The Mahindra XUV 3XO Panel Van has quietly hit SA, pitched as an alternative to a half-tonne bakkie. And, rather unusually, it’s slightly more affordable than its predecessor…
The Mahindra XUV 3XO Panel Van has quietly joined the Indian automaker’s light-commercial vehicle (LCV) range in South Africa, priced slightly below its predecessor.
Based on the recently launched XUV 3XO crossover, the panel-van derivative – which we suspect is converted locally either at Mahindra’s special fitment centre near Kempton Park or at its soon-to-be-replaced assembly facility in KwaZulu-Natal – sees the local line-up swell to 9 variants.
From what we understand, the new 2-seater XUV 3XO 1.2T MX1 Panel Van is priced at R296 999, making it R6 000 more affordable than the XUV300-based version it replaces (which had last been priced at R302 999). It thus slots neatly into the middle of the broader XUV 3XO portfolio.
Pitched at would-be buyers of a half-tonne bakkie (a segment that fizzled out locally with the demise of the Nissan NP200 earlier this year), the XUV 3XO Panel Van employs the same turbocharged 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine as the rest of the range, here sending 82 kW and 200 Nm to the front axle via a 6-speed manual gearbox.
While Mahindra SA has yet to release official specifications for its newest LCV derivative, we believe it will feature the relatively modest “MX1” trim level. Based on our information, this workhorse variant will do without items such as an infotainment system (simply replaced by a black plastic panel), steering-wheel buttons, front foglamps and a rear wiper, while riding on 16-inch steel wheels.
Still, we believe staples such as air conditioning, electric windows and electronic stability control (not to mention airbags) remain standard. Of course, Mahindra SA has also ditched the rear bench and fitted a flat load floor, while furthermore adding a metal safety barrier to separate the passenger- and load areas.
The rear side windows and rear screen also gain mesh barriers along with an opaque film, with the latter likely applied to keep the load bay’s contents from prying eyes. Unfortunately, we have yet to unearth an official payload capacity for this model, though its predecessor’s figure was around 320 kg.
Interestingly, while its forebear wore the “Xprez” badge (which was also used on the KUV-based version a few years back), it seems this moniker may fall away for the XUV 3XO iteration – despite being shown in early images (as below). Though its official name is not yet confirmed, we’ve subsequently seen an example that does not feature this badging.
The Mahindra XUV 3XO Panel Van joins a surprisingly crowded segment of converted passenger vehicles, counting the likes of the Hyundai Grand i10 Cargo (R249 500 for the 1.0 and R289 900 for the 1.2), Renault Triber 1.0 Express (R266 999), Kia Picanto 1.0 LX Runner (R284 900 for the manual and R302 900 for the auto), Kia Sonet 1.5 LS Runner (R 319 995), Hyundai Venue 1.2 Premium Cargo (R321 500) and Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Express (R334 999) as its rivals.
How much does Mahindra’s XUV 3XO Panel Van cost in SA?
Mahindra XUV 3XO 1.2T MX1 Panel Van – R296 999
The price above includes Mahindra’s 5-year/150 000 km warranty and a 3-year/55 000 km service plan.
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