Mahindra Mini Xylo to be called Quanto

Continuing in the tradition of naming Mahindra cars and SUVs with an O at the end, the Mini Xylo will be called the Quanto. The only recent Mahindras to deviate from this tradition are the Thar and the XUV500, but then again Mahindra pronounces the 500 as “five double O” and hence even the XUV500 could be considered as a Mahindra with a name that ends with an O. This nomenclature has incidentally been very successful for Mahindra, especially at the hustings, with all the cars bearing the O in their names, (like the Bolero, Scorpio, Verito, Xylo, Ingenio) doing well. So, the Quanto could be the next big seller for the brand.

2012 Mahindra Quanto Compact SUV

The 2012 Mahindra Quanto is expected to the least priced Mahindra car with a starting price between INR 4 to 5 lakhs being the ball park figure for this latest compact SUV. The launch of the Quanto will happen over the next few months, bang in the middle of the Indian festive season of Dusshera-Diwali. The Quanto will be powered by the 1.5 Liter m-Hawk CRDe diesel engine, which is a downsized version of the 2.2 Liter turbo diesel engine used by the likes of the Scorpio, Xylo and the XUV500. The smaller engine will feature a three cylinder layout and will be turbocharged.

However, it remains to be seen whether Mahindra will launch the Quanto with the twin turbo variant of this engine, which produces very impressive figures of 100 Bhp of peak power and 240 Nm of peak torque. If indeed Mahindra launches the Quanto with the twin turbo engine, the compact SUV could be quite a peppy package. The Quanto is based on a shortened version of the full sized Xylo MPV. Unlike the Xylo, the Quanto gets a tail mounted spare wheel to give it a more butch appearance. The key takeaway from the spy pics is the butterfly type windows for the passengers sitting behind the middle row.

2012 Mahindra Quanto Compact SUV

The Quanto will set seven adults, in a 2+3+2 layout, with the last two passengers having to make do with side facing, drop down seats. Since the spare wheel is considered as an accessory, the Quanto will measure in at under 4 meters in length, thus qualifying for excise duty concessions that the Indian government gives to small cars measuring under 4 meters in length with diesel engines measuring under 1.5 liters in capacity. While this concession calls for a petrol engine of 1.2 Liters or smaller, the Quanto is expected to be launched in diesel only guise as Mahindra doesn’t seem to have a 1.2 liter petrol engine ready for use on the compact SUV. Expect the top end Quanto to be loaded with safety features and creature comforts, as is typical of top end variants of cars and SUVs from the Mahindra stable.

Source Team-Bhp