Mahindra's first product from its Ssangyong stable, the Rexton is now out, priced at Rs 17.67 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai for the RX5 manual version and Rs 19.67 lakh for the RX7 automatic trim. The pricing is rather wonderful, the automatic is a good Rs 2 lakh cheaper than the equivalent Toyota Fortuner while the manual is now the cheapest of the lot, making life tough for not just the Fortuner, but the Ford Endeavour, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and even the Chevrolet Captiva and Hyundai Santa Fe. But can a lower price tag along make the job easy for Mahindra?
For starters, the Ssangyong Rexton uses a lot of underpinnings as well as the powertrain from the first-gen Mercedes-Benz W163 ML. The body-on-ladder chassis lends it a certain sense of robustness, its two-tonne plus weight isn't making matters easy though. It looks contemporary, especially this the W version that was launched just a few months ago in Busan. In fact we were the first automotive media outfit to report that the W and not the Rexton III, which it replaced would be coming to India many months ago.
There is dollops of chrome and lots of badges around. Overdone, like the XUV5oo it certainly is, but not to the same extent. There is a lone Mahindra badge on the tailgate to signify the relationship. The takeaway points from the design apart from the grille is the Rexton badging on the headlamps and the unique D-pillar and the wraparound glass, even though it's a bit like the first-gen ML in design.
On the inside, the Rexton is a typical seven-seater, but it's loaded with features. Automatic projector headlamps and wipers, cruise control, automatic climate control, electrically adjustable seats with memory function on the automatic version (manually adjustable on the, er, manual), a 6.1-inch screen for the multimedia unit, air-vents for all rows, sunroof on the automatic, parking sensors, hill descent control on the automatic, ESP, airbags, ABS.... phew that is really quite a list.
Space is just about okay for seven persons. The second row is decent but lacks some underthigh support, the driver and passenger seats are better designed and offer some more comfort while the third-row is strictly for kids. With the last-row up, there is just space for a small shopping bag or two, flip them forward and it's good enough for a couple of days out of town for a family of four or five. Quality is decent in some places, not up to the mark in others, especially the way certain controls are finished. It's a bit plasticky, but then again the price tag also works accordingly.
Under the hood is a rather familiar and unique engine. The Mercedes-Benz ML and W210 E-Class derived 2.7-litre, five-cylinder diesel motor was also offered in India a few years ago. It also makes it the only other five-cylinder diesel motor in a passenger vehicle, apart from the ones on the Volvos offered in India. Power is rated at 162 bhp for the manual version and 184 bhp for the automatic. Both the manual and the automatic and five-speed transmissions, the latter offered with tiptronic shifter on the lever and buttons on the steering.
Start it up, get rolling and you are greeted with a typical, five-cylinder whoosh and turbo whine. It isn't as refined as most other four-cylinder units, even the mHawk motor on the XUV is much better. But there is ample torque. In the automatic version that we drove, the near 41 kgm of torque made matters very easy. Step on the throttle and the motor is willing to propel you into three-digit speeds fairly easily. The fly in this ointment is the five-speed auto. It is slow, hangs on to gears for a bit too long and isn't as smart as most other modern automatics, let alone dual-clutch units.
Dynamically too, the Rexton's biggest strength is its ride. It rides pretty well, thanks to its soft ride setup and that should be a selling point for those looking for comfort on bad roads or general urban driving. The problem is there is just too much body-roll and a fair amount of pitching and diving. The 16-inch Hankook tyres do a good job of providing grip but the steering is too light and a bit slow to react. Don't go looking for feel with this one, you are probably better off with the Santa Fe, Koleos or even the Fortuner.
Like with every other launch from Mahindra, the trump card of this vehicle is its price and the robust underpinnings that go with it. Ignore the average dynamics and slightly poor plastics and the Rexton makes for a sensible purchase decision. Mahindra has an installed capacity of 5,000 units per annum and looks to sell about 500 units a month. Will that be easy? We'll have to wait and see.
