Comfortable ride in Mumbai traffic

 

I took a test drive of Mahindra Verito D4 in Mumbai on 30th May 2011. Here are my comments:

 

Exterior It’s all Mahindra now and they have removed Renault name and logo from the car. It gets Mahindra logo in the front, rear and on the center of steering wheel. Rear spoiler and appliqué looks posh and gives an image to the car. Body side mounting & cladding and roof rails gives enhanced looks though I feel that they are not required.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) No car in this category can beat the space Verito has. It had got ample headroom, legroom and shoulder space in the front and rear. Driving in Mumbai city traffic was really easy because of lots of driving leg space. Three adults can sit comfortably in the rear seat and they have one headrest for each of them which should help to make long journeys more relaxed.

Power window controls for front windows are on the centre console and for rear windows are in middle (behind the hand brake) but they are easily accessible to operate. A/C is powerful enough and the passengers at rear felt the cold air even at 2.

It has boot opener and fuel lid opener in the cabin but bonnet opener is on the front passenger side, it’s odd but it won't be used that frequently hence it’s ok.

Dash board is simple but informative. It has analogue tachometer but fuel and engine temperature indicators are digital on the LCD display. It also has on-board computer which displays Average fuel consumption, Average speed and Distance to empty. This is very useful for they who do frequent long journeys. There was no music system in the test drive vehicle.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox We drove in Mumbai city traffic for around an hour with A/C on but the fuel tank mark on the dashboard was showing empty!!! The dealer told that it has got around 8 liters of reserve and can go for another 100kms without refueling. I found the gear shifting very smooth. Clutch, brake and acceleration pedals were a bit hard but I guess they'll soften once used regularly.

 

Ride Quality & Handling I felt the power steering was hard but the dealer informed me its because the car is new and PDI is not done. It will improve after that. Otherwise the ride quality was really good, didn't feel and jerks while driving. Braking in traffic was very controlled.

 

Final Words Its spacious, runs well, suspensions are good. Overall it was a comfortable ride in Mumbai traffic. It’s a good attempt by Mahindra to get rid of Logan's taxi image. Mahindra will have to provide excellent after sales service if they want to make this car successful and not another taxi.

 

Areas of improvement Wipers turn from right to left. Some may find it odd!!! Top-end variant (D6) does not have USB enabled music system.

 

Spacious, Comfortable to drive, Good SuspensionsPower window controls, wiper direction