[SIZE=14px]Back in 2015, homegrown Eicher Motors signed a 50:50 joint venture with American manufacturer Polaris to develop an all-new vehicle, specifically designed for the Indian market. The new venture set out to produce an affordable but highly capable multi-purpose vehicle - the Multix.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=14px]The Multix is a 3-in-1 vehicle that can be used for business, family and for generating power. Yes, you read that right, the Multix is a mini-power station that can produce electricity for various applications. The Multix is for the person who wants an all-in-one vehicle for transporting goods as well carry five passengers in comfort. But the raison d’être of the Mutix is definitely the X-Port system, which is a driveshaft that is capable of transferring power from the engine to a generator that can power appliances like a water pump, a refrigerator or even some massive speakers for your own backyard EDM party! But let’s take a look at the Multix’s quirky yet appealing design first.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=14px]The Multix is unlike anything you’ve seen before. The design is unique yet sturdy and compact. The Multix was designed to carry a family of five along with luggage and cargo on the loading bay. The modular cabin on the MX+ variant gets doors and windows while the AX+ variant is just bare-bones with nothing except a roof to protect you from the elements. The tubular chassis can take a beating and the inner frame is sturdy enough to protect the occupants. On the MX+ variant we got to drive, the rear seats and windscreen could be removed using a few basic tools to increase the storage capacity. The clever design takes less than a couple of minutes to take apart and put back together.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=14px]Step inside and you are greeted to a very basic cabin. The seats are set high up and visibility out of the windscreen is really good. One unique feature of the Multix is the driver and front passenger’s headrest mounted on the roll cage. The only grouse I had with the Multix’s cabin was the pretty hard seats and the intrusion of the wheel well that robs you of some space to place your legs. The steering wheel is a non-adjustable, three-spoke unit and the gear knob is mounted on the dashboard within easy reach. This also frees up some space for a middle passenger although it is not advisable as there is no seatbelt or lap belt. The instrument cluster is simple and houses the speedometer, odometer, fuel and temperature gauges along with telltale lights for headlamp, indicator, engine check light and handbrake. The handbrake is positioned on the right side of the driver’s seat. There aren’t many storage spaces in the cabin apart from a cupholder on the right side of the dashboard and a lockable glovebox on the left. The Multix has been built to be affordable and to do this, the company decided to omit the air conditioner. However, a music system is available in the options list. Overall, the build quality is acceptable for the price you pay and I guess it can be hosed down just like you could on a Jeep Wrangler! [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=14px]Along with [USER="42"]CorsaVeloce[/USER], I was invited to drive the Multix at on a small obstacle course prepared by the good folks at the Off-Road Adventure Zone in Gurgaon. Now, some of you may know that Polaris makes some of the best all-terrain vehicles in the world. [USER="42"]CorsaVeloce[/USER] took part in the Rain Forest Challenge 2016 in the RZR 800 and even secured a trophy in the media category. Our expectation from the Multix was high and I must say that it didn’t disappoint us one bit. [USER="42"]CorsaVeloce[/USER] went on the course while I was running around taking pictures. From where I was standing, it was quite evident that the Multix’s suspension was developed to take everything that our rural roads could throw at it. Heck, the engineers designed an all-new suspension that they call Pro-Ride Suspension System which is basically an all-independent system like the ones you see in hardcore off-roaders. For added capability, the Multix has a high ground clearance of 172mm which should swallow the biggest speed bumps and craters that one generally finds on our roads these days.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=14px]I took the Multix for a spin soon after and realised that the Multix does not have power steering. But on the dirt track, that proved to be a blessing in disguise. The steering was pretty accurate and centres itself pretty quickly so much so that you don’t feel the need for a power assisted steering. It’s also got a very short wheelbase of 2005mm and shouldn’t be difficult to take three-point turns on a narrow street. I had a lot of fun chucking the Multix into corners and coming out sideways, albeit at much slower speeds than our in-house racer boy. The powerplant is a 652cc Greaves four-stroke engine with direct injection and meets BS IV norms. This engine produces 13.4PS of power and 37Nm of torque. The power is sent to the rear axles making the Multix quite fun to drive on the dirt and loose sand. While the power and torque were adequate with four passengers on-board, I am not sure how it would cope with five passengers and some cargo in the load bay. The good news is that the new engine now conforms to BS IV emission norms. The older BS III engine used to make 9.92PS and 27.1Nm of torque. However, not everything is hunky-dory with Multix MX+. Eicher-Polaris has equipped the Multix with drum brakes on all fours instead and in our test, we found the brakes to be inadequate. If it had a fair bit more bite to it, I think it would have stopped better.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14px]After the drive, we were shown a small demonstration of how the X-Port system works. The X-Port Unit and the Generator Set, both of which have to be bought separately, takes less than 5 minutes to connect. The company claims the system uses less than a litre of fuel to generate electricity for an hour. With a claimed fuel efficiency of 27kmpl and a fuel tank capacity of 11.5 litres, the Multix is very fuel-efficient too.[/SIZE] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23669[/ATTACH]
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[SIZE=14px]The Mutlix is a pretty versatile vehicle and from the looks of it, it is evident that the engineers have worked hard on getting the suspension, ride quality and powertrain right. I liked the way the Multix handles the dirt and how it performed on the obstacles. It would be a great tool for the rural customer where power shortages are quite common. The Multix will appeal someone who wants a set of wheels to get their family from Point A to Point B in relative comfort and return with the weekly shopping; the farmer who wants to carry his produce to the local market or use the X-Port System to power up a pump to water his fields. To make it a value-for-money product, Eicher-Polaris has given the BS IV variant a very attractive price tag too. At a pan-india price of Rs 3.19 lakh for the AX+ variant and Rs 3.49 for the MX+ variant, the Multix makes for a very comfortable and versatile load-lugger and people carrier. Eicher-Polaris has plans of setting up 150 exclusive showrooms for the ‘Multix' brand across the country and I wouldn’t be surprised if I start seeing a lot of them on our city and rural roads.[/SIZE]
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