How do you get attention to a product? Make it desirable, kit it up new features or give it a weird to pronounce name. Mahindra has done exactly all of this with the Marazzo. Proof is around 10,000 vehicles sold till now and more sales expected to happen soon. We got our hands on the Mahindra Marazzo for an extended drive to see what the buzz is about.
Mahindra Marazzo Design
This vehicle has been inspired from a shark. The shark inspiration is not only manifested in the name (Marazzo in Basque means shark) but also in the way the vehicle is styled. The grille is inspired by the shark tooth while the dorsal fin is what the tail lights have been imagined as. The body itself has been built in a streamlined manner. The dual tone 17-inch alloys looks quite good. Mahindra Marazzo grabs attention on the road and people are curious to know more about it. That being said, don’t let the brochure pictures fool you. There is no shark fin antenna on offer in the vehicle. We like the gun metal grey alloy wheels and overall, Mahindra Marazzo doesn’t look like the love child of the XUV and Xylo.
Mahindra Marazzo Interior
The cabin is also a pleasant place to be in. Most of the components are new while a few like the switches have been shared. Cabin highlights include piano black inserts, a touchscreen infotainment system with Android auto, navigation, climate control, purple colored meter dials and a second a well as third row surround AC system. The AC is gimmicky and even in the wintery December, we found ourselves trying to reduce the temperature more often than not.
What is commendable is the comfortable seats that Mahindra Marazzo offers. There is decent head and leg room for the front and middle row occupants. The same cannot be said about the third row of seats though. They are mainly for kids and there is just about luggage space (190 litres) when all the seats are in place. Ingress-egress too isn’t an issue with Mahindra Marazzo with engineers harping on how they had kept all of this in mind while designing the car. Good all around visibility too has been accounted for and you sit tall in the Mahindra Marazzo.
Mahindra Marazzo Engine and Transmission
Mahindra has used a new 1.5-litre Euro-VI ready diesel engine in the Marazzo. It is a single turbo unit that makes 123PS and 300Nm. The gearbox is a 6-speed unit. The claimed fuel efficiency is 17.3kmpl. Mahindra has also added an eco mode but there is no start-stop function. Like other Mahindra engines, this one too is very torquey. This means lesser gear changes in dense traffic. Speaking of which, the clutch is very light and the gear shifts are positive. This being said, the clutch can sometimes catch you off the guard and the car will stall. Mahindra Marazzo is decently fuel efficient and returned 12.7kmpl in city and 18.2kmpl on the highway. The engine too is refined and one is isolated from the diesel clatter for the important part of the rev range.
Mahindra Marazzo Ride and Handling
Mahindra Marazzo rides on a double wishbone at front and twist beam at the rear. This set up is tuned to be on the softer side. The result is the pogo effect when going over undulations. However, it is far lower than what you may experience on the TUV300. Moreover, the Marazzo handles decently too. However, with a full load of passengers, body roll is evident as well. The steering is light enough and will actually shock you. It doesn’t feel like a steering wheel in a Mahindra car at all. It also weighs up at higher speeds. The brakes too have good feel and do the job efficiently.
Mahindra Marazzo Safety
Dual airbags with ABS are standard across all variants. There are also disc brakes on all four wheels. Rear parking camera, rear sensors are also offered on this M8 trim. Mahindra also says that the Marazzo has been crash tested for side impact as well as pedestrian protection. In the recently conducted crash tests by GNCAP, Mahindra Marazzo scored four stars, the first Indian MPV to have got this rating. We though believe for a vehicle this big, Mahindra should have added curtain airbags too. This may have increased the crash test ratings to a perfect five.
Verdict
Mahindra Marazzo is offered in seven as well as eight seater variants. The latter is costlier by Rs 5,000 over the seven seater trim. The one that we have here on test is the M8 seven seater trim. It gets captain seats with leatherette upholstery for the middle row.
The Marazzo is priced between Rs 9.99 lakh – Rs 13.90 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai. At this price, it is slightly expensive than the smaller Ertiga and more affordable than the bigger Innova. It fills in the spot which the slow selling Lodgy is placed in. We like the way how easy it is to drive the Marazzo around in town. Good all around visibility and a light steering help a lot. If you are in the market for a MPV which not only looks good but seats seven in good comfort, then Mahindra Marazzo is the car for you.
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