Mahindra XUV700 Review: Petrol Or Diesel, Which One To Buy? | Full Specifications, Price In India

XUV700 Review: We drove both the diesel and the petrol in their automatic avatars only. Check out which one should you buy?

Mahindra XUV700. (Image: Somnath Chaterjee)

The XUV700, unlike the XUV500, comes with a petrol engine that puts buyers into confusion about which engine option makes more sense. Diesel has always been associated with big SUVs and the previous XUV500 was popular because of that engine only. However, like the new Thar, the XUV700 gets the new generation of turbo petrol engines and with the recent buyer preferences for petrol, the decision is not as easy as you would think.

We have driven both the diesel and the petrol XUV700 so let's get started!

The petrol first and it is the most powerful SUV in its class along with reaching the 200PS barrier. That is a lot of power along with 380Nm of torque. This engine is a 2 litre Turbo GDi mStallion unit and part of the new engine series. The diesel is also new with being a 2.2 litre Common Rail Turbo Diesel mHawk unit with 185PS and 450Nm (automatic) and 420Nm (manual). Standard for both is a 6-speed manual while a 6-speed automatic torque converter is optional.

We drove both the diesel and the petrol in their automatic avatars only. The diesel is smooth with a lot of torque which makes for effortless cruising. It has the big luxury SUV driving experience where you cover long distances with ease. The automatic also works very nicely with decent responsiveness. Compared to the previous XUV500, this new diesel is more refined, powerful and smoother.

Unlike petrol, you also get drive modes like Zip, Zap, Zoom. In Zoom you get full power and it is quite fast! It is only when you put your foot down and drive it hard that the diesel gets slightly noisy but it is amongst the most refined diesel in its class for sure.

What about the petrol? It is the more powerful one and it is extremely smooth along with fast. It is surely one of the quickest SUVs at this price point with so much power at tap. Compared to the diesel it is quicker of course but due to the torque, it is also relaxed to drive when you want it to. The petrol feels more energetic and plain fast. With the petrol we notched up 170 km/h easily and it could have gone beyond as well! The automatic was responsive too just like in the diesel with even less lag.

So, which one is the XUV700 to buy?

 

It depends on your usage. The biggest factor is how much you want to drive your XUV700 after all. The XUV700 petrol will not be as efficient as the diesel of course with 10 kmpl at best and 8 at worst. The diesel will deliver much higher mileage figures. There is not a massive difference in cost too at Rs  19.19 lakh for the AX7 petrol AT and Rs 19.79 lakh for the AX7 diesel AT. The diesel is the better choice if you would do lots of road trips, highway usage or you cover more than 50km a day since it is more efficient. The petrol is more enthusiast-focused and offers more performance but at the cost of efficiency. Decide which suits you!