CNG is shaping up to be the new diesel. For the second year running, CNG passenger vehicles outsold diesels, accounting for 21.98 percent of the market compared to 18.08 percent for oil burners in FY2026. That is a very big deal. Big enough for Mahindra – traditionally a diesel-first brand – to sit up, take notice and want a piece of the action. Its first attempt – if you don’t count the fleet-only KUV100 CNG – is the Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG. Read as Zee-NG and pronounced Zing. The headline is that it makes the same amount of power as the pure-petrol 3XO TCMPFi. We experienced it in Mumbai to see if it really has zing.
Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG Exterior Design and Engineering –
Outside, there isn’t much to tell the ZNG apart from the regular XUV 3XO. Our test car is based on the REVX trim and gets a body-coloured grille, while other trims gloss black. LED lighting is present, though fog lamps are missing even on the top REVX A CNG trim.
In profile, you’ll notice the gloss black 16-inch wheels – the largest size available on the ZNG, with 17s reserved for the pure-petrol TGDi. At the rear is the clearest giveaway of its CNG powertrain: a ZNG badge on the tailgate.
XUV 3XO ZNG Interior Space and Comfort –
Inside, too, the ZNG is largely identical to its petrol and diesel counterparts, with a CNG switch to the right of the steering wheel being the only real giveaway. The dual-tone dashboard with lots of gloss black trim is otherwise carried over unchanged. Despite not being the top of the line variant, the cabin has an upmarket and well-trimmed air to it.
Our REVX A test car gets black leatherette seats, which can get quite hot, and they lack ventilation, just like the regular 3XO. The front seats are also a bit tight for larger frames, and the lack of a telescoping steering makes it hard to get comfy. Another ergonomic gripe is the tight driver’s footwell, with no dead pedal – pertinent as a six-speed manual is your only gearbox option.
The rear seat remains spacious and comfortable for its segment, and accommodating three abreast is not an issue. One area where the 3XO fell short was boot space, measuring just 295 litres – the smallest in the segment. To keep as much of the boot intact as possible, Mahindra has moved the space-saver spare under the body and placed a dual-tank setup under the boot floor. The combined liquid capacity of the tanks is 60 litres, which translates to 10kg of CNG capacity.
Boot capacity has dropped to 270 litres, which is smallest amongst immediate rivals, however it remains fairly wide and can accommodate up to four cabin bags.
Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG Features and Safety –
The 3XO ZNG is available in four trims, which offer the same features as their petrol and diesel counterparts. The highlights are a pair of sharp 10.25-inch screens for infotainment and instrumentation, a panoramic sunroof and a six-speaker audio system with Dolby Atmos.
The digital instrument cluster has a few more CNG-related functions. Hit the CNG switch, and an indicator on the digital instrument cluster confirms the fuel you are using, while the fuel gauge changes to display the fuel level. The cluster can also show the ratio of time spent in each fuel mode and the corresponding fuel efficiency.
As such, the 3XO ZNG is reasonably well equipped compared to equivalent variants of its main rival, the Tata Nexon iCNG. However, the Nexon offers a wider choice of CNG variants, with top-spec versions getting features such as a 360-degree camera, ventilated front seats and a wireless charger, all of which the Mahindra misses out on.
The safety kit is quite comprehensive, featuring six airbags, ESC, ISOFIX mounts, a tyre pressure monitoring system and a reversing camera. The regular XUV 3XO is also a five-star Bharat NCAP safety-rated car, and Mahindra says the ZNG has been engineered to meet the same standards.
Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG Performance and Refinement –
Powering the ZNG is the same 1.2-litre multi-point fuel injection (MPFi) turbo-petrol engine that does duty on the lower and mid-level trims of the 3XO. The kicker is that Mahindra quotes the exact same power and torque figures for CNG as for the pure-petrol version – 111hp and 200Nm. That is highly unusual, as a 10 to 15 percent drop in power figures is the norm. For comparison, its direct rival, the Tata Nexon iCNG, loses 20hp when switching from petrol to CNG. Mahindra says it has managed this with the use of a 10-bar CNG injection system. It also says the turbocharger and ECU calibration have been optimised to run on CNG, and initial impressions seem to back this up.
In everyday driving, the difference between CNG and petrol modes is barely noticeable. The engine feels smooth and refined in both, only becoming audible when extended. Performance, too, is very similar. Throttle response is good and the motor feels tractable, rarely requiring a shift into first when negotiating a speed breaker. There is a bit of turbo lag below 2,000rpm, but get past this and performance feels brisk.
The switch between modes is also quite seamless, with no apparent jerkiness or change in engine note. However, switch back and forth a few times, and you’ll notice the throttle response is ever so slightly duller in CNG mode, and there are times when it will hesitate on sudden throttle inputs. Overall, though, calibration in CNG mode is very good, and in everyday driving, there is very little to fault.
While the pure-petrol version of this engine can be had with a six-speed torque-converter automatic, the ZNG is only available with the six-speed manual. While its immediate rivals don’t offer an automatic with CNG either, Mahindra would have done well to offer at least an AMT. As it is, the manual is a smooth and easy-to-use unit, but not quite at the level of its Japanese or Korean competition. Its throws are a bit too long, and the clutch, while light, has a long travel.
In terms of outright performance, Mahindra claims an 11.8sec 0-100kph time for the ZNG. We conducted a quick performance test (not to Autocar India standards), which resulted in a 0-100kph time of 12.98s on petrol and 12.64s on CNG – a difference we put down to the launch. In-gear acceleration figures paint a clearer picture, where the ZNG was quicker in petrol mode by about 0.7 seconds in both 20-80kph and 40-100kph runs. Nevertheless, performance in either CNG or petrol is so close that most drivers would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.
Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG Mileage and Efficiency –
Mahindra claims an efficiency figure of 24.7km/kg for the XUV 3XO ZNG, which translates to a theoretical range of 247km from its 10kg CNG capacity.
It also gets an idle-stop/start function, which should help efficiency. We will verify these claims with a real-world test soon.
Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG Ride Comfort and Handling –
The switch to CNG adds around 100kg to the 3XO, most of it concentrated at the rear. To ensure this doesn’t affect ride or handling, Mahindra has tweaked the suspension to cope with the extra weight. The ZNG’s ride has a slightly firm edge, but overall it deals with bad roads very well.
The smaller 16-inch wheels also play an important part here, as their taller-sidewall tyres absorb sharp edges before they make their way to the cabin. Overall, the ride remains amongst the best in the class.
Handling, too, remains tight and engaging, with a planted feel around the bends. The steering is light and direct, and while you can dial up the resistance using the three steering modes, this adds little in terms of feel or feedback.
Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG Value for Money –
Overall, the Mahindra XUV 3XO offers good value for money and makes for a compelling entrant into the CNG compact SUV space. Prices for the Mahindra XUV 3XO ZNG start at Rs 9.99 lakh and go up to Rs 12.27 lakh, which is between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.2 lakh more than the equivalent petrol trims. Pricing is on par with comparable variants of the Tata Nexon iCNG. However, the Nexon has a wider range and also offers more features on the higher trims.
Mahindra has packaged the CNG tanks cleverly, minimising the impact on boot space. That said, the 3XO’s boot wasn’t particularly large to begin with, and that remains a drawback. What sets it apart is the driving experience. CNG calibration is very good, and performance in CNG mode is close enough to petrol for most people not to notice a real difference. For a first attempt, the XUV 3XO ZNG certainly ticks a lot of boxes.
