2022 Mahindra XUV 300 Petrol AT Review, Road Test

The 2022 Mahindra XUV 300. The SUV from the manufacturer is finally here with us in its petrol automatic avatar. Mahindra has an aggressive strategy ahead by bringing out new models to make sure they stand out and grab sales numbers as it lost market share in the last three years. This SUV is going to do so for them. Be it on the inside and outside, it has what it takes to impress a set of consumers. Like always there are core strengths and weaknesses of any product that comes from the Mahindra stable. We find out what the The 2022 Mahindra XUV 300 offers and doesn’t to its prospective buyers.

On the outside, the 4.0-meter SUV has the silhouette of a proper compact SUV. The different elements on the SUV make that quite clear such as the head and tail lamps. The front grille, bonnet and alloy wheels are the same as the regular version. The LED DRL makes it stand out at the front. The build quality on the outside seems good enough. The XUv300 is the safest SUV in its class with a 5-star rating and the highest points. The rear design continues to be a hit or a miss with prospective customers. The colors also signify it is targeting a slightly younger audience, especially the Red and white scheme on our car.

On the inside, the build and quality are good, but not great. The stowage is good, charging points are in plenty, and overall a very practical cabin. The feature list, we have explained time and again in our launch reports. You get a touch screen with Android Auto and Apple Car Play. The sound system is good too considering the segment. The A/c control dials with screens on them inside look outdated. The steering-mounted controls are on offer and the steering also looks good in its new avatar. The space is quite good too. The shoulder, head, leg, and knee rooms are segment standard and are good enough for this segment. The boot space is good by segment standards at 286 liters plus, but not the best. Road and wind noise inside the cabin is well controlled as the road noise and wind noise do not get intrusive. The safety kit includes ABS and EBD with two airbags that come as standard with seven airbags on the top-end variant. Mahindra has removed a lot of features such as heated mirrors, front parking sensors, and other items from the list in the year 2022.

The only option is a petrol 1.2-liter engine making 110 PS and 200 Nm of torque is a free-revving and low-on NVH unit. Be it in any part of the rev range. Be it automatic or manual either it is easy to drive. Also, the clutch is light and so is the gearbox to operate. Automatic, a 6-speed, is the highly optimized AMT which is now in its second generation.

It shifts smoothly, almost seamlessly at all speeds making the best AMT setting a benchmark in the AMT class. It delivers good fuel economy on the highway and city. We saw 18 km/l on the Mumbai-Pune highway. Really gunning it we saw 14 km/l and I think that is a great number to have in today’s time! The aforementioned number is the same for mileage in the city if driven sedately. Low and mid-range are good and so is the top-end as well as it cruises at legal speeds easily thanks to the slightly higher focus of the power in the top end. This ends up making good enough for city and highway duties.

The low to medium ride quality is good, yet slightly stiff this time around. The high-speed ride is rock solid at any given speed. Body roll increases as speeds get higher while taking a corner or changing lanes at high speeds. Confidence is good enough to do so and you can push the SUV quite hard too. Steering is light and precise and has good feedback on offer and which can be adjusted thanks to steering modes. The brakes are good with a well-done pedal bite. Overall, very easy and quite fun to drive by far compared to all its rivals thanks to the extra power, torque, and an excellent chassis setup that is comfortable and stable at the same time.

2022 Mahindra XUV 300 Petrol AT Review, Verdict

We love the XUV 300. Despite its shortcomings of a small boot and an interior that needs an update. We can live with it and that says a lot. The performance is entertaining, the dynamics are thrilling, the safety is top-notch, the practicality is excellent, the quality is good and so is the stability. With price and feature correction in this year, it still is a worthy contender in its highly competitive class. Mahindra and consumers, both, need to pour more love on it to truly make it reach all the hearts and garages it deserves.