Mahindra’s latest car, which looks like a sporty SUV and is being marketed like a sedan, is high on technology and passenger comfort, but driving it is hardly a pleasant experience
Built with the sturdy sporty look of an SUV and priced like a sedan, the Mahindra Xylo, at least on paper, is an innovative and strategic marvel. Committed to making this the ultimate car in passenger comfort, the designers of the Xylo have made sure that legroom is generously distributed in all sections of the car. There are independent AC vents that come with individual controls for each passenger. The Xylo also sports flatbed front seats. Furthering the car’s apparent desire to be more plane than car, there are foldable trays behind the front seats, individual reading lamps for each passenger and laptop and mobile charging points. With a well-defined centre console housing space and other adapted spaces around the car for CDs, magazines and cups, there is no shortage of utility spaces in the Xylo.

But where the Xylo really scores is the technology it packs—which arguably rivals that of of top-end German cars—at an accessible price.
The Digital Drive Assist System (DDAS) is an alphanumeric display in the centre panel, which sports an onboard computer to calculate mileage, distance permissible, standard information—like the date, time, inside and outside temperature and relative humidity—and a compass. It even lets you know which gear you are driving in and at what speed. The last feature is a bit baffling, given the car only comes with a manual gear box.

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