After creating so much hype all over the news, the new Mahindra Marazzo MPV has been launched at an introductory price of INR 9,99,999. Click here to follow our coverage of the event. The launch ceremony was conducted at Mahindra’s plant in Nashik, same location where the Scorpio was launched back 2002. The MPV has been built from scratch at a cost of around 200 Million Dollars. Here are some highlights from the launch event.
The name:
The Marazzo gets its name from a Spanish sub language, which translates to shark. Mahindra has been known to take inspiration from nature for naming its vehicles. Their successful XUV 500 took inspiration from a cheetah for its design. Car manufacturers world wide have been known to look up to nature for design and engineering inspirations. The Marazzo was designed to be streamlined just like a shark cutting through water. The shark is also known to be an ancient animal with a long lifespan as it is an apex predator. Mahindra also expects the Marazzo to be a long lasting car and has eliminated competition by standing in a class of its own.
The Engineering:
The car was a joint engineering venture between Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA), Detroit and Mahindra Research Valley (MRV), Chennai. The car was designed to bring a revolution in the MPV market, so much that Mahindra does not call the Marazzo a MPV but a people carrier. The Design of the car was the collaborated brainchild of Pinninfarina in Italy and Mahindra Design Centre in Mumbai.The Marazzo has an aerodynamic design. One can see design inspirations all around the vehicle from the front grille with chrome inserts which mimic shark like teeth, the shark fin antenna which gives a sleek look, to the tail light cluster which looks phenomenal.
New Power House:
Mahindra developed a completely new 1.5 litre diesel unit for the Marazzo. The engine has been equipped with a variety of technological nuances which make it quite refined and smooth. Mahindra has applied for a total of 11 patents during the development of the engine. Coming to numbers, the engine develops a sufficient 121 bhp at 3500 rpm and 300 Nm 1600 rpm of peak torque and does 17.6 kilometre per litre. More than 90 percent of the torque is made available from 1300 rpm making the car easier to drive in traffic situations. The engine is placed at a transverse position under the bonnet and also has a front wheel drive drive-train. This patented design gives the Marazzo ‘car’ like handling characteristics despite of being a tough body on frame chassis.
Driver Aids:
The Marazzo has a first in class electric power steering which makes the driver change direction with ease. The MPV has a high suspension travel of 245 mm due to its new twist beam rear suspension. The ride quality is further improved by 17 inch precision cut alloy wheels which are wrapped in chunky tyres.Aiding the drive, are twin barrel projector headlight up front along with fog lamps, which get a cornering function and LED Daytime Running Lights. A turning radius of 5.25 metre will be helpful on busy city streets. The car also gets an aircraft inspired hand brake lever which magnifies the driving experience. The six speed manual transmission comes with a dash mounted shift knob, making space for some storage in the centre. Both the driver and passenger chairs get individual armrests.
Passenger Comfort:
Passenger comfort was a high priority for the engineers during the design of this car. The floor of the vehicle is flat which makes moving in the car easy. The absence of a floor board is because of a low step in height which makes ingress and egress much simpler. The car also gets best in class shoulder room for the first and second row passengers. Entry to the third row of seats is made much simpler by a tumble down second row. For added comfort in the third row, the middle row can be moved ahead while the back rest inclination can also be changed. Added passenger benefits include a surround roof vent which can circulated direct or diffused air through out the cabin making it the fastest cooling cabin in its class. Also, a first in class second row sun shade has been built directly in the door trim. The car also boasts to be the most silent cabin in its class thanks to the refined engine and good aerodynamics of the vehicle.
Interior Equipment:
The interiors of the Marazzo are well finished and appear to be of premium quality. The dash gets a two tone piano black and beige finish.Coupled with graphical pearl white inserts along with chrome strips around the AC vents, the dash gets a premium feel. The instrument console looks neat and gets a purple hue in the background which adds to the aesthetic. The steering wheel gets buttons for the phone and infotainment system. The centre of the dash gets a 7 inch infotainment screen armed with Haptics and Touchsense technology for a better response. The screen gets Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity along with various other functions which also includes a car monitoring system.Voice assist systems like voice recognition and SMS read out are also stockpiled in this car’s arsenal.
Safety Equipment:
In terms of safety, the MPV is given dual airbags and ABS, standard across all trim levels. Apart from that, the vehicle is built with strong materials and made robust in terms of design to protect its occupants in case of a mishap. The car also gets disc brakes on all corners which happen to be a segment first. Other features include Emergency Call system which alerts emergency services and your family members in case the airbags are deployed. ISOFIX child seat support makes it way in all trims. The top level M6 and M8 trims also get rear parking sensors and a camera.
Also Read: Mahindra & Mahindra Named In Top 25 Companies In Fortune’s ‘Change The World’ List
Available in 4 trim variants, M2, M4, M6 and M8, the Marazzo comes at a base price of INR 9,99,999 and the M8 variant comes in at INR 13,90,000 both Ex-Showroom across India. The prices are for a seven seater variant.Expect a price difference of INR 5,000 for the eight seat configuration. For now, there shall be no petrol engine or an automatic transmission on offer but both of them can be expected by 2020 when BS VI norms will be applicable. Mahindra is reportedly working on a BS VI compliant engine for the Marazzo. Is the Marazzo a huge milestone for the company? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for a first drive and detailed review video.
