Q. Is buying Mahindra XUV 300 Diesel Automatic W8 (O) variant sensible option when it is facing high competition from upcoming sub-compact SUV's? My preference is safety, good mileage, easy to drive in city traffic and low maintenance.

@ Dillip | Mahindra’s XUV300 is easily the brand’s best sub-4 metre SUV yet. It’s got the style and the substance to make your heart want it, but your head might think otherwise looking at the space on offer. The W8 (O) is purely an upgrade in terms of safety features compared to the decently loaded W8. With the W8(O), the XUV300 is the second vehicle after the Toyota Yaris in the sub-15 lakh bracket to feature seven airbags, and the safest car in its segment, front parking sensors and 3-point seatbelt for the rear middle seat. This variant also makes the XUV300 the most loaded sub-compact/sub-4m SUV in the market right now. The incremental cost is justified for the added goodies. Buy this variant if you want to be owning an SUV from a segment above. Mahindra XUV300 delivers claimed mileage of 17kmpl and 20kmpl. However, we have tested it in rear life conditions and its petrol variant delivered 12.16kmpl in city and 14.25kmpl on highway. Its Diesel variant delivered 15.40kmpl in city and 19.89kmpl on highway. Approximate service cost for mahindra XUV300 in 5 year is around Rs. 17,937 and Rs. 20,693 for Petrol and Diesel variants respectively. Do take a test ride in order to get better clarity. Check out authorised dealership details.