Which is the most talked-about car launch of this year? The XUV700 probably would be your answer. The hype was unreal and so was the long wait along with the weight of expectations. Has Mahindra delivered? First impressions did suggest that after our drive in Chennai. But that was the first drive of the diesel and for a few hours. Now after a few months, with the hype still there, how is the XUV700 to live with? How is the SUV in terms of day to day usage, on a road trip or just plain using it daily? Does the XUV700 deliver? Let's find out.
The XUV700 was delivered to us in 'electric blue' and in that colour, it does stand out. The attention it got on our roads suggests this is not the colour to buy if you don't like to be disturbed with questions about the car everywhere you go. The XUV700 does look appealing and after months, the basic design has not paled away from the earlier shock of seeing one after years of waiting. I like the fact that Mahindra has not overstyled it and has been restrained- not something which the earlier XUV500 can say. There are less needless lines and the design is simple but has a presence. It's huge, the XUV700 and has a nice, tall stance. The front end has a gloss black grille with hardly any chrome while the new logo sits nicely within that scheme of things.
The massive C-shaped headlamps along with the DRLs is perhaps the most aggressive bit of the design. It's also neat and simple at the side with clean lines while the flush door handles are a neat trick, design-wise. The 18 inch wheels on our test car, which is the petrol AXL, looked good while the large tail-lamps are again sitting nicely within the overall design. The tail-gate is thermoplastic but as you might know, it's actually more expensive than standard sheet metal- reasons to use it where more sculpted lines can be done in terms of design plus it saves weight.
The key is the standard Mahindra affair and while you walk in, the flush door handles pop out. These are neat design tricks and make the overall design quite smooth. It is offered on more expensive SUVs also. However, the top-end variant we had, had the electrical ones and the rest have manual operated pop-out ones. It's not as simple as the standard versions but something that is different and will appeal to owners.
Next, you get in and the seat slides back for ease of entry- a feature seen on more expensive cars. I really liked that feature over the few days I used it. When you are buying a premium SUV, the first few seconds in the cabin should impress- the XUV700 does that. The interior is easily their best yet and is also restrained. By that I mean simple yet premium along with light materials, gloss black and leatherette finishes. The Mercedes like switches on the door pads are convenient too.
The main two screens are joined and both form the main impressive part of the cabin. Soft-touch materials are everywhere too while the production cars would get the same leatherette finish on the doors hence you can ignore the "wood finish" on the doors on our pre-production test car here. Quality has been a big jump though the lower half of the dash does have some hard plastics.
I liked the fact that not everything is put on the touchscreen and there is a controller below along with physical buttons. It was useful and there should be a balance. Other things? I liked the digital cluster and Mahindra gives you a ton of options to configure either display or even access many features including ADAS ones. Our car was fully loaded with the optional pack hence came with the 360-degree camera which had multiple angles along with a superbly detailed view plus a blind view monitor which engages when you turn on the indicator either side.
The new Mahindra infotainment system lets you access many apps or even use the Alexa voice assistant built-in. I used the voice assistant most of the time and it did work. The touchscreen infotainment system felt decent in terms of slickness but seemed in the Beta stage for now. Music is important and I spent a lot of time listening to the Sony 3D sound system with 12 speakers- including on the roof. The sound is crisp, not too bass-heavy and pretty nice- amongst the segment, it's one of the top ones for sure. On a hot day, the dual-zone climate control cooled down the cabin fast and yes, the massive panoramic sunroof does add to the premiumness- though not a massive fan of sunroofs, I did not use it- but owners will like it. The air purifier came in useful due to Delhi's air quality and so did the powered driver's seat. The XUV700 is roomy and I did find time to be chauffeur-driven when my colleague wanted to drive the car for a bit. There is a good amount of legroom for someone as tall as me and the width is very good too with a relatively flat floor. The seats are a bit firm but do offer enough comfort plus rear passengers can slide forward the front seat easily from the back for more space. The third row isn't the best place and is best used as luggage space or for kids with less space.
Let's talk about safety cause there is a lot of it. There are 7 airbags, an ADAS system that can be controlled via the steering wheel buttons, customizable voice speeding alerts, auto booster headlamps and auto high beam assist at disabling mode over 80 kmph. These auto booster headlamps came in useful and I did test out some of the ADAS features. The emergency brake assist is very useful along with alerting the driver in terms of fatigue. There is lane keep assist which also worked nicely. Adaptive cruise control does not really make sense for our roads though but some of these are genuinely useful.
For our test, we had the XUV700 petrol and the reason is that we were keen to spend more time and see how a petrol-powered XUV700 copes with the weight along with whether it can give diesel-like torque. The last bit is where Mahindra has gone in for more power and to make sure they get that aspect right and have indulged us with a proper 2.0l turbo petrol with no less than 200 PS and 380Nm. That makes the XUV700 fast and smooth. The engine is a big highlight and I did put a smile on my face in terms of the way it pulls from low revs or even the way it likes to be driven hard. Acceleration is quick and this massive SUV does 0-100 km/h in under 10 seconds while easily topping out at triple-digit speeds on the private road we tested it on. The engine feels refined, smooth and gives the impression of having loads of power under your right foot. There is torque as well and it feels almost diesel-like at low speeds or even the effortless power with luggage and other passengers.
In the city, the petrol felt more nimble than the diesel. The steering for example is very light for a big SUV and enables you to park it easily and drive it around traffic like it is a much smaller SUV. It is fairly easy to get used to the XUV700. The automatic on our test car had the 6-speed torque converter, while I did not miss paddle shifters, drive modes like the diesel would have been good. That said it has so much power that overall you do not mind. The XUV700 is also a change dynamically with better handling and improved high-speed stability. The frequency selective dampers give a dynamic polish and it feels like an enjoyable SUV to drive. You do not feel the weight of the car. If anything I would have liked a bit heavier steering at higher speeds and a more absorbent ride at lower speeds but it is one of the most enjoyable SUVs to drive.
Mileage? My heavy right foot means efficiency goes for a toss. I drove and enjoyed the performance plus start/stop traffic means that I got 6-8 kmpl in the city. A relaxed highway drive the next day showed 9kmpl. A smooth cruise at high speeds will give 10 kmpl but the XUV700 petrol is indeed thirsty- something you should expect since it has 200ps after all!
Is the XUV700 living up to the hype? Yes, in most ways. As a product, it offers you three-row seats, a superb petrol engine and also a very tech-focused interior. However, at Rs 21 lakh plus for a fully loaded petrol seen here, you do pay for that plus some essential features which should have been part of the standard equipment list. But after a few days of using it, the XUV700 dynamically is a proven product and we liked the engine, performance, interior and overall packaging. Yes, prices have increased from launch but the lower trims with the same engine still offer great value and even this top-end version has more power and features than rival SUVs. We recommend the diesel for efficiency and road trip lovers due to the longer range but as a petrol SUV, the XUV700 did impress us overall and for reasons, we did not expect it to- it's really fun to drive! So if your daily running is less and requires petrol, the XUV700 is a sure fine way to embrace the concept of a petrol SUV!
