The activity on this thread reflects the market's response to the product- lukewarm.
I have been posting back to back over the past week. :P
But finally managed a test drive of the Alturas G4. Here are some quick points IMHO. The reference I benchmark it against would be my Storme, so please adjust perspective according to the ride you are used to.
Exterior Looks
The car is huge. Looks huge and is huge. It is longer and wider than my already colossal Storme. Looks only smaller in profile because of Storme's height and fuller box back which very few SUVs can match for height.
I personally prefer the international ssangyong grill to this Mahindra grill, but still it manages to look neat. Kudos to M&M for showing restraint on design front and keeping the front bold and imposing. No over the top gashes or chiselling for animal imitations, which IMHO I have felt over the top. Joining the cheetah and the shark is this G4 musso (aptly named, means rhino in Korean, also the name for the pickup which is based on this SUV.-yes pickup based on the SUV and not the other way round, but thats a different story)
The most uninspiring aspect of the car is that alloy wheel. An 18 inch poker face of an alloy wheel. Its an ill fitting mute spectator to the grandeur that hangs around rest of the car. A size too small and a tad bit boring.
The LED cluster and the headlight assembly and the jawbone contours are neat and give a satiating stance to the front. Despite the 244 high GC, the extensive, dropping front black bumpers below the chrome treatment kills the approach angle.
Overall a good looking car which will tick all the boxes for street cred and sheer road presence.
Interior Looks
As already brought out by anyone who has sat in it- It is perhaps one of the best in class. Very well put together and the quilted Napa reassures the feeling of plush in the cabin.
The tan does appeal to the regal narrative that they are trying to sell but I love the white interiors that is offered overseas.
This would have taken up the luxury quotient to a different league. But of course, it would be mighty impractical to maintain in our conditions. There are a few inconsistent hard plastic bits and certain dials feel not consonant with the rest of the high quality appointments, but overall a very comfortable place to be.
<sincere apologies for shooting portrait>
Features and Comfort
Open the doors and the seats slide back and give you un-clumsy entry into the tall car. Get seated and comfortable, while the seat slides to the last preset memory setting. The one touch memory function is a useful feature, especially if you have to swap the car with spouse/other drivers. Also can be a boon when some inconsiderate valet disturbs your sweet spot setting. Each time you open the door regardless of whether you are seated or not, the seat does slide back. This will need getting used to.
Easter egg
: Where's the keyhole on the door handle?
The footboard is sorely missed. At 6feet, Im used to sliding into the storme, so was not much of an issue for me, but for any other passenger in my family it would be quite a climb. I did see a nice looking sidestep in the international version, the SA did confirm that it is available as an accessory. I have attached the accessory brochure which concurs (please skip the first page of accessories offered if you don't like chrome deluge)
The driver seating arrangement for my position conveyed more of a 'sitting in' the car, with the high dash, and the driver well sunk into the cavernous driver seat and foot well area. This is stark contrast for me from the 'sitting on' the Storme with its low window lines and large glasshouse.
I could find a nice sweet spot for me with adequate headroom easily after fidgeting with the electric seat adjust. Steering is tilt and telescopic adjustable.The headroom worries that always loomed dark in my mind are put to rest. It is adequate even with the sunroof contraption, but no where near the skyline that the storme has.
Another very useful feature is the surround view camera. While reversing in tight spaces, the multiple views that the ICE screen shows is useful. I Have no such contraption in storme, except a rear view camera, and have been simply winging it over these blindspots. But this 360 degree view does make you well aware
of everything around you. For a first timer, I found it too much information to absorb and couldn't get my orientation right as to which is showing what. The video below shows me reversing to park the Alturas in front of my storme and alongside a platform kerb. The split screen in the display shows the side clearance to the pavement and the birdseye view which is pretty neat. The display in the speedometer console, shows a proximity alert and an audible alarm like a conventional reverse sensor. Once you slot into R, the ORVMs automatically slant downwards giving you a better view of the road just behind you. And if you have time amidst all this keeping you busy, please look at the IRVM also, which by the way is manual, not auto dimming.
