Mahindra Verito Vibe Review

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Mahindra Verito Vibe Review

There is no doubt that Mahindra has established itself in the utility vehicle segment. In extension to its strong SUV range, the company ventured in the passenger sedan segment with the Verito. The Logan, which was launched in alliance with Renault, did not click in the sedan market cause of its dated looks.

Not paying any heed to this failure, Mahindra launched the Logan again but this time it was branded as Verito. What others saw as a desperate attempt, Mahindras saw it as an opportunity which would benefit them in the long run.

The SUV maker has already tasted success with Quanto, which is a chop shop project on the Xylo. Not claiming to be the best selling compact SUV, the Quanto manages to sell in decent numbers.

This time the company has run its chop shop project on the Verito platform and launched the Verito Vibe. With this latest offering, Mahindra claims to have cracked the sub 4 metre sedan segment with the Verito Vibe. So far it’s only the Amaze and Swift DZire which have been doing really well. Will the Verito Vibe change the convention?

Appearance Exterior

There are some cars which look good and feel nice. The looks of Mahindra Verito Vibe get mixed reaction. This one has no relation whatsoever with flowing lines and curves. It doesn’t boast of an aerodynamic design. Even sans these attributes, the Verito Vibe looks different and unique on the road.

Firstly, the Verito Vibe gets the Aqua Rush colour which is essentially a bright blue. Other than this shade, it also gets the Toreador Red. The Aqua Rush surely isn’t one of the best shades seen on a car but then it looks very funky and breaks from the conventional whites and greys seen on cars of this segment.

See it from front and you may dash to the rear to confirm if it’s a new car or the Verito as they both look identical. The front profile is very similar. It has the familiar looking Mahindra toothed radiator grille finished in carbon. It also has smoked-glass headlamps.

The Mahindra Verito Vibe has a three box design. It has a strong shoulder line running along its length. The ORVMs and door handles are done in body color. It may be a hatch but then it has a tall roof line making it a spacious vehicle with great headroom. The Verito Vibe also gets newly designed Champagne Alloy wheels. These wheels look sporty with its new rib design but then giving it a dedicated gold champagne color was not one of the wisest things to do as it doesn’t gel well with all body colours.

Fortunately, unlike the Mahindra Quanto which has an abrupt looking rear profile, the Verito Vibe has an edgy and quirky rear design. It features a first in class Light-Streaming LED Tail Lamps. The tail lamps are mounted at a high position and double up as the C-Pillar of the car. Other sub 4 metre sedans have a boot attached to it after the C Pillar but in the Vibe, the boot is an extension of the C-Pillar with a duck tail spoiler on the tail gate.

One small drawback in the rear profile is the opening of the rear tail gate. It is a very peculiar arrangement. The tail door does not open with the rear windshield instead it chooses to open individually which makes it a big issue as the loading area has a limited opening.

Overall, the Verito Vibe does not manage to be a very impressive looking car especially if you consider the other sub 4 metre sedans like Amaze and Swift DZire. Even then this one does have a few high points which include the LED tail lights, new alloy wheel design and the two tone finished rear bumper.

Appearance Interior

The Verito Vibe shares its interior components with the Verito sedan sibling. The interiors have been designed with a very basic theme. It is not aesthetics but functionality where the Vibe scores tremendously.

Even the top of the line variant gets plush fabric stitched seats. These seats lack comfortable cushioning and also could do with some better lumbar support along with height adjustment option. One place where the Verito Vibe scores heavily is the cabin space. This one boasts of the best in class cabin space. Not just on paper, the Verito Vibe is indeed a very wide car.

The front row space is grand and it does not get any more spacious than this. In fact, this area will put other hatches and sedans to shame. The headroom is simply fantastic. Even the knee room recess for the driver is plenty. The rear passengers too are not disappointed with generous breathing area in the rear section. Unlike in other cars, where the rear passengers can sit comfortably only by putting the front row passengers under certain discomfort, the Vibe’s rear occupants will never crib about space.

Mahindras have very smartly reduced the dimensions of Verito. Even though this is a sub 4 metre car, the boot has not been rammed in considerably. The cabin remains as spacious as it was previously and the undercut in length does not disturb the arrangement. Even the tall passengers will be very comfortable in the rear section.

The dashboard is simple and basic. The instrument cluster displays essential information like tripmeter, Average fuel Consumption, Average Speed and Distance to empty fuel tank. The central panel will remind you that it’s a Mahindra with a tall architecture and lower placed buttons. The D6 variant gets a 2 DIN music system with USB connectivity. Music output quality is average. After a certain decibel, the speakers seem to crack at low bass which makes it feel like an aftermarket fitment.

The central panel also gets a glossy vinyl surround to it giving a fake carbon fibre feel. The AC has no automatic climate control option but then the unit does job very well. It is successful in cooling the cabin efficiently.

