Mahindra XUV500 Gets A New Base Variant

Coming to the misses, you’ll notice that the base W3 variant doesn’t feature LED daytime running lamps or fog lamps. The chrome surround and inserts on the grille have been replaced by faux silver inserts. At the side, the W3 loses out on blacked out pillars and employs 17-inch steel wheels. Also the black cladding on the door pillars have been ditched as well. At the rear, apart from the deletion of the chrome surround around the number plate and rear wash wipe, there is nothing much different here.

Open the door and you’ll notice that the dual-tone interior has made way for an all-black theme with fabric seat upholstery. It also loses the premium soft touch material on the dashboard. Another major miss on the inside is the lack of an infotainment system as well which is present from the W5 variant onwards. In its place is a huge slab of plastic and a dummy volume knob which looks quite ungainly. However, this might mean that the company could offer the standard infotainment as an official accessory.

Thankfully, the XUV500’s W3 variant retains features such as the projector headlamps, remote entry and exit, manual AC with rear air-con vents, power windows all around and electrically adjustable mirrors. Safety features on the W3 variant include dual airbags, ABS with EBD and disc brakes on all four wheels.

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Powering the W3 XUV500 is a sole 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine option with micro-hybrid technology. The 2.2-litre m-Hawk produces 155PS and 360Nm of torque. The new variant only gets a 6-speed manual. It must be mentioned that the 2.2-litre m-Hawk engine is expected to make way for an all new 2.0-litre diesel engine when the BS6 norms kick in next year.

The addition of the new W3 variant makes the entry level XUV500 more affordable than its arch rival, the Tata Harrier, which is priced at Rs 12.70 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai). Mahindra aims to lure some potential customers away from the Harrier with a lower entry point, albeit with barebones features. It must also be mentioned that the XUV500 will take on the MG Hector, which will be unveiled on May 15. The Hector will be the first mid-size connected SUV to hit our roads and has already created quite a buzz for itself.

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