This year, Mahindra's ventured into quite a few different segments - with the XUV, the Rexton as well as with the Quanto. The Quanto is Mahindra's first venture into the "Mini SUV" segment under 8 lakhs. In this segment, the competition the Quanto has is the Premier Rio and the Renault Duster. But, the Quanto also faces competition from the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. When first looked at, the Quanto seems like a mini Xylo, actually more like someone took a Xylo, chopped it into half, and then stuck on a rear tailgate. But, after a while, the design begins to grow on you, and you actually start appreciating the Quanto. Essentially, the Quanto is a sub 4 meter Xylo and hence, it enjoys sub 4 meter taxation rates.
Here's the pricing list from Mahindra for the Quanto. Note: all prices are EX SHOWROOM MUMBAI.
The variants are well spaced out, with prices starting from just 5.82 lakhs ! That's similar to the pricing of Hatchbacks like the i20, the Brio and the Swift !
The "+" ve's:
- Starts from 5.82 lakhs !
- Still is quite an SUV. Has 180 mm of Ground Clearance.
- A seven seater.
- Doesn't break a sweat on India roads.
- Boot becomes expansive with third row folded to the sides.
The "-" ve's:
- Weird styling. Proportions seem weird.
- 3rd row of seats is cramped.
- Build quality not like that of a similarly priced i20 or Brio.
The interiors:
The interiors evidently scream "XYLO" ! The dashboard is the same one as that of the Xylo. The steering wheel is directly lifted from the Scorpio. The dashboard lacks the quality offered on similarly priced cars like the i20 or the Ertiga. I, personally wasn't too happy about those triangular aircon vents on the dashboard.
The steering wheel is big, bulky and has evidently been picked up from the Scorpio's dashboard. The lack of on steering music controls is a sore thumb. But, the large horn pad will be appreciated by many.
One feature of the interiors which differentiates the Quanto from many other cars is the inclusion of an A/C minute counter below the digital tripmeter. This is a digital instrument which tells you how many minutes the air conditioner of your vehicle has been used.
The front seats have two armrests. This is appreciated because, it's a nice addition, especially for long drives. However, what I didn't like is the Yellow "squiggle" design seat upholstery. It doesn't seem color coordinated at all.
There's part sharing going on here - both the Verito as well as the Quanto utilize the same in dash music system from Nippon. It's quality is ok. It could be miles better.
Make two people sit here, and you've got yourself two enemies for life. These seats are only aimed at children and short people. Otherwise, fold them up and get an expansive 690 liters of boot space - more than you can get in any hatchback in this segment. The Quanto can actually be pretty nifty and useful for your weekend getaways if you're a family of around four.
The boot becomes quite expansive when the last row of jump seats is folded up. It'll gobble up your luggage for those airport runs, or for your weekend escapades...
Notice that the 3rd row of seats comes with butterfly windows. This is an excellent thought on Mahindra's part and this makes it comfortable to sit in the last row, even with the air conditioning switched off. This is something which isn't available in SUV's double it's price like the XUV, and quadruple it's price like the Fortuner.
The rear door is plain. No frills here. Except, the chrome ring around the round door handle breaks the monotonous grayish trim.
The Exteriors:
When you see the Quanto, it's evidently a Xylo at the front. But, it looks like a Xylo which has been improved upon. The Xylo's body colored bulky and ugly looking grille has been dumped and Mahindra has incorporated a tweaked Grille which is not as large as the one in the previous Xylo, as well as, it is black.
Mahindra seems to have made no design changes to the front bumper of the Quanto. It's exactly the same part as the Xylo's. The foglamp design too is the same. Everything at the front is just so similar that it'd be normal to mistake this car to be a Xylo.
The alloy design on the car is pretty good too. But, the tyres seem a little too tiny and knobby on this car.
The side profile of the Quanto looks awkward. It does look like a stunted Xylo. It seems like the designers at Mahindra picked up the Xylo, chopped off the last row, and replaced it with a really short rear. Quite a few elements look out of place on the Quanto. The door handles are unusually low. The windows aren't proportioned well - they look a tad too laarge on the Quanto. (That's not a typo - they do look verrry large).
The spare wheel is a full size alloy. It's mounted on the tail gate and has quite a stylish looking cover too - the black and silvery aluminum finish looks nice !
The tail lamps are squarish and compact - but, they look good on the compact Quanto's rear. The black accented design above the tail lamps are similar to those on the XUV 500.
Under the Hood:
Under the Quanto's hood is an "mCR100" 3 cylinder 1.5 liter diesel engine. You may read "3 cylinder" and feel that the engine would be pretty pathetic. But, with this engine, Mahindra has set an excellent benchmark for 3 cylinder diesel power plants. The engine produces 100 Bhp @ 3750 RPM and 24 kgm of torque from 1600 to 2800 RPM. That is amazing for a vehicle of it's price. There's no other 5 lakh rupee diesel car which produces so much power as well as torque ! The car has an ARAI rating of around 17 kpl.
Final Verdict:
The Quanto has it's positive's and negative's. But, it's an excellent car under 6.5 lakh rupees. If you're looking for a car which can seat seven under 6.5 lakhs, and is compact, look no further than the Quanto. But, if you're looking for better build quality as well as a better looking car, look elsewhere.
- Naayl Humza,
14 year old car enthusiast.
Face it. Though Chevy's done a good job with the dashboard, it's just not up to mark when compared withe the feel and build quality of something like a Jetta or a Laura. There seem to be loads of aluminium inserts coupled with too much of black in the interior. If Chevrolet had opted for a lighter color like Beige, then the interiors would look much more spacious. Lets hope to see a change in the interior color scheme in the next gen.+(1).JPG)
The Cruze has quite a dated music system. The 6 - CD Changer's no longer present. But, the newer music system comes with bluetooth support. Further, the unit could have been a Touchscreen one just like the 7-inch touchscreen available in the American version of the Cruze.
