Mahindra is always at the front when it comes to the utility vehicle market in India. Mahindra Xylo, when launched, got a huge popularity but with other manufacturers getting into the competition, sales of the Xylo dropped. So, Mahindra got back to the drawing board for a new vehicle, this new shark inspired MUV is called the Marazzo.
Exteriors - The overall design has been done by Mahindra’s North American division. The headlights look small and the tail light looks large in comparison with the overall body of the vehicle. Proper shoulder lines along with rear chrome treatment and signature Mahindra grille makes the Marazzo a beautiful looking utility vehicle. The vehicle is offered with 6 colour options and lots of accessories are also available.
Interiors - As soon as you enter the vehicle, you are welcomed by a massive dashboard. The piano black centre console houses a 7-inch touchscreen which is a premium touch to the car but the design on the left side of the dashboard may not be to your liking. There are plenty of storage places in the car but accessing them is quite a difficult task. Small things, when kept in storage space on the top of the dashboard, are not visible properly. The cupholder space is difficult to access due to the armrests. The space for the water bottle in the rear door is accessible only after opening the doors.
The seats offer good under-thigh support. The legroom and headroom are more than enough even in the third-row. The car features an overhead cooling system for efficient cooling. The seats can be folded to accommodate extra luggage. The car comes with passenger window blinds, LED DRLs, projector headlamps, instrument cluster with a multi-information display in the centre and ISOFIX child mount seats. The touchscreen comes with Android Auto but misses out on Apple CarPlay. The major features which the Marazzo misses out on are keyless entry, engine start/stop button and an auto-dimming IRVM. The AC controls and switches on steering are carried over from other Mahindra vehicles.
Performance - There is an all-new 1.5-litre diesel engine which makes 121 BHP and 300 Nm of torque. The power delivery is very smooth, the mid-range is good but the engine lacks top end punch. However, the NVH levels of the vehicle are very impressive. The 0-100 km/hr run takes 15.29 seconds but don’t forget the 1600 kgs kerb weight of the vehicle.
The transmission on the Marazzo is a 6-speed manual gearbox. The clutch on the vehicle is light but an automatic transmission would be a better option for the heavy city traffic conditions. On paper, the ARAI mileage is 17.3 km/l but in the real-world conditions, it is around 11 km/l. The ECO mode on the car decreases the output of the vehicle to just 100 BHP but does not increase the fuel efficiency drastically.
Driving Dynamics - The Marazzo is a body-on-frame MPV but the engine sends power to the front wheels. The car understeers a lot along with massive body roll. The car absorbs almost all the potholes and bumps with ease and it is nicely stable even at high speeds. The brakes are good thanks to all four-discs and ABS. However, there a slight amount of nose dive while braking.
Safety and After Sales Service – The car is equipped with dual front airbags and ABS. But Mahindra should have provided six airbags as an option. However, there will be no problem in servicing the vehicle and getting spares because Mahindra has a good network of service centres all around the country.
