At the 2024 Bharat Mobility Expo, Mahindra showcased its first entry into the flex fuel territory. With the XUV300 Flex Fuel at display, Mahindra joined Maruti Suzuki and Toyota to showcase their flex fuel vehicle at the Bharat Mobility Expo stage. Let us take a look at the XUV300 Flex Fuel in detail
Powertrain
The XUV300 Flex Fuel had the familiar 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that does duty in the standard version. It makes 109bhp and 200Nm and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. There’s no change in output over the standard version, but the powertrain will make use of some additional elements to make it compatible with flex fuel. The XUV300 Flex Fuel will be capable of running on a blend of E20 to E85 (20 to 85 per cent of ethanol in gasoline).
Design
No changes to the exterior or interior have been made to the XUV300 Flex Fuel. The showcar in the W6 variant had additional stickers on the outside highlighting its alternate fuel nature. But there’s a major update for the XUV300 in the pipeline. And we expect the flex-fuel compatible version when it goes on sale next year will get the same design and cabin which will debut with the XUV300 facelift.
Competition and Pricing
At the moment, there’s no other sub-four metre SUV that is offering an option of a flex fuel compatible version. But this might change when the XUV300 Flex Fuel hits the streets next year. Similarly, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza was also showcased at the Bharat Mobility Show in the CBG version – that’s Compressed Biomethane Gas. It is one of the alternate fuel sub-four metre SUV that will go on sale in coming years.
As for the pricing, the FF version of the XUV300 will carry a slight premium over the standard version. We expect a cost bump of around Rs 1-1.5 lakh when it will be launched in India.
