Details about the Mahindra XUV500 W4 variant and justification of its price

India is a market that is heavily driven by mighty Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Even if all of them are not all that mighty, it is one of the few places which still sees tremendous growth potential in this segment. With this in mind, Utility Vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has decided to place W4, a low-spec variant of the hugely popular XUV500 at just Rs 10.83 lakh. Mouth-watering, did you say? We at India Today are trying to find out if it really is value for money or not.

1. Competition at 11 lakh- What is the competition that Mahindra XUV500 W4 is up against? It includes the likes of its own Scorpio, Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport, Nissan Terrano and Tata Safari Storme. According to us, styling is very subjective, but majority of owners have appeared to like it immensely. We would place this vehicle in terms of styling right after the EcoSport, which is fairly high. At the same price point, W4 also overlaps vehicles in other segments, such as the Executive sedans (Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Nissan Evalia, Mahindra Xylo, Toyota Innova and Volkswagen Vento. But then, we Indians love driving a macho SUV, don't we?

2. Equipment- Despite losing out on a lot of equipment, the W4 still provides several features better than its competition. It does not get traction control, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Automatic Climate Control, touchscreen infotainment system and rain sensing wipers. However, it does get Antilock Braking System (ABS). This is more dependent on what the customer is really looking for.

3. Two Wheel Drive- Mahindra's very own Scorpio comes with 4WD at a similar price. Renault Duster 4x4 is also due for launch soon, and of course, there is the huge Safari Storme. Does the W4 really score in this area, where it is available only in 2WD? We do not think so.

4. Space- Space always comes at a premium, especially in a compact SUV. Though the W4 is not compact by any means, its competition surely has lesser space. Consider both the EcoSport and the Duster. At the same price, Mahindra certainly offers you much more space, especially rear legroom.

5. Engine and transmission- Even after so many years and the increasing competition, Mahindra still believes in selling only a diesel variant of the W4. There is no petrol version, which can be found in the EcoSport, Duster and others. We feel that this is certainly an area where the W4 is weak. However, on the positive side, it comes with a 6 speed Manual Transmission, which is not available in any of the other vehicles. Well, you win some and you lose some!

Verdict- For the hardcore adventure-loving person, we feel that the Mahindra XUV500 W4 variant is not really a great buy. It does not have technology such as ESP for stability on tricky slopes, which may prove to be cumbersome. Size of the vehicle has not been tampered, and neither has the 2.2 Litre diesel motor been changed. All these do work in the company's favour and therefore, we think that at Rs 10.83 lakh, it certainly is a must buy.