Mahindra Pik-Up 2024 Review

The 2024 Mahindra Pik-Up range is pretty easy to understand. There’s the $38,500 driveaway S11 dual cab 4x4 auto we’re testing here, or the $39,990 drive-away Work Pack with a tray.

Our test car also came with a winch compatible steel bullbar for an additional $3500. Even with that option added, the Pik-Up is one of the cheapest diesel 4x4 dual cabs doing the rounds, vying with the likes of the LDV T60, SsangYong Musso and GWM Cannon at the affordable end of the segment.

For that money you get a 103kW/320Nm 2.2-litre ‘mHawk’ four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with intercooling, the new Aisin auto, a BorgWarner 4x4 system with low range, and an auto-locking Eaton mechanical rear diff, all underpinned by a ladder frame chassis, torsion bar front- and leaf spring rear suspension, disc/drum brakes and assisted rack and pinion steering.

What you don’t get is a comprehensive safety list. For instance, there’s no autonomous emergency braking or other advanced driver assist safety features, let alone a current ANCAP rating (it scored three stars in 2012).

But you do get stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes, dual front airbags, a reversing camera, tyre pressure monitoring, dual top tethers, ISOFIX, and projector headlights with a bending function that turns to assist cornering vision at night.

Externally, the S11 includes 16-inch alloy wheels, a tray with a bedliner, side steps and a sports bar.

Inside you’ll find wired Apple Carplay, Android Auto connection and Bluetooth streaming displayed through a low-mounted seven-inch touch screen and played via a four-speaker audio. Other standard features include cruise control, single-zone climate control with rear vents, faux leather steering wheel trim and cloth seat trim..

The Pikup comes with a  five-year/150,000km warranty, five years roadside assist, 12 month and short 10,000km service intervals, and a four year/55,000km capped price servicing program that adds up to $2296, or a pricey $574 per visit.

The drivetrain is an undoubted highlight of the 2024 Mahindra Pik-Up S11. Sure, the engine is a bit noisy, but it’s also lag-free and enthusiastic and it bonds well with the new automatic transmission. Around town it’s flexible, on the highway it’s smooth-ish and off-road its ever-present.

The Pik-Up tackles the rough stuff impressively. It boasts good ground clearance and a capable 4x4 system. The locking diff backs up the traction control system effectively. There can be some wheel spinning as the Pik-Up figures out an obstacle, but it usually sorts a way to clamber over the top. Downhill assist works effectively going the other way.

At lower speeds the Mahindra rides along comfortably, adding to its off-road appeal and making it more useful in town. The high seating position and narrow width of the body – it’s just 1820mm – also helps navigating rough stuff as well as city streets and parking lots.

The tray’s 1035kg payload is excellent, while the 2500 braked towing capacity is OK but shy of the 3500kg class standard. Towing at 2500kg delivers a still usable 560kg payload.

The higher the speeds the more the gloss comes off the 2024 Mahindra Pik-Up S11. The chassis loses its composure over bumps, the ride becomes intrusive and there is heaps of kickback through the steering wheel.

An enormous 13.4 metre turning circle undoes much of the good work the Pik-Up’s narrow width achieves for manoeuvring. Prepare for plenty of tree-point turns!

The Euro 6b-rated engine’s claimed 9.3L/100km fuel economy average proved illusory for us. The best numbers were in the 11s and the worst in the 14s.

Smartphone connection proved a bit patchy and voice instructions were muddled – texts turned into phone calls and so on. The steering wheel only adjusts for height, while space in the rear seat is a bit tight for legroom. Headroom is no problem though.

Basic build quality seems up to the task. But some interior surfaces are elbow-bruisingly hard and some of the exterior panel gaps are yawning. The tray is compromised by not being lockable or having load hooks.

As a basic go-anywhere load hauler that is affordable to buy and maintain, the 2024 Mahindra Pik-Up S11 dual cab 4x4 has few peers left in Australia. The addition of an automatic transmission makes it easier to live with.

But it’s still a rudimentary thing and its safety equipment is lacking compared to modern accepted standards. So it’s one for specific situations such as farms and remote adventures rather than day-to-day urban use.

Still, it impresses in its basics and gives us cause for optimism for 2026 when the all-new Mahindra Pik-Up arrives.

2024 Mahindra Pik-Up S11 Dual Cab 4x4 Auto at a glance:
Price: $38,500 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre turbo-diesel
Output: 103kW/320Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 246g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

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