[A M]

Got to spend about 5 mins with the car displayed in a mall. It was the W8 variant.

Initial Impressions

- The stance is more like a hatchback. It isn't too tall. The car looks good nonetheless.
- Build quality is good. The doors are heavy and close with a reassuring sound.
- White seats and dual tone dashboard. Dirt magnet for sure.
- The steering is good to hold.
- Height adjustable front seatbelts.
- The front center armrest is set too far back and does not slide.
- Though I'm not sure of the capacity in litres but visually the bootspace looked smaller than the Nexon and the Brezza. There wasn't any parcel shelf.
- Headroom is very limited. I'm not tall but I found the headroom to be less.
- Rear legroom is quite generous.
- No rear AC vents.
- Three adjustable headrests at the rear.
- Middle seat passenger also gets a 3-point seatbelt.
- Rear armrest has cupholders.

Overall, the car feels premium and better built than the rivals with segment first features like dual zone climate control and a sunroof but at the same time it misses out on the rear AC vents which has become a must have feature in the segment off-late. I think Mahindra have a winner at hands.

[blackwasp]

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this page!

I got to see the XUV300 displayed at Forum Mall, Hyderabad. I clicked pictures of the boot but couldn't ask the staff about the exact volume. To me it looked like 300-350 litres, but it's better to wait for the official announcement to avoid spreading misinformation.

[Lakwontsing]

Boot looks less spacious. Rear AC vents missing too. When you are fully loaded even 60:40 seats also don't help. Was really looking forward to this car. With rear AC vents missing my better half has straightaway said NO.

Can anyone here tell if rear AC vents are something that really help? Or the cars these days have good enough AC systems that rear ones are not required or if present then don't make much difference.

With my old Santro ofcourse there were no rear vents and rear passengers feel uncomfortable as front ac vents are not as good.

[albertprince]

XUV300 will make the CSUV segment red-hot. Nexon and Ecosport will feel more heat and Brezza will have a healthy competition. If the petrol, as per the speculations is launched along with diesel, it will become a competitive alternative in shoping cart of people waiting for Brezza Petrol.
I believe that sales of baby XUV will settle at 6-7k per month and will give M&M a good boost. Kudos to Mahindra for the effort.

[octane_100]

The video walkaround of motor octane gives an impression of a well made product. Congratulations, Mahindra. This perfectly fits my requirement. Shall wait for 6-8 months to allow Mahindra to finish beta testing and perhaps launch an AT.

[sunilsoft]

Originally Posted by Lakwontsing

Can anyone here tell if rear AC vents are something that really help? Or the cars these days have good enough AC systems that rear ones are not required or if present then don't make much difference.

With my old Santro, of course, there were no rear vents and rear passengers feel uncomfortable as front ac vents are not as good.

IMO the hatchback cars or the sub 10-12 lacs normally have rear air blowers and not a separate ac unit. It has become a luxury feature and everybody wants it. But it is clearly not something that you should reject a car. My Grand i10 has rear ac vents but the cooling is slower compared to my Polo which didn't come with rear ac vents back in 2015.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by Lakwontsing

Boot looks less spacious. Rear AC vents missing too. When you are fully loaded even 60:40 seats also don't help. Was really looking forward to this car. With rear AC vents missing my better half has straightaway said NO.

Can anyone here tell if rear AC vents are something that really help? Or the cars these days have good enough AC systems that rear ones are not required or if present then don't make much difference.

With my old Santro ofcourse there were no rear vents and rear passengers feel uncomfortable as front ac vents are not as good.

Please don't reject a car based on rear AC vents, especially when it is a compact 4m vehicle ! Rear AC vents in small cars are more about marketing the feature than an actual feature IMHO.

A sub 4m car with a good AC can easily keep the cabin cool without rear AC vents. I've had the Figo and now an Ecosport, both without rear AC vents but very good AC units, so much so that the rear centre passenger has asked for the front vents to be turned away to avoid the direct blast of air. It's a good to have feature, but certainly shouldn't be a deal breaker.

[JS Kwt]

2019 Mahindra XUV300 features, specs revealed

Segment-leading features on the XUV300 to include micro-hybrid tech, heated wing mirrors and three steering modes; to launch on February 14.

we now know the diesel XUV300 will also get micro-hybrid technology (in the diesel versions of the W8 and W8 (O) trims), in-built navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, heated wing mirrors and three steering modes - Comfort, Normal and Sports – that alter steering weight.

Full Article

[RM Motorsports]

2019 MAHINDRA XUV300 SUV SAFETY FEATURES REVEALED

http://overdrive.in/news-cars-auto/2...ures-revealed/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNAZEyzMm8U

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this page!



Attachment 1842094

Attachment 1842095

Thanks for sharing the boot images. In the image, the actual boot space (below parcel shelf) doesn't look more than 300L. Let's wait and see what the actual boot space in when Mahindra declares the specs. In this segment most sub-4 metre cars have boots ranging from 250-320L so it will be at par and probably not better.

