get decent interior features with automatic climate controls, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather wrapped steering wheel and push button start/stop feature. Ambient lighting, leather upholstered seats, reverse camera, a foldable rear seat and rear AC vents will also be among its interior features.
In terms of safety, the new XUV300 will comply with mandatory safety regulations as set by the Government of India. It will receive dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, ISOFIX child seat mounts and reverse parking sensors.
Mahindra XUV300 could be powered by both petrol and diesel engine options. The new 1.2 liter turbocharged petrol engine has been co-developed by Mahindra and SsangYong. This 1.2 liter TGDI petrol engine offers 100 bhp power and 150 Nm torque and gets mated to manual or automatic transmission. The 1.5 liter mHawk100 turbo diesel engine offers 100 bhp power and 240 Nm torque with transmission options that include a 5 speed manual or 5 speed AMT.
Set for launch by March 2019, the Mahindra XUV300 could be priced between Rs 7-10 lakhs and will compete against the Maruti Brezza and Tata Nexon.
