Team-BHP - Mahindra Verito Vibe : Official Review

When the Logan was launched in 2007, it did not create quite the ripple Mahindra-Renault expected. A large factor here was the design of the vehicle. Eventually though, the fleet market looked past the boxy exteriors and recognized how much it had to offer for their purpose. Remember the very first Logan commercial? They called it the 'Wide Body Logan'; and rightly so, the car did accommodate 3 adults on the rear bench - comfortably. But then, was this Mahindra's intent? Just penetrating the fleet / taxi segment? No manufacturer would want to focus only on that. They tried to push the Logan with limited edition variants like the Logan Play, but those decals and bright red alloys failed to move the car off the shelves for Mahindra-Renault. The French were obviously not happy with this, and eventually the Mahindra-Renault joint venture (Mahindra 51 : Renault 49) came to a close in 2010. At this point, Mahindra decided not to entirely pull the plug on the Logan. The decision taken was that Renault would supply key components to Mahindra through a license agreement. What Renault gets out of providing these CKD kits to M&M = Royalty. And since the M&M group never actually acquired the car completely from Renault, there are certain limitations on what changes can be made to the car & platform.

After the JV ended, the Logan was re-branded as a 100% Mahindra product and called the Verito.

Coming back to recent times. 1119! That is the monthly sales average of the Verito sedan over the last 6 months (till May). Not exactly a satisfying sales figure in the segment. However, in between all this, Mahindra saw a ray of hope. The same ray of hope that almost every other manufacturer has seen, and is already cashing in on. The sub-4 meter cost saving. The Maruti Suzuki Dzire being the most successful example (India's highest selling car for May 2013), despite what most consider to be a quirky rear-end design. All the other manufacturers who are fighting for their piece of the compact sedan space had to stick a boot onto their existing hatches. M&M had to go against the tide and chop the boot off their 4.3 meter sedan to avail of the sub-4 meter benefits, since they didn't have a hatchback in their stable. The end result is as we know it - The Verito Vibe, which to us looks like more of a hatchback than a compact sedan. Doesn't it? This is not the first time Mahindra has chopped a vehicle to make in-roads into an evolving segment. They did this first with the Quanto by chopping the Xylo, to make an entry into the compact MUV space. As of now, the Verito is the only vehicle to have a full sized sedan and a compact sedan available on sale in the market. Earlier we had the Indigo and the Indigo CS, but eventually the Manza's arrival flushed out the Indigo from the Indian market.

One glance at the Vibe and you can notice that the rear end styling is out of sync with the Verito's boxy design language, which has been almost the same from the Logan days. Form-wise, the Vibe is identical to the Verito sedan till the C-pillar, and beyond that, well there is nothing significant left to go beyond - the car is just chopped off at the C-pillar section. Stand at a point looking squarely at the rear end of the Vibe and you would think it's a hatchback. The design if not totally uninspiring, is definitely out of the 90's more than today's time. For example, the vertically lined up tail lamps are quite a dated design feature. We first saw them on the Tata Indica. For those who mistake it for a hatchback, once the boot lid comes up (in a traditional sedan-like fashion, with the metal lid attached to a hinge below the rear glass), the air is instantly cleared. The boot is entirely segregated from the passenger compartment as well (ala sedans). Interestingly, even with this boot diet, the Vibe is actually 15 kgs heavier than its sedan sibling.

When it comes to exterior trim, not too much has changed from the Verito sedan. The Vibe is missing the side body molding, and the chrome grill at the front has been replaced with a matte black piece instead. The Verito & Vibe have also got rid of the unconventional dual-pivoted wiper arms from the Logan days and moved onto more standard looking wipers. The body shell is just as expected from a Mahindra; doors are heavy and close with a typical M&M thud. Talking about durability, the Logan / Verito have proven their grounds in India pretty well. Ask any Meru-Cab driver and he will tell you that the car has clocked well over 1 lakh kilometers and is still running in good shape. Also, Mahindra's no nonsense practicality is a big plus point to this cause. But then, this no nonsense practicality being evident in their design language is also what keeps a lot of private customers away. A catch-22 situation with the Vibe is that the advantage of the Verito goes missing; that is, the big boot for airport hauling duty. The Vibe has just 330 liters of boot space compared to 510 liters of the Verito. Hence this specific variant won't appeal to its major sales contributors - the fleet owners.

