India is the world’s third-largest car market, so you can see how a company like Mahindra could keep very busy just making cars for… India. If you’ve travelled there (as we did recently with Mahindra’s New Zealand distributor) you’ll know it’s a country that likes/needs tough, simple vehicles with good ground clearance. Even the ones that aren’t 4WD.
It’s also fair to say there are a few styling idiosyncrasies that have developed for Indian-market vehicles over the years that appeal to local buyers, but might appear a bit quizzical to the rest of us.
Anyway, our point is that Mahindra has embarked on a huge push to increase its presence in international markets and this is where it starts: the XUV700 (“seven double oh”) SUV.
There’s lots more happening of course, including the new Scorpio 4x4 just launched here, and a bunch of EVs using Volkswagen Group technology to come from next year.
But the XUV is the one we’ve returned to for review right now, for a couple of reasons. First, although we were impressed with it at the Kiwi launch on track earlier this year, we hadn’t yet driven it on local roads.
For the price of a mid-range front-drive Toyota RAV4 GXL or Mazda CX-5 GSX you can have this fully loaded XUV700 AX7L
Second, our trip to India included the XUV and a place that’s very important to the brand’s international ambitions. More on that in a minute.
In the real world, we’re still really impressed with the XUV700. It looks sharp, in a fairly conventional way. The quality is good: sparkling paint (Electric Blue in this case) and tight cabin fit and finish, with virtual instrumentation based around twin Mercedes-Benz-style 10.25in displays in a “Superscreen” layout.
We rather like the XUV700 because it’s something that looks and feels a bit, well, different – an achievement in the cluttered medium-SUV market
There are even posh Tesla-style flush door handles that power-fold out.
It’s still built to a price, of course. There are plenty of hard plastics in the cabin and the “leatherette” upholstery looks nice but feels a bit weird (although Mahindra is certainly not alone in that).
You’ll probably want the L model. You can save $3k with the standard AX7, but the L adds some worthwhile equipment
But the point is, for around the price of a mid-range front-drive Toyota RAV4 GXL or Mazda CX-5 GSX you can have this fully loaded XUV700 AX7L, including occasional third-row seating (hence the “7”) – which even gets its own air-con controls and outlets.
You’ll probably want the L model. You can save $3k on the standard AX7 but the L adds extra driver assists, like Blind View Monitor and 360-degree camera – which is a bit low-res, but effective all the same and includes a lane-change monitor in the main instrument panel.
The L also brings an extra knee airbag, electronic park brake, upgraded Sony audio, wireless phone charging and stop/go adaptive cruise control.
The turbo-four is impressively torquey at low speed for town driving and has plenty of punch higher up, although it sounds pretty gruff when you’re working it hard. But it has enough muscle that the six-speed automatic feels just fine: you don’t find yourself wanting extra ratios.
The downside is thirst: it likes a drink and returns 9.2l/100km in the Clean Car 3P-WLTP cycle, which means a fee of $4600 under the current rules. Despite medium engine capacity and that stop-start system.
Oh, there’s a quirk in the engine stop/start system that has confused and irritated many in a short time as well. If you stop at an intersection and decide to switch off the system at that point, the whole car shuts down and you have to restart completely. Which can be alarming.
While we’re at it, there’s another odd thing with the stop/start on both XUV and Scorpio: if you’re sitting still with the engine shut down for an extended period (a really long light cycle, for example), and then quickly come off the brake and onto the throttle, the car drops into a severe go-slow mode for a short period.
Mahindra says both are “safety” features, but there’s been enough protest from NZ and Australia that the company has created a patch for the second issue – done, presented and tested in front of our Kiwi media group in India, no less – and is giving the first thing some serious thought. But it’s a harder change, apparently.
The ride is pretty plush, which is a refreshing change in a world where every family car has to be sporty, and yet the chassis is well controlled at speed too. The weak point is the steering, which is light to the point of being disconcerting – even though the XUV does pretty much go where you point it.
The cabin controls are nicely intuitive, with a good blend of digital and physical. The infotainment screen is based around a tile layout, with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (both requiring a cable) taking over that main display when active. Connection and operation are quick and stable, the biggest quirk being that with phone projection working, you can’t get a temperature readout when you adjust the climate buttons; you have to quit that menu and go back into the car OS.
So there are a couple of areas where the seven double-oh lacks polish, but it remains a solid and credible choice, an enjoyable drive and what it lacks against established Japanese and Korean rivals is more than made up in value and equipment. You certainly don’t feel like you’re cheaping out.
We also rather like the XUV700 just because it’s something that looks and feels a bit, well, different – an achievement in itself in the cluttered medium-SUV market.
For Mahindra, the leap from XUV500 to XUV700 represents several model generations in one go. It’s happened awfully quickly: from weird challenger to mainstream contender.
We saw how committed the company is to its international outlook in a visit to the Mahindra SUV Proving Track (MSPT) in Tamil Nadu, India last month. We travelled to the track by XUV700 of course, which is especially appropriate because MSPT was launched just a month after this new model, in 2021. They very much go together as symbols of Mahindra’s ambition.
It’s a staggering place: three years in construction and 454 acres, with 20 purpose built tracks covering every possible testing scenario. It’s also a centre of excellence for Mahindra’s hard-core 4x4 product, including an adventure track that’s also open to customers at select times.
The idea behind this facility is to speed up the development of new models and broaden their abilities substantially to better suit global markets. Take a look at the video above to get a better look at the XUV700 in both Tamaki Makaurau and Tamil Nadu.
MAHINDRA XUV700 AX7L
ENGINE: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four
POWER: 149kW/380Nm
GEARBOX: 6-speed automatic, FWD
CONSUMPTION: 9.2l/100km (3P-WLTP), Clean Car fee $4600
PRICE: $44,990
