Alturas G4 By Mahindra
If big and bold is your thing, the Mahindra Alturas G4 is the SUV for you. As far as full size SUVs go, this one has all the bases covered. Strong ladder frame chassis -Check. Four wheel drive with low range -Check. Seven seats -Check. Launched this month, the Alturas goes head to head against the Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour. Massive size and big presence are key factors here. The Alturas has the longest wheelbase and is the tallest and widest SUV in its class.
That big logo on the front grille may say Mahindra, but this is in fact a fourth generation Ssangyong Rexton. But, unlike the Rexton they sell in other countries, Mahindra has made ours fully loaded and feel more premium. The Alturas is Mahindra’s flagship offering in India and sits above the XUV 500. The SUV looks substantial when viewed from the front. The familiar grille and the HID headlamps with integrated DRLs give it a wider look. The side profile has a sharp character line that stretches between the exaggerated wheel arches. The rear is very well designed with shapely tail lamps extending to the tail gate.
The interiors are a class apart with quilted tan, black nappa leather and top quality dashboard. The seats are very well designed to provide long hours of fatigue free travel. The driver’s seat comes with 8 way adjustment and three memory functions. Not only that, it slides back automatically for easy ingress or egress when you open the door, like in a Mercedes only to return back to previous position when you are seated. Those perforated front seats are ventilated too, so your back wouldn’t feel hot on a sunny day. The Alturas comes with dual zone air conditioning for the front and AC vents for the second and third row seats. It also gets ambient lighting on the doors, cleverly designed storage spaces all around the cabin and a 60:40 split middle row and 50:50 split third row for added practicality.
If you think that’s a lot, the Alturas comes loaded with even more features. There is an 8 inch touch screen on the centre console that comes with Apple Car Play and Android Auto in addition to the usual Bluetooth, Aux and USB connectivity. It also has a full 3D surround reversing camera which takes its feed from 4 cameras around the car to show you what obstacles are there on all four sides. There is another 7 inch display in the meter console for vehicle information that looks so high tech. There are so many thoughtful touches in this car that would bring a smile to your face. The smart rear tail gate is electrically operated and all you have to do is, walk up to it and wait for 3 seconds before it pops open –handy when you are coming back from your shopping with your hands full. The remote not only lets you have full keyless entry and push button start, it also lets you roll down the windows or close them by long press on the lock or unlock button. Even the rear view mirror on the left tilts down a few degrees to help you reverse carefully, without hitting the curb. Features like these were once the preserve of expensive German cars.
The Alturas comes fully loaded with a sunroof, cruise control, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, tyre pressure monitoring system etc. There are some features that extend to the safety side too. There are nine airbags including one for the driver’s knee, Electronic stability programme, Active Rollover Protection, Hill-Assist Control, Hill Descent Control, Brake assist, Emergency Stop Signal and ABS with EBD.
Powering the Alturas is Ssangyong’s own 2.2 litre D22DTR engine with 178bhp and 420Nm torque. Most of that torque is available at low revs making for very punchy performance. Rextons in the past have shared a lot with the Mercedes ML and this one on the Alturas uses a seven speed torque convertor automatic gearbox sourced from Mercedes Benz. It sends its power to the rear, but can shift to four wheel drive mode at the twist of a knob. And with all that electronics, a full low range box and huge 244mm ground clearance the Alturas can go properly off-road too.
Looking brawny and packing all those features, the Alturas G4 has everything to lock horns with its established competition. It has the finesse of a luxury car with the ruggedness of an off-roader. Priced between Rs.26.95 – 29.95 lakhs, ex.showroom, the Alturas G4 is a proper seven seater SUV for the money.
Unique Times
