Mahindra XUV 7XO

The XUV 7XO is instantly recognisable, albeit with an edgier treatment for its front fascia. The signature DRLs are still there but aren’t as large as before, the LED headlight flanks a new slimmer grille and below is a sharper bumper with four ICE cube-shaped lighting units. 
The silhouette hasn’t changed, but wheel size has gone up from 18 to 19-inchers and trim around the wheel arches is gloss black. At the rear, the LED taillamps are taken from the XEV 9S and it gets a more squared-off bumper. Overall, the design isn’t quite as cohesive as the original design, but it is well executed nonetheless.
 

Comfort up front is excellent, with the wide seats offering good support and a decent range of adjustment. Both front seats are ventilated and powered, with the driver getting a memory function, while the passenger seat has powered boss mode. The steering wheel now also adjusts for reach as well as rake. The two-spoke steering is also lifted from the 9S, but this time gets physical buttons instead of the haptic ones. The middle row is similarly comfortable, with a wide bench or optional captain’s chairs – both options are ventilated. The seat reclines, but it doesn’t slide like the one in the XEV 9S. While there is plenty of legroom in the middle row without it, a sliding function would have helped the third row. As it stands, the third row is cramped for adults. With it stowed away the luggage area is substantial.

The trio of 12.3-inch displays – standard across the range – are sharp and bright, and the infotainment and passenger display are responsive to touch, though the user interface does take some getting used to. The absence of physical buttons means adjusting the HVAC is now, at minimum, a two-step process. The passenger screen gets a privacy filter here unlike on the BEVS, so it no longer draws your eye when checking the far-side mirror. Also featured is a 1,400W 16-speaker Harman Kardon music system, a bring-your-own-device provision to mount tablets on the front seatbacks, with an integrated 65W Type-C charger. The all-important panoramic sunroof is available from the mid AX5 trim onwards, but for rear window sunblinds you’ll need to splurge for the top AX7 L trim. Safety kit is equally comprehensive, with six airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, ESC, hill-hold and hill-descent control standard. The AX7 T trim adds a knee airbag and an upgraded Level 2 ADAS suite.

The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol makes 203hp and 380Nm, channelled to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or torque-converter automatic. It feels grunty, almost diesel-like at the lower end, but is happy to extend to the 5,800rpm redline. It’s refined and smooth too, with no vibrations creeping into the cabin. The six-speed automatic is also well suited to the engine, but paddle shifters are still missing. The 2.2-litre diesel motor puts out 185hp and 450Nm (420Nm with the manual), and while it’s not as effortless as the petrol, it’s no slouch either. Refinement is good; the engine gets vocal when pushed hard, but in day-to-day driving it’s nicely muffled. Here too, the automatic is a good match for the engine, but the manual feels shorter geared than you’d expect. It’s happy to chug along in third around town and rarely requires a downshift to make an overtake, but a taller sixth would help it settle into a cruise and eke out better efficiency still.

Mahindra hasn’t quoted fuel-efficiency figures, but we don’t expect them to differ much from the XUV700. The ARAI figures for the petrol XUV700 are 13kpl with the automatic and 15kpl with the manual – in the real world, these often drop into the single digits. The diesel XUV700 is more frugal, with ARAI figures of 17kpl and 16.57kpl for the manual and automatic respectively, and it’s possible to get close to these numbers on a steady highway cruise.

Despite the wheel size going up an inch, the low-speed ride is even better than before thanks to the new DaVinci dampers. There’s a newfound plushness to the way it soaks up rough patches without letting anything through to the cabin. It also gets hydraulic bump stops that greatly soften that thud you get when the suspension bottoms or tops out. As before, high-speed manners are superb with an uncanny ability to mask speed as the dampers do a great job of keeping the body flat and composed. Confidence is high through the bends as the XUV 7XO unflinchingly sticks to the chosen line. Even unsettling mid-corner bumps and dips are dealt with in a fluid, one-and-done motion. The electric steering is light enough to be twirled with one finger at a standstill but weights up and provides good feedback as speeds rise. Braking performance is strong too, with disc brakes on all four corners – now standard across the range.

The starting price of Rs 13.66 lakh – exactly the same as the outgoing MX trim of the XUV700 – is incredible bang for your buck. These prices are introductory and set to rise after the first 40,000 bookings, but it is still tremendous value for what you get. The strong engines continue to deliver the punchy performance we’ve come to love, and the ride and handling balance is even better than before. If that isn’t enough, there is enough tech to shame some from segments above. Sure there’s still bits that need improving like a less confusing UI and more physical controls and those who regularly seat seven will find more comfort in the back of some of the competition, but given the XUV7XO’s tremendous abilities in all other areas, this is something many will ignore.