Mahindra XUV400 Electric SUV: Real-World Range And Performance Review

Mahindra XUV400 proved to be faster than other SUVs with a sub-nine-second 0-100 km/h capability and the rest of the driving experience catches up as well.

The top-end Mahindra XUV400 is priced at Rs 18.9 lakh.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

Mumbai seems to be the best place to test the newest Mahindra electric SUV with its traffic but on the day I drove the roads seemed blissfully empty. Hence, thought of putting all the XUV400's three modes to the test. The XUV400 electric gets "Fun, Fast, and Fearless", marked by configurable steering feel, along with throttle plus regenerative braking. There is also an L mode, where you indulge in one-pedal driving. The default mode is the Fun mode, where the top speed is capped.

That said, you don't feel that the acceleration is held back and it does not feel slow at all.

It is perfect for city use with stop-go traffic and is not too aggressive. However, with a gap in traffic, the Fast mode seems to be the one to be in with faster throttle response and more speed. Straight-line performance is stronger too. An EV thrives in traffic with instant torque which makes driving smoother along with no noise at all.

Speaking of which, the refinement levels are terrific with low motor noise and it is perfect in terms of its luxury car-like treatment. The Fearless mode unlocks the full power and here the electric motor makes 150bhp which lets you hit the 150km/h top speed very quickly. It is the most aggressive setting and perhaps too sharp while the range also takes a beating. Best, go for the Fast mode.

The XUV400 overall feels very quick and faster than other SUVs with a sub-nine-second 0-100 km/h and the rest of the driving experience catches up as well. The steering feels direct and light while the compact size makes it a joy to squeeze past narrow roads. The L mode is something which I kept most of the time since it increases regenerative braking while not quite being 'one-pedal' driving.

The suspension is impressive and so is the ground clearance while the ride is pretty compliant with none of the harshness. I feel the suspension is the highlight of the car along with the performance.

What about range? The 39.4 kWh battery pack gets a 456km range estimate but real-world figures translate to 250km-280km, depending on the mode and how you drive. Fast charging means you can juice it up in just 50 minutes (zero to 80 percent) while a 7.2kW charger does it in six-and-a-half hours.

I am a fan of the looks too, with the copper accents and the sharp design while the XUV400 actually is much longer than the XUV300 at above 4 metres. That means it is more of an MG ZS rival and looks better proportioned. That also translates to excellent space at the back and a bigger 378L boot capacity. The cabin is perhaps the only weak point of the XUV400, marked by an older-version touchscreen with a small display size of 7-inch, plus the controls feel like lagging behind the latest Mahindra SUVs too.

It does get a decent amount of equipment with a sunroof, connected car tech with OTA updates, climate control, six airbags, four disc brakes and more. Surprisingly, it misses out on features available on the XUV300, like rear AC vents or dual-zone climate control, front parking sensors etc. That said, I do like the gear selector as it feels premium.

The top-end XUV400 is priced at Rs 18.9 lakh and that is competitive given the space on offer plus performance. For an EV buyer, it feels like a value buy with its decent range and good looks too.

What we like:

• Looks
• Performance
• Space

What we do not like:

• Interiors
• Some features missing