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Indian automaker, Mahindra, has been on quite a product offensive the last few years. Locally, we’ve seen the introduction of the revised KUV100 Nxt, the Scorpio Pik-Up, the XUV300, and, at the start of 2020, the new Scorpio Pik Up (minus the ‘Scorpio’ tag).
Of all its products, the XUV300 is perhaps the most impressive. A range of engines complete the line-up, all comprising both petrol and diesel.
As a whole, the car is well-specced and the little runner is even fitted with at least two airbags. The W8 models have seven airbags.
That is mighty good, to say the least. And this for a car retailing between R249 999 and R324 999 (more on this soon).
Global NCAP recently put the XUV300 through its paces in a crash test. Consumers the world over are very aware of the shortcomings in terms of safety on many Indian and Chinese vehicles, which does put a stain on how an automaker is perceived.
But forget all you know, because the XUV300 just stepped up its game.
Image: Oovuu
Impressive results
In the tests, the XUV300 scored an impressive five stars for adult safety, and four stars for child safety. Not only does this underline the fact that the XUV300 is perhaps the safest car Mahindra produced to date, but also the safest car to come from India.
David Ward, president and CEO of the Global NCAP programme said: “The XUV300 scored the highest combined crash test result of all the cars we’ve tested in India to date. We are delighted with this hugely positive outcome in our #SaferCarsForIndia campaign.”
DRIVEN: Mahindra's new XUV300 arrives in South Africa
The XUV300 used for the test was the entry-level model that’s equipped with two airbags. This would suggest that the more expensive models, the ones fitted with seven airbags, will perform substantially better.
In January, Mahindra South Africa also added two new models to its XUV300 range, one at either side of the price spectrum. A new W4 diesel model is the new entry-point to the range. Retailing from R234 999, the turbocharged 1.5-litre diesel engine produces 86kW and 300Nm. At the opposite end, the W8 Diesel ‘Black Leather” is the new top-of-the-range model, and uses the same engine as the W4. It retails for R334 999. Both models are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox.
