Mahindra XUV300 TurboSport review, first impressions - potent performer

Mahindra has been on a roll lately, it's just become India's largest SUV maker on the back of successes like the Thar, the XUV700 and now the Scorpio-N. But the XUV300 has been a consistent seller. It's always been pitched as a premium compact SUV with its space and specifications. Building on that, Mahindra has now debuted its smaller mStallion 130 motor in this SUV taking it right to the top of the performance tree.

Mahindra XUV300 TurboSport exterior, interior changes, features

Some minor visual changes accompany the XUV300's change of heart. It now gets this quite attention-grabbing dual-tone gold and black paint option. The twin peaks logo makes an appearance here while the chromed look of the standard XUV300 has given way to a meaner all-black look. So you get this black grille and lower airdam spruced up by these red highlights. The SUV remains largely untouched outside otherwise. So you have a more intentful look to go with the added performance. although the slightly disproportionate stance continues, corrected only by the XUV400 EV.

This sportier theme continues on the inside too. You get an all-black cabin with black leatherette upholstery and contrasting stitching, aluminium pedals. Again, this does feel like a step up from the beige and black look of the standard XUV300 but the slightly dated look and the questionable ergonomics of some of the switchgear remain. As always, space is one of the XUV300's strong suites and that continues here too.

Mahindra XUV300 TurboSport engine, driving impressions

Mahindra has thrown the kitchen sink at developing this mStallion family of engines as evidenced by our experiences with the Mahindra XUV700 and Scorpio-N. That continues with this smaller 1.2-litre three-cylinder too. With its 130Ps and 230 Nm, this motor is the most power and torque dense in this segment. There an over-boost function to increase torque output to 250 Nm that activates between the second and sixth gear at over 70 per cent throttle between 1,750 and 3,500 rpm. This gets the Mahindra XUV300 Turbosport from 0 to 100 kmph in 10.9s making it the quickest compact SUV in India. The SUV also returns 18.2 kmpl. The motor is paired only with a six-speed manual.

Some advancements made include a new turbocharger, a forced air intercooler, variable valve timing and direct injection. The motor is already compliant with the upcoming RDE norms and is also BS7 ready.

In our very short spin around the track, we found this new motor to be quite an exciting one. It revs quite briskly and there's an engaging build-up of performance throughout the wide powerband. There's even a noticeable spurt in urgency at around 3,000 rpm. It also happens to be quite refined with not too many vibrations and an intent tone. The steering and suspension tuning though don't seem all that different from a standard XUV300. So it should be great with its ride quality and general refinement but could do with a tauter steering and suspension tune.

Mahindra XUV300 TurboSport price, verdict

Prices for the XUV300 TGDi start at Rs 10.35 lakh, topping out at Rs 12.9 lakh which places it at the higher end of the compact SUV spectrum It is available in the top W6, W8 and W8(O) variants with features carried over from the standard XUV300 so its well-equipped, spacious, and from our fleeting experience, fairly good fun. An automatic option would have been fully completed the package.

Also read,

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