Mahindra U321 spied again

Prototype testing continues for Mahindra's upcoming Innova rival.

The Mahindra U321 has been a long time coming. The upcoming Toyota Innova rival has been spied upon on multiple occasions already, and now, another camouflaged prototype of the vehicle has been spotted, as it was being tested, in the outer limits of Delhi NCR.

To refresh your memory, here are the essential things you must know about the U321.

Market positioning

The U321 will be squarely aimed at the Toyota Innova, which remains the undisputed king of the MPV segment. This will be Mahindra’s second attempt at challenging the Innova – the Mumbai-based manufacturer has already tried to rival Toyota once before with the Xylo, and we all know how that turned out.

Platform and powertrains

The U321 will likely sit atop Mahindra’s ladder frame chassis. Powertrain options will most probably include the popular 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine. Being a premium product, Mahindra might equip the U321 with a more powerful 153bhp variant of this motor, which debuted on the facelifted XUV500. Additionally, rumours suggest that Mahindra is developing a new 1.6-litre diesel engine exclusively for this MPV, but we cannot confirm it as yet. Then, the option of the 2.2-litre petrol cannot be ruled out either, since the Innova too sports a petrol engine.

Equipment and quality levels

To target the Toyota Innova, U321 is expected to sport a very upmarket cabin with best fit and finish levels seen on any Mahindra. The higher-spec variants are likely to be loaded to brim with all the goodies offered on the new XUV, and probably even more. So, premium features like soft touch cabin plastics, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, high-end sound system, six airbags and hill-hold assist will be very much available on the equipment list.

Launch time frame

Now this a tricky question to answer. Initially, we expected the U321 to debut at this year’s Auto Expo, but that never happened. On the positive side though, Mahindra’s extensive testing of this vehicle probably means that the company is ensuring the U321 to be a flawless machine when it hits the market. Obviously, it must be flawless, if rivalling Innova’s bulletproof reliability is what it seeks.