Mahindra Motors has launched its first premium MPV – the Mahindra Marazzo for the Indian market. The launch of the Marazzo is important for Mahindra as it expands its model range into the lucrative Indian MPV segment. An all-new car launch from Mahindra was a long time due and the brand hopes that the Marazzo will do justice to expectations. The word ‘Marazzo’ which means shark is derived from the Basque region of Spain. The growth of the Indian MPV segment can be credited to the undisputed success of the much-loved Toyota Innova. The Toyota Innova was introduced to the Indian market at a time when there was a need for a practical people mover and an alternative to the traditional SUVs. The Innova remained the undisputed king of the Indian MPV segment for many years. Toyota decided to end production of the Innova a few years ago. Toyota strategically decided to introduce the Innova Crysta as a more expensive and premium MPV for those who would want to travel in comfort and luxury, by doing this they have created a niche market. Since the original Innova was not on sale anymore MPV’s such as the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Honda Mobilio has been very popular in the segment, with the Ertiga leading the way. The new, refreshed Maruti Ertiga on its way to the Indian roads soon, how does the newbie – Mahindra Marazzo stack up against the competition? Read on to see what we think about it…
The design of the Marazzo is true to its name taking inspiration from the shark. With an aggressive front bumper, sharp and angular headlamps the Marazzo has a good road presence and bags a modern appeal too. There are well-designed character lines running the side length of the car body, hence giving the Marazzo a sophisticated design. The Marazzo sports rear LED tail lamps with arrow-like inserts, this is in tune with the overall sharp design of the car. The design of the Marazzo comes as an evolution from the traditional, boxy car designs we have been accustomed to with Mahindra cars. The Marazzo is the first Mahindra car to be designed at the Mahindra North American Technical Centre in the USA. It is safe to say that the Marazzo is by far the best designed Mahindra yet.
Enough about the exterior let us move inside…as soon as you step into the Marazzo, you are might get confused and ask yourself – is this a Mahindra car? The Marazzo is unlike any other Mahindra car that we have been used to seeing - lots of knobs, buttons on the dashboard; a traditional dashboard layout, hard quality plastics etc. the interiors on the Marazzo are like a breath of fresh air! You will certainly have a smile on your face and a sense of appreciation for Mahindra designers who have done a very good job at designing the interiors of the car. Every element of the interiors is a step up from Mahindra cars of the previous generation. The dashboard sees a good combination of texture and materials giving it a premium feel. The combination of black and beige color schemes works smartly making the cabin airier. There is a nice instrument cluster with a digital screen having bold and crisp colors displaying trip information with ease. Taking center stage at the dashboard is a new 7-inch infotainment system which comes with Android Auto, Apple Car Play should follow suit soon. You will certainly like the seating position at the driver’s seat – a high seating position with very good outside visibility makes driving seamless. Moving to the back seat, you will be delighted to see the 2 individual seats or 2 captain seats as they are more popularly known. This seat configuration was made popular by the Toyota Innova. The backseats on the Marazzo offer good space and legroom and is a comfortable place to be overall. The Marazzo comes with the third row of seats as well…this is quite handy when traveling with children, however, there is decent space for an adult. Tall passengers might not be the most comfortable in the third row. For any car being sold in India, it is crucial that they are equipped to take on the sweltering Indian heat. The Marazzo has an interesting solution – vertical roof-mounted rear AC vents. MPV’s are long cars…owing to this a single AC unit in the front of the car does not do the trick. Hence, car manufacturers install horizontal AC vents just above the driver and co-passenger seats. The AC vents in the Marazzo run vertically i.e. the length of the car. This allows for better circulation of the AC system in the car…keeping passengers cool and comfortable throughout. No car is perfect…well unless it is a Rolls Royce of course! The Marazzo has its share of oddities for starters the handbrake lever is quite cool looking, but not the most practical, user-friendly to use. The rear door bins could have been designed more practically. The USB ports at the front of the car are in an awkward position, hence accessing them is a little tricky. Mahindra understands that the Marazzo will cater largely to the urban family – to boost storage and practicality an 8-seat configuration car with a 60:40 seat spilt ratio will also be made available.
The Marazzo is powered by a 1.5 L four-cylinder diesel engine producing a max power output of 121 bhp. This engine belongs to the mFalcon engine series which also does duty on the Mahindra KUV. Engine refinement nowadays has become very important to car manufacturers. Car manufacturers are taking a lot of effort to ensure that their cars have very high levels of engine and cabin refinement. The Marazzo scores well on this front. There is an astonishingly low level of refinement considering this is a diesel car, engine refinement levels both at idle and on the move are quite impressive. It only when you push closer to the redline is when the engine becomes audible. Mahindra cars tend to have issues with the clutch, quite a few users have reported the clutch to be heavy and springy. Mahindra has taken this feedback and delivered a very well-engineered, easy to use clutch that is light to operate. The first impression you get of the Marazzo while on the move is the responsiveness of this engine from the go! Though the Marazzo has a wide range of torque on hand, good linear power delivery…you will realize that this is a car best driven in an easy manner. You can expect a mileage of about 12 kmpl in the city (under realistic, bumper to bumper traffic conditions) and approx. 16-17 kmpl while on the highway. The Marazzo comes equipped with cruise control, hence providing the driver comfort while driving a long distance and delivering good fuel economy. The Marazzo trumps all the Mahindra cars before it in the ride and handling department. It is probably the best Mahindra car with respect to driving dynamics. The steering on the Marazzo is a very good unit, offering good off-center feedback, light to use and becomes a little heavy when at high speeds. The Marazzo uses a ladder on frame body, hence you will find it slightly bouncy and experience some body roll. Overall the ride is decent and will keep the passengers relatively comfortable save for some sections of broken roads and deep potholes.
Probably one of the biggest compliments the Marazzo could receive is that it does not look or feel like a Mahindra though it is one! This is an awesome thing the way we see it, it gives the market a sense of excitement as the future range of Mahindra seems to be moving towards a positive and progressive direction. Yes, the Marazzo is a car which has a lot of things going for it – exciting design, practicality, upmarket feel, value for money etc. many critics feel it is a direct competitor to the mighty Innova Crysta – but we are of the opinion it is not completely there yet. However, priced at 9.99 lakh onwards the Marazzo has the power to attract customers from both ends of the segment. The Indian customers particularly the youth, their families are transitioning towards larger cars that add good value for money. The Mahindra Marazzo and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Ertiga are cars which will attract many of such families. It will be very exciting to see how they perform in the market. What are your thoughts on the Marazzo? We look forward to reading them…
