Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) is all set to launch its all-new MPV this month. Better known by its project name Ingenio, the M&M MPV was recently christened Xylo, a short and recently christened Xylo, a short and hi-tech sounding brand name. The Xylo is M&M’s most important model since the Scorpio, the company’s first grounds-up product that was designed and developed completely in-house. The Scorpio, went on to become a huge success and M&M is looking for a repeat performance. According to Dr. Pawan Goenka, president, automotive sector, M&M, The Scorpio was a first for us and was part of a steep learning curve. With the Xylo we have incorporated all the key learnings from the Scorpio project and we are confident of the result.”
The Xylo is M&M’s first crack at the MPV segment and according to the company was designed from inside out’. Class-leading interior space was set as the main objective and after defining the interior dimensions and after defining the interior dimensions, the body was designed. The body-on-frame chassis is completely new and has a long wheelbase to generously accommodate three rows of seats. M&M has been up the chassis to improve torsional rigidity in the interests of ride and handling. The suspension is quite conventional for cars in this class with an independent set-up in the front and a coil-sprung non-independent live axle at the rear. A four-wheel-drive option will be available at a later stage which is, according to the company, is a pre-requisite for any Mahindra product. M&M is proud of its 4x4 roots and wants this to be an integral part ot its DNA. Tough there are not many takers for 4x4 in India, it will make the Xylo unique as it will be the only MPV in the country to come with all wheel drive.
The Xylo has been styled completely in-house and is unmistakably a Mahindra, carrying an imposing grille which is a key element of M&M’s family look. Our artist impression shows us that a more stylised version of the Scropio’s grille has been used and the lights look swoopier than on the SUV. And, as you can see from the spy pictures of the Xylo, the lights at the rear are quite striking too. The Xylo clearly has an MPV silhouette with a cab-forward design. However, unlike the Innova which is more of an urban player, the Xylo has been designed to exude a ruggedness not seen in MPVs before.
The interiors is where M&M’s engineers have spent a lot of time. Taking the Innova as the benchmark, the Xylo is said to be considerably more spacious in every dimension, especially in the third row. Also, the Xylo will come with a lot of gizmos and equipment which is always a plus in a vehicle that is intended for a family use. What remains to be seen is whether the Xylo can match the quality of the Xylo can however has been working hard to ensure that the fit and finish of the interior is of the high standards. Powering the Xylo will be the same 2.6 CRDe engine seen in the Scorpio. However, for the MPV it has been de-tuned to 110bhp in the interests of better fuel economy. The gearbox too is carried over from the Scorpio. Future engine options could include the hi-tech mHawk engine that powers the top-end Scorpio and a basic, lower-powered but more fuel-efficient engine to cater the taxi and rural markets.
Readers have sent in constant stream of disguised prototypes of the Xylo from all over the country, an indication of the long testing and validation programme the M&M MPV has been put through. The suspension has been fine-by Lotus Engineering in the UK to achieve the best balance between ride and handling. M&M knows it is up against the Innova’s formidable reputation of quality and reliability delivers a hassle-free ownership experience.
The company is planning to launch the Xylo by the end of this year with a single engine option with multiple trim levels in the Rs. 7-8 lakh price range. M&M’s plans is to undercut the Innova in a bid to sway buyers towards what it believes is a better value for money product. Will customers byte? If the success of the Scorpio is anything to go by, then the Xylo competition should be worried.