Mahindra Y400 Premium SUV Under Works; To Rival The Toyota Fortuner

It’s been a while since Mahindra has aced the XUV500. Since 2011, it has remained the car maker’s flagship. But now, Mahindra is ready to usurp the XUV500 with their upcoming offering, a premium SUV that’ll rival the new Toyota Fortuner and the likes. It has been code-named as the Mahindra Y400.

While the XUV500 was mostly designed and developed indigenously, the Y400 will take a little help from SsangYong. To be more specific, it will be based on the next-generation flagship model for SsangYong that’s already been previewed by the LIV-2 Concept, an executive SUV that could take the Rexton nameplate to its next generation.

From what we can concur, the exterior and interior design of the Y400 will be Mahindra-specific, but the body-on-frame construction and perhaps even SsangYong’s four-wheel-drive system will be borrowed from the next-generation Rexton/LIV-2.

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Since it’ll be a premium offering by Mahindra, expect it to be loaded to the gills with goodies. We reckon it’ll quite the car from inside, with possible amenities like fine leather upholstery, fully adjustable mood lighting, individual second row seats with reclining, a large touch screen equipped infotainment system with multiple connectivity options, a premium sound system and a sunroof.

It’s too early to point a finger at which direction the exterior styling will take, but expect it to have a commanding road presence. On the outside, the Mahindra Y400 could come with features like LED head- and tail-lamps, chrome accents, skid plates, running boards, subtle body cladding and large alloy wheels. Of course, there’ll also be booty of accessories to choose from.

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If all goes well, the Y400 is believed to be powered by SsangYong’s own 2.2 litre Euro 6 turbo-diesel engine that develops 181 PS of power and a maximum torque of 420 Nm within the range of 1,500 – 2,500rpm This engine is matched to a Mercedes-Benz sourced 7-speed automatic transmission.

Alongside the turbo-diesel engine, SsangYong’s newly developed petrol 2.0 litre GDi turbo engine, good for 225 PS of power and 350 Nm of torque could also be slotted under the Y400’s hood, but that still remains to be seen. Both engines will go into service when the LIV-2 enters production in March 2017.

The Mahindra Y400 is expected to retail in the range of INR 26 to 30 lakh (ex-showroom), undercutting the Fortuner’s price but presumably toppling the Japanese SUV’s feature list and playing the value card. The Y400 should be launched in India by the end of this year or maybe even before it. Stay tuned!