After finding inspiration from creatures of land and air Mahindra & Mahindra has dived deep down into the vast seas and found a fascination towards the ultimate aquatic predator, the shark. This has resulted in their latest MPV, Marazzo taking on the likeness of the scary fish. How is the Marazzo in real life? We check It out for you.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF MAHINDRA MARAZZO
Engine
1497cc D15, 4 cylinder, Diesel
Power
121hp@3500rpm
Torque
300Nm@1750-2500rpm
Transmission
6-Speed Manual
Dimensions (L x W x H)
4585mm x 1866mm x 1774mm
Wheelbase
2760mm
Boot Space
354L
Suspension
Front: Double Wishbone
Rear: Twist Beam
Brakes
Front: Disc
Rear: Disc
Tyres
215/60 R17
Fuel Efficiency
17kmpl (ARAI Figure)
Fuel Tank Capacity
45L
Price
Rs 13.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)
DESIGN AND STYLING OF MAHINDRA MARAZZO
As stated earlier, the Marazzo borrows its design cues from a shark. This is perhaps most evident in the front grille embedded with chrome inserts that have been designed to look like the teeth of a shark. The headlamp cluster contains projector lamps and at the bottom are fog lamps with LED DRLs. A low angle view of the front is definitely going to impress many. But an eye level view of the Marazzo is not as pleasing as the designers at Pininfarina might have liked it. The bonnet seems to follow the angle of the large windscreen and that gives the front a sort of flat look that, ironically enough, is not flattering. The side, however, is quite nice to look at. It gets muscular lines running over the front and rear wheel arches and across the doors. There is a healthy dose of chrome all around including the door handles and a strip at the bottom. The rear gets large tail-lamps designed to look like the tail of a shark. While they do look different, they don’t possess a modern flair. A chrome strip can be found on the tailgate as well.
INTERIORS OF MAHINDRA MARAZZO
The cabin is definitely the highlight of this vehicle. Not only is it spacious but it is also very pleasing to the eye. You get a piano black finish on the dash and some texturing on the left side while the rest of the panels are draped in beige. Housed in the centre is a touchscreen infotainment system enabled with Android Auto but there is no Apple CarPlay. The multi-information display (MID) is dressed in a futuristic yet subtle purple glow. There is a digital display housed between the analogue speed and rpm meters. The display shows metrics related to the car in a fashionable manner and you can navigate through the menus using the nicely finished and tactile controls on the steering wheel. I was a bit surprised to find that even the top model only came with two airbags. Yes, the vehicle gets a sturdy construction and crumple zones but more airbags as an option would have been great.
We had the top-end M8 variant which is only available as a 7-seater. You can get the lower variants in both 7 and 8-seater options. The seats get a good amount of cushioning and there is plenty of room to stretch out even if you are 6 feet tall like me. A nice little touch is the one touch tumble which folds the 2nd row seat up with the tug of a lever. This provides easy access to the 3rd row. And once you do make it to the 3rd row, you will be surprised by the space offered. Of course, it is still going to be reserved for people with the most compact proportions but even I had a bit of room above my head. Thigh support isn’t spectacular but it is the uneven flooring that will be the prime cause of concern. There is a roof mounted air-conditioning unit that takes care of the passengers in the 2nd and 3rd rows. It gets a handy Direct and Diffuse mode to control the way the AC unit pushes out the cool air. Boot space stands at 190L with seats upright but can be increased to 1055L by folding the 2nd and 3rd row seats. There are retractable sunshades on the 2nd row windows that come in handy on hot and sunny days.
ENGINE AND PERFORMANCE OF MAHINDRA MARAZZO
As of now you can get the Marazzo with a 1.5L diesel engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission that sends power to the front wheels. Driving the MPV, I knew that it would not have a sedan like driving experience but I feel that it would not have hurt if the 4-cylinder engine had a little more grunt. The newly developed D15 engine is capable of producing 121hp and 300Nm of torque. While the numbers are pretty decent, the peak power figure only comes under your foot once you reach the 3500rpm mark which takes a while to happen. On top of that, while in the city, you will mostly find yourself staying close to 2000-2500rpm. With 7 people seated in the cabin, the car will definitely take a while to overtake others. The torque thankfully kicks in quite early and helps the engine get some life. If you are on highways then the car will maintain good speeds. The 6-speed transmission is a godsend that has defined gears which slot in smoothly.
The softly sprung suspension provides a very comfortable ride experience for the passengers and soaks in the undulations found on the road. In fact, the smaller potholes and bumps can go unnoticed if one is not paying attention. With disc brakes on all four wheels and the added help of ABS and EBD, braking feels very controlled and has a nice progression while having enough bite to come to a sudden halt, should the occasion arise.
Though the ARAI certified fuel efficiency figure stands at 17.7kmpl, what we got during our short period of testing was more like 11-13kmpl. If you behave or are on a highway run, you can get a pretty good range out of the Marazzo. There is also an Eco Mode which can further increase the mileage at the expense of reduced engine performance.
VERDICT
The new Mahindra Marazzo MPV has a real shot at success because it occupies an exclusive space in the less than crowded MPV segment. With a price range of Rs 9.99 lakh to 13.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), it sits snugly between the more affordable Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the costlier and feature packed Toyota Innova Crysta. With the Marazzo you get a cabin that can welcome a large family and pamper them during their commute. The engine is actually serviceable but a quicker response would have been icing on the cake. Something I wish that the company improved upon would be the number of airbags.
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