[Latheesh]

Boot space (sub-4 m UV)

328 - Brezza
328-352 L - Ecosport
350 - Nexon
363 - WR-V

[FIAT3031]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Boot space (sub-4 m UV)

328 - Brezza
328-352 L - Ecosport
350 - Nexon
363 - WR-V

Can Honda WR-V actually be classified as a Sub 4M UV ??

Is it not just what i20 Active is to i20 (sans the front changes)
Jazz --> WR-V [with a different naming and pseudo SUV characteristics: eg: Raise ground Clearance, plastic cladding & of course a new name]

Aren't UVs supposed to offer you a high seating (key reason why UV score over hatch & sedan) - a more commanding position.
I feel one of the main reasons why Mobilio did not click as a MPV (yes there were other factors such as cheap material & high prices)....but irrespective I feel a high seating lends a high commanding position and hence the love for UV in India

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by Lakwontsing

Can anyone here tell if rear AC vents are something that really help? Or the cars these days have good enough AC systems that rear ones are not required or if present then don't make much difference.

Originally Posted by sunilsoft

IMO the hatchback cars or the sub 10-12 lacs normally have rear air blowers and not a separate ac unit. It has become a luxury feature and everybody wants it. But it is clearly not something that you should reject a car. My Grand i10 has rear ac vents but the cooling is slower compared to my Polo which didn't come with rear ac vents back in 2015.

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Please don't reject a car based on rear AC vents, especially when it is a compact 4m vehicle ! Rear AC vents in small cars are more about marketing the feature than an actual feature IMHO.

The query is already answered by BHPians sunilsoft and fiat_tarun. I'll try to share some technical info.

PS : I am not expert on AC system design; following info is based on my understanding over the years of car ownership and discussions with people in this area.

There are two phases for cooling performance :

1. Immediately after entering hot car : Flow of cool air towards face of occupants, which gives immediate sense of cooling is key parameter here and blower capacity (air flow rate) is important. For smaller cabin volume (hatch, compact sedan, compact UVs etc) the main blower is usually sufficient. If cabin volume is large, Rear AC vents are provided.
   
2. During initial phase (say 10~15 mins) : Overall cabin temperature drop after turning on AC. For this overall AC system capacity is important - sizing of compressor, condenser, evaporator, blower, and additional components like intermediate heat exchanger etc.

Rear AC vents usually have 3 main configurations :

1. Vents with Dedicated evaporator and blower unit
2. Ducts & Vents from main unit with dedicated second blower
3. Only ducts & Vents from main unit - fed from main blower

The 1st config ensures constant flow of cool air for Rear passengers, therefore considered best, particularly in vehicles with large cabin volume.

For 2nd and 3rd, (assuming compressor, condenser and evaporator are adequately designed) its a choice between

• combination of small main blower, clubbed with secondary blower close to Rear AC vents OR
• one big main blower.

From what I have observed, the so called rear AC vents in sub-15L vehicles fall in 3rd configuration. In some vehicles, the air flow from Rear vents is so poor to have any impact on cooling performance. Hence, they are nothing more than marketing gimmick and look good only in brochures.

The situation is same for another big feature 'cooled glovebox'. It has temperature advantage (over average cabin temperature) for initial 15~20mins, then it's temperature stabilises with cabin temperature.

[PYSO]

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

Rear AC vents usually have 3 main configurations :

1. Vents with Dedicated evaporator and blower unit
2. Ducts & Vents from main unit with dedicated second blower
3. Only ducts & Vents from main unit - fed from main blower

There are 4 configurations?

1. Vents with dedicated compressor, evaporator and blower (eg marazzo)
2. Vents with Dedicated evaporator and blower unit (eg ertiga)
3. Ducts & Vents from main unit with dedicated second blower
4. Only ducts & Vents from main unit - fed from main blower

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by PYSO

There are 4 configurations?

1. Vents with dedicated compressor, evaporator and blower (eg marazzo)

Yes, first category is also possible. However, I haven't come across a vehicle with this configuration.

Originally Posted by Aditya

Rear passengers can start their air-con independently from the back. The system is satisfactory. However, with continually changing accelerator inputs (say, heavy driving in the city), we found its cooling to drop. Once we started maintaining consistent accelerator inputs, the air-con cooled well. This is probably because whenever you floor the accelerator, the compressor turns off. It's too sensitive & Mahindra needs to correct it. In the city with a heavy foot, the compressor is kicking in and out constantly.

Originally Posted by Aditya

Air-conditioner has a 5-speed blower and two modes of operation. It can give you a direct blast of air through the smaller vents at the two ends of the system, or blows out diffused air through the larger vents in the middle. The diffused settings works very well! The air-conditioner can be used even if the front climate control system is off. You just need to press the "Rear A/C" button on the climate control.

Reading above comments from the official review, in my opinion, Marazzo doesn't have a dedicated compressor for rear AC, though the AC system can be turned ON from Rear.

Also, with the 1.5L engine, Mahindra has opted to cut-off the compressor during acceleration. So, it is unlikely that a second compressor would have been provided.