Mahindra Quanto: Can it beat Ertiga, Figo?

Zeebiz Bureau

Home grown auto major Mahindra and Mahindra has rolled out its compact utility vehicle Quanto, priced it at Rs 5.99 -7.57 lakhs, pitting it against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Ford Figo.

With the festive season around the corner, companies like Maruti and Hyundai will vie to increase customer space in the B+ hatchback segment; a space that is being shortened by every other car that tries to make a dent in the stronghold maintained by Maruti and Hyundai.

M&M Quanto can upset that balance.

The Quanto is a sub-four metre car, making it one of the smallest SUVs in the country. A new breed of compact SUV, the car is the only vehicle with 5 + 2 seating capacity.

It has a mCR100 engine and, reportedly, has the first 1.5 litre diesel engine in the world with a twin-stage turbo. The 100bhp engine coupled with 240NM of torque gives Quanto its impressive performance.

With the increase in diesel price, the first thing that comes to our mind when we plan to buy a car is its mileage. The Mahindra vehicle uses Micro Hybrid Technology and has an ARAI certified mileage of 17.2 km/litre.

Quanto comes with lot of safety features like the dual SRS airbags that inflate instantly in case of any emergency. It also has an anti-lock braking system that gives you greater control on slick surfaces.

The intellipark reverse assist system helps drivers avoid accidents while reversing. It also has a technology called Engine Immobilizer which ensures to take care of your car from prying fingers. The car also comes with powerful fog lamps.

Mahindra Quanto is the only sub 4m SUV in India with a 5+2 seating arrangement, which means that there is enough space in this vehicle. The SUV also comes with a 2 DIN music system with CD, MP3, USB & Aux in.

List of M&M Quanto variants and their prices

2012 Mahindra Quanto C2 - Rs 5.82 lakh

2012 Mahindra Quanto C4 - Rs 6.35 lakh

2012 Mahindra Quanto C6 - Rs 6.86 lakh

2012 Mahindra Quanto C8 - Rs 7.36 lakh

Let’s take a look at what the Quanto will be up against:

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

This MUV’s demand has increased since it first came out earlier in March. The reason is quite simple; the cost at which it rolls in the B+ hatchback segment.

Maruti clocked in a record 32,000+ bookings in just a month from its launch. Interestingly, Maruti Ertiga’s 70 percent booking is for the diesel variant!

The new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) earned its name from an Indonesian dialect which means ‘three rows’. Ertiga is strategically placed in the sub-segment of utility vehicles and this new segment is termed by Maruti as LUV-Life Utility Vehicle.

This seven-seater MPV or rather, LUV, is available in both petrol and diesel variants. Based on Maruti Swift’s platform, Maruti Ertiga Petrol packs an all new 1.4 litre 1372cc K series (K14B) engine that produces a maximum power of 93.7bhp at 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 130 Nm at 4000 rpm. The selling point of the K-Series engines is that they are more fuel efficient.

The Certified fuel efficiency of Ertiga Petrol version is 16.02 km per litre while that of Diesel Ertiga is 20.77 kmpl.

Maruti MPV has a five speed manual transmission system. Plus, the car is a front-wheel drive and sports fine quality interiors, making it that more appealing to customers.

Ertiga is quite space efficient and is available in six variants: LXi, VXi, ZXi, LDi, VDi and ZDi

The petrol variant is priced between Rs 5.89 lakh and Rs 7.30 lakh, while the diesel option is priced between Rs 7.30 lakh and Rs 8.45 lakh.


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Ford Figo
Ford’s desperation to hold its own in the Indian automobiles sectors shows, when it injected USD 500 million in its Indian venture, a move that resulted in doubling its capacity to 200,000 units per annum.

Ford Figo is Ford Motor’s move into the growing hatchback segment. It’s a car that customers can look up to as the company has given it everything that an owner can hope for. Its advanced features include Rapid deceleration warning, Lane Change Indicators, distance to empty, speed sensing volume control, six-speed intermittent wiper, Bluetooth, programmable remote key and smart central locking.

The car is available in both petrol and diesel with four variants in both segments. Its exciting looks, interior and exterior, its attractive price and features makes the Figo a popular choice for the masses.

Ford has pitted Figo’s price tag at the base variant of Hyundai i10; keeping the petrol variants at Rs 3.5 to Rs 3.6 lakhs while the diesel variants are priced in the range of Rs 4.5 to Rs 5.45 lakhs.

The petrol version of Ford Figo is powered by a 1.2L petrol engine which produces 71Ps of maximum power while the diesel version of Ford Figo sports the company’s popular 1.4Le.

Ford Figo comes in four variants in both petrol and diesel engine. The variants are Lxi, Exi, Zxi and Titanium, bringing the total number of Figo variants to eight.


M&M Quanto can open up new avenues for Mahindra. Though it may not drive major growth in the hatchback segments for the company, it can still make heads turn, especially those looking to get a taste of how an MUV feels like.