Exclusive! 2013 Mahindra Ssangyong Rexton W caught on test in India

We seem to have a special connection with the Ssangyong Rexton – first we got our hands on an exclusive video of the Rexton II begin tested near Nasik, in Maharashtra; we later speculated that the Rexton W, which was unveiled at the 2012 Busan Motor Show in Korea, could be the Korean SUV that Mahindra & Mahindra was planning to bring to India – contrary to reports pointing towards the Rexton II shown at the Auto Expo. But what we have here now confirms our speculation, for these are the exclusive images of the 2013 Ssangyong Rexton W being tested on Indian soil. 

Looks like Mahindra were testing the Rexton II in India only in order to fine-tune its mechanicals for the Indian conditions – and probably that is the reason why there was hardly any cladding on the test vehicles that we spotted earlier. The Ssangyon Rexton W though, is the facelift of the Rexton II with tweaks to the powertrain and other mechanicals. Our sources tell us that the Rexton W caught on test here was the RX270 XDi, which runs a Mercedes Benz derived 2.7-litre diesel engine that puts out over 160 PS of power. It runs a 5-speed E-tronic automatic transmission mated to a part-time four-wheel-drive system. In fact, the Rexton is built on the Mercedes Benz M-class platform itself and uses an ultra-rigid frame and an intelligent torque vectoring system. The Rexton W also features an electronic stability program (ESP) with emergency brake assist, hill descent control (HDC) and active rollover protection (ARP). 

We are not yet sure on the nature or the advancement of the testing process here since the photos only reveal the car without any additional test equipment. But we are being told that the Rexton W is slated for an India launch by late 2012 or early 2013. 

Being a product from the Mahindra & Mahindra stables, it will be a value-for-money offering without doubt and is expected to compete with the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, the Pajero Sport, the Ford Endeavour and the Hyundai Santa Fe. The icing on the cake would be the price range though, which could start at a little more than the money you pay for a top-end XUV500. If Mahindra do manage to pull off that sort pricing, the carmaker could be looking at one more ridiculously successful SUV in their product portfolio.

NOTE: Authors and editors of other publications who would like to use images or information disclosed in this story, are requested to give due credit and a link-back to OnCars.in. You are requested to use only One image and redirect traffic to the OnCars story for the rest.