Camera: Nitin Chopra, Shiv Kumar Maurya
Video Editing: Puneet Bhatia
The Mahindra Alturas G4 wants a share of the big SUV pie, driving head-to-head with the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. It is sold as the Ssangyong Rexton G4 globally, but in India, the company thinks the Mahindra brand would have a better connect with customers than Ssangyong, looking at the lacklustre response the previous generation Rexton got.
Priced at Rs 29.95 lakh, the Mahindra Alturas G4 (4wd) is much cheaper than the Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner, but it packs in quite a bit of kit, making it an SUV worth considering. We put the Alturas through its paces along with a Ford Endeavour 3.2 Titanium 4x4.
The Ford Endeavour is priced at Rs 33.3 lakh ex-showroom. For a difference of Rs 3 lakh, there are quite a few feature that the Endeavour offers over the Alturas, but there are some where the Alturas trumps the Endeavour.
For instance, the Endeavour gets a panoramic sunroof much larger than the one in the Alturas. It also gets automatic parallel park assist and a more comprehensive terrain managements system with an electronic differential lock. To contain NVH levels, the Endeavour also has a noise-cancellation system.
However, the Mahindra Alturas feels more luxurious than the Endeavour. The use of leather and soft-touch materials all around the cabin make it feel very premium. It also gets conveniences like full keyless entry, push-button ignition and ventilated front seats.
How is the Alturas like to drive? It has a good suspension, that’s on the softer side, making it a good long-distance cruiser. It’s also more silent than the Endeavour, despite the latter having a noise cancellation system.
How do these two stack up against each other on other parameters? Watch the video.
(A big shout out to Subhashish Sarkar for trusting us with his Ford Endeavour and patiently tagging along for the shoot)
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