Exterior
The Mahindra XUV 700 is certainly an attention-grabbing SUV and the styling is a bit more mature evolution of the XUV500, with cleaner lines. The SUV looks modern, and muscular and has a good road presence but the design still feels a bit overdone in some places such as the front and the tailgate.
One very cool touch on the exterior is the pop-out door handles that sit flush with the body when on the move. The edge of the handle flips out and you grab that to open the door which is pretty cool and futuristic. All the trims except the AX7L get the manual pop-out handles whereas the top of the line AX7L gets electronically pop-out handles.
Talking about the front, it gets a new Mahindra logo and also it gets All LED lighting with sequential turn indicators. The SUV sits on multi-spoke diamond-cut 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped up in 235/60 tyres.
Interior and features
The Interior is feature-rich, spacious, feels premium and even the 3rd row is usable. The seats are comfortable and offer good flexibility. It comprises two 10.25-inch screens, the infotainment system can be operated via touch and also a joystick that sits on the centre console that also doubles up as the volume knob. Touch response is fluid and the crisp resolution does a good job even under direct sunlight.
The instrumental cluster screen puts out tons of information such as efficiency, and kilometres covered and also shows the display for the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and even the blind spot camera which comes on when you put on the indicators.
The software architecture is built around twin Android and QNX operating platforms and uses a third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chip developed in collaboration with Visteon. The SUV also gets built-in Amazon Alexa for voice control.
The infotainment system gets wireless apple car play and android auto with Sony developed 445 watts 3D sound with 12 speakers and 4 virtual speakers. These provide good sound quality and will be adequate for a larger section of the buyers but audiophiles might find that last bit of brilliance missing.
Talking about the seats, the driver’s seat is electrically adjustable with Mercedes-Benz like controls on the doors along with a memory function. The seats are leatherette, not leather but offer good cushioning and side support.
The boot space is around 220 litres with the third row up and expands to 1025 litres with the seats folded. The tailgate is not power-operated but no complaints here because it isn’t difficult to lift because it is light in weight and interestingly it’s made of plastic and not metal.
Engine and Transmission
Both petrol and diesel engines get a 6-speed manual and torque-converter automatic gearbox options. The diesel XUV is powered by a 2.2-litre M-Hawk Diesel engine which puts out 182 bhp of power and 450 Nm of torque. The Petrol XUV is powered by a 2.0-litre m-stallion direct-injection turbo-petrol engine which puts out 200 bhp of power and 380 Nm of torque.
We drove both petrol and diesel automatic versions of the XUV 700. The petrol trims miss out on two features that their diesel counterparts get — the optional all-wheel-drive system and four driving modes — Zip, Zap, Zoom and Custom. The petrol engine is powerful and good for both city and highway performance. 200 bhp and 380 Nm of torque are more than most of its rivals and the engine performs well in urban and highway conditions. The automatic gearbox is responsive and acceptably quick, thereby adding to the comfort of the drive.
While the petrol engine feels reasonably quick it’s not exciting to drive since it takes a bit of time to get up to speed. It offers effortless performance but could do with a bit more excitement. Talking about the diesel unit, it offers good torque and hence better low-end performance. The automatic gearbox is mated well to the engine and once again is inclined more towards a smooth drive than quick acceleration. One area of improvement for the diesel engine is refinement as under hard acceleration some of the diesel clatter filters through inside the cabin but beyond that, at cruising speeds, it gets better.
In terms of handling, the XUV 700 has improved a lot from where the XUV 500 was. The body roll despite the size of the vehicle is very well-contained although it’s not absent entirely or largely. The straight-line stability and stability under hard braking are good too. Handling through the corners, turns and high speed is confident and reassuring and this is an area where the engineering capabilities of Mahindra have shown great progress. The XUV700 handles high speed turns with confidence and on most occasions, it will leave you surprised with its capabilities.
Safety
One of the key selling points of Mahindra is its safety offering and the Mahindra XUV 700 pushes the game further with first in the segment to Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). It comes equipped with effective Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Brakes (AEB), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), blind view monitoring and much more. The XUV700 is equipped with 7 airbags and a curtain airbag that protects all three rows. It has also received a global NCAP rating of 5 stars for adult protection and 4 stars for child safety.
Conclusion
Overall, the XUV 700 is a big leap ahead of the XUV 500. The SUV offers practicality, space, comfort, performance, efficiency, modern interiors, modern electronics, good features and good safety features such as 7 airbags and an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). The XUV 700 is a strong package for family-oriented buyers, chauffeur-driven buyers and adventure-oriented buyers as well, making it a versatile vehicle. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that as of today the XUV 700 is one of the best truly made-in-India vehicles.
Interestingly, the all-new Scorpio-N will share many components and electronics with the XUV700. Considering the performance of the XUV700, we are pretty excited about the new Scorpio-N as the XUV700 is a good indicator of how the new Scorpio will be the most advanced one ever and how it might set new benchmarks in various departments in its segment. Exciting times ahead!
