Friday, October 17, 2008

Mahindra Pickup USA: How big will it be? How much will it cost?


I was originally going to use this entry to detail the known and surmised technical specifications for the Mahindra pickups that the US market will get in late 2009. However, I’ve decided to highlight a few of the basic specs people want to know:

Price: Mahindra claims that starting price will be around USD $20,000 for a base single cab (seats 2), 2-wheel drive truck. I’m guessing this will be closer to $23,000 - $24,000 by launch. Keep in mind a base truck will likely come with LSD rear axle, A/C, cruise, power windows, CD player, 4-wheel discs, electronic stability control, 60,000 mile warranty, etc.

Size: The photos are deceiving. The Mahindra is slightly larger than a typical mid-size (i.e. Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma) pickup. So, it’s larger than a ‘small’ light truck, but not as big as any full size offering.

Power: The Mahindra Trucks will all get a 4-cylinder turbo diesel. Specs (and speculation!) for Mahindras sold around the world vary. It is most likely the US will get a power plant rated somewhere between 200 lb-ft and 250 lb-ft of torque.
Fuel Economy: Mahindra claims 28-35 miles per gallon.

Notable Mechanical Features: All trucks will come with LSD rear axle standard. Rear suspension will likely be semi-elliptical leaf sprung. Front suspension will be torsion sprung, independent (so hardcore off-road guys may be disappointed). 6-speed automatic transmission will be the only transmission. Load capacity will be 2000 – 2600 pounds (500 to 1100 pounds more than a Frontier or Tacoma). Since load rating is based on the weakest part, this tells you how robust the Mahindra will be… Very.

To see specs for the Australian market Mahindra Pik-Up, click HERE
To see known specs for the US market Mahindra Pickup, click HERE

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