Specification & pricing comparison:

Mahindra Verito Vibe : Official Review-mahindraveritovibespecifications.png

The notch-back is priced at just Rs. 63,000 cheaper than its sedan sibling. For such an old platform, one would expect a more aggressively priced product, but then, M&M have royalties to pay. The Vibe looks under-powered when compared to its direct competitors (barring the Toyota Etios). It is under-powered when compared to most hatches as well. Add to that, all the leading competitors are much more with the times when it comes to design elements, inside and out. Gaining more market share from the Verito platform is going to be a task for M&M. Chances are a lot of the Vibe's sales numbers are going to come from cannibalization of the Verito, due to the cheaper price tag.

Looking at the way the market is shaping up currently, Mahindra has decided not to offer the Verito Vibe in the petrol avatar. A good move because the M&M group does not have a 1.2L petrol engine to avail the sub-4 meter benefits, and most of the buyers have shifted their core focus to diesel as the fuel of choice. What's bad about this - again, the fleet market won't be happy because they will not be able to create their easy break-even points by using a petrol + CNG fuel combination. Only time will tell what the Vibe will do for the Mahindra stable after entering this huge volume segment.

Identical design till the C-pillar, abruptly ending beyond that to give it a hatchback like look.

The Vibe gets a black grille instead of the chrome seen on the Verito sedan.

Side profile gives the impression of a hatchback design more than that of a compact sedan.

When we thought nothing could have been shorter than the Dzire's boot, Mahindra has surprised us with this one.

Rear design is different from the Verito's rather boxy design language. Blacked out bumper section makes it better to look at.

Note how the tail lamps cover the short distance that the boot protrudes out, creating the hatchback illusion.

The boot protrudes out at the tip. No TDCi / dCi / Crdi badging on the rear.

Partially blackened out headlamps with fish-gill like parking lights. Fog lamps are quite powerful.

The familiar toothed pattern of front show grille seen on the Vibe too.

The LED streaming tail lights (RHS image of tail lamps at night). The use of LEDs here are new to the segment. Reversing lamps are extremely bright.

185/70 R14 JK Vectra tyres on champagne coloured alloy wheels. The beige shade of the alloys looked a bit dull. Might look nicer on darker body coloured variants.

Average sized ORVMs share the same round shaped mount on the front door as seen on the Logan, however, the black appliqué around it saves the day.

Flap type door handle and a separated keyhole is a sure sign of the age of the platform.

Rear window goes down only 60%, the black appliqué continues through as a blacked-out B-pillar.

Exhaust tip is so wide that it looks like an after-market can.

172mm of GC assures that you will glide over rough terrain.

Opening up a new segment for Mahindra...

Step inside the Vibe and what you saw on the outside continues on the inside, everything is fairly angular and flat. The interiors are bare bones with minimum creature comforts. The dashboard still resembles the Logan from 2007, though there are little cosmetic additions to make it look more with the times. With the huge windows and light beige interior theme, the Vibe's cabin feels extremely airy and open. There's plenty of space in the cabin too, the Vibe is 45 mm wider than the next-widest competitor. This translates into a lot of usable interior width, one of the Vibe's USPs. You'll never find yourself rubbing shoulders with a co-passenger.

