Mahindra Verito Vibe launched at a price of 5.63 lakh rupees

Mahindra has just launched its least priced car(discounting the Reva-i of course) in India in the form of the Verito Vibe. The launch of the Verito Vibe marks Mahindra's entry into the hatchback segment. The other two recent entries from Mahindra, the Quanto(compact SUV) and the Rexton(Premium UV) also broke new ground for the brand in terms of segmentation. Technically a hatchback, save for the weird boot release mechanism, the Verito Vibe is a diesel only car that's available in three variants, D2, D4 and D6. The D2 variant is priced at 5.63 lakhs, D4 at 5.89 lakhs and D6 at 6.49 lakhs, all prices reflecting ex-showroom Mumbai figures.

Now, why has Mahindra stuck to a diesel-only approach in a car that sits bang in the middle of the B+ segment hatchback space? It has, as there's no petrol engine with Mahindra that displaces under 1.2 Liters in displacement. To meet norms required for lower excise duty, Mahindra has stuck to the tried and tested 1.5 Liter Renault K9K turbo diesel engine, the same motor which powers the Verito sedan as well. Talking of the Verito Sedan, the Verito Vibe is essentially a different body style version of the sedan. This means that the underpinnings of the Verito Vibe and the Sedan are bog similar. 

The Verito Vibe delivers an ARAI certified 20.8 Kmpl. With a 50 liter fuel tank, the Verito Vibe should be good for nearly a 1,000 kilometers on the highway. In terms of styling though, Mahindra's brochure details a slew of changes on the Verito Vibe hatchback. Here's a round up. The car features smoked headlamps, carbon finish front grille, roof rails, refreshed "champagne" alloy wheel design, a new X'mas tree tail lamp cluster, chrome strip on the bootlid, chromed exhaust tip and a new twin tone rear bumper. On the inside, the Verito Vibe sits in Verito sedan territory in terms of design and features.

Like the Verito sedan(and the original Dacia Logan), the Verito Vibe features a wide body design. The wide body design delivers ample shoulder room and the Verito Vibe promises to be one of the most spacious cars for three adults to sit abreast. Emphasizing room for five adults, the Verito Vibe features five headrests. On the inside, prominent features include air conditioning(quick cool according to Mahindra), a 2-DIN CD player with support for USB and AUX. Select variants of the sedan get electric wing mirrors, driver information system, driver airbag and ABS+EBD. The car rides on 14 inch wheels with tubeless tyres as standard. The Verito Vibe gets a 330 liters boot, which is higher than the Swift's 280 liters but significantly lower than the Amaze's 400 liters.

The car weighs in at 1,155 kilograms while a 3 years/100,000 kilometers warranty is offered as standard. The Vibe is available in seven different colours, Fiery Black, Java Brown, Mist Silver, Tornado Red, Dolphn Grey, Diamond White and Aqua Rush. So, what is the Verito Vibe's biggest differentiating factor? Mahindra's top honchos say that the Verito Vibe hatchback is derived from a sedan whereas other sedans such as the Swift Dzire and the Honda Amaze are derived from hatchbacks. This, according to Mahindra, makes the Verito Vibe  than other B+ segment hatchbacks. 

Mahindra emphasized this by showcasing the wheelbase of the Verito Vibe, which at 2,630 mm is about 200mm greater than the likes of the Swift, Liva, Amaze and the Dzire. Height adjustable seat belts and 3 individual headrests on the rear bench seat are the other differentiating factors that Mahindra emphasized in the launch presentation of the Verito Vibe.