After rebadging and restyling, albeit slightly, the SsangYong Rexton and launching it as the Alturas G4 earlier this year, Mahindra has pulled off the same trick to create an all-new compact SUV. The new model is called XUV300. Up until now, it was known in the automotive world with its codename S201. It will be launched in the first half of February 2019 and will become the third all-new product from the homegrown automaker in the ongoing fiscal year.

No points for guessing, the Mahindra XUV300 will follow the same footsteps as the XUV500. But in a smaller package. Like the XUV500, the XUV300 is underpinned by a monocoque chassis and features cheetah-inspired design and agility. In fact, it rides on the same platform that does duty in the SsangYong Tivoli, a product which is quite popular in 50+ countries across the globe and has been on sale since 2015.

To create its latest compact SUV, Mahindra took the SsangYong Tivoli, shaved-off nearly 200mm in length, restyled the front and the rear and slapped on the XUV300 tag. Apart from that, Mahindra also worked to strike a perfect balance between cost-effectiveness and a feature-rich package. The company claims that the XUV300 will have “first-in-class hi-tech features, best-in-class safety and class-leading interiors.”

Mahindra has confirmed that the XUV300 will be offered with dual LED DRLs and LED-powered taillamps. However, the images released confirmed that the SUV will also come with an electric sunroof, rear parking sensors, roof rails, rear spoiler, rear-mounted antenna, front and rear fog lamps, rear disc brakes, ABS with EBD, turn indicators on OVRMs and a dual-tone interior. The list of features is likely to include 7 airbags, dual-zone climate control, ISOFIX anchorages, 17-inch alloy wheels, HID headlamps and a large touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support.

The Mahindra XUV300 will be available with both petrol and diesel engines. The latter is likely to be the same mill that debuted with the Mahindra Marazzo earlier this year. In the MPV, the 1.5-litre turbo-diesel puts out 123PS/300Nm and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. If the XUV300 gets the engine in the same state of tune, it will become the most powerful diesel-powered SUV in its segment. To avail the full benefits of the tax incentives based on car classifications in India, the XUV300 is likely to borrow the 1.2-litre petrol engine from the KUV100.

Neither of the engines is BS6-compliant but will be updated to meet the stricter emission norms by April 2020. At the time of launch, the only transmission option on offer will be a 6-speed manual. Mahindra will introduce an automatic unit but that is expected to happen alongside the engine update process for BS6 norms.

In terms of rivals, the Mahindra XUV300 will compete with the likes of the Honda WR-V, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon and the king of the segment – the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. It is possible that higher variants of the XUV300 take a swing on the mid-range variants of the Hyundai Creta. So, Mahindra is trying to aim for two targets with one bullet? You bet!

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Rachit Shad Trehan
A car nutter by heart. A hopeless engineer by education. Gunning for one goal - simplify cars.

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