Mahindra Alturas G4 First Drive Review

RUGGED & CHIC

Report: P. Tharyan; Photography: Afsar Baig

Sometimes I wonder why it took so much time for Mahindra & Mahindra to get serious about their Ssangyong models, especially the Rexton which they launched several years ago. Nobody in India really knew from where this car had landed and many had no inclination that it was from the overall Mahindra Group stable. Well, all that is history now and we have the new Alturas G4, basically a fourth generation Rexton which had its world premiere in 2017 at the Seoul Motor Show and subsequently shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The luxury SUV has sold more than 40,000 units worldwide and its sports variant has sold another 40,000 units worldwide and they are doing extremely well in the global markets. Finally, it is in India with a reassuring Mahindra skin.

EXTERIOR DESIGN AND FEATURES

With the Mahindra Alturas G4, the company will be setting a new benchmark in its offering. It would be the most elite of the vehicles that would be sold with the Mahindra badging. The Alturas G4 will be exclusively available through a separate high-end showroom with a lot of candies for the customers. This elegant looking vehicle is expected to take on the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, the Ford Endeavour and a whole host of 4 wheel drive SUVs out there in the top notch category. The vehicle sits on 255/60 R18 tyres shrouded around smart diamond cut alloy wheels.

The Alturas G4 we drove was a top of the line fully automatic four-wheel drive vehicle with a length of 4850mm, width of 1960mm and a height of 1845mm with a wheel base of 2865mm.

The Alturas G4 looks imposing like many of its competitors and stylish too. The front end is very masculine with a smart vertical grille with chrome slats and the Mahindra logo at the centre. The side profile too is smart with decent looking wheel arches and chrome window surrounds. The roof rails add to the good looks of the vehicle. The windshield has a de-icer function. The SUV has a sunroof and thankfully this comes with an anti-pinch feature which in essence means that if you stick your neck out you will not be guillotined if someone accidentally closes the roof!

The rear too is smart with an integrated spoiler and a high stop light and a chrome styling towards the bottom of the tailgate. The words ALTURAS G4 carved on the tailgate brings out the character of the vehicle. Thereis also a Mahindra logo just below the rear windshield. The muffler too is hidden at the back. When you notice carefully, at the bottom there is a small plastic piece in the lower frame that can be pulled out for you to slide in the Tommy bar and finally lower your spare wheel with the help of a wrench for changing your flat tyre.

This seven-seater comes with HID headlamps, LED DRLs, LED fog lamps with cornering lamps, LED tail lamps, LED illuminated rear license plate, heated ORVMs with LED side indicators. The driver side ORVM also has a puddle lamp. Here the mirror tilts when one reverses the vehicle.

The story of the Alturas G4 exterior is not complete if I do not tell you about the tailgate automatic opening. Unlike vehicles where you need to kick sideways or kick in and out, here you need to just stand with your key in the pocket and bingo the door opens. This function can, of course, be deactivated or activated from inside by pressing certain buttons mounted on the steering wheel!

INTERIOR DESIGN AND FEATURES

The interiors of the Mahindra Alturas G4 are really plush. You get dual tone quilted Nappa leather interiors in this vehicle and the front seats are ventilated which can be cooled with the help of blowers, the buttons for which are there on the centre console. The centre console is premium and you also get leather finish door trims. The dashboard and door pads are all made of premium material which is soft to touch.

As for the other premium features, there are illuminated front door scuff plate, lamps for the inside door handles and the centre of the dashboard, LED room lamps for all three rows, foot well lighting, illuminated glove box, 8 way adjustable powered driver seat, dual zone fully automatic temperature control, 3rd row AC vents with blower controls, tyre pressure monitoring system, 4D around view camera and front and rear assist parking.

The Alturas G4 has a dual smart key system with start/ stop button, front rain sensor wiper, electronic parking brake with auto hold function, a steering wheel that can be adjusted for tilt and reach and power windows with anti-pinch function. The second row seats are 60:40 split and can be folded and tumbled at the tug of a lever and a flap. The seats tumble gently with the help of pneumatic arms. In fact, with the second row and third row seats down, one can have a spacious space for lots of luggage or one can use the space to sleep by putting in a mattress. For the convenience of the passengers, the second row comes with USB slots while the third row gets a 12V socket. Entry and exit for the front row is very easy while the second row gets large grab handles for help. Room for the second row passengers is immense, while the third row can be a bit stuffy for adults. The second row gets an armrest with retractable cup holders.

Now to get your entertainment going, this vehicle comes with an 8 inches touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The 7 inches digital cluster with TFT-LCD displays a whole host of functions which can be operated with the help of steering mounted buttons. The instrument panel has an analogue speedometer and an analogue tachometer showing the rpm levels. Two digital bars at the bottom show the temperature and the fuel status. Other information relating to the odometer, time and temperature are also displayed above the bar. Apart from all this, there are a lot of functions that can be set with the help of steering mounted buttons which are displayed on the TFT screen.

SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE

The Alturas G4 is built on ultrarigid quad frame and its overall structure is such that it minimises deformation in a collision, thereby increasing protection of all vehicular occupants. The vehicle comes with nine airbags including dual full length curtain, rear 1st seat, and knee protection. Features like Electronic Stability Programme, ABS with EBD, Active Rollover Protection (ARP), Hill Descent Control (HDC), Brake Assist Ssystem (BAS), and Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)- comes into play when there is hard braking.

The 2.2 litre diesel engine in the Alturas G4 is mated to a Mercedes- Benz sourced 7 speed automatic transmission and has a shift on fly 4 wheel drive. The brief distance I drove the vehicle on smooth tarmac brought out the finesses of the engine. It was quick on its feet and the acceleration was amazingly satisfying. Power delivery was very linear and cabin comfort and ride quality were top notch. I could feel the suspension was providing the right comfort within the cabin. The SUV has a W and S button which when engaged puts the vehicle in snow mode in W. Since S stands for summer, it disengages the W mode.

But when we took the huge SUV on to some sandy terrains of Jaipur, the vehicle showed its true blue blooded off-road character. I engaged the 4L mode and drove carefully on the vast terrain that lay before me. There were a whole lot of narrow and twisted paths. Surprisingly, the vehicle performed brilliantly on these tracks. With hill descent control and traction control activated, I had a whale of a time going down some very steep tracks. I was thoroughly impressed by its character both on and off the roads.

VERDICT

The Mahindra Alturas G4 is by far the best offering by Mahindra and Mahindra in the passenger vehicle segment. The company has always been known for making some of the sturdiest SUVs, but now they add yet another feather on their cap for their sophisticated skills in making a luxury SUV!