Mahindra has launched the much awaited facelift for its flagship SUV, the XUV500, with a few exterior and interior changes, and a bump in power for the diesel engine.

In the powertrain department, the 2.2-litre petrol engine, which is mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic and sends 140hp and 320Nm of torque to the front wheels, continues unchanged.  While the outgoing model’s 2.2-litre turbo-diesel produced 140hp and 330Nm of peak torque, the facelift gets the same motor in a higher 155hp/360Nm state of tune. The diesel also comes with six-speed manual and automatic gearbox options, but only its top-spec model gets the option of an AWD system (not available for petrol).

The brand has also tweaked the nomenclature of the model’s variants, as is usual with Mahindra. While the pre-facelift model’s range began with a base W4 and the range-topper was the W10, the facelift’s base trim is a W5 and the top-spec trim is the W11; the previous petrol G AT trim remains.

Variant on a budget
In case you like the XUV500 but can’t stretch your budget, even the base W5 trim (Rs 12.32 lakh) is an excellent value-for-money proposition as it gets features like dual-front airbags, ABS with EBD, power windows (all four), remote tailgate opening, a rear wash, wipe and defogger, follow-me-home headlamps and split-folding second (60:40) and third row of seats (50:50).

Our pick
However, the best bargain for your buck is the mid-spec W9, priced at Rs 15.23 lakh. For the additional Rs 3 lakh, you get features such as 17-inch alloy wheels, piano-black trim on the centre console, telescopic steering adjust, a sunroof, a reverse parking sensors and a camera with dynamic assist and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto compatibility as standard. Safety kit is also far better, with tech like ESP, hill assist and front fog lamps on offer. Shell out an additional lakh and get the automatic version, which provides a much smoother driving experience than the manual gearbox.

(All prices, ex-showroom, Mumbai)