Mahindra recently introduced the XUV 3XO with the option of factory fitted CNG kit. Barring the KUV100 CNG, which was mainly fleet focused, the Mahindra XUV 3XO CNG is the company’s first CNG vehicle aimed at private buyers. Priced between Rs. 9.99 lakh and Rs. 12.27 lakh (ex-showroom), the XUV 3XO CNG is available in four variants and costs roughly Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.2 lakh more than its equivalent petrol offerings and we’ve subjected it to our real world fuel efficiency tests.
- Gets twin CNG tanks underneath the boot floor
- Automatic stop-start feature is available, even in CNG mode
- ARAI claimed efficiency of 24.7km/kg
Mahindra XUV 3XO CNG real-world fuel efficiency explained
Powering the XUV 3XO CNG is the multi-point fuel injection (MPFi) turbo-petrol engine which gets a 10-bar CNG injection system, allowing it to produce the same 111hp and 200Nm both in the petrol and CNG mode. It features a twin cylinder CNG setup underneath the bootfloor with a capacity of 60 litres, which doesn’t compromise bootspace as much.
In our tests, the XUV 3XO CNG delivered 16.75km/kg in the city and 22.29km/kg on the highway, for an overall real-world efficiency of 19.52km/kg. The highway efficiency is close to the ARAI claimed efficiency of 24.7km/kg, which is impressive.
The automatic stop-start feature definitely helps in improving efficiency in the city, as the car stays off until you press the clutch pedal. On the highway, the car cruised at 100kph with the engine spinning at a relatively conservative 2300rpm, which again helps with the efficiency.
When refilled from empty, we managed to fill 7.94kg of CNG, although this can vary depending on the pump pressure and ambient temperature. With an overall average efficiency of 19.52km/kg, you can expect a range of 150-160km on a full tank of CNG.
In petrol mode, the XUV 3XO CNG delivered an efficiency of 9.68kpl, whereas on the highway it returned 14.47kpl, for an overall efficiency of 12.07kpl. With its 42 litre fuel tank, you can expect a real world range of around 500km. With petrol and CNG, you can expect a total driving range of around 650-660km.
Autocar India’s fuel-efficiency testing
Since CNG tanks are more difficult to fill consistently due to variables such as ambient temperature and pump pressure, we did not use our standard tankful-to-tankful methodology. Instead, for our real-world tests, we emptied the CNG tank and refilled it with 2kg of CNG. We then drove the vehicle in city conditions until the gas was exhausted. The same process was repeated for the highway run. Before our real-world fuel efficiency tests, we maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. These cars are driven in fixed city and highway loops in and around Navi Mumbai, and we maintain certain average speeds. Throughout the tests, there is only one person in each car, and the aircon is set to 22deg C in full-auto mode. We operate other electricals, such as the audio system, indicators and wipers, just like a regular user would. Periodic driver swaps further neutralise variations in driver patterns.