Hi team, I am planning to buy a new car and am confused between the petrol versions of the XUV 7XO and the Safari. My usage will mostly be in the city for office commuting (around 20 km daily), and once every three months, we may go on a long trip of more than 1,000–1,500km round trip. I like the Safari in terms of looks, but my main concern is its sales numbers. Overall, in most aspects, the 7XO seems better except for mileage. My key concern is understanding the reliability, long-term running costs, maintenance, and drive quality of both. Please help me decide, as I am quite confused.

Autocar India

•1h

Pick the Mahindra XUV 7XO petrol. The biggest advantage here is the engine and overall driving feel. It is more powerful and feels effortless in both city traffic and on highways, so even with a full load on long trips, it remains relaxed. It is also the newer car, with a recent update, and overall feels more polished in terms of features and execution.

The Tata Safari petrol appeals with its looks, space and comfort, and the interiors feel more premium. This Tata car is also the better choice if you prioritize third row comfort, as it offers more usable space and flexibility with an adjustable middle row.

The trade-off is that the Safari petrol is less powerful and not as engaging to drive, and the XUV 7XO has a stronger track record when it comes to service and long-term peace of mind.

Explore cars mentioned

Mahindra

XUV 7XO

from ₹16.14 Lakh

Tata

Safari

from ₹15.71 Lakh

More questions on similar cars

DEEN MOHAMMAD

•1d

I’m upgrading from a Tata Nexon petrol. I have a family of four (two adults and two kids) based in Gurgaon. My average running is around 1,600 km per month, with a higher share of highway driving and long road trips every alternate month. I’m looking for a safe, comfortable, spacious, and fun-to-drive automatic car. I’ve shortlisted the following options: Jeep Compass Limited (O) Diesel - I love its driving dynamics, premium interior feel, and overall design. My main concerns are Jeep’s service experience and long-term reliability. MG Hector Plus Petrol - I like almost everything about it, except the driving experience, which doesn’t feel engaging - likely due to the CVT. Mahindra XUV 7XO AX7L Diesel - It ticks most boxes, but I’m concerned about the slightly cheap interior feel and potential tech-related issues over time. I’d appreciate help in narrowing down the best option for my use case.

Autocar India

•1h

Go for the Mahindra XUV 7XO AX7L diesel. It is the most complete upgrade from your Tata Nexon, balancing performance, space, comfort and safety for your kind of long-distance usage.The reason is simple. Your driving is highway-heavy with frequent road trips, and that is exactly where the XUV stands out. The diesel engine is strong and effortless, the ride is stable and comfortable over long distances, and it is one of the few in this segment with a proven 5-star safety rating . It also offers you the proper space for a family of four with flexibility for luggage, which becomes important on longer trips. Yes, the interior does not feel as premium as the Compass, and Mahindra’s tech can be a bit hit or miss, but overall, it delivers the most well-rounded experience for your usage.The Jeep Compass diesel is great to drive and feels the most premium inside, and if your usage was more solo driving or shorter trips, it would be very tempting. But as a family car, it falls short on space and practicality, and Jeep’s reach, too, is limited as compared to Mahindra.The MG Hector Plus petrol is the comfort-focused option. It is spacious, feature-rich and very easy to live with, but the CVT and petrol combination means it does not feel engaging to drive, and efficiency will be noticeably lower, which matters for your monthly running.

AKSHIT

My daily running is in stop-and-go traffic. The car crawls for almost the entire 30km trip, with very few open stretches. On weekends, I may drive around 40-50 km. Is diesel advisable in such a scenario? D-segment SUVs have poor mileage in petrol, and EV infrastructure is not very strong. There are no good hybrid options either.

Autocar India

•3h

There is no ideal SUV for your usage, so go for the Toyota Innova HyCross strong hybrid instead. Your daily driving involves heavy stop-and-go traffic, which makes diesel a poor fit due to long-term DPF concerns. You have also expressed reservations about EVs, so that option is not ideal either.Petrol SUVs are the obvious fallback, and something like the Mahindra XUV 7X0 petrol does offer a smooth, strong turbo engine that is easy to drive in the city, but the downside is clear: efficiency will be quite limited in your kind of crawling usage, which can become frustrating over time.This is exactly where the HyCross works best. It is not a traditional SUV, but as an MPV SUV crossover, it offers the space and comfort you expect, along with the big advantage of a strong hybrid system. In traffic, it can run a lot on electric power, keeping things smooth and efficient, while on open roads, the petrol engine takes over seamlessly without any effort from your side. It is also one of the most comfortable options for long drives and daily use.

Toyota Innova HyCross

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Tata tiagio

•1d

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

•14h

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

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