Mahindra has been in
South Africa since 2004, steadily building a portfolio and brand loyalty since then.
Last year the company reached a huge milestone when it opened its assembly plant in
Durban. One of
the vehicles to come out of that facility is the
Pik Up S10 4x4 double cab. We drove it and formed an
opinion on it.
On the exterior we can admit that the
Pik Up is not going to win any beauty contests or design awards.
However, having said that, the old adage “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” still applies. The
front grille has been redesigned in a bolder, stronger look, including
LED daytime running lights and
fog lights.
Another standout feature is the
integrated bonnet scoop.
Colour-coded bumpers, side mirrors, and door
handles give it a more urban look. For the
off-road fans,
side steps and
mud flaps are included, as well
as the
tow bar at the rear. Its
approach angle is 34-degrees,
departure angle is 15-degrees and the
turning
circle radius is 6.7 metres.
Inside,
Mahindra has raised its own bar in terms of features and comfort levels. While the current
South
African double cab leaders are still about a generation ahead of the
Pik Up, signs are there that
Mahindra will catch up sooner rather than later. In this regard you will find a
touch screen infotainment system with
radio function,
satellite navigation,
USB access,
Bluetooth connectivity,
power windows all round –
front
automatic -,
central locking and
air conditioning among others. Seats are
cloth upholstery and
manually
adjustable at the front. One does feel a little industrial whilst inside, but never out of date.
The
powerplant installed in the
Pik Up is a
2.2-litre, 4-cylinder mHawk turbo diesel type.
Maximum power is
103kW at 3 750rpm, and
peak torque is 320Nm made between a low
1 500rpm and
2 800rpm. Mated
to it is a
6-speed manual transmission, as well as a
4x4 system actuated via an
electronic knob. I was
pleasantly surprised by the amount of
pulling power the
Pik Up had, especially when towing
(maximum
braked capacity is 2 500kg).
Load pull is also good. Speaking on load, the
load box itself is wide and deep,
but is not smoothly floored. So while more fragile cargo will need extra padding, it is absolutely suitable
for rough and hard loads such as animals, earth and rocks. The
80 litre fuel tank should be good for about
400km under everyday conditions, but will go either direction depending on what the vehicle is used for.
The
Mahindra Pik Up S10 is a highly capable
double cab whose main purpose is to work and work hard
at that. It does this without asking any questions, thanks to all those aforementioned features. Whilst
there will be temptation to refine it in order to catch up with
American and
Japanese rivals in the
next-generation model, I believe keeping it rugged will give it the edge when true workhorses are in demand.
