SsangYong Rexton RX7 A/T (AWD)

Rexton looks bulky and massive. High Quality Paint texture.
360* Mat finish on bumper and ladder cladding protects from rusting and sticky road pitches. Also gives robust appeal.

                    So Good                   No Good   

                            . Very silent cabin                 . Considerable Turbo Lags  

                            . Above average interior       . Body roll at high speeds

Getting my hands on the vehicle just when launched, exciting and what adds to the excitement is the weather. Drizzling monsoon is in favor to make this stud more handsome and giving the driver full enthusiasm to test its off road skills. What made me excited was the new South Korean brand incorporated by Mahindra. Now what we got to analyse is that where the Rexton will stand in a face off with its Japanese competitors. Well with an aggressive pricing expectations are high. 

Now, why I have pointed on aggressive pricing is because at the price tag of 22 lakhs Mahindra is giving us a super luxurious cabin.

Taking the new launch on the road when people are keen for seeking details ,appreciating its broadsides and are glad to see more options on road than the Toyota and the Mitsubishi. Not being much familiar with the badging, people urge to know about its performance and features and is it worth its value. Getting such a response also accentuates our interest.

Talking about the exteriors, Rexton looks very bulky and massive and gets all stuff of macho broadsides which appeals it of being premium SUV. But that bulk is little felt when you are behind the wheels as the vehicle is not much stable at high speeds and you loose out confidence while cornering hard.

Rexton comes in two variants, RX5 M/T Tod (manual transmission) and the variant I tested, the RX7 A/T AWD (automatic transmission), the top notch.

Front profile appeals to its bold SUV characters.

Design & Exterior

The design and exterior of Rexton appeals to its bold looks and completely compiles with SUV characters. 

Front profile gives us the

premium feel with a huge chrome grill with the SsangYong badging very cleanly 

Wide chrome grill adds to the butch stance.

embedded on it. 360* mat finish on the 

Eagle eye Auto projector headlamps with LED parking lights.
Turn indicators mounted high with fog lamps looks stylish.

bumper and ladder cladding of the vehicle adds to its profile and also protects from rust and pitch marks. Moving upwards, we get high beam auto projector headlamps with sort of 'L' shaped LED parking lights at the rock bottom of the headlamp cluster. The fog lamps and turn indicators are well integrated, though some of you may find the positioning of the indicators odd.

Overall the car has simple macho SUV appearance up front and appeals with a premium quotient.

Sliding to the side, the story is same here. 

Side profile compiles with bold characteristics and gets very
fine chrome detailing on ladder cladding and belt line.
Out flowing Front & Rear wheel arches adds to Macho look.

The side profile of the car compiles with its

SUV characters but some added elements gives it a more upmarket appearance.

The out flowing wheel arches both at front and rear are though quite common in SUVs these days but still adds to the overall profile of the car. Talking about some of its extra ordinary features in its exterior, the one which is most noticed is the 

chrome detailing on its ladder cladding and

also on the belt line. This feature is 

usually found on premium German brands

and could be found only on Honda CRV

among its rivals. The next eye catching

feature is embedded LED turn indicators

LED turn indicators on ORVM look contemporary

Rexton badging on c-pillar adds to creative designing

on ORVMs and what I personally like is

the Rexton badging on left C-Pillar. One point of appreciation here is that you feel the toughness in its body when you just pull the door handles,it feels solid. Silver painted roof rails also adds to the up-market appeal. 

Moving to the rear, you will  find the same simple and bold looks. Having said that, I would have appreciated a little more broad rear wind shield.

You also get a spoiler mounted on the top of the boot door which is integrated and not detachable. Well its needed for a car with such a ground clearance just to ensure road grip at high speeds.