The instrument cluster has crisply visible large dials for the speedometer & tachometer. Right between them you will find a digital meter (MID) which provides quite some information to the driver. Namely: Odometer, a single trip-meter, how many litres of fuel consumed since start-up, average kmpl, average speed, kilometers traveled since start-up, DTE, and the time. The toggle switch for this information can be found at the head of the RHS control stalk. Talking about control stalks, they are placed by European norms having the headlamp switches on the left and wiper controls on the right. The indicator makes an electronic beeping noise, rather than the usual soft clicking sound. The stalks are good quality and will take a sufficient amount of abuse. One look at the steering wheel however, and chances are you'll think it is too big for your taste. Think: Mahindra's UV lineage. There's no steering mounted controls on this hefty wheel, but on the plus side, it does contain a driver's airbag.

The door pads are plasticy and basic, with flat storage bins on either side at the front. The seats are grey with a pista-coloured centre section, embellished with green and yellow stitching. This colour combination is something most people would want to cover as soon as they take delivery of the car. Seat compound is not really hard but is surely on the firmer side. Front seats have good lateral support but lack lumbar support. When you look at the seats from outside you will find them a bit short and wide(pictured later on). Height adjustment is missing for the front seats, but the dashboard is placed so low (and the seat a bit high) that even the shorter drivers will not have any problem getting comfortable with the Vibe. However, because of this, the taller people will feel like they are driving a UV since they will be sitting quite high.

Ergonomics in the Vibe are awkward at best. Air-con controls are placed super low behind a tall gear stick; one will actually have to take their eyes off the road to use these controls when the car is slotted in 1st, 3rd or 5th gear. The central locking button is not next to the power window controls, and the power window controls themselves are placed a little too far back, with the door opening lever placed ahead of the protruding power window housing. The steering too does not get any reach or rake adjustment, and the instrument cluster seems to be keen to face the gods, rather than the driver. Everything is fit to just function, but not to function with ease. Another irritant here is the light coloured windscreen defogger vents on top of the black dashboard. They reflect on the windscreen at all times of day, and it's very clearly noticeable.

The center console has a carbon fibre like printed finish on the plastic trim. The same finish can also be noticed underlining the storage bin above the glove-box. The glove-box runs deep but not really wide. Also, the fit and finish over here is sub-par. Glove-box is illuminated but the light doesn't turn off even when you shut it really hard. The light is visible through a panel gap. On the contrary, the air-con controls feel very premium to use. They have a soft-touch feel to them and do not make any clicking sound. The rotary knobs with chrome surrounds look really nice and also do their job well. Air conditioning is average, a reason why it cannot be bone chilling is that the big greenhouse allows a lot of sunlight and heat inside the cabin. The music system is what we have seen on other Mahindra cars before. It is a Nippon (NDC-MP8009U/8021U) double din head unit with SD/USB/CD/Radio and aux-in capabilities supported with four Blaupunkt speakers, two on the front doors and two on the parcel tray at the rear.

On the safety front, the Vibe is equipped with a driver's side airbag, anti-lock braking (ABS) and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD).

Light beige interior theme with grey / black contrast.

Large UV-like steering wheel. Big hornpad is India friendly.

No red-line marking on the tacho.

Information shared on the digital gauge. Black text with an orange back-light aids visibility even during the day.

You may notice a small elevated dead-pedal at the left, but it is difficult for your foot to reach that spot because of how close the clutch pedal is to the centre column.

A closer look at the faux carbon fibre finish on the centre console.

The Nippon head unit. SD & USB slots on the RHS under the flip cover.

Air-con controls are the highlight on the inside, not much else feels premium.

A typical tall M&M gear stick.

Indicator on the left. Wiper stalk has been marked with only two speeds, but there's actually three (the 1st one being intermittent). No single-swipe function.

Seats need a cover desperately. No adjustable lumbar or height for the driver seat. Don't the seats look tad squat? Wide cabin ensures no elbowing the font passenger.

Small cubby hole under the armrest to store oddities & a cup holder at the end for the rear passengers.

2 cup holders ahead of the gear stick & an ashtray box. Cigarette lighter / charging point in between.

The narrow slot below the center console and above the front cup holders can be used to store the likes of a pen, keys etc.

