Another product which has been a long time coming, the Mahindra Verito Vibe is finally here. The vehicle is a sub 4-metre version of the Logan Verito, with the boot chopped off to get small car excise duty benefits. The wheelbase remains the same and hence the Verito Vibe boasts of class leading interior room. The hatchback will rub shoulders with the Toyota Etios Liva and Tata Indica Vista, both of which are high on space. The styling is the same as the Verito sedan but the rear is different and looks very Ford Focus hatchback like, not necessarily in a good way.
Powering the Mahindra Verito Vibe is the same 1.5-litre diesel engine which does duty on the Verito. This motor might not be high on output but offers fantastic drivability and mileage. With 65 BHP and 160 Nm on tap, don’t expect to win any traffic light GPs against similarly priced vehicles like the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Honda Brio or Fiat Grande Punto. The ARAI certified mileage is 20.8 km/l. Mahindra doesn’t call the Vibe a hatchback or sedan, instead it calls it a compact car. The Vibe is thus a two-box sedan.
The Verito Vibe has a very different sort of a boot, the hatch door opens without the rear windshield, while the position of the boot door makes it a mix of sedan (the boot has hinges like a sedan) and hatchback. The Verito Vibe has a 330-litre boot. It measure 3991 mm in length, 1740 mm in width (widest car in class) and 1540 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2630 mm and ground clearance of 172 mm. The Verito Vibe has a turning radius of 5.25-meters and weighs 1155 kgs. It is offered in three variants – D2, D4 and D6, with no petrol engine on offer.
The Verito Vibe’s brochure oddly says “Style that finishes first”. The vehicle gets carbon finished front grille, smoked headlights, champagne alloy wheels, wing shape rear chrome garnish, dual tone rear bumper, LED tail lights, muffler cutter, etc. Mahindra feels the Verito Vibe has a crossover-like stance. The Verito Vibe is offered with a 2-din audio system (with CD/USB/AUX connectivity), driver side airbag, ABS and generous cabin space. Mahindra offers a 3-year/1-lakh kms warranty on the vehicle. Mahindra calls the sharing of underpinnings as their platform strategy. The Verito and Vibe will co-exist and the company has invested Rs. 60 crores on the development of the latter.
Mahindra Verito Vibe Price (pre-octroi and ex-showroom, Mumbai) –
* Verito Vibe D2 – Rs. 5.63 lakhs
* Verito Vibe D4 – Rs. 5.89 lakhs
* Verito Vibe D6 – Rs. 6.49 lakhs
