Mahindra Quanto review, test drive

The Xylo-based Quanto is the latest sub-four-metre SUV in India that’s set to expand an all-new segment.

Published on Sep 20, 2012 03:54:00 PM

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Given the inherent imbalance of a three-cylinder engine, we were quite surprised by the engine’s refinement. Idle is fairly quiet, vibrations are well contained and some transmission judder apart, refinement is impressive. Even on the move, that typical three-cylinder thrum is obvious but doesn’t become intrusive until you go high up the rev band. However, this isn’t an engine you’d rev hard anyway. Power seriously tapers off post 3500rpm and even on full throttle it doesn’t gather much pace. The Quanto’s heavy kerb weight of 1640kg seriously weighs it down and it took a slow 17.41 seconds in the 0-100kph dash.

However, at slower speeds, the engine shows a more likeable side. Power delivery is linear and there’s decent pull between 1500rpm and 3500rp though it still feels flat for most part. All this points to a car that will amble well through traffic but could find itself out of depth on the highway. At city speeds, the gear ratios seem well matched to the engine but we found the gearshift quality on the five-speed box slightly rubbery and the light clutch a bit snappy too.

Driving the Quanto on Mahindra’s test track, we experienced acceptable levels of road noise filtering into the cabin on the smooth section of the track though the small undulations on the main straight resulted in ride becoming bouncy with lots of vertical movement. The Quanto does share its suspension hardware with the Xylo and uses the same combination of double wishbones up front and a five-link setup at the rear. While a smaller body should have resulted in greater rigidity and tidier handling, the top-heavy Quanto was slow to change direction and there was lots of body roll too. Its hydraulically assisted power steering (standard across the range) isn’t particularly fast either but is light enough at typical city speeds.

The Quanto’s quirky looks are sure to split opinion but you simply can’t ignore the massive cabin space (at least for the front two rows) and the advantages of its elevated driving position. And while the rear jump seats aren’t very useable, they do add flexibility to the cabin, at least for short stints. Its engine is also nicely refined for a three-cylinder unit, has sufficient power for city use and promises to be fuel efficient too. Where the Quanto didn’t impress us in the areas of ride and handling and we wished the interiors could have been better too.

But factor in the Quanto’s pricing, which starts at Rs 5.82 lakh for the base C2 model and stretches to Rs 7.36 lakh for the top-spec C8 variant (ex-showroom, Thane), and it looks a whole lot more interesting. For many it could be a lifestyle (albeit less sophisticated) alternative to the brigade of premium hatchbacks. There’s nothing quite like it for the price.

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