The Mahindra S101 has taken production-ready form under camouflage, hinting towards the launch date coming closer and is scheduled within this financial year.
While the monsoons have made big puddles today, Mahindra will be making its biggest splash later this year when it will introduce two new sub 4-metre compact SUVs in the Indian market. Aiming to take on the premium hatchback and crossover segments, the automaker has been extensively working on a new compact SUV codenamed ‘S101’ that has the proportions of a hatchback but an SUV-like stance. Now, ahead of the launch expected during the current financial year, our readers spotted the S101 in production-ready form revealing a great deal about the upcoming offering.
The spy shots were sent to us by our readers Arun Kumar, Madhan Raja and Shakthi from Chennai as well as Vyom from Mehsana, Gujarat. As the camouflaged test mules indicate, the Mahindra S101 gets a tall stance riding higher than regular hatchbacks while the front fascia looks extremely rugged with the flat bonnet and a wide grille. The car gets swept back headlamps with the black mesh grille in the centre, while there is a larger grille on the bumper with fog lamps located at either end.
The side profile is very hatch-like with a curved roofline and gets a small rear windscreen, roof spoiler and tail lamps. The ground clearance is higher than most hatchbacks. Inside the cabin, the Mahindra S101 will likely get bench style seats at the front and rear, LCD display screen for the audio system, manual HVAC unit and steering mounted controls among other bits. Safety features will include dual front airbags and ABS with EBD at least on the mid and top spec variants.
Mechanically, the Mahindra S101 is based an all-new monocoque platform, the second of its kind for the company. Power comes from a newly developed lineup of engines including a 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel that will be tuned to deliver high fuel efficiency. Transmission options will include a 5-speed manual and an AMT unit as well. Knowing Mahindra, expect prices to be extremely competitive and that will be the company’s biggest USP.
