Utility vehicle specialist Mahindra & Mahindra is all set to step up its game with the launch of a flagship 7-seat SUV on November 19. The Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour rivalling SUV has been previewed at Auto Expo 2018 in February, albeit without a name.
Since the new SUV is the rebadged version of the SsangYong Rexton, initial reports claimed the SUV will be called Mahindra Rexton. There were also rumours that Mahindra may give an alpha-numeric name like its smaller SUVs and the name XUV700 was leading as a probable name. However, emerging reports claim Mahindra will drop the alpha-numeric naming for its new SUV.
Having said that, Mahindra is not expected drop the tradition of naming its vehicle name that ends with the letter 'O.' Interestingly, the company has reportedly registered the domain name www.mahindrainferno.com and there is also a new Twitter handle '@MahindraInferno' – that became active in the micro-blogging site in the month of July. This leaves us to believe that, Inferno could be the name Mahindra planning to give its new premium SUV now codenamed Y400.
In order to give Y400 SUV buyers a premium experience, the company is reportedly setting up new Mahindra Prime dealership section in its showrooms. This special enclosure inside the dealership will focus on the premium SUVs from Mahindra starting from the new 7-seat flagship SUV.
New Mahindra 7seat SUV
The new Mahindra SUV is essentially a rebadged version of the G4 Rexton SUV which Mahindra sells via its South Korean subsidiary, SsangYong. Mahindra has added some signature design bits to make the SUV more appealing to Indian customers and the most visible addition is the toothy grille finished in chrome. Mahindra has also worked on the suspension, ride height and handling package of the new SUV to make it better suited for Indian road conditions.
The new Mahindra SUV gets muscular bumpers and the newly designed wrap-around headlamps look modern while the black body claddings accentuate off-road appeal. The prominent character lines on the side and the thick C-pillars adds muscle to the side profile.
Inside the cabin, the SUV will get a premium dual-tone dashboard with black and brown finish. It also flaunts a 9.2-inch HD touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 7.0-inch LCD instrument cluster, cooled seats, Nappa leather upholstery, a smart tailgate, and others.
The new Mahindra SUV is expected to draw power from a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine, capable to produce 187hp and 420Nm of peak torque in the new SUV. The mill may come mated to a seven-speed torque converter automatic transmission channelling power to the rear wheels.
