2018 Mahindra Marazzo: three things we like and three we don't
The Mahindra Marazzo is the newest MPV to get launched in the country and as we found out in our first drive review, it comes across as a well-packaged, comfortable seven-seater vehicle. It impresses on various fronts like engine performance, comfort, equipment levels and more. As always there's a few things about it that really impressed us, while there are some things we didn't really like and felt could have been better. Here's the list of it all.
The Marazzo marks the debut of Mahindra's all-new, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine that produces 122PS and 300Nm. The engine is certainly one of our favourite bits on the MPV, as it feels smooth and refined, does not sound clattery like most diesel engines and also has a pretty linear torque curve that only tapers off at the top. The engine produces its peak torque at 1,750rpm, but delivers upwards of 170Nm above 1,000rpm which helps a lot when doodling at low speeds. In fact I was almost surprised at how good the throttle response was even at low speeds, and this characteristic is something that will help a lot when driving the Marazzo in city traffic.
The engine is mated to a brand-new, six-speed manual gearbox which is also something I really liked while driving the Marazzo. It starts from the fact that clutch action at the pedal is light unlike several diesel vehicles and the pedal offers good feel as well, without you having to guess too much about where exactly the bite point is. This should again benefit drivers driving in bumper to bumper traffic as it will not only help in reducing the load on the left leg caused by repetitive clutch action, but also ensure clutch releases and forward motion from standstill is smooth. More importantly, gear changes are good and gears slot in well, with a reassuring feel â€" this makes for a far better feel when compared to Mahindra's older gearboxes and is certainly welcome.
Steering
The Mahindra Marazzo's steering feels light even when turning it from lock to lock at standstill. This helps in moving the vehicle quickly in tight spots without loading up the driver's arms too much. The light feel continues on the move as well, which should help in reducing driver fatigue, apart from which the steering is also weighted well â€" it doesn't feel overly light or too heavy â€" apart from feeling responsive, which offers good amounts of confidence when driving enthusiastically.
Air-conditioning
The Mahindra Marazzo comes equipped with aircraft-style diffused cooling for the second and third row occupants. This should be a boon for typical Indian summers given the excellent efficiency of the ventilation system. The vents and controls are mounted onto the roof and to begin with, the design is very appealing. There's a switch on the roof which allows you to switch from direct cooling to diffused. Direct will continuously blast cold air through the main vents, while switching to diffused to send short, intermediate and oscillating vents of air through a wider set of vents to cool the cabin better without channeling air directly onto occupants. This will not only improve the cooling efficiency but also make for a more comfortable ambience inside the cabin.
Finish levels
The interiors of the Mahindra Marazzo are designed well and exude the kind of premium feel which buyers in the upper MPV segment would look for. Having said that, some of the finishes on the plastics could have been better. Some of the plastics, especially the ones used on the door panels inside the cabin still have a few rough edges and could do with smoother edges. Also, the texture of the plastics on the centre console of the dashboard could have been better. The surface finish and texture of the gloss black panel above it wears a very nice finish unlike the centre console and the switches on it, which wear a matte finish and don't look as premium.
The Inside rear view mirror
The Mahindra Marazzo's inside rear view mirror is placed a little too low. While shorter drivers might find it's positioning okay, drivers around six feet or more will find it right in their line of vision when going around left-handed corners. I'm five feet eleven inches tall and found the mirror intruding my vision almost every time I went around the left-handed curves at Mahindra's test track near Pune.
Gear lever throws
The Mahindra Marazzo's gearbox is really likeable as mentioned above, but its throws are pretty long. In fact slotting into second gear has the lever point downwards, which has been the case with Mahindra gearboxes in the past as well and can be slightly irritating while driving.