Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) Limited, the country's leading utility vehicle maker, is on cloud nine as its new Ssangyong Rexton premium Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) is recording impressive sales in Indian auto market. The Rexton is a product of the company's South Korean subsidiary SsangYong Motor Company and currently is its most expensive offering in the domestic market.
The local utility vehicle enthusiasts have embraced the SsangYong Rexton with both hands and the premium SUV is already becoming a rage in the country. The stylish beast is pitched against the likes of well established market leaders like Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour, along with other top offerings like Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Chevrolet Captiva and Honda CR-V. At present, Toyota Fortuner is the market champion in premium SUV segment of Indian auto market and is facing some stiff competition from the SsangYong Rexton.
M&M currently has put two variants of SsangYong Rexton – RX5 and RX7 in the Indian utility vehicle market. The Rexton RX5 comes assimilated with a 2.7 litre, 2696 cc, RX270 XDi diesel power-mill under its hood, which rolls out a peak power and torque output of 162 bhp and 340 Nm, respectively. The top level variant Rexton RX7 incorporates the same but tweaked 2.7 litre, 2696 cc, RX270 XVT diesel motor that churns out an astonishing power and torque equation of 184 bhp and 402 Nm, in the order of mention. Further, SsangYong Rexton RX7 also boasts off a remarkable top speed of 194 kmph. The premium SUV also possesses great mileage ratings of 12.4 and 11.18 km per litre in RX5 and RX7 models, respectively.
Speaking of under-the-hood configuration of the Japanese auto giant Toyota's premium SUV offering, Fortuner comes assimilated to a 3.0 litre diesel motor with a displacement of 2,982 cc. The powertrain churns out a maximum power output of 168 bhp along with a peak torque delivery of 343 Nm. The drivetrain featured in Fortuner is mated to a 5 speed manual transmission system, besides the stylish SUV is available in both 4x2 and 4x4 All Wheel Drive (AWD) drive configuration. Evidently, Rexton's power and performance ratings are less than those of Toyota Fortuner. However, after taking into account the slightly smaller motor of the SsangYong Rexton, the South Korean SUV is a clear winner against its Japanese contemporary in terms of solid power and performance.
Coming to the retail values, M&M offers Rexton RX5 to domestic car enthusiasts at a price tag close to Rs. 17.8 lakhs, while the top end variant Rexton RX7 is retailed at Rs. 20 lakhs. On the other hand, Toyota Fortuner is available to local consumers in a price range between Rs. 21.2 lakhs and Rs. 22.4 lakhs, which kind of sets the tone for its sales slump as against the impressive sales of Rexton. Hence, slightly inferior power and torque performance along with Rs. 2 lakhs differential in retail costs seems to be pumping sales of Rexton as compared to those of Fortuner in the Indian auto market.