Deep running glove-box, but not wide. T-Shirt kept there for scale. Illuminated glove-box never goes off (Maybe it's a heated glove-box :D)

Storage bin above the glove-box with 2 defined sections. The chrome bit seen here has a Verito badging in the sedan version.

Hard black plastic used on the door pads. No driver side one touch down feature for the power window.

Placing bottles in that flat storage spot on the door pad is going to be difficult without deforming the bottle. Grey fabric insert on the door pad.

Central locking & ORVM controls to the right of the steering. Locking/unlocking the latch on the driver's door doesn't activate central locking, only this button does so.

Key with integrated remote.

ORVMs are average sized and provide a sufficient rearward view.

IRVM is a size small; it does not cover the entire rear windscreen.

Rearward view from the driver seat.

An accommodating rear bench, for 3 passengers. One of the biggest plus points for the Verito/Vibe.

The rear seat bench is relatively flat, good news for the 5th passenger.

Minimum floor hump also welcomes the 5th passenger, more than just occasionally.

Behind my own 5'6" driving position, I had about 2-3 inches of legroom left.

Boot opening is very small; loading and unloading cargo will be a squeeze.

Spare wheel placed below the boot. Another UV-like trait.

The Mahindra Verito Vibe is powered by the Renault K9K 1.5L dCi engine. This 4 cylinder 8 valve engine can be seen in several other cars in the market like the Renault Duster, Nissan Sunny, Nissan Micra, Renault Fluence etc. However, the motor on the Vibe is a little de-tuned as compared to the other cars powered by the same engine. This particular unit produces 64 BHP of power @ 4000 RPM & 160 Nm of torque at 2000 RPM. With a kerb weight of 1155 kgs, the Vibe delivers an ARAI rating of 20.8 kmpl which coupled with the 50 liter fuel tank promises a good driving range.

When you crank the engine, there is no typical Mahindra characteristic; i.e. everything on the inside doesn't shake as if it just woke up from a long slumber. Even the gear stick stays firm and relatively steady on cranking, despite it being a typical tall Mahindra lever. The gearbox is slick with good shift quality, and the throws aren't too long. Once you get moving, because of the negligible turbo lag you will feel like you are driving any other naturally aspirated motor. Of course with just 64 BHP this is not a swift car to drive, but city driving is something absolutely nobody will complain about. The K9K mill is extremely tractable, and downshifts aren't required as frequently as most other diesel cars. The car is best suited for sedate drivers who love to cruise their way from point A to B. However, if you are the fast & furious types, you will definitely notice the lack of punch from this engine. The extremely linear power delivery also takes away the turbo spool which some diesel owners have been enjoying on a daily basis. However, it has more than enough pep for the city and the average customer will be happy with it.

Another plus point for the city driveability of this car is the light clutch. You need a moderate amount of effort to disengage it and you won't feel weak in the knees once back from a heavy traffic session. Brakes have decent stopping power, and the pedal feel is decent. One unusual thing was that the accelerator pedal traveled further than the clutch. This is probably the first time I have noticed such a long throw accelerator pedal, but make no mistake, even if you put your foot all the way down; the car is going to take its own sweet time to gain momentum due to the limited power. The Vibe pulls generously from about 1000 RPM onwards and is very forgiving in terms of engine knocking and other low rpm issues. If you're gentle enough, you can drive around in the 800-1000 RPM range in the city without any harsh vibrations or jerking. The gearing is fairly short too, so expect to upshift early.

Something unique in the footwell; the floor near the pedals steps upwards just at the point where your foot would be when you have the clutch fully pressed. So your heel can actually rest comfortably whilst the clutch is engaged. This provides a decent amount of support and doesn't keep your heels hanging. Also, it helps in times when you want to delay the clutch and release it very slowly. A thumbs up for this.

