Regular IAB followers will know that Mahindra held the national launch of the Ssangyong Rexton in Mumbai yesterday. They presented it in in two trims at rather impressive price points (in ex-showroom Mumbai) of Rs. 17.67 lakhs (RX-5 MT) and Rs. 19.67 lakhs (RX-7 AT), loaded with features.
M&M are in the premium SUV segment with the Rexton, competing against the Fortuner, Endeavour, Santa Fe and Captiva. The Rexton was launched in the capital city this morning, where we got a chance to have another look at the car.
The RX-5 MT (manual) variant is priced at Rs. 17.75 lakhs and RX-7 AT (automatic) variant is priced at Rs. 19.75 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Both cars get the same 2.7-liter 5-cylinder diesel engine, the difference restricted to the tuning state.
It makes 162 bhp @ 4,000 RPM/340 Nm @ 1,800-3,250 RPM on the RX-5 variant and 184 bhp @ 4,000 RPM/402 Nm @ 1,600-3,000 RPM on the RX-7 variant.
The platform is derived from the last generation Mercedes ML Class and the engine and transmission also come from Mercedes. Outside the Mercedes family, Force Motors (with the Force One) and Mahindra (with the Rexton) retail Mercedes-powered cars in India.
The interiors are fresh, comfortable, feel premium and the quality of materials for a 20 lakh rupee SUV is commendable. The 6.1 inch infotainment system that is GPS-enabled is a touch sensitive system which blends in nicely into the center console.
On the outside, the LED lightworks do the job well in adding the jewelcase-effect to the headlamp and brake light assemblies. Unlike the Toyota Fortuner, the creases on the Rexton are softer.
Instead of having commanding or a bullish look, the design takes the persuasive route to the eyes.
Check out our detailed video exploring all the features on the Rexton in an upcoming article today.
