MAHINDRA 3XO TURBO GDI AT REVIEW

If the XUV300 were a person, he would be that quiet, athletic, and handsome lad who's comfortable in his own skin. He has had the same barber for decades. The 3XO on the other hand looks like the chap who changes his salon frequently. He also makes reels in the gym.

- SYED SHIRAZ SHAH

The first time I drove this Mahindra was 4-5 years ago when it was called the XUV300. It was a short drive but one that did leave me quite impressed with its engine and overall dynamics.

The cherry on top was that we (a bunch of auto journos) also got to sit shotgun with Gaurav Gill, who showed us how the world looks like from the windows of a car as opposed to from the windscreen that all of us are familiar with in our day-to-day driving. For those not acquainted with rallying, or drifting, please look up "Scandinavian flick" and you'll be able to understand the previous lines better while also imagining what this vehicle is capable of in the right hands.

However, not one of you will even dream of driving the Mahindra 3XO like that; you'd just want to know how the vehicle fares in the hands of a common man. That's why this re-opinion. It's subjective, right? Yes it is. Therefore, let me tell you that I liked the XUV300's design more. In fact, I liked that nomenclature more as well. But, like Shakespeare said, what's in a name, I'll go back to talking about the design.

If you look at the 300, you'll notice that it wasn't something that would win beauty pageants or compel its owners to make ogling at it endlessly their favourite past time. There's actually nothing in this segment even remotely that gorgeous. In fact, there are a few that seem to have gotten an unnecessary botox treatment or a nose job, or both. In contrast, the XUV300 came across as a sensible and proportional design with no unnecessary fillers, creases, etc. If the XUV300 were a person, he would be that quiet, athletic, and handsome lad who's comfortable in his own skin. He has had the same barber for decades. The 3XO on the other hand looks like the chap who changes his salon frequently. He also makes reels in the gym.