This update has debuted in South African XUV300 and will make it to India as well
Mahindra XUV300 is a B-segment SUV which is a chopped-up version of a SsangYong Tivoli which is 200 mm longer. Tivoli is the name of an Italian village and the company specifically chose that name because it spells “I Love It” when reversed. I know it doesn’t exactly translate to Tivoli. Hey, I didn’t name it.
Mahindra XUV300 is a chopped-up Tivoli and Tivoli, in turn, is a chopped-up version of Tivoli XLV MPV. We can’t say whether SsangYong and Mahindra are fans of movie Inception or not. But what we can say is that Mahindra, parent to SsangYong sells Tivoli and its versions in various markets globally. One such market is South Africa and XUV300 sold there, recently got an updated infotainment screen which is also expected to make it to India.
2022 Mahindra XUV300 Touchscreen
The South African XUV300 now gets an updated infotainment screen which is better in every single way. According to the company, it gets a bigger screen, a higher resolution screen and a better processor to give wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In our earlier post, we discussed in detail how processors control automotive features.
Mahindra XUV300 used to get a relatively small 7” touchscreen infotainment system with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. With the new update, the screen has been bumped up to 9” and it now gets features like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. All the other features that the car used to get with the earlier system are carried over with this new update.
Mahindra has also thrown in a set of new wheel designs. But they are not a standard fitment. But users can choose them as an optional extra. The old wheel designs are still offered as standard with the car and are also sold as an optional extra alongside the new wheels.
Launch & Competition
Mahindra XUV300 is one of the safest cars that is currently on sale in India. It has quite a polarizing design and misses on key important features like rear AC vents and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. XUV300 might not be as high selling as Tata Nexon but it generated around 5,000 unit sales in May 2022 which is 1/3rd of the figures of Nexon.
This new update is also expected to make it to the Indian model. But Mahindra hasn’t revealed a timeline yet. When launched, we can expect a slight price bump and will compete with segment leader Tata Nexon and others like Kia Sonet, upcoming Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Toyota Urban Cruiser and the newly launched Hyundai Venue.
For the price, it gets a lot of features that are not found in the segment. Some of them are all wheel disc brakes, dual zone climate control, 7 airbags, adjustable steering weight and feedback and is also the widest SUV of all. Mahindra is also expected to bring an electrified version of XUV300 with Tivoli’s original dimensions of 4.2 metres and will compete with highest selling EV in India, Nexon EV and Nexon EV Max.