In the package of rear exterior profile, what you get is LED tail lamp cluster with 

Rexton Badging embedded on rear low profile

inverted 'L' shaped turn indicators. Further, 

Rear gets LED tail lamps and chrome ringed silencer mufflers
Black volcano smoke finish on boot lid suits with satin white.
But rear fog lamps expected in this variant are missing. 

you get a volcano smoke finish on the boot lid door handle and a rear wash wipe which is quite common in this segment. Bending down to you see a AWD/AT badging with the tiny Mahindra badging which tells you that its an all wheel drive Automatic vehicle by Mahindra. On the rear windshield there is also a defogger and a roof mounted tiny antenna. Just above the bumper on rear cladding you also will notice wide Rexton embedded. On the bumper you get parking sensors and mat finishing with light reflectors having edgy looks and very cleanly integrated. The silencer mufflers are also chrome ringed.

Overall Mahindra retain its Macho tagline 

with this Korean sibling. What can be center

of attraction is the well executed LED in its lamps cluster with much 'L' shaped components and the wide chrome grill. Better use of aero dynamism would have helped to maintain its stability at high speeds. Hope to see it in Korando, the next vehicle form SsangYong crossing the territorial boundaries and approaching India in near future. 

Interior, Utility & Comfort 

I'll not be mistaking if I state this section of the car as its USP. lovable about this car is its plush interior layout where SsangYong delivers a superb luxurious cabin. Considering the heritage culture of India it seems that this vehicle is designed for royal personalities who want a chauffeur driven premium vehicle. The fit & finish is above average  with all sort of extraordinary features and bit of wow elements. Such luxurious cabin when comes to you at an affordable price allows not only weighted person of the society to buy it but also the general to consider.

Fit & finish of the dash is above average and steering wheel is leather wrapped.  Though the design is not very dynamic. 

Rexton promises to be premium with plush interiors and good work of chrome and wood trims, making it the USP of this car. Seats comfortable with NAPA leather and offers decent under thigh support and lumber support. 

Lets climb inside and start with details of texture and fit & finish which. The whole interior is well executed in two tone colour, Beige and Chocolate Brown with elegant black ceramic  wood trim finishing on central console, door panels (power window slot) and the gear lever. Minor detailing of silver on door speaker and chrome detailing on central console, gear knob and door knobs and the stainless steel finish on door scuffs draws attention. Seats are crafted with beautiful hand stitched 'NAPA' leather having clean fit and finish though the cushioning is tad firm. You also get leather wrapped steering wheel with elegant ceramic finish touch. What still can be put down to improvement is the instrument cluster which is very simple, chrome detailing on them would have made it look more up-market. What I like personally in the car is the small inlet area in the boot where you hold the jack as it also gives you reach to the body which actually helps to work on small dents without removing the fiber pad.

Interior texture and utility spaces does enhance the impression

Electric sunroof allows cabin to be more bright and airy.

The utility spaces in the car feels ample on the go. In the front row you get storage space in the door panels. very clean chrome ringed cup-holders for two, a sunglass holder positioned over IRVM and the glovebox which is illuminated and has decent storage area. You also get a cooled storage under your armrest which can hold good amount of stuffs and a push open cup holder integrated in the armrest. Heading to the second row, just underneath the A/C vents integrated on the floor console we get a flip open cup holders, well I would also have love to see it on the rear armrest to just make a proper reach. The only area left to complain is the third row where you only get an integrated net holder in the pads. But with all seats up, in the boot you get a very clean floor integrated anti-theft storage area which may very wisely protect your precious belongings in case of mishapenings. Well You also get 60:40 split seats on 2nd row and foldable third row seats which enhances the boot space of the car. Overall, in utility terms car goes far beyond expectations with utility spaces in Center console, floor console and door pads.         

Push open Cup holder, very well integrated in the armrest.

Flip open cup holders awkwardly positioned underneath 2nd
row A/C vents in the center console.
Would have been more preferable in the 2nd row armrest.

Rear seat is very comfortable & well cushioned, delivers
very good under thigh support, rear
A/C vent cools well but may be broaden.

