We brought you the review of the Mahindra XUV300 last month when we drove it in Goa. And if you read our review, you will know that we were quite impressed with it. The diesel engine is impressive, drives well and is refined too and we quite expected this knowing that it is the same motor that does duty in the Marazzo MPV. So all that was left to see was if the petrol engine could match up to the brilliant diesel. This review will only talk about the Mahindra XUV300 petrol driving experience. To read our detailed XUV300 review, click here.
The Mahindra XUV300 petrol uses turbocharged version of the 1.2 litre 3 -cylinder petrol engine from the KUV100. It develops a 110 horsepower that comes in at 5,000 rpm and 200 Nm of max torque. Like the diesel, the petrol too gets a 6 speed manual gearbox. When you start the car, you immediately notice how refined the engine is at idle, considering this a 3 pot unit. Mahindra seems to have done a lot of work in this respect. When you start off driving, there is a lag, obviously because it’s a turbo, but things get better once you cross 1800 rpm. The turbo kicks in after 2200 rpm and there is a power surge with a nice mid range. Power delivery is smooth till the revs near 5000 rpm mark, after which is starts to taper off. Just like the diesel, the clutch is light and the shifts are smooth. Along with the light steering, it is easy to drive in city traffic and the compact dimensions make things better. There are the steering modes too and the differences in the various modes was felt in the petrol more than the diesel.
The Mahindra XUV300 petrol comes across as a very competitive package. While the diesel would still be the pick of the two due to the power, the petrol does have a lot going for it. The performance is good and the engine is refined too and if your daily running isn’t much, the petrol will suit you perfectly. Plus, the petrol variants are priced. To summarise, the Mahindra XUV300 petrol surely exceeded our expectations and worth a look at if you are shopping for a petrol compact SUV.
Mahindra XUV300 petrol photo gallery:
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