There are multiple storage options inside the cabin. There is front parcel shelf on the front dashboard with chrome accent. On the central carpet area, there lies provision for two cups or a litre class bottle. Even though the door has provisions for storage, inserting a bottle is not very comforting. This one also gets a 330 L boot space. It may sound wow but then the weird opening eats up the comfort space as loading luggage would not be very pleasing especially heavier suitcases.

The Vibe won’t score much on in-cabin features and appeal. It also has its own quirky elements. The placement of buttons is not very ergonomic for example the central locking button is located on the right side of the steering wheel instead of the one normally sighted on the door. The plastic quality looks weak.

But then the cabin space makes up for all the lows of the interior. Getting in and out is a task especially for someone like me. Modern day hatches and sedans totally ignore the comforting element. In the Verito Vibe, I did have even the slightest of issues getting in and moving out. I was at my happiest best inside the cabin with so much room.

Performance Drive

The Verito Vibe uses the same engine as on Verito. Vibe is offered only in a diesel engine trim as Mahindras don’t have a smaller petrol unit to haul this car and at the same time avail the tax benefits of a sub 4 metre car.

The Verito Vibe comes across as a decent commuter with no excitement. It can be a weekday solution from home to office kinds. This one is powered by a 4 cylinder 1461cc dCi CRDi Diesel engine. This unit produces a peak power of 65PS at 4000 rpm and a torque of 160Nm at 2000 rpm.

This not just any sedan cut into a hatchback project by excusing the extreme third box. In the Verito Vibe, the third box has been reduced to the maximum limit. The overall length of the Verito has been brought down from 4277mm to 3991mm but the wheelbase stays intact at 2630mm. The Kerb weight of the Vibe has shot up too by 15 kgs.

Some issues which were seen in the Verito have been repeated in this smaller version too like the cabin is still not insulated and the growl of the diesel engine is evidently audible inside. Even the functioning of wiper or the power windows appears very crude and basic.

The diesel unit however scores well in terms of power delivery. It displays very minimal lag and performs very well in stop go traffic. The gear shifts are not as smooth as the one in Swift DZire but then even the one on Amaze appears notchy. The notchy gears are well complimented by the smooth clutch which comes handy in traffic flooded areas.

On highways, the Vibe lacks the punch especially at higher engine speeds. It cruises very well till about 130 kmph but then after crossing it the engine begins panting hard and the efforts taken by the diesel unit get evident. Overtaking is not difficult. The steering is not very smooth and thus maneuvering can be a bit of an issue.

This being a tall boy design has good headroom but then the same does not act to its favour while taking sharp turns on highways as the roll gets evident. Throw it round the corners and the Vibe is lazy to regain its position.

Suspension setup is soft and it feels the Vibe can take on anything. Though this one is a compact sedan, its capabilities got tasted in real when we got stuck in traffic near Kalyan. The Vibe impressed us with its rugged suspensions and amazing ground clearance. We tortured it by throwing it off the main road so that we can dodge the traffic and the Vibe did not disappoint us. The best fuel Economy that we managed to get from the Vibe was 16.5 Kmpl.

Tech Specs

Features

Competition All Specs

Make	Mahindra	Nissan	Maruti Suzuki	Ford
Model	Verito Vibe	Micra	Ritz	Figo
Variant	D6	XV Premium	ZDi	1.4 Duratorq Diesel
Ex showroom Price Mumbai	649473	653213	669063	599999
Engine Displacement	1461	1461	1248	1399
Power PS/RPM	65/4000	64/4000	75/4000	69/4000
Torque Nm/RPM	160/2000	160/2000	180/2000	160/2000
Transmission	5/M	5/M	5/M	5/M
Turning radius in M	5.25	4.65	4.7	4.9
Tyre rating	185/70 R14	165/70 R14	185/70 R15	175/65 R14
Dimensions in mm
Length	3991	3780	3775	3795
Width	1740	1685	1687	1680
Height	1540	1625	1620	1427
Wheelbase	2360	2450	2360	2489
Ground Clearance	172	160	170	168
Fuel Tank Capacity	50	41	43	45
Boot capacity	330	251		284
Mileage in KMPL	20	23	23	20
Features
Power steering
Steering tilt adjust
Power windows front & rear
Manual AC with filter
2 DIN Musis system
Central locking
Rear Wind sheild wiper
Body side moulding with body color
Halogen Headlamps
Computerised driver information system DIS
Rear defogger
ABS with EBD
Driver airbag

Conclusion

The Mahindra Verito Vibe does not score In terms of looks. It is the most boxy hatchback you will see in recent times but then the Vibe scores more on the utility front. The cabin space is grand which is not there in many hatchbacks sold. Its generous headroom and legroom balance the lows of styling and premium interiors.

In addition to space, it also has two mores strong points namely its diesel engine which is very smooth commuter and goes in a balanced way without any sudden drop or rise. This proves beneficial in traffic and on highways. The other is the suspension setup. Unlike other delicate and sissy hatchbacks, the Vibe displays great confidence on rough roads. It swallows potholes like very few.

Change in styling and a dash of some premiumness in the interiors and this Verito will leave you with a positive Vibe.

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