NVH levels in the Vibe are acceptable. Even at idle, you do not hear much diesel clatter. But, when you accelerate, there is a turbo sound audible to the driver, even with the windows rolled up. It's not loud enough to be an irritant, but if you're listening for it there's no way you'll miss it. On the move, the noise insulation is impressive, there is absolutely no wind noise coming through and it feels quiet and comfortable doing the likes of 100 kph in the Vibe. Even when you revv hard, it is not exactly a noisy affair. Of course it is a diesel engine and it will sound way more gruff than a petrol, but it's still well controlled. Whilst stepping on the gas, you will also notice that there is no redline marking on the tachometer. It is very optimistically marked till 7000 RPM, but the engine will only climb till about 4,900 RPM. The Vibe does 80 kph in 5th gear at 1,900 RPM & 100 kph at 2,400 RPM. At around 120-130 kph, the car begins to run out of breath in top gear.

Brilliant ride quality! The car simply glides over rough terrain keeping the occupants comfortable at all times. We drove over a broken stretch of tarmac and there was absolutely no suspension thudding audible inside the cabin. Macpherson-type with wishbone link at the front and rear H-Section torsion beam with 'programmed deflection-coil spring' at the back do a great job of keeping the car stable even when you approach these bad patches at high speeds. Another reason for cruising over bad roads in the 172mm ground clearance, identical to the Verito sedan. It runs on 185/70 R14 JK Vectra tyres which are a decent size, but far from being the best quality rubber on offer.

What will you dislike about driving the Vibe? The steering wheel. In times where manufacturers are providing super light steering wheels, the unit on the Vibe is fairly heavy. It is simply impractical in bumper-to-bumper traffic and you cannot park the car with ease using just one hand. Also, making a U turn will require you to have a firm hand with more than moderate amount of strength applied.

When it comes to handling, steering inputs take a while before they get the car to react. There's a lack of direct steering feel. Make a correction, especially at high speeds and the body will gently roll before the car actually begins to change directions. This results in very wallowy handling. This takes away from the the highway driving pleasure of a rather mature handling car.

Engine cover makes the engine bay look clean. Renault branding only.

Under-hood cladding is partially responsible for the good NVH in the cabin.

Note that the model is still mentioned as the Verito and not Verito Vibe. VIN & Engine no. mentioned too.

Oil filter is Renault too. Do note that most of the engine components are still provided by Renault to Mahindra.

The Smaller Yet Significant Thing:

Hole to slot in the key is off-centre, you will find yourself playing around to get it in.

Smart use of a sticker to make it look like scuff plates are present.

Old school lock-unlock levers.

Tiny seat-back recline lever. Cost cutting?

The seat-belt clips are placed a good 1-2 inches away from the seat. Looks weird in person.

Height adjustable seat-belts are welcome here.

Warning light in the tachometer dial when the rear defogger is active.

The Nippon head unit comes with a remote control.

Fuse box on the extreme left of the dashboard. Covered when the door is shut.

OBD port in the glove-box.

Headlamp level adjustment is placed way below the ORVM controls.

Closer look at the dual tone dashboard.

Door pads protrude to eat up some amount of the bench space, yet there's decent room for 3 at the back. Can serve as an arm rest too.

The tail lamps match the boot lid profile.

Jack placed to the left and tools to the right, inside the boot.

A very sturdy cover on the rear speakers, they won't get damaged while loading or unloading cargo.

A nut on the boot floor to release the spare wheel.

Warning reflectors and a spare bulb kit provided.

A panel gap between the dashboard and the instrument cluster cover.

2 speakers placed on the rear parcel tray. The positioning helps the sound stage in the cabin.

Some safety & information tags all around the car. Do note that the Verito comes with a driver's airbag and ABS+EBD.

Ingress to the rear seats is not a problem at all. The doors open in two stages.

Front passenger seat-back has a large pocket, inside which is a smaller pocket to hold your mobile in place!

Typical thick Mahindra boot lid. Feels a lot more solid than the wafer thin Dzire lid. Boot lamp placed in the center.