Mahindra Verito Vibe Expert Review

Mahindra & Mahindra is one of India’s largest utility vehicle manufacturer has been diversifying its current portfolio into other segments. The company had bought over the Logan and rebadged it as the Verito, even took over the Reva brand.

Now, it has introduced the sub 4-metre of the Verito, and named it as the Verito Vibe.

This is a Verito, with a smaller hatchback. We take it for a spin and tell you, if it is worth the buck? Read further as the mystery unfolds.

Design:

The designers at Mahindra had a difficult task in hand, when they had to re-do the vehicle design from the Logan to create a brand new Verito image. The idea to make it differentiate from the Logan’s plain and boxy styling to something that’s stylish and carries Mahindra’s flare too.

The Verito Vibe retains all the design aspects of its sedan sibling till the C-pillar, post which it gets a hatch-like rear. The long LED tail lamps are stylish and even the rear gets some more chrome. The alloy wheels are now champagne in colour, making them a lot more stylish. The roof-railings however, we believe shouldn’t have been added on the Verito Vibe, or could have been optional.

Interiors:

The interiors of the Verito Vibe are no different from the Verito. The Vibe and it’s the Verito brother share the same instrument panel design. The beige and grey colour interiors are carried forward on to the Vibe. The circular air-con vents, the black coloured centre console with an in-dash music system and knobs for controlling the air-con. The dash on the top gets grey finish to avoid the reflection of the sunlight on the windshield.

The Verito Vibe shares the same cabin with the Verito, hence the space on offer is the same too. Thus, the Verito Vibe can seat five people in comfort without any kind of adjustment. The seats in the front row of the Verito Vibe aren’t large and even lack the side support. The rear seats have a lot of knee room, however it is the head room that could be a bit tight if you are a six-footer. Even the thigh-support isn’t sufficient for the passengers sitting in the second row. Still the seats are comfortable, possibly the most comfortable of all the hatchbacks.

The Verito Vibe could confuse you with the high stance, some might think it’s a raised hatchback, while some might call it a notchback. Unfortunately, Mahindra has disappointed us in both the cases. The Verito Vibe’s boot doesn’t open like a hatch, neither does it open completely sideways. The access to this boot is definitely poor, despite the large 330 litres of luggage space.

Engine and Transmission:

Mahindra continues to use Renault’s K9K engine on the Verito Vibe as well. This is a 1.5-litre diesel engine that is bought from Renault and there is a Renault mentioned on the engine cover. This is the most detuned version of this K9K engine and it churns out 64bhp of power and 160Nm of peak torque. This might not sound sufficient to you, but in the real world it does the job. The NVH levels aren’t that great, as the diesel clatter is loud and even the insulation inside the cabin isn’t that impressive. There is no turbo lag from this oil burner and the power delivery is linear like a petrol motor. The engine is absolutely a gem to drive in the city, as it doesn’t hesitate to pull even at low engine revs.

The transmission is a five-speed manual and this box isn’t that rubbery. The Logan had decent shifts, and the same gear lever and knob is carried forward on the Verito and the Verito Vibe too. The Verito Vibe returned us a fuel efficiency of about 16km/l in a mix of city and highway driving.

Driving Dynamics:

French vehicles are known for their pliant ride and the Verito Vibe gets the same under-pinnings of the Logan. The ride suppleness is good as the dampers do a fine job of soaking up the bumps and road shocks. The ride gets a bit choppy at high speeds, which wasn’t the case with the Logan ever.

The handling of the Verito Vibe is decent. It isn’t built to be driven around a track, neither does it have the power to set a competitive lap time about Nurburgring. It has been built to carry people in comfort from point A to point B and that’s what it does perfectly. The steering wheel is surprisingly heavy at low speeds and it lightens up as you gather momentum. Now, generally it is the other way round.

Verdict:

The Verito Vibe is a spacious hatchback with decent power on offer. Mahindra also has a good spread network of dealerships and is in everyone’s good books. But, at about Rs 8 lakhs on road for a hatchback that doesn’t get all the bells and whistles and even certain must-have features like rear wiper could be an issue.

Even the hatchback doesn’t open completely and the rear seats also do not fold. If you need a spacious, no non-sense hatchback, we recommend the mi-variant of the Verito Vibe, as the D6 is tad too expensive.