[Maninder Anand]

Nice review, accompanied with pics, which cover almost every nook and corner! I especially like the way the rear seat can be folded to increase the storage area in this multipurpose vehicle, to nearly 4.5 times, and that too in 2 minutes flat. Front bench seat ensures that it can fit in more people, while simultaneously carrying enough load at the back. The X-port increases its capabilities even further. Named very aptly...seems like the beginning of a new segment!

[turbospooler]

If anyone has any idea, how much fuel is burnt per liter to generate the rated 3kW?
One can estimate the running costs for the same.

[arunkumarsarat]

Originally Posted by turbospooler

If anyone has any idea, how much fuel is burnt per liter to generate the rated 3kW?
One can estimate the running costs for the same.

The Hindustan Times reports that the "unit is capable of generating 3KV of electricity for 12 hours on a full tank of diesel".

Our review mentions that the tank has a capacity of 11.5 liters. The maths can now be done.

[apachelongbow]

very apt vehicle for Indian rural, semi urban businesses. Makes a lot of economic sense to have a load carrier, people mover and power generator unit rolled into one, at a cheap price, which also manages to look good!!
If I had a farm, I would have bought a couple to transport, produce to the market, get raw materials (fodder, fertilizer), work equipment and also transport farm hands to fro.

[mallumowgli]

Very innovative product. Lots of utility value too

Originally Posted by Aditya

[*]The Multix is positioned as a personal utility vehicle and at present, can be registered with white number plates only (private registration, not commercial).

Any specific reason for this? Maybe once the sales pick up they will include commercial registration also - will give a stiff fight to the Ace as the last miler

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Any specific reason for this? Maybe once the sales pick up they will include commercial registration also - will give a stiff fight to the Ace as the last miler

Eicher Polaris didn't say why they have done this. But, they have not ruled out adapting the vehicle to different demands with time.

[Chethan B G]

Excellent review! Thanks!!

This can be a very good family utility vehicle in rural India. This should sell in good numbers. Expect prices to go up.

One question: Is the engine capacity adequate for the rated payload?

[anoop_lamba]

A true all rounder indeed.

For people who have any doubts related to engine capacity / power figures, following are the figures for some goods carrier which we see daily on roads effectively and efficiently carrying good amount of loads (at comparatively lower speeds though):

- Ace Zip/Iris - 611 cc - 11 bhp
- Piaggio Porter 600 - 511 cc - 10 bhp
- Mahindra Gio - 441 cc - 9 bhp

It would be unfair to compare the cc/power of this segment with passenger car segment values.

[Bh.P]

I am not clear on the "white board" registration only concept.
The usage of this vehicle seems to be more for carrying some amount of goods. Even if I am a small businessman, and carry goods for my own business, it will still need me to have a commercial permit with yellow board, correct? I cannot us it for my business if this vehicle is on a white board. I can only carry people on it, for personal purposes.

[nareshov]

Originally Posted by dhawcash

...
Although the hanging headrests - I fail to see the design logic behind that. Front seats wont be adjustable I guess?

It's probably fixed so as to add support to the glass behind it when you push down the rear bench to extend the cargo area.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Very innovative product. Lots of utility value too

Any specific reason for this? Maybe once the sales pick up they will include commercial registration also - will give a stiff fight to the Ace as the last miler

Wishful thinking to challenge the Ace when the vehicle is equipped with wishbone suspension. High capacity loading warrants leaf springs and that is precisely why the Ace is holding its own in the market. Mahindra rivalled the Ace with their Maximo but it couldn't make difference due to it's suspension layout that doesn't complement in carrying heavy loads.

[Dieselritzer]

Hi, this vehicle looks very quirky, but i think its a practical vehicle for distributors to do door to door retail deliveries. Might be Flipkart/Amazon type companies might find it useful.

I have an observation, isnt the pedals and the steering a bit off aligned? From the pics i see the pedals a lot to the left of the steering, or might be its just in the pics that it is looking like this.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Wishful thinking to challenge the Ace when the vehicle is equipped with wishbone suspension. High capacity loading warrants leaf springs and that is precisely why the Ace is holding its own in the market. Mahindra rivalled the Ace with their Maximo but it couldn't make difference due to it's suspension layout that doesn't complement in carrying heavy loads.

Yes, that's why I mentioned last miler - carrying eggs, milk packets, corrugated boxes and many such where the Ace is over-specified, so to say!

[peterjim13]

Very happy to see a new segment altogether. It is infact a very neat looking car. Imagine they came with the rugged tractor like treaded tires we used to see on Polaris- it might look awesome.

A quick question here : Is there any way that the manufacture can insist on the registration of the vehicles they make. No taxi - is the from the Manufacturer or the Govt.

Comparing it with the Tata Magic - Iris, there should have been another version with a larger seat config. Was there any 7 seaters of the car on display.

[srishiva]

If its mechanically sound as it looks to be, its a great vehicle for rural areas. Think about all the accessories you can buy/fit.

I just hope the engine is not the one that I think Greaves Auto or some vehicle had which would emit black clouds with incredible amount of vibration.