Great value for money

Exterior Nice contemporary styling while original Merc lines still visible. Definite head turner on our roads. Impressive lighting system (LED plus halogens, etc), aggresive but sleek/stylish stance. Little extra chrome in front for my taste but overall not bad. Very large view area all around but blind spot on A pillar and side mirror junction.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Very comfortable to drive. Great viewing area all around except for blind spot as mentioned above. Driver seat fully electrically adjustable. Very comfortable. No fatigue on long drives. Did 3000km trip without any problem or any sort of ache or discomfort. Stereo pretty good with in built GPS, reverse cam but I would prefer a choice to upgrade. 4 speakers + 2 tweeters provided, option of adding 2 more available. Sun roof feature very good. Very nice & plush interiors. Extra Seat covers really not necessary. Good & very functional dashboard. Could have had some more features like digital fuel consumption, service time, etc. Even if provided as optional extra after fitting.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Auto transmission a bit sluggish. In manual mode gear box seem to have a mind of its own and does pretty much what it wants. While gunning in 1st gear, manual mode, gear box simply changes on its own. But once its settled on a steady 50kmph plus, car runs pretty silently. Engine noise audible again post 120kmph. Fuel economy as expected in a car of this size. On my road trip I got a 9.5km average overall. This is with 2 passengers & AC running. On the whole very easy to drive and for me graduating from a manual drive this car feels like a dream.

Ride Quality & Handling Steering a bit too soft (supposed to stiffen as speed increases). Makes city driving a breeze. Overall ride is very nice. Suspensions are sprung soft and takes on our roads without much problem. Speeds over 120-140 km recommended only if straight roads  are available. DO NOT try cornering or sharp high speed turns with this vehicle. Its not made for that. There is significant body roll even with all the bell whistles like ABS, Stabiliser, etc provided. Auto Cruise control feature is a great plus on the highway.

Final Words Great value for money. For all you budget purchasers like me, this is the closest you would come to a Merc M class for this price. Has all the features one finds in premium vehicles while staying within the 20 lakh price range. I imagine the manual version would be a great bargain. Fit and finish pretty impressive for Mahindra but can definitely improve. For example all doors dont shut the same. Needs adjusting. Looks classy enough even though the brand is still virtually unknown. Does not help that Mahindra is mysteriously silent about this car with almost zero publicity. I have had people of all types coming up to me asking about the car. First question, which company does this belong to!!! 

Areas of improvement Mahindra Service!!! I am very concerned that Ssangyong has not trained Mahindra service well enough. My car was delivered with a wheel alignment issue which was not rectified by Mahindra but by my local wheel alignment chap. Apart from that the car has been running without any issue. First service (10K Kms) is not yet done so I am crossing my fingers and hoping it comes back intact post that. Car could do with some more digital info systems on the dash. Accessories available are quite pathetic. Music system is a 2011 vintage and they could offer newer Kenwood systems even as options. Value for money is the USP Mahindra has adopted and they should exploit this further. Like by offering more after fitments to the consumer, etc.

Great value for money, good styling, comfortable ride & driving experience, feature rich.Gear box sluggish, last row seats only for small kids.