Hello! I am a driving enthusiast and mostly drive solo. I am planning to purchase the Safari petrol Pure X. I like its road presence and visibility. However, I have a limited budget. I was initially planning for a budget of ₹15-16 lakh, but the Safari would cost close to ₹20 lakh. Please suggest whether I should go ahead with the Safari petrol or consider better options.

Autocar India

•8w

Given your requirements and budget, you should consider the Mahindra XUV 7XO. The Tata Safari is a good option, but the XUV 7XO offers a more powerful engine and a plusher cabin.

The XUV 7XO has good road presence, a spacious cabin, and it comes feature-packed. The Mahindra SUV is powered by a powerful 203hp, 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine, and it has a very good ride and handling balance, so you'll enjoy driving it too.

Go for the base XUV 7XO petrol-MT AX, which is priced at Rs 13.66 lakh (ex-showroom), or if you can stretch your budget a bit, opt for the AX3, which costs Rs 16.02 lakh (ex-showroom).

Explore cars mentioned

Mahindra

XUV 7XO

from ₹15.87 Lakh

Tata

Safari

from ₹15.44 Lakh

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sami ali

•5d

Dear Autocar, I have an XUV700 AX7 diesel manual. Being an enthusiast and someone who loves driving a manual, I chose not to go for the automatic variant. During the test drive as well, I found the manual smoother than the automatic. However, I have now started to dislike the hard and long clutch pedal of the XUV700. Even the service centres deny the clutch hardness by saying it is a diesel characteristic. The clutch ergonomics are also uncomfortable. The footrest aligns with my body posture, but to press the clutch, I have to twist my leg to the right, which causes knee pain in traffic. Overall, I am fed up with the manual due to the hard clutch and want to switch to an automatic. With the updated XUV 7XO and the electric XEV 9S now available, I need guidance on whether upgrading now is a good decision or if I should wait a few years considering resale loss. Also, should I go for the 7XO or explore an EV like the 9S? For context, I have owned the first- and second-gen Swift before moving to the XUV700, and I absolutely love driving it. I have been using diesel engines for the past 11 years. My office commute is a 60km round trip twice a week, and my monthly running is around 800-1,000 km.

Autocar India

•1d

Choose the Mahindra XUV 7XO diesel automatic in AX7 trim. It fixes your clutch pain issue while keeping the same strong pull and solid feel you like about your XUV 700. With your 800-1000km a month and some highway use, the diesel automatic suits you well. The automatic is a lot easier to drive in heavy traffic, and the gearbox is very smooth-shifting. You already like how the XUV 700 drives, and the 7XO builds on that, adds more features, and brings a much-improved ride quality with the new Da Vinci suspension.If you are keen on going for an electric car and can fit a charger at home, the Mahindra XEV 9S is a good option, though your longer trips will need some planning. For your use case, the XUV 7XO remains the better fit. Given that the knee pain is significantly impacting how you use and enjoy your XUV, you are better off trading it in now rather than waiting a couple of years, as your current car will only depreciate further.During the test drive, spend 15 minutes in slow, stop-and-go traffic and drive over a bad patch to feel the improved suspension.

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Mahindra XEV 9S

Tata tiagio

•22h

Hi, we are a family looking for a 7-seater mainly for highways and road trips. For such usage, diesel cars seem most suitable, so we have shortlisted the Kia Carens Clavis diesel and the Mahindra XUV 7XO diesel automatic AX3. We need two cars, one for highway use and one for city use. For the city, we have decided on the Alto K10 VXi petrol manual. However, we are confused between the Carens Clavis and the 7XO for highway use. We previously owned a 2021 Tata Harrier XZ diesel manual, which was a good car, but the service experience was not satisfactory, so we want to avoid Tata. Our budget is around Rs 25 lakh, and we expect mileage of around 15-22kpl. We are fine with both manual and automatic, but will most likely choose automatic. We need a comfortable 7-seater with good mileage, suitable for long-distance travel across India, with minimal driving fatigue and a 5-star safety rating.

Autocar India

•1h

Go for the Kia Carens Clavis diesel automatic. For your usage, this is a family-first decision, and the Clavis simply does the fundamentals better where it matters most.The biggest factor here is third row comfort and flexibility, and this is where the Clavis clearly stands out. It has a longer wheelbase, which directly translates into better cabin space and usability for all three rows , and more importantly, the second row can be adjusted to create usable room in the third row, something the Mahindra XUV 7XO simply cannot do due to its fixed middle row. For long road trips across India with family, that flexibility makes a real difference because the third row is actually usable for adults, not just kids.The Clavis also suits your mileage expectations better. Its smaller diesel engine is inherently more efficient and tends to return better real-world economy than the larger engine in the XUV , which matters when you are covering long distances regularly.The Mahindra XUV 7XO still has its strengths. It offers a stronger diesel engine and better outright performance, and it also has a clear edge in safety credentials with a 5-star rating , but the compromise is clear. The third row is tight, and without adjustability in the second row, it limits how comfortably you can use all seven seats over long distances.

Kia Carens Clavis

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Soumen

•21h

I am planning to buy a 7-seater car that has low recurring maintenance costs and offers good comfort. I am considering the XEV 9S, but I am not very confident due to the uncertain future of EVs in India. Will there be good resale value after 5-7 years, and how do we see the future of EVs given the rapidly evolving technology?

Autocar India

•1h

If you are considering the Mahindra XEV 9S, it really comes down to how you balance running cost benefits versus long-term certainty.On one hand, electric cars make a lot of sense today for daily use. They offer very low running and maintenance costs, a smooth and quiet driving experience, and are well-suited to city driving. Over a 5 to 7 year period, you will likely save a meaningful amount on fuel and routine upkeep compared to petrol or diesel cars. At the same time, your concern about resale is valid. The EV market in India is still evolving, and while adoption is growing steadily, resale values are not as predictable as those of diesel or petrol cars yet. A big factor is battery health, and while manufacturers are offering long warranties, the used car market is still figuring out how to value older EVs, especially as newer models keep improving quickly.Looking ahead, EVs will almost certainly become more mainstream over the next few years, which should improve resale confidence, but it is also true that rapid technology changes could make older models feel outdated sooner than traditional cars. So the decision is more about your comfort level.If you plan to keep the car for the full 5 to 7 years and prioritise low running costs and a modern driving experience, the XEV 9S can work well. If resale value and long-term predictability matter more, a diesel car like the Mahindra XUV 7XO or a hybrid 7-seater like the Toyota Innova HyCross will still feel like the safer choice today.

Mahindra XEV 9S

Toyota Innova HyCross

Mahindra XUV 7XO

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