COMPACT SUV MAHINDRA QUANTO

 COMPACT SUV FROM MAHINDRA and MAHINDRA QUANTO.

Mahindra and Mahindra who is known for manufacturing SUVs for the Indian car bazaar have turned its way a bit. Seeing the demand in the market, Mahindra is ready to tap into the small car market with the shorter version of its most prominent MPV, Mahindra Xylo. The new mini Xylo, codenamed ‘U203’ which was later on christened as Mahindra Quanto is Mahindra’s new armament against the B+ hatchback segment and entry level sedans. Mahindra Quanto also gets the honor of becoming the first ever sub-four-meter MPV in the country. The basic design of the car is pretty similar to Mahindra Xylo which the car is spawned on. The similar ladder-frame body frame is seen in Quanto as well. Under the bonnet, the compact SUV holds an altered version of diesel motor along with same suspension system and analogous interiors. The 1.5L diesel engine here is be coupled with five speed manual gearbox that would pushes the car in delivering an awesome performance on road.

The looks of the car are be as appealing as Mahindra Xylo MPV and gives the middle row passenger same happy legs feeling that Xylo offered. Mahindra Quanto borrowed the body-on-ladder chassis from its sibling Xylo and the chassis was compacted suitably to make it fit under the 4 meters in length, which makes the car take advantage of the excise duty subsidy Indian government has allotted to the sub-four meter vehicles. The wheels have also gone smaller to 15” from the 16” wheels seen in Mahindra Xylo MPV. The ride and handling of Mahindra Quanto is  enhanced and would give great acceleration and pickup. The interiors of the new Mahindra Quanto will be comfortable and loaded with numerous advanced features. The car would be able to adjust seven adults with utmost ease. The car might appear to be a bit cramped, but seven people will be happily adjusted into the car. The seats would be upholstered with high quality fabrics, while the power steering would make the driving absolutely easy for the driver. The power windows will also be present along with high performing air cooling system with AC vents that are well-spread. With such competitive price range and appealing looks, the car certainly has a big competition that it is going to face in the Indian car bazaar.  The major challenger of Mahindra Quanto will turn out to be Maruti Ertiga, which has been roaring with success these days.

It is very important for any car to deliver high mileage. Every manufacturer in India very well knows that India is a mileage driven country, therefore one has to be sure that their cars manage to deliver a decent mileage. The Mahindra Quanto, which is a shortened version of Mahindra popular MPV, Xylo is blessed with 1.5L twin turbo-charged CRDi diesel mill known as mCR100 which is able to produce about 100bhp of peak power along with 240Nm of torque. The engine comes coupled with a five speed manual transmission that would assist the car in delivering 17.21kmpl of whooping fuel economy that makes the car low-maintenance and gives this compact SUV a value for money quotient.

Mahindra Quanto appears to be an impressive vehicle. Mahindra was infact very hush hush about this vehicle before the vehicle was launched in the market the world was just speculating about its specifications. Mahindra Quanto is bestowed with a toned down version of mHawk diesel engine which is comparatively lighter in weight and manages to churn out decent power of 100bhp power and 240 Nm of torque. The five speed manual transmission united with this engine delivers good performance on road.

Quanto which was earlier known to the world as Mini Xylo as the name suggests is the compact verison of Mahindra India’s MPV Xylo. Mahindra Quanto is designed and developed on the Mahindra India’s sturdy, tried and tested as well as highly successful Ingenio platform which it shares with Xylo MPV. The Quanto is spawned on the body -on-ladder chassis that the Indian auto major reduced to fit the bill and get this utility vehicle under sub-four metre vehicle zone. Getting the vehicle under 4 meters has helped Mahindra to get the excise duty benefits which has helped the company to price it pretty competitively to take a dig at the diesel hatchback buyers as well as entry level sedan consumers.

Now since this compact SUV is built on Xylo’s platform, no doubt it will make you remember its inspirer and to be true the front fascia is just a pinch different from the facelift version of Xylo, one can say that things have just been refined to appeal to the potential consumers. One look won’t be enough to realize the difference, only when you dig deeper you get to notice that the ‘V’ bonnet has been retouched and there is a new lip that has been added above the toothy smiley grille. The front fascia has been turned modish with trendy fog lamps and sporty roof rails. Although the wheel size has been decreased from 16” to 15” in Quanto, the car still sits tall and gets a bit inelegant, seems like Mahindra was looking for comfort than design and appeal. The Quanto gets all new D pillars, wrapped around tail lamps and the there is spare wheel that is surmounted on the tail gate at the rear end which fulfills the mini-SUV philosophy. Moving towards the rear end the similarities between Xylo and Quanto are numerous, just the tail of the compact SUV is different where the Xylo’s large rear windows and bumper has been replaced with the quarter glass and the overhanged spare wheel tyre.

The engine of Mahindra Quanto is one of the most interesting engine of today’s time. The sub 1.5L diesel engine is not a newfangled engine in Mahindra’s engine line-up rather it is the toned down version of the 2.2L mhawk diesel engine. The mini Xylo will be blessed with a new diesel engine made with aluminum. Apparently, this engine has be made BS V ready and would be BS VI complaint with just few alterations. The engine uses double-overhead camshaft setup along with a common rail developed by Bosch.The new engine here weighs about 65kgs less as compared to the MDiCRDe motor and produces peak power of100bhp at the rate of 3750rpm along with 240Nmof maximum torque at the rate of 1600-2800rpm. The engine here is smartly coupled with five speed manual transmission that makes it more dynamic and robust.
The braking and handling of Mahindra Quanto is impressive. The braking system comprises of dynamic and responsive brakes along with advanced features like anti lock braking system (ABS). This will prevent the wheels from locking up in case immediate brakes are applied and avert the vehicle from skidding. The handling of the car is supported by a good suspension system along with electrically assisted power steering wheel.

Mahindra Quanto Variants

Variants	Transmission	Engine Description	Mileage		Power	AC	Power Steering	Central Locking
			City	Highway
C2 (Diesel)	Manual	1493cc 3 Cylinder 12 Valve	13.8	17.21	100bhp @ 3750 rpm	Standard	Standard	Not Available
C4 (Diesel)	Manual	1493cc 3 Cylinder 12 Valve	13.8	17.21	100bhp @ 3750 rpm	Standard	Standard	Not Available
C6 (Diesel)	Manual	1493cc 3 Cylinder 12 Valve	13.8	17.21	100bhp @ 3750 rpm	Standard	Standard	Standard
C8 (Diesel)	Manual	1493cc 3 Cylinder 12 Valve	13.8	17.21	100bhp @ 3750 rpm	Standard	Standard	Standard

Mahindra Quanto Variants Price

Mahindra Quanto prices were updated on 20 Sep 2012

Variants	New Delhi	Bangalore	Mumbai	Chennai	Pune	Hyderabad	Kolkata
C2 (Diesel)	5,99,764	6,08,910	5,81,882	6,11,774	5,81,950	6,06,760	6,22,986	Get On Road Price
C4 (Diesel)	6,53,612	6,63,715	6,34,674	6,66,579	6,34,743	6,61,565	6,77,856	Get On Road Price
C6 (Diesel)	7,05,573	7,16,600	6,85,660	7,19,464	6,85,729	7,14,450	7,30,780	Get On Road Price
C8 (Diesel)	7,57,322	7,69,270	7,36,439	7,72,134	7,36,508	7,67,120	7,83,489	Get On Road Price