Driven: Mahindra simplifies Genio budget ute range

MAHINDRA has updated its Genio ute range with a Euro 5 emissions compliant diesel engine, dropped four-wheel-drive variants and upped the starting price by $1000, to $21,990 driveaway.

A single trim level is available in single- or dual-cab body styles, both of which come standard with an Australian-made alloy tray. The dual-cab is priced at $25,490 driveaway.

The Indian brand’s updated 2.2-litre four-cylinder mHAWK turbo-diesel engine retains its power and torque outputs of 88kW and 280Nm, while the sole transmission available is five-speed manual.

In addition to cleaner tailpipe emissions, the revised powerplant has reduced combined-cycle fuel consumption to 7.5 litres per 100 kilometres on the single-cab and 8.1L/100km on the dual-cab.

Respective fuel savings of 0.4L/100km and 0.5L/100km are due in part due to the introduction of an idle-stop system.

The single-cab, which accounts for 82 per cent of Genio sales in Australia, has a 1.2-tonne payload and the ability to carry two standard pallets in its 2.7 metre long tray.

Dual-cabs offer a 1.1-tonne payload and 1950mm tray length, with both trays being 1777mm wide. The Genio can tow a braked trailer of up to 1.8 tonnes.

A Mahindra Ag & Auto Australia spokesperson told GoAuto the Genio is popular with plumbers who appreciate its long load capacity, along with carpenters and delivery drivers.

Standard equipment on the updated Genio includes air-conditioning, cruise control, a multi-function steering wheel, CD player with AM/FM radio and SD card music storage, individual fold-down armrests, under-seat storage, remote central locking, electric windows and power steering.

Also fitted are frontal airbags, anti-lock brakes, Bosch Generation 9 electronic stability and traction control, hill-holder and the new addition of hill descent control with roll-over mitigation.

GoAuto understands the Genio 4x4 was dropped as it suffered from insufficient ground clearance and wheels too small for real off-road work, plus a front hub design better suited to more expensive alloy wheels.

The spokesperson said Mahindra would concentrate its 4x4 efforts on its most popular product, the rugged Pik-Up, a heavily revised version of which will closely follow the updated Genio into local showrooms.

“For Genio to stand on its own two feet, it’s going to have to work in the trade industry as a 4x2 product,” he said.

On the Genio, Bluetooth phone connectivity is a $250 dealer-fit accessory, along with a steel tow bar ($750), alloy wheels ($650) and floor mats ($99).

Metallic paint is a no-cost option.

Mahindra says the Genio’s tall cab design provides a raised seating position without affecting the tray height and enables more storage space beneath and behind the seats than most utes.

ANCAP is yet to rate the Genio, while the Pik-Up ute and XUV500 seven-seat SUV respectively scored three- and four-star results.

The Mahindra spokesperson told GoAuto the company had not supplied ANCAP with Genio vehicles to test and was not aware that the Australasian crash-test authority had purchased any.

The Genio is supplied with a three-year, 100,000km warranty and three years of roadside assistance.

Although Mahindra does not publish its Australian sales figures in official VFACTS data or talk in specific terms about how many of its vehicles leave showrooms each year, the company spokesperson said Genio sales are up 37 per cent year-on-year.

“We haven’t really set a sales target for Genio specifically,” he said.

“In terms of our aspiration for the vehicle, we’re still in the early days and we understand that in Australia our brand hasn’t yet built the equity other manufacturers have and because of that we don’t openly come out saying we’ll be this that or the other in terms of sales.

“What we do want is to have a reliable product and want our products to be well regarded and we certainly want our customers to be happy with the product, so that is our focus.”

He explained that Mahindra’s Australian outfit has a flexible arrangement with the Indian factory that means it can ramp supply up or down with a two-month turnaround.

“We can put in an order quantity at the start of the month, confirm it by mid-month and it’s on the water by the end of the month – and it is only 28 days’ sailing out of India,” he said.

Mahindra currently has 40 Australian dealerships, which the company hopes to have increased to 50 by next April.

In addition to the new Pik-Up, an entry level petrol-automatic front-drive version of the XUV500 seven-seat mid-size SUV will join the line-up early next year, with a Euro 6 emissions compliant all-wheel-drive diesel-automatic drivetrain arriving when stocks of 2016-plated Euro 4 diesel variants run out.

The Pik-Up range will expand in 2018 when a six-speed automatic transmission option becomes available.

2017 Mahindra Genio driveaway pricing

Single cab chassis 4x2	$21,990
Dual cab chassis 4x2	$25,490