Mahindra XUV500 W6 AT launched at Rs 14.29 lakh

Mahindra XUV500 W6 variant now available with an optional automatic transmission. Only available with the 2.2-litre engine, meaning it won’t go on sale in Delhi-NCR for the time being.

Mahindra has introduced automatic transmission in the W6 front-wheel drive variant of the XUV500. Priced at Rs 14.29 lakh (ex-showroom, Navi Mumbai), the automatic variant is now available across all Mahindra outlets in the country. With this launch, the flagship SUV is now available with 4 AT variants in both FWD and AWD versions.

In November 2015, Mahindra had launched the AT version of the XUV500 in India. However, it was only offered in the higher end W8 and W10 models. The latter is also offered with all-wheel drive.  By making it available in the lower W6 variant, Mahindra intends to make automatic versions more affordable to the masses while it also helps the company take on its rival brands more competitively.

The automatic transmission fitted in the XUV500 is a 6-speeder sourced from Japanese component maker AISIN. Other than that the vehicle remains mechanically identical to its manual siblings. It comes powered by the same 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine producing 140bhp @ 3,750 rpm and 330Nm between 1,600 rpm and 2,800 rpm. Among some of key highlights of the gearbox, it has two overdrive gears for better fuel efficiency while it also comes with a manual mode.

Automatic transmission on the XUV500 is currently unavailable for sale in Delhi-NCR thanks to the ban on vehicles with diesel engines above 2.0-litre of cubic capacity. Only manual versions of the XUV500 with a 1.99-litre diesel engine are available in the national capital region.

The XUV500 AT primarily goes against the likes of the Hyundai Creta AT and Renault Duster AT, although it also faces competition from its stable mate, the Scorpio AT.

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