Mahindra & Mahindra is all set to enter the premium SUV space of India rivaling the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. The model for the mission will be rebadged SsangYong G4 Rexton and the Mahindra version of the SUV has already been showcased at the Auto Expo 2018 in February.
It was reported that Mahindra is planning to launch the new SUV in the upcoming festive season and testing is currently in full swing. Now a video posted on YouTube by Prabhat Sharma shows the SUV in action on a public road. The Mahindra SUV has been spotted near Nashik and it also has MH number plate.
The new SUV has been widely touted with the names XUV700 or simply Mahindra Rexton. However, International Business Times, India learns that Mahindra will be using a new alphanumeric name for the new SUV.
The Mahindra SUV in the spy video has SsangYong G4 Rexton's grille and the logo has been masked. The production version, on the other hand, will get toothy-grille upfront with a chrome finish in line with company's design ethos along with Mahindra logo right at the center.
The SUV features upmarket design and massive road presence. It looks massive in line with the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. The angular bumpers, newly designed wrap-around headlamps, sleek tail lamps and larger alloy wheel accentuates the muscular feel of the SUV in addition to the black body claddings. The prominent character lines on the side and the thick C-pillars give a lot of character to the new Mahindra SUV.
The interior of the SUV will feature premium additions such as dual-tone dashboard with black and brown finish, 9.2-inch HD touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 7.0-inch LCD instrument cluster, cooled seats, Nappa leather upholstery, a smart tailgate, and others.
The rebadged SsangYong Rexton as Mahindra SUV is expected to draw power from a 2.2-litre diesel engine that develops 187hp of power and 420Nm of torque mated to a seven-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox. The new SUV is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 27 to Rs 32 lakh.