Mahindra has launched the Verito Vibe in India. The Vibe is Mahindra’s attempt at cracking the sub-four metre car segment. The Vibe is essentially a Verito/Logan with it’s boot chopped off, which makes it a less-than four metre long, . The Vibe fits perfectly in the lower excise duty segment made by the Indian Government, and Mahindra hopes that a lower priced big hatchback will make the car a hit in India.
Design wise, the Vibe looks similar to the Verito from the front till the rear doors, thereafter it tries to hide it’s bulk with big taillamps which run along the rear windshield and a thick chrome strip above the number plate. It’s boxy looks don’t make it look pretty, but there is acres of space inside just like the Verito.
The Verito Vibe will be offered in three variants – D2, D4 and D6
Price
Mahindra Verito Vibe D2 – Rs 5.63 lakh
Mahindra Verito Vibe D4 – Rs 5.89 lakh
Mahindra Verito Vibe D6 – Rs 6.49 lakh
All prices are ex-showroom Mumbai.
Exterior
We knew how the Vibe was going to look, thanks to many spy shots of the car. The Verito Vibe is 3991 mm long, 1740 mm wide, 1540 mm tall and has a ground clearance of 172 mm. At the front, the Vibe shares elements with the Verito including the headlamps, the grill, the hood etc. Mahindra has decided to rename the features though, the Verito Vibe gets ‘carbon finished front grill’, ‘smoked headlights’ at the front. It also gets new ‘champagne’ alloy wheels, possibly on the top end D6 variant. The side profile up to the rear doors look the same, the obvious difference being that there is no boot. The Vibe has roof-rails, or ‘ski-racks’ as Mahindra calls, it for a sporty look. The rear is dominated by big LED tail-lamps which run along the sides of rear windscreen and the chrome strip above the number plate holder. The Verito Vibe also gets dual coloured rear bumpers, which also has a muffler cutter built into it. The Vibe will be offered in a total of seven colours: Fiery Black, Java Brown, Mist Silver, Toreador Red, Dolphin Grey, Diamond White and Aqua Rush.
Interior
Space is the greatest marketing tool Mahindra has for the Vibe, and because it is essentially the same car inside as the Verito sedan with a wheelbase of 2630 mm you know that it is pretty spacious. The car gets a two-tone interior, with fake-carbon fibre inserts on the centre console. There are lot of cubby holes around the car for keeping knick-knacks. The front glovebox is pretty spacious and there is a space above it on the glovebox that can be used to store other items. The space in front of the gear lever gets two bottle holders, there are small crevices on the doorpads to keep maps or other slim articles. The steering wheels does not get audi-control buttons even on the top end D6 variant. The gear lever now gets a silver insert on the top, the power window switches are placed on the doors. The rear seats can easily seat three people abreast just like the Verito sedan. It has a boot space of 330 litres, which is pretty good for the segment, and is topped only by the Honda Amaze which is a full fledged compact sedan with a boot.
Features
- 2-DIN audio system with CD/USB/AUX connectivity with 4-speakers (D6 only)
- Electrically adjustable ORVMs (D6 only)
- Power windows (D4 and D6)
- Central locking (D4 and D6)
- Remote locking (D6)
- Rear defogger (D6)
- Adjustable head restraints for all five occupants
- The driver information system is carried over from the Verito sedan it gives information on the trip distance, total distance travelled, fuel level, time, etc. (D6)
- A LCD display on the centre console which shows the time, mileage in real time, temperature and the fuel level
Performance
The Verito Vibe is powered by the same Renault K9K 1.5 litre, 65 BHP, 160 Nm diesel engine which does duty on the Verito. The ARAI mileage figure for the engine is 20.8 KMPL, fed by a 50- litre tank the Vibe gets a range of a bit over 1000 KM. It is not being offered with a petrol engine because Mahindra does not have a an engine that is smaller than 1.2 litres which is critical to avail the excise duty benefits in the sub-four metre segment.
Safety
The Mahindra Verito Vibe comes with the following safety features:
- ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) and EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) on the D6 variant
- Driver side airbag (D6)
- Collapsible steering column
- Electrical rear window locks (D4 and D6)
