Technical: Mahindra XUV300 AMT Launched; Prices Start At Rs 11.50 Lakh

The Mahindra XUV300 has been finally launched with an automated manual transmission (AMT) option, featuring the company's autoShift technology. Offered only with the W8 and W8(O) diesel variants, the Mahindra XUV300 AMT is priced at Rs 11.50 lakh and Rs 12.70 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively, Rs 55,000 more than their respective manual options. Currently, the AMT unit is only offered with the diesel variants and is available for immediate deliveries across all Mahindra dealerships from today. The Mahindra XUV300 AMT variants will be available in 3 colours - Pearl White, Aquamarine and Red Rage.

Talking about the newly launched Mahindra XUV300 AMT, Veejay Ram Nakra, Chief of Sales and Marketing, Automotive Division, Mahindra and Mahindra said, "At Mahindra, it has been our constant endeavour to offer advanced and accessible technologies to all our customers and we are delighted to introduce the autoSHIFT in the XUV300 for that perfect blend of effortless driving and exhilarating performance. After receiving an overwhelming response for its manual version since its launch in February 2019, we are confident that the XUV300 autoSHIFT will further strengthen the brand's value proposition and expand the market for us."

The Mahindra XUV300 AMT is powered by the company's new 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine that is tuned to churn out 115 bhp and 300 Nm of peak torque. The new autoSHIFT AMT unit is sourced from Magneti Marelli and has been tuned to offer peppy acceleration and ease while overtaking. Mahindra says that "the AMT version will especially delight city customers and emerging market segments including women and millennials, who appreciate the convenience of an automatic in start-stop traffic conditions."

Furthermore, like most AMT models, the XUV300 also comes with a manual mode which can be accessed by shifting the lever to the left and toggling up and down to change gears. The gearbox also comes with Vehicle Creep function which will further aid in stop-and-go traffic, however, as a safety measure, the creep function will be disabled if the doors are open. The XUV300 comes with Hill Start Assist technology to prevent roll-back when driving on a hill or moving up an incline. The rest of the features remains identical to the manual version of the W8 and W8(O) trims.

At Rs 11.35 lakh to Rs 12.54 lakh, the Mahindra XUV300 AMT certainly comes at a heavy premium. In comparison, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza AMT is priced between Rs 8.69 lakh and Rs 10.42 lakh, and the Tata Nexon AMT is offered in both petrol and diesel trims, is priced from Rs 7.94 lakh to Rs 11.01 lakh and both undercut the XUV300. In fact, even Hyundai's connected SUV, Venue , which comes with the much better DCT automatic gearbox (petrol only) is priced at Rs 9.35 lakh to Rs 11.10 lakh, still undercutting the XUV300 AMT by up to Rs 2 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi). At these prices, the Nexon and the Venue certainly offer more value on paper.