[parrys]

Mahindra has launched the SsangYong Rexton in India. This is the first vehicle out of the Mahindra's year-old synergy with Korean auto manufacturer SsangYong.



Price: Ex-Showroom Mumbai

• Rexton Rx5 MT (TOD) : 17.67 Lacs
• Rexton Rx7 AT (AWD) : 19.67 Lacs

Engine: Both engines are 4x4.

• Rx5 MT (TOD) is a 2.7L RX270 XDi diesel engine. Max power is 162 BHP (@ 4000 RPM) & torque is 340 Nm (@ 1800-3250 RPM). 5-speed manual transmission. TOD (Torque On Demand) splits the power between front and rear axles as required.
• Rx7 AT (AWD) is a 2.7L RX270 XVT diesel engine. Max power is 184 BHP (@ 4000) & torque is 402 Nm (@ 1600-3000). It has an E-Tronic 5-speed automatic transmission which is developed with Mercedes-Benz. The AWD variant has a default torque split of 40% to the front, and 60% to the rear.

High Points:

• The prices mentioned above are introductory, expect a hike as soon as the festive season departs.
• Bookings for the vehicle begin from 18th October 2012 at Delhi NCR and Mumbai, other key cities will follow in a phased manner.
• Mahindra is the parent company for the SsangYong brand in India, and the vehicles will be sold at Mahindra dealerships. No stand-alone outlets will be provided to SsangYong.
• This is the third generation SsangYong Rexton.
• The Rexton is manufactured at Mahindra's Chakan facility by sourcing components from SsangYong Korea and India. 22% localisation as of now.
• Mahindra-SsangYong has an annual capacity of 5000 units with single shift working style.
• The Rexton will have a 2 year / 100,000 kms warranty and an optional 1 year extended warranty.
• Available in 4 colours: Satin White, Moondust Silver, Volcano Black, Opulent Purple.
• ARAI rating of 12.4 kmpl for Rx5 variant and 11.18 kmpl for the Rx7.
• The Rexton has been the best selling vehicle from SsangYong ever since it's launch. Currently sold in 90 countries, the company has plans to further introduce it to another 60 countries.
• Till date, Mahindra has invested INR 63 crores to develop the Rexton, they will invest another 1,500 crores to further develop and produce other SsangYong products.
• SsangYong expects India to be it's second largest export market.

[parrys]

Exteriors:

The Rexton has gone for more of an 'upmarket SUV' face, rather than an aggressive one


Opulent Purple might not be the best colour for an SUV.




Wheel arches look more pronounced with the black cladding over it. Flows on to the bumpers as well.




Rear three-quarters view might remind you of the Mercedes ML class.


The black cladding on the front bumper will prove effective during some 4x4 action.


A tailgate mounted spare wheel would add to the 'butch SUV' look.


Branding remains, SsangYong Rexton.


But below it, you'll see that "by Mahindra" has been squeezed in


Stainless steel side foot-step with rubber inserts.


Grille is now different from the Benz look-alike. Excessive use of chrome.


The SsangYong logo makes it's way into the Indian market.


Note that the turn indicators are lower down, next to the fog-lamps. Parking lights are a smoked homogeneous LED strip.


Twin barrel headlamp with projectors.


Rexton branding on the outter headlamp barrel.




Taillamps are are LEDs, except for the reverse and turn indicators. Rear fog lamps present in the cluster too.


Lights on + brake pedal pressed.


16" alloy wheels with 235/75 R16 Hankook tyres.


The Rexton badging on the C-pillar


LED turn indicators integrated into the ORVMs.


Electric sunroof is quite wide.


A definite point in the Rexton's favour. Two diesel variants to choose from.


Ample ground clearance of 252 mm.

[parrys]

Interiors:

Clean lines of the dash border on minimal, as there is nothing eye-catching about it


Black wooden trim makes it's way around the center console and onto the steering wheel as well. The top buttons on the each side of the steering are for manual gear-shifts; called as the Thumbs up manual mode.


Tiny MID and basic dials. I expected it to be a little more flamboyant, since it is priced above the XUV500.


6.1" touch screen infotainment system with GPS, DVD, MP3, FM, & USB .


Automatic climate control.


The AT gear lever. The W/S switch is for Winter/Summer. Winter mode starts off in 2nd gear.


There are multiple power outlets for passengers, this one is on the top of the dashboard.


