There’s great news for all of you who loved the way the Mahindra Verito drove, but didn’t care much for the styling. The Verito has received its first major update that will go a long way in changing people’s perception of it. All of the underpinnings remain more or less the same, but on the surface, it looks like a completely different car. New headlights and grille at the front take away most of the boxiness of the Logan and give it more rounded edges. The rear sees some work too, with the tail-lights getting a refresh while the boot lid now accommodates a crease that extends from the tail-lights. These changes seem minor enough, but pass by one of these in a parking lot and ‘taxi’ won’t be your first thought. Hell, you might just consider buying one of these after seeing one in person.
Inside, the Verito was not exactly what you’d call plush, but it got the job done. Again, the whole cheap-to-manufacture philosophy could clearly be seen in the erstwhile Logan, but not any more. The interiors see small but meaningful improvements. Of course, the designers took the liberty of raiding the Mahindra parts bin while upgrading the interior, so don’t be surprised to find that the stereo is from the Xylo and the window controls look suspiciously like they were pulled off a Bolero. I’m not complaining too much though, because this arrangement means that the awkward looking centre console mounted switches are now where they should belong, and rear seat passengers no longer need to use their feet to control the power windows.
Powering this Verito is the same 1.5-litre Nissan-Renault diesel engine that can be found under the hood of many other cars, ranging from the Micra to the Evalia and of course, the Duster. In this application, it makes a healthy 65 bhp. It’s not a screamer, but it is a reliable performer and helping the engine put the power down is a very slick shifting five-speed gearbox with well-spaced ratios. You won’t be shoved back into your seat at any point, but at the same time there is very little turbo lag when you’re trudging along in a higher gear.
Coming to the handling, you won’t be swapping positions with any sports cars in the twisties, but then you won’t find yourself at the bottom of a ditch either. It’s about perfect for a proper family sedan. The same goes for the ride as well, with it ironing out most of the bumps on the roads, with only the larger craters unsettling the Verito. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the suspension in this car was designed to take on roads like ours, and that it does very well.
All that is fine, but hold on: the main reason the Verito looked the way it did was because it was easy to build, and easy to repair, which made it economical to own as well. So how does this facelift affect that? Well, the price of the car has moved slightly northwards, but considering the raft of changes plus the Verito’s innate strengths, it is well worth it.
