What are the most recently launched cars this year? The XUV700 will probably be your answer. The noise was unrealistic and so was the long wait with heavy expectations. Have you delivered Mahindra? First impressions suggest so after our drive in Chennai. But this was the first diesel engine and for a few hours. Now a few months later, with the hype still going on, how can the XUV700 live with it? How is an SUV in terms of everyday use, on a road trip, or just its normal daily use? Do you offer XUV700? Let’s find out.
The XUV700 was delivered to us in ‘Electric Blue’ and with that color, it really stands out. The attention it got on our roads suggests that this is not the right color to buy if you don’t want to bother with questions about the car everywhere you go. The XUV700 looks attractive, and after months, the basic design hasn’t departed from the earlier shock of seeing one after years of waiting. I like the fact that Mahindra hasn’t over-engineered and been restrained – which isn’t something the previous XUV500 would say. There are fewer unnecessary fonts and the design is simple but has a presence. It’s huge, the XUV700 and has a pretty tall look. The front end features a glossy black grille with no chrome while the new logo fits nicely into this scheme of things.
The massive C-shaped headlights combined with the DRLs are perhaps the most aggressive parts of the design. It’s also elegant and simple on the side with clean lines while the flush door handles are a neat and wise trick. The 18-inch wheels on our test car, an AXL petrol, looked good while the large taillights again sit nicely in the overall design. The tail gate is thermoplastic but as you know it’s actually more expensive than standard sheet metal – reasons to use it is more sculpted lines can be made in terms of design plus it saves weight.
The key is the standard Mahindra case and as you enter, the flush door handles stand out. These are neat design tricks and make the overall design completely seamless. It is also offered on more expensive SUVs. The top variant we had, however, had the electric ones and the rest had manually operated popups. It’s not as simple as the standard versions but it’s something different and owners will like.
Next, you enter the seat and it slides back for easy entry—a feature seen in more expensive cars. I really liked this feature during the few days I used it. When you buy a luxury SUV, the first few seconds in the cabin should impress – the XUV700 does. The interior is easily the best so far and it’s also restrained. By that I mean simple and premium combined with light materials and glossy black and leather finishes. Mercedes keys like the ones on the door pads are also convenient.
I liked the fact that not everything is placed on the touch screen and there is a controller below with physical buttons. It was helpful and there has to be a balance. Other things? I loved the digital suite and Mahindra gives you plenty of options to configure the display or even access several features including ADAS. Our car was fully loaded with the optional package and then came with a 360-degree camera that has multiple angles along with a great detailed view as well as a blind-view monitor that works when the pointer is turned on either side.
On a hot day, the dual-zone climate control quickly cooled the cabin, and yes, the huge panoramic sunroof adds to the premium—although it’s not a huge sunroof fan, I haven’t used it—but the owners will love it. The air purifier came in handy given the air quality in Delhi and so did the powered driver’s seat. The XUV700 is roomy and I found time to drive when my colleague wanted to drive a bit. There is a fair amount of legroom for a tall person like me and the width is also very good with a relatively flat floor. The seats are a bit stiff but provide enough comfort plus the rear passengers can slide forward from the front seat easily from the back to get more space. The third row is not the best place and is best used as a luggage space or for children with less space.
Let’s talk about safety because there’s a lot of it. There are 7 airbags, ADAS that can be controlled via steering wheel buttons, customizable acoustic speed alerts, automatic power-up headlights, and automatic high-beam assist in disable mode above 80 km/h. These automotive booster headlights came in handy and I tested some ADAS features. Besides alerting the driver of fatigue, the Emergency Brake Assist is very useful. There is driveway keeping assist which also worked well. Adaptive cruise control doesn’t really make sense for our roads even though some of them are really useful.
For our testing, we got a petrol XUV700 and the reason is that we were keen to spend more time and see how the petrol-powered XUV700 adjusts to weight as well as whether it can give off diesel-like torque. The last part is where Mahindra went in to get more power and to make sure they got that side right and pampered us with a 2.0 liter turbocharged petrol engine with no less than 200 HP and 380 Nm. This makes the XUV700 fast and smooth. The engine is a huge plus and it has put a smile on my face in terms of the way it pulls from low revs or even the way it likes to drive hard. Acceleration is fast and this massive SUV does 0-100 km/h in under 10 seconds while easily topping it out at triple-digit speeds on the private road we tested on it. The engine looks polished and smooth and gives the impression of loads of power under your right foot. There’s also torque and it feels almost diesel-like at low speeds or even easy power with luggage and other passengers.
In the city, gasoline was smarter than diesel. For example, the steering is too light for a large SUV and enables you to park it easily and drive it around traffic as if it were a much smaller SUV. It is very easy to get used to the XUV700. The automatic in our test car had a six-speed torque converter, and while I didn’t miss the paddle shifters, driving modes like the diesel were fine. However, it has so much strength that I generally don’t mind. XUV700 is also a dynamic change with better handling and improved high-speed stability. Selective frequency dampers give a dynamic polish and feel like an SUV that is fun to drive. Do not feel the weight of the car. If anything I wanted to steer a little heavier at higher speeds and ride more absorbent at lower speeds, but it’s one of the most enjoyable SUVs to drive.
mileage? My heavy right foot means efficiency is heading towards defeat. I drove and enjoyed the performance as well as the start/stop traffic which meant I got 6-8 kmpl in the city. Driving on the comfortable highway the next day showed 9kmpl. A smooth cruise at high speeds will save 10 kilometers per second but the XUV700 is really gasoline thirsty – something you should expect given it has 200 hp after all!
Does the XUV700 live up to the hype? Yes, in most respects. As a product, it offers you three-row seating, a great petrol engine and also a very tech-focused interior. However, at Rs 21 lakh plus for a fully loaded petrol as shown here, you pay for it as well as some basic features that should have been part of the standard equipment list. But after a few days of using it, the XUV700 became a dynamically proven product and we loved the engine, performance, interior and general packaging. Yes, prices have gone up since launch, but undercarriages with the same engine still offer great value, and even this premium version has more power and features than competing SUVs. We recommend the diesel for efficiency and road trip enthusiasts due to longer range but as a petrol SUV the XUV700 impressed us overall and for reasons we didn’t expect – it’s really fun to drive! So, if your daily running is less and requires less fuel, the XUV700 is a sure good way to embrace the concept of a gasoline-powered SUV!
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