The whole cabin is roomy and delivers good legroom and headroom. In the first row the seats are too wide and cushions well for an ethnic built Indian like me, it also delivers good under thigh support and proper lumber support. Reporting from second row , seats here are very cushioned with very good under thigh support and ample legroom also. The seat is large enough to hold three persons very comfortable also  we have  A/C vents on the floor console that cools the row area quite well. But, the third row. The car actually is disappointing as the legroom is very tight here likely its competitors, but still you won't feel suffocated here as the A/C vents on the third row are broad and ensures very good air flow. 

Overall, still with some slagging in the third row, but with above average fit & finish of the interior and plush and roomy cabin compiled with very well cushioned seats, Rexton hits the sweet spot in this segment.

Legroom in the third row is tight with lack of under thigh
support, but headroom is good which prevents suffocation.

Good & large protective storage space in the boot.

Split seats in 2nd & 3rd row gives access to a very big area.

Performance, Ride & Handling

Rexton delivers a very good road view and the light steering allows you to navigate in the city traffic easily. Though  handling can be improved to make the car more stable at high speed, but engine performs fairly well  when  revved hard

Cruise control only on the top notch RX7 A/T variant.

Being behind the wheels the story to me does not appeal much. I am not mentioning it to be below average, but still there are chances for improvement. 

E-Ttronic gearbox is slow initially but gains
the thrust once turbo hits.

Starting the engine I was indeed pleased with the silent cabin as it was no way felt, neither the vibrations nor the engine noise. Eventually one may get confuse like 'wait a second! is the engine actually on fuel'. But when it is revved hard the engine is suppose to growl. Shifting the E-Tronic XVT 5 speed A/T gearshift to the 'D' mode when I put my foot off the break pedal the car moved forward in a swift where you don't realize that  you are in a 2760 kg. giant. But, as I accelerated the motor was not much punchy initially as it took a time gap to take that acceleration but after it the

Instrument cluster looks too simple, yet informative, chrome
detailing was a thing expected.

engine responded fairly well. But once you are on the go you wont't feel it much as the engine heats up and turns aggressive after gaining the turbo thrust. Well, the 2696cc 5 cylinder engine takes it well generating as much as 184 bhp @ 4000 rpm and 402 NM torque @ 1600-3000 rpm. Overall, the engine under the hood is well suited to the car supplying an impressive power to the wheels with AWD power train distributing in 40:60 ratio, conditioning the gearbox would have made it much responsive. Having said that, the engine feels in the power band between 2500 to 5300 rpm.

Slant A-Pillars allows good View and 5.7m TCR makes it
easy go in the city traffic. Soft suspensions absorb jerk well.

252mm. ground clearance makes it easy on tough roads but
also a reason for minor instability at high speed.

Coming to the handling of the car, this is the area where I expect improvements, though the ride of car delighted. First of all, while driving you little feel that bulk. The suspensions of the car are tuned keeping comfort conscience prior which absorbs jerks in a swift and makes it very easy to flow over ruff terrains without hassling the passengers much and even the driver do not have to struggle there and fore. Though due to intense body roll at high speeds, passengers' ease is sacrificed to some extent.

Handling, here the picture gets out of focus. The steering feels light even at triple digit speeds and the suspension set up is also on the firm side. Though the car offers very high end features like Traction Control which keeps the chassis and the body aligned while speeding, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) which monitors the road conditions and prevent the vehicle diverging from path at sharp turns which comes with an on-off switch, Hill Decent Control (HDC) which monitors the speed of the car on down gradient. On 10% or more incline HDC tend to control the speed accordingly which allows driver to solely focus on steering. Speed Sensitive Power Steering (SSPS) which is suppose to weigh the steering when car gains speed to give us confidence. In spite of huge feature list to improvise handling the body roll was quite intense on sharp corners and the feedback from the steering failed to impress. The thing of appreciation here is the 252mm ground clearance which is just ample for Indian roads and the driver doesn't have to hustle on bumps and massive speed breakers but it may be the thing adding to the body rolls.

