മഹേന്ദ്ര ക്വോന്തോ C8

Mahindra India is one of the most reputed and highly acclaimed automobile manufacturers in the Indian car market. This company is also one of the oldest car makers in the country and has been doing incredibly well, since they were established. This multinational car maker has introduced a new seven seater compact SUV, the New Mahindra Quanto, which was earlier being called as the mini Xylo in the lucrative Indian car bazaar. This new compact SUV is being offered in 4 variants with a powerful diesel engine, which is performance packed and gives a healthy mileage. This 1.5 litre diesel power train has a common rail fuel supply system and is cleverly mated with a smooth five speed manual transmission gear box . The company has also integrated quite a number of comfort features in this new compact SUV, which will certainly create an instant impact on the customers. Some of these highly developed and exciting features are an advanced music system with FM Radio and CD player for enhancing the in-cabin entertainment, power windows, remote central locking, rear defogger with a wash and wipe facility and many more such wonderful features, which will definitely add to the convenience of the driver. Then the company has also added some very crucial safety features to this compact SUV, which are expected to take good care of the vehicle as well as the passengers. The list of these protective features include driver and front co-passenger air bags, antilock braking system for enhanced braking, child safety locks and many more such essential features, which are surely going to impress the customers. The overall length of this compact SUV is just less than four meters and this makes it one of the smallest vehicles from the fearsome stables of Mahindra India.

Exteriors

This all New Mahindra Quanto C8 is the shorter and compact version of the massive Mahindra Xylo, which is a top selling multi utility vehicle in the country. This compact SUV is a tad bigger than any of the regular hatchbacks, which are prevalent in the Indian car bazaar and slightly lesser than any of the bigger SUVs. The frontage of this SUV is quite similar to the Mahindra Xylo, but the side profile as well as the rear end has been given some remarkable cosmetic changes. The front façade has a wide front radiator grille, which smartly done up with black colored vertical slats, while a large insignia of the company is embedded in the center. This grille is flanked by a large head light cluster that is powered by high intensity lamps for better visibility. Below the radiator grille is an aggressive body colored bumper, which has a wide air dam with horizontal slats that are black in color. This bumper has also been integrated with a couple of large fog lamps, which will certainly increase the visibility of the driver. The wind screen is quite large and has a pair of intermittent wipers fitted on it. The overall look from the front gives this New Mahindra Quanto C8 a typical aerodynamic stance and also makes it look muscular. The sides are lustrous with pronounced wheel arches, which have been fitted with sturdy alloy wheels. Then there are the body colored external rear view mirrors and the body colored door handles that add to the elegance of the exteriors. The rear end has a large windscreen that has a rear wash and wipe along with a defogger as well. The spare wheel is attached to the tail gate, which also makes this compact New Mahindra Quanto C8 appear more like a muscular sports utility vehicle.

Interiors

The interiors of this compact Mahindra Quanto C8 Diesel are done up tastefully with a comfortable seating arrangement. The two jump seats at the rear are a tad uncomfortable but these will be very good for the kids. Apart from the seating arrangements , most of the other interior features seem to be best in class and will certainly make an instantaneous impact on the buyers. All the seats are covered with premium upholstery that adds to the elegance of this compact SUV. The internal plastic surfaces are done up neatly and are smooth as high quality materials are used. The steering wheel, gear shift lever as well as the hand brake is wrapped in high quality leather that adds to the grace of this SUV. There is some chrome elements used in the interiors as well, which makes this Mahindra Quanto C8 Diesel suave and refined. The driver's seat is adjustable and all the seats have lumbar support as well, which will make the drive pleasurable. The instrument cluster is very bright and has quite a number of notification lamps along with the standard features such as the odometer, tripmeter, tachometer and many more. The air conditioning vents are placed strategically to provide comfort to all the rows and the controls are also very easy to handle. The central console has the music system and other controls with impressive back lights. There are quite a number of storage spaces all around this compact SUV with bottle holders in the doors, map pockets behind the front seats and other such small places for keeping things at hand including a large glove box as well.

Engine and Performance

The all New Mahindra Quanto C8 has been equipped with a 1.5 litre mCR100; Common Rail fuel supply system based diesel power train , which is complaint to all the norms of BS-IV. This engine has the capacity to displace close to 1493cc and has been equipped with three twin turbocharged cylinders as well. This impressive power plant has the capacity to generate a maximum power output of 98.98 Bhp at 3750 Rpm along with a hammering torque yield of 240 Nm at 1600 Rpm, which is quite good. This turbocharged power train has been mated with a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox. The mileage of this New Mahindra Quanto C8 dieselis said to be close to 17.21 Kmpl, which is quite fuel efficient and has been approved by the ARAI as well.

Braking and handling

This new compact SUV has been integrated with a very efficient braking system and a well balanced suspension mechanism for making it simpler to maneuver. The front wheels of this New Mahindra Quanto C8 Dieselhas been fitted with disc brakes , while the rear set of wheels get proficient drum type brakes. To enhance the braking system of this compact SUV , the company has also integrated it with an advanced ABS (antilock braking system) as well. On the other hand the front axle of this SUV gets a independent double wishbone type of suspension mechanism along with a coil spring, which also has an anti-roll bar. Whereas the rear axle of Mahindra Quanto gets a five bar link based coil springs for added comfort.

Safety Features

This New Mahindra Quanto C8 Diesel is the top end variant in the model lineup and the company has fitted it with some very significant as well as essential safety features. The list of these features include driver as well as the front side passenger airbags, a digital engine immobilizer to avoid thefts , middle and rear door child safety locks for added protection, front fog lamps for enhanced visibility, an intellipark rear assist system for simplified parking of this compact SUV and also a rear wash, wipe and defogger system for better visibility in the rainy season. All these put together makes this latest entrant, Mahindra Quanto a very sought after compact SUV.

Comfort Features

These include adjustable head rests, driver and front side passenger arm rest to add to the comfort, driver under seat storage, door trim with fabric inserts, a mobile charging point for the middle as well as the rear seats, a foldable snack tray, a couple of courtesy lamps, a sleek DDAS (digital drive assist system) with a toggle pad, a powerful air conditioning unit that cools the entire cabin very quickly, all four power windows with driver side express up-down with an anti-pinch function as well, central remote locking, a floor console with complete cubic printing, an integrated music system with various input systems and speakers along with a rod antenna and many more such remarkable features.

Pros

Powerful engine with good pickup and acceleration, good interiors and features.

Cons

Rear end jump seats uncomfortable for longer drives, not very spacious, mileage can be improved.