That's the American Cruze dashboard. Notice navigation running on the 7 inch in dash unit. That's ideally what Chevy should be offering us in India too.
The boot of the Chevrolet Cruze is nice and large. But, the rear seats lack 60:40 folding. This feature seems to have been removed from the 2012 Cruze..jpg)
The Cruze looks mean and quite amazing on the roads. There's no denying that. It's obvious that though it's in the same price segment as the Laura and the Jetta, it aims at a sporty look, something which looks young and agile. That's what Chevy's achieved with the Cruze. The addition of chrome inserts here and there also adds to the stunning looks of the Cruze.
A look at the front of the Cruze.
Step inside the Ertiga, and there's a sudden feeling of Deja Vu... I've seen this before ! But Where ? If you feel so, you're feeling is justified - the dashboard is the same dashboard as the one available in the Swift Dzire, but the Dzire's black steering has been replaced with a Beige one in the Ertiga. Along with this, the wood inserts on the Dzire's dashboard have been replaced with sleek aluminium inserts. But, the fact that there's part sharing going on between the Dzire and the Ertiga isn't bad. Instead, this actually seems nice. That's because this particular Dashboard design is well sorted - it looks good as well as feels good. Maruti's done a good job with the Dashboard.
The dials too are well placed, with clear, readable text.
This seems to be Suzuki's stock music player unit for cars in this segment - In India, this system is used in the Swift, the Swift Dzire as well as the Ertiga now. Further, this system is used by Suzuki in Australia in the Swift and the Swift Sport too ! This music system sounds good in the Swift and the Swift Dzire which are smaller cars, but on the Ertiga, it doesn't sound really amazing. But still, this system is worth praise.
The gear knob feels nice to grip and is decently sized causing it to easily nestle in one's palm. The beige color scheme continues here too and adds to the elegance of the Ertiga's cabin.
This is a clever addition on Maruti Suzuki's side. The cup holder close to the aircon vents keeps your coke can cool during long drives. It just adds to "the feel nice" experience of the cabin.
The 2nd row comes with it's own air conditioner vents. That's real value for money in a vehicle costing around 7 lakhs.
On the right, the driver's seat is pushed all the way back, whereas, on the left, the passenger's seat is pushed all the way ahead. 
The last row of seats is just for children, or really short people, or people who you hate. Trust me, they're cramped and tough to sit in, especially if the 2nd row has been pushed all the way behind. They're good when you occasionally need to carry 7 passengers. But otherwise, they're better folded down - they free up alot of luggage space in this way. Without them folded down, the boot space is a paltry 135 liters. With the second and third rows of seats folded down, you get an expansive 735 liters of boot space ! That's not upto mark with the Innova or Tavera's boot space, but then, getting this kind of boot space in a car slightly longer than a hatchback is just excellent. 
The side profile of the Ertiga. It's kind of an elongated Swift. But, it's around 40 centimeters longer than the Swift. This exactly how it can act like a "Swift with 2 seats in the boot". The windows on the car are large and the inclusion of a fixed windows behind the C pillars makes it airy for the passengers sitting in the third row.
The Ertiga's rear design is a no frills design. It's a simple design which will not seem amazing to many, nor will it be hated. It fits just right on the Ertiga. This too seems like the back of a hatchback. But, it's not. One negative in the rear design is that the rear wiper as well as the rear defogger are only available in the top of the end Ertiga Zxi and Zdi.
The rear hatch door opens pretty high. That's appreciated and is a boon when you're in the open. But, when you're in a basement, depending on the height of your basement ceiling, it may just hit the ceiling. I've not occurred any such problems yet. This is just a "maybe" situation depending on your parking area's ceiling height.
This is the Ertiga's 1.4 L petrol engine. It's a 4 cylinder K series unit and cranks out 95 Bhp @ 6000 RPM and 13 kgm of torque at 4000 RPM. It's smooth, refined and drives much better than the competition - the Innova and the Tavera..jpg)
The new Pajero's dashboard looks impressive. The quality is an amazing improvement over the previous Pajero SFX. The plastics look and feel good. The steering is chunky and feels nice to hold. The steering comes with one steering music controls. 
Photo courtesy : Mitsubishi India
Photo courtesy : Mitsubishi India
Photo courtesy : Mitsubishi India
Looking at the front of the Pajero Sport, there's one thing clearly visible - the front has been directly lifted from the Triton pickup truck with minor bumper changes. But, this isn't bad at all. Infact, this is a really good thing ! There's the dual segment grille which complements the headlamp design. The headlamps look aggressive and seem very similar to those of the Mitsubishi Paris Dakar Pajero. The swooping bonnet looks wicked. The skid plate design integrated well into the lower lip of the front bumper.
The Dual Segment front grille with the chrome Mitsubishi logo adorning the triangular cavity between the 2 grille slots.
From the side, the Pajero Sport looks like a very big and burly car. It stands tall and seems to have really good ground clearance too. The chrome door handles look good on the Pajero Sport's side profile. However, the wheels on the Pajero Sport look a bit knobby and tiny.
The wing mirrors are chrome plated and are really big. They also come with electrical controls and can be opened / closed from inside the cabin.
This is the Pajero Sport's engine. It's a 2.5 liter diesel 4 cylinder engine and it pumps out a competition beating 178 Bhp at 4000 RPM and 40 kgm from 2000 - 2500 RPM ! Despite being 500 cc smaller than the Toyota Fortuner's engine, it produces more power as well as torque than the Fortuner's engine.