Fourth Mahindra The Best Yet For Pat
Townsville’s Pat Smith considers his XUV500 his best Mahindra yet, and as he’s now on his fourth one, he’s something of an authority on the subject.
The stylish new 2.2 litre turbo diesel 7-seater is Mahindra’s fiercely competitive leap into the popular mid-size SUV market, and the most sophisticated design yet for a brand which is rapidly gaining the interest of savvy vehicle buyers like 61-year-old Pat.
“I first had a Mahindra as a work ute to run round in, out of town, or to run up to Charters Towers and I thought, you know, these things aren’t too bad,” says Pat.
That was then, and since then Pat’s had three four-wheel-drives, including a dual cab he drove right to the tip of Cape York and back, and now the XUV500.
“I don’t need a ute for work anymore so I thought I’d try a bit of luxury, and boy, is it luxury. Tony (Mahindra’s National Aftersales Manager) told me how good they were and I thought, ‘yeah, you hear this all the time’, so I tried it for myself and it was great.”
With its leather seats, chilled centre console, sat-nav, 6 airbags, six-inch multimedia display and much, much more, the XUV500 is redefining the customer’s expectations of just how many features can fit into a circa $30K price point.
Both in Australia and around the world, the exceptional interest in India’s first global SUV has led to sales of more than 75,000 XUV500s in just over two years, and prompted Discovery Channel’s film ‘Inside Out’ on the making of the Mahindra XUV500.
“I’ve just come back from a 4500-kilometre trip in the SUV ,” enthuses Pat, “and I just love it. It’s so comfortable to drive and gets terrific fuel economy from a 74-litre tank. I was about to fill up at 979 kilometres and pressed that dial to find I still had 112 to empty!”
“The best thing to me is the 6-speed box, most others in the class are 5-speeds and it made a big difference, that’s where the fuel economy comes from I’m sure!”
“I like all the features like the reversing camera, the side steps and nudge bars, and I use the GPS all the time. The blue tooth connectivity is very handy, being able to talk on the phone without taking your hands off the wheel, and the cruise control I use all the time.”
“For handling, I give it 9 out of 10, after the trip I just had, I found it excellent. I drove from Townsville down to Brisbane and then on to Singleton to see the grandkids, and myself and my wife were quite comfortable. The leather seats are very good.”
“My daughters were impressed and both would buy one tomorrow if there was an auto. One owns a Dodge and she couldn’t get over how roomy the Mahindra was inside. You don’t realise until you get inside.”
Pat is so impressed by all of his Mahindras that he’d happily put his money where his mouth is. “If I had enough money I’d open an agency in Townsville and I’d sell Mahindras by the truckload. I’ve used them for 4WDing and everything in pretty rough country, and I’m impressed with what they can do. I’ll definitely be curious to see how the new Genios go.”
“When I drove the 4WD to The Cape it never missed a beat and I found it very well geared for the sand and mud and everything. One time I found this V8 Land Cruiser bogged and I went right down the side of him and got through. Then I asked him if he wanted me to pull him out… He wouldn’t let me!” laughs Pat.
All Mahindra Vehicles feature a leading 3 year / 100,000 kilometre warranty with free roadside assist
Speak to your nearest dealer today to book a test drive 1300 696 244
Who is Mahindra?
The Mahindra Group employs 180,000 people in over 100 countries and has an annual turnover of US$16.7 billion. Mahindra Group is made up of companies involved in automotive, aerospace, agricultural, defence, energy, industrial, logistics, consulting, real estate and steel industries. The Group also has a controlling interest in SsangYong Motor Company in Korea.
Between April 2011 and March 2012, (Mahindra’s Fiscal Year), M&M sold 235,452 tractors worldwide. Mahindra is the Worlds No 1. Tractor company in the world by volume.
The Group rates in the Forbes Global 2000 top company list and Dun & Bradstreet listed the Mahindra Group as the leading automotive company in India’s top 500 companies. It’s also currently the only automobile manufacturer in the top 10 in India’s Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.
Mahindra Automotive Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Mahindra Ag and Auto Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, based in Brisbane. The company has dealer network of over 70 dealers across AG and Auto segments in Australia and New Zealand.
Capex
Over the next three years, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd will invest approximately $2 Billion AUD on capital expenditure, setting up a new production plant and launching several brand new vehicles. As part of overall capex, the company is developing two new vehicle platforms for brand new products which will hit the market around FY 2016. The company is also working on six new engines out of which three be from Mahindra and three from its subsidiary, Ssangyong.