Overall, scope for improvement in handling is still there and I ought to mention that after driving the sedan platform XUV5OO which handles really well with minimal body rolls even over 100kmph, expectation from such a premium vehicle was high. But as mentioned, you have no chance to complain in ride quality as it still feels imposed.

Features & Safety

Memory Functions with 3 presets for driver's seat & ORVM

3 way electrically adjustable seats with auto preset ignition

Rexton also appeals you to a vast extent with its fully loaded cabin. Premium, standard and bits of extra ordinary features are on offer. it also goes fairly well with in safety terms. First it has all the standard features like keyless entry, power windows, 6 way El. adjustable driver's seat, powered ORVMs, tilt adjustable steering, second & third row A/C vents, split seats and many more extra ordinary features to do with. Lets start revealing the package from the first row. On the steering wheel you get mounted audio controls and E-Tronic shift buttons and shift position indicators, sunglass holder, cigarette lighter, remover ashtray, 3-12 V. power outlets (dashboard, below front passenger seat , boot) well that's pretty good in keeping your phone charge on the long go. Front glove box illumination, driver's and co- driver's front sunvisors,  vanity mirrors and lights, coat hook, key hole illumination, 3 row reading lamps, Front seats with lumbar support are bit of small but considerable features. But what adds to the richness of the car is some of its features like Automatic easy access function for driver seat with three memory presets and auto presets & ORVMs. Driver's seat is set below when ignition is off for easy access and exit. As the ignitions is assorted Driver's seat set up automatically to the desired position. Also on offer is Auto Day & Night IRVM which deems the beam falling on the mirror. In the second row also you get A/C vents in the floor console and in the third row A/C vents are mounted on the C-Pillar. We also get defogger and rear wash wipe. 

Steering mounted audio controls & shift controls, tilt adjust

In terms of technology the list also impress us, Speed sensitive power steering, touch screen infotainment system (MP3+DVD+USB+AUX-IN) with 6 speakers and with pre-loaded navigation maps, fully automatic climate control, audible rear parking sensors, automatic headlamps, rain sensing wipers and cruise control are all on the house.

12 V. charging point for all three rows, 

From safety point the car is loaded with all the features which compiles the segment. ABS, ESP, Front & Side airbags, HDC, Anti-slip regulation, seat belt pre tensioner, head lamp leveling, Steel panel, side impact beam and front and rear crumple zone are its feature that promises to keep yo safe in the cabin.

Auto deeming IRVM with mounted sunglass holder

Broad third row A/C vent make sure that
cabin area remains cool and not feels suffocated

Cooled storage box under first row armrest

Built in Kenwood infotainment system does
it all and comes with navigation. 

Second row A/C vent mounted on the floor console
could have been roof mounted for such roomy cabin 

Six all surround airbags (2 front + 4 curtains)

VERDICT :

Plush interior, Aggressive pricing & Feature list

Now comes the thing what the car stands out for or what we say to be the verdict. As I've mentioned earlier, the USP of the car goes for its verdict, you guessed it right, its the super plush interior and bits of extra ordinary features that please us unanimously. The fit & finish of the interior with NAPA fabrics and very contemporaneity sense of detailing grabs our attention and feels opulence. The long feature list of the car also hits the sweet spot and Mahindra's improved service network and maintenance cost is surely going to add to the figure. But what is going to give max. competition to its competitors is the 22 lac. price tag which is going to heat up the market then and there.

Technical Specifications: 

Dimensions

Length                      4755 mm 

Width                        1900 mm

Height                       1840 mm

Wheelbase                2835 mm

Ground Clearance    252 mm

Turning Radius         5.7 m

Tyre Size                   P 235/75 R16 

Fuel Tank                  78 Lt

Powertrain

Engine,Gearbox       RX270, XVT

Fuel Type                 Diesel 

Cylinders                  5

Displacement           2696 cc