The 360 view camera can also be activated while driving, for a quick look around, but only at low speeds, (which seems logical)
The aircon works well and not noisy. Couldn't test it too much given Delhi winters. The ventilated seats are a huge welcome for me personally and would love to see them work and check out its effectiveness in summer.
Sunroof has a manual blind. Slide the shade back and the transparent glass ceiling, makes the otherwise darker shade cabin open up suddenly to a much welcome ambient light influx. The first row only sunroof has an slide-open and a slant-up option all operated by the same switch placed overhead. Though well intended, its no match for the ford endeavour's panaroma.
The cabin is well insulated and I would rate it high in NVH attributes. Road noise and engine noise are kept well outside, where they belong. Slot into tiptronic and go manual and the motor is audible if you hold gears longer. The manual gear selector is irritating, hard to operate and hard to find by feel as its tiny, and oh so counter intuituve.
Drive
Though this is the smallest engine in the segment, I was impressed with the power it juices out. The pickup and acceleration were a sure upgrade from my Storme, but not brutal like the 3.2 Endy churning 200bhp/470Nm. My storme which is a 2.2 varicor unit, and the only comparison I can benchmark unfairly against, puts out a modest 140bhp/330Nm, in comparison this G4 puts out a T fort matching 180bhp/420Nm. The other 2.2 in the neighbourhood is the base variant of the Endeavour which spews 158bhp/385Nm. The numbers might not tell the full story, but this is not just another paper tiger either, the performance is surely tangible. Most urban based drivers like myself, will surely come back from the drive impressed.
The car doesn't feel that heavy and is an easy driver. But I felt the steering to be a little too -carefree light-for my liking. Overall it does make the car easy to manoeuvre through heavy traffic, and that tight turning radius actually translates on the road to some smiling U turns. The car feels planted and tackled bumps and broken patchy roads effortlessly. From the drivers seat, i found the ride to be sorted and wouldn't call the body roll excessive as reported elsewhere. Have to ride in second row to give an opinion on overall ride quality. Don't even bother about the third row, its a dark nook, only for distant relatives, whom you shove there and forget. Second row not sliding, will ensure their knees are bunched and they are humbled. They get a dedicated AC vent with adjustment to give them some hope to live.
My Humble Opinion
As one who is emotionally invested in this segment, and hopes to be financially invested soon too, this is how I see it:-
First there was the Fortuner monopoly. The Jap reliability supergiant from the East, commanded a premium for what it offers and sells more than all other competition put together. Their sway over the market continues and rightly so, because they offer exactly what the market values at this price point, and the market is always right. But we always paid up whatever they asked for, didn't have a worthy scale to hold it against. Toyota wanted our soul, and we gladly gave it to them...the price was never negotiated.
Then came the Endeavour, infusing the Western angle.Big, butch, americana, with all that it offers, it tilted the scales for those who looked closely and dug deeper. Its true value for where it sits. Offers what the discerning buyer wants, if he has overcome the binding spell of the mighty fortuner.
The G4 to me, completes this triad of perspective, and answers what if there was a middle ground? Not east or west, but what if a home badge throws their glove in?
If you, like myself, always wondered if the premium we pay for the Toyota badge and associated reliability/resale is actually worth it, this car will amplify that emotion.(The fact that we will go ahead and pay that premium anyway is another story)
If you,like myself, always wondered what a complete package the 3.2 Endeavour is in this segment, well this car will amplify that emotion too, interestingly.
Overall, after an unprejudiced test drive, I came back pretty impressed with the car.
If you look beyond the M on its nose, or the double dragons under the hood, this car attempts to rub shoulders with the best in the segment and perhaps would ruffle a few feathers even above its weight. The car is surely worth its asking price perhaps in a 'sum of parts' sense. With the CKD and all it offers I doubt if its even possible to price it lower.
But honestly, if I had to sink money into this segment, I would still pick the Endeavour 3.2.
But that's just me.