Mahindra Marazzo Review - Iceberg White

The Mahindra Marazzo was launched on September, 2018, all-new premium MPV from the home-grown car giant Mahindra & Mahindra. The new MPV which is Priced at Rs 9.99-13.90 lakh sits neatly between the Ertiga and the Innova Crysta, filling that vacuum between the Ertiga diesel (Rs 8.78 to Rs 10.69 lakh) and the Innova 2.4 diesel (Rs 15.77 to 20.71 lakh). Lets try to find out how this car’s new ‘body-on-frame’ front wheel drive architecture, and the all-new engine Perform on road .

Design

The Marazzo has been developed by the Mahindra North American Technical Centre (MNATC) in Michigan, USA. The MPV looks different from any other Mahindra cars. It’s built on an all-new platform with an design inspiration from a shark. The one which we tested is Marazzo in Iceberg white color shade (Check all Mahindra Marazzo Colors ). The front sports Mahindra’s signature toothy grille, the headlamps gets blacked-out headlamp clusters that feature projectors but sadly comes with a halogen unit rather than an LED. A pair of DRLs are also present beside the foglamps but only the top end trims get it.

At the rear, the tail lamps takes inspiration from the shark’s tail .There is also a thick chrome slat at the rear joining the tail lamps. It’s impressive, yes, certainly not something that you go all ‘wow’ about at first look. It is a new design, no doubt, given the Italian design house Pininfarina had a large hand in it. It’s available in seven or eight seater configurations for now. Moving on to the side, the first thing that will strike your attention are the 17-inch alloy wheels. The wheels are machined and shaped in the form of shark fins which look really cool.

Interiors

Talking about the interior ,The top of the dashboard gets a matte grey finish while the middle section is finished in gloss black ,the dual tone interiors makes it look classy, the driving seat is high enough for a good outside view, and the leather seats are plush and spacey . As for quality, the feel of the textured plastics and fit and finish in certain areas is surprisingly good. The car gets a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system on top of the centre console. The infotainment system features navigation, Android Auto connectivity, an eco-driving guide and other vital information including distance-to-empty. There’s two USB ports and a 12V socket for the driver and front passenger, while rear seat occupants get a common USB port, for charging only.

Speaking about comfort, The driver and passenger seats get manual lumbar support while manual seat height adjustment is present only for the driver. Also, the test car that we got was the top-end M8 variant which was a seven-seater and features captain seats for the second row.

The front and second-row seats get a foldable armrest which further adds to the level of comfort. One major highlight in the Marazzo’s cabin has to be the roof-mounted air-conditioning system for the second and third rows. The rear-seat occupants could choose to have a direct blast or get a diffused blow from separate vents on the roof. Mahindra has patented this technology calling it the Surround Cool Technology.

Drive

The all-new 1,497cc, four-cylinder diesel engine gets a new variable-geometry turbocharger that helps it achieve a peak power output of 123hp and Peak torque of 300Nm . The engine is mated to an all new six-speed manual gearbox which offers precise shifts. The Marazzo uses a body-on-frame chassis with a front-wheel-drive setup. The clutch feels really light when compared to other cars of this size and will not tire one out. Although one might end up stalling the car quite a few times because there is very less feedback from the clutch.

This all new 1.5 litre Diesel unit impressed us with the low cabin noise and overall refinement, with a distinct lack of clatter that is expected from a Mahindra. Torque is spread well across the spectrum, making it easy to drive in stop-go conditions too. It doesn’t pick up pace in a hurry though and the weight of the car clearly overwhelms the little engine, but stick to the speed limits and drive like a typical family car. Talking about the safety, Mahindra Marazzo is built-on high-strength steel and comes with 2 air-bags as standard. Recently Marazzo was awarded 4-star Global NCAP safety rating setting a new benchmark in safety in this segment. The car also has two modes on offer: Normal and Eco. In Normal mode, the throttle response is kind of sharp while on selecting Eco, the throttle response drops; in turn helping in saving fuel .

As far as ride quality is concerned, the car performed really well especially on potholes and uneven roads. The suspension travel is not too long . Marazzo gets a double-wishbone front suspension with a stabiliser bar, and a twist beam setup at the rear. That, coupled with 240mm of suspension travel enables a good ride, despite the ladder frame.

Verdict

The Marazzo is a huge leap forward for Mahindra and for those looking for an easy-to-drive, plush and spacious seven-seater family car, this MPV is certainly the one we can recommend. It comes at a really reasonable price of Rs 13.90 lakh, ex-showroom (India) for the M8 top-end variant.

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