Here's another in the passenger foot-well.


Basic looking switchgear, though do note the Auto headlights setting.


Wipers can be set to Auto too.


Cruise control available only in the higher-priced Rx7 AT variant.


Headlight leveler knob and rear fog-lamp switch.


Dead pedal should be more than sufficient, even if you have 'two left feet'


Wide center armrest with storage, one pop-out cup holder and 2 fixed cup holders in front of the gear stick.


Black wood grain finish makes its way onto the door pad as well. Seat memory can save multiple drivers' positions.


Felt lining in the glove box.


Sunroof controls, sunglasses holder and front cabin lamp.


Illuminated sun visor with side extension for the driver as well. Mic for bluetooth hands-free is placed on the roof above.


Sunroof from the inside.


8-way electrically adjustable driver seat.


2nd row seats can easily accommodate 3 people. Floor hump is minimum. Seats do recline.


Tumble down 60:40 2nd row seats.


The 3rd row seat have a good back rest, but the floor is too high here & the seat base is very flat.


Highly questionable ergonomics back here. You'd probably be better off sitting with your legs folded. Not much of a view either.


3rd row independent AC controls. Blower only on the RHS.


Hatchback-like storage space with 3rd row of seats in place.


Ample luggage space with 3rd row folded down. The 60:40 tumble down 2nd row provides additional versatility and space.


Speakers present on the tail gate as well & a strap to pull down the tail gate. Interior door lock too.

[parrys]

Brochure:

[Rehaan]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene Section. Thanks for sharing!

[eq24]

And this is how an unveiling is done, thorough to the core. Simply amazing. I will comment about the car later, this post is for the great effort. Thanks once again.

[Y@SH]

Thanks for the quick update with pictures and the brochure. I do appreciate the fact that they have priced the car very competitively & tthe car doesn't look dated either. However one question remains in my mind is the long term reliability of SsanYong car's. Also why would someone settle for a SsangYong which is a completely new and unheard (im talking about the common folk) brand over the bullet proof fortuner?
The one car that I am very eagerly waiting to launch in this segment is the New Santa fe.
Waiting for the official review.

[tsk1979]

This is interesting. The manual Transmission version has 4x4 with low ratio torque on demand system. With 252mm GC, this could be one of the most capable 4x4 suvs

With a 17.67 price tag, this is 4L more than the storme.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

With 252mm GC, this could be one of the most capable 4x4 suvs

I really doubt if it can match proper Rear Solid axle type SUVs(Endeavour, Fortuner, Pajero) in ruggedness and offroading. 252mm is just a paper spec, maybe because there is no low hanging differential due to absence of solid axle, my guess is the differential is placed high up between suspension arms typical of softroaders'.

[ku69rd]

GTO/Parrys,
Eagerly awaiting your review when can we expect it?
Guess the lower end version car feels a bit naked compared to the features missing when compared to the AT version. For the 17.67 L price tag feel that Mahindra might have missed a trick in here.
Would this engine do duty on the XUV in the future ?

Last but not the least the Indian Jugaad of fixing the by Mahindra Logo

[akileshsri]

I'm happy they worked on the styling. The previous generation Rexton was a disaster. Will be interesting to compare ride and handling with the Fortuner. I doubt if it will kill any product in the range, but I'm sure this will bring the numbers that will surprise many.

[miharbe]

Excellent report parrys!

I think Mahindra must be lauded they always get the features and pricing right. I mean i am scratching my head thinking what feature is this missing. I think in some ways this car pretty much covers everything right from an AT box to AWD sunroof etc a lot of which most premium buyers will be happy about as something good to have. How the market reacts to this remains to be seen but definitely this is a very tempting proposition.

[jiji89]

IMO, a rather pricey tag for a relatively unknown brand. The almost-unusable and highly claustrophobic third row of seats would be a definite turn off for many.

[Mindgrinder]

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[KPS]

Excellent first impression. Mahindra has priced it well, but it remains to be seen if they can maintain it.

It will interesting to see the impact of this vehicle on the Fortuner. Mahindra has gained many browny points with the XUV as their customer profile has been upped big time. Also this being sold out Mahindra dealership is a great move and though SsangYong marque is present, the mind set will be that this is a top end Mahindra vehicle.

By the way this is the second SSanYong vehicle to hit our shore. The first was as a Mercedes Van

Cheers

KPS