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The Alturas G4 performs nicely on city roads and highways alike
Performance – Under the hood of the Mahindra Alturas G4 is a 2.2-litre diesel engine which produces 178 HP at 4000 RPM and 420 Nm from 1600-2600 RPM. Mated to this engine is a 7-speed AT which is borrowed from Mercedes and is popularly known as 7G-TRONIC. The oil-burner is BS6 ready. The engine delivers good performance and has more than enough grunt for daily usage. Low-end is responsive but it is the mid-range which has more punch while top-end grunt is a bit limited. In the mid-range, the Alturas accelerates nicely. The engine has good NVH levels and is pretty refined but gets vocal at high RPMs.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/45869460532/[/flickr]
The 7-speed gearbox is sourced from Mercedes, it is smooth but not very quick
The Alturas G4 gets a shift-on-the-fly 4WD system with 4H, 4L and 2H modes
The 7-speed tranny is smooth but isn’t the quickest unit out there. Quick overtakes on the highway need some planning because the gearbox feels a bit laggy when you go pedal to the metal. The gearbox misses out on an S mode and also paddle-shifters but it gets a manual mode. The SUV also gets a shift-on-the-fly 4WD with modes like 2H, 4H and 4L. We didn’t get a chance to put it through hard-core off-roading but it performed well in mild off-roading thanks to the torquey engine and the high ground clearance.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/45006469555/[/flickr]
The Alturas G4 is easy to drive but handling could have been better
Driving Dynamics – The ride of the Mahindra Alturas G4 is quite choppy and it gets unsettling for passengers when the car passes over bad roads. The tyres are good though, and do well to cushion out some of the bumps. The steering lacks feel and feedback, it is also very light which is a boon at city speeds but even out on the highways at high speeds it just doesn’t weigh up. The brakes have good stopping power with a sharp bite from the pedal but there is a lot of nose dive.
