Mahindra XUV 700 or the Ssangyong Rexton has been showcased at the ongoing Auto Expo in Noida. The Rexton which was unveiled carried a Mahindra badge as we speculated and will be the flagship product of the company when launched. The XUV 700 car comes with a lot more premium package than the Mahindra cars and will be the perfect SUV to go against something like the Ford Endeavour and the Toyota Fortuner. The Rexton launched in India few years ago but could only manage a few thousand units. However, the Mahindra brand name will help it achieve bigger numbers due to the trust they have built in the SUV segment. It is still unclear if the car will be called Mahindra XUV 700 as rumoured or come with an all new name plate.
Features of the Mahindra XUV 700:
The new Mahindra XUV 700 (rumoured name for the Rexton in India) is a much more premium package than the other cars in Mahindra portfolio like the XUV 500. The design language is nothing like M&M cars and the build quality is absolutely top notch. On the front is a mature looking grille with some chrome garnish and HID headlamps. There are ventilated seats and an electric sunroof too which will give Mahindra XUV 700 a head start against the other cars in the segment.
Coming to the interiors, the cognac brown leather work on the original Ssangyong launched last year has been retained but we doubt if it will actually make it to the Mahindra XUV 700. There is a large touchscreen and dual zone climate control which take up the most of attention once inside. The leather seats are well cushioned and ventilated too like on the Verna. The quality of plastics is premium too and the switches have a nice feel to them.
Mechanically, the Mahindra XUV 700 gets a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine which makes 178 BHP and 420Nm of torque. There is another engine option on the Ssangyong Rexton – a 2.0 litre petrol making 222BHP but the likelihood of that coming to India is very low. These power figures put it right against the segment leader Fortuner which makes a peak power of 174BHP.
Ssangyong Rexton Mahindra XUV 700 Price India and Launch:
Mahindra XUV 700 Price in India is expected to be lower than that of the Fortuner and Endeavour by up to 4 Lakh Rupees and we won’t be surprised if Mahindra manages to put a price tag closer to 22 Lakhs on the Ssangyong Rexton. Both the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour are priced around 25.65-26.57 Lakhs in the Indian car market. The previous generation Rexton too was a great SUV by any standard but the unfamiliar brand name of Ssangyong kept the customers away. Now when the car will carry a Mahindra badge, the customers will not be worried about maintenance and after sales service. The Mahindra XUV 700 is expected to launch in 2018 itself and will try to be a more value for money car in the segment something like what XUV 500 did in the 12-18 Lakh price bracket.
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