Mahindra XUV700 review: Sure, it's a bargain, but what else does the seven-seat SUV offer?

Indian giant Mahindra has been on sale in Australia since 2007 and in that time, it’s gained a small but loyal fanbase who love its no-nonsense products that get the job done. While it’s about to launch a new small SUV, its current best-seller in Australia is the XUV700 seven-seat mid-to-large SUV, which is priced from $39,990 drive away.

The XUV700 competes against some heavy hitters in the new car market such as the Nissan X- Trail and Mitsubishi Outlander, though it presents much better value for money than either of those two vehicles. If you’re after a seven-seat SUV, what’s stopping you buying a Mahindra XUV700?

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Pricing and equipment

For now, there’s a very simple XUV700 model range in Australia: the entry-level AX7 and the upper-spec AX7L. Both feature seven seats as standard, and both use a turbo-petrol engine and automatic transmission sending power only to the front wheels – manual, turbo-diesel and all-wheel drive model are available in India, but not here.

Mahindra XUV700 pricing (drive away):

XUV700 AX7L standard features:

• 18-inch alloy wheels with a full size alloy spare wheel
• Dusk-sensing automatic LED lighting
• Front and rear daytime running lights (DRL)
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Heated and auto-folding mirrors
• Panoramic sunroof
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with a rear fan speed controller and vents in all rows
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Synthetic leather upholstery
• 6-way electric driver’s seat with memory and manual lumbar adjustment
• Ventilated front seats
• 10.25-inch digital driver’s display
• 10.25-inch touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• FM/AM radio
• Bluetooth phone calling and audio streaming
• 3x USB ports
• Wireless phone charger
• 12-speaker Sony sound system

XUV700 AX7L safety features:

• 7x airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with forward collision warning
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality
• Lane keeping assistance
• Adaptive lane guidance
• Auto high beam
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitoring
• 360-degree camera
• Blind-spot camera
• Rear parking sensors
• Tyre pressure monitoring

Interior, practicality and bootspace

The interior of the XUV700 is considered and comfortably appointed: it’s well featured, well screwed together and practical for its size. Material quality is a bit of a mixed bag, with plenty of hard surfaces around, though the stitched soft leather-like material on the dashboard fascia livens it up, and the leather steering wheel feels great in hand.

Centre of the XUV700’s interior is a dual 10.25-inch screen set up, with sharp graphics and a modern feel. The screen itself features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though no satellite navigation or live services like the XUV700 does in India. The system itself is a bit slow to use and a quicker processor would be great, but the wireless smartphone mirroring is very easy to connect and the 12-speaker Sony sound system is reasonable.

The XUV700’s front cabin is practical, with big cupholders and door pockets, an open tray with an effective wireless charger is located ahead of the gear lever and the box underneath the adjustable central armrest is large. The front seats of the XUV700 are reasonably comfortable, though more
adjustment in the seat and steering wheel would aid comfort.

The second row of the XUV700 is comfortable and relatively spacious, helped by the large side windows and massive panoramic sunroof. The expected amenities are on offer, such as a central armrest with cup holders, map and door pockets, air vents and a single USB-C charging port – though no integrated sunshades or separate climate zone. There are, however, two ISOFIX and three top-tether points for child seats.

The third row of the XUV700 is definitely a kids-only zone, but like the second row, its headroom is impressive because of the tall roofline. It also features a 12V power socket, cup holders and air vents with a fan speed controller. Access to the third row is achieved by folding the left-side middle row seats, which tumbles out of the way for easier access, though it does feel a bit heavy.

Mahindra doesn’t quote bootspace figures, but behind the second row with the third row folded is said to be around 700 litres of space, which is largish. Behind the third row is almost non-existent, however – thankfully, there is some under-floor storage to help and the full size alloy spare wheel is located underneath the car to also preserve bootspace.

Performance and fuel economy

The XUV700 is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 149kW of power and 380Nm of torque that’s paired to a six-speed automatic transmission sending power to only the front wheels. Those looking for an all-wheel drive XUV700, or one powered by diesel fuel, will have to look elsewhere as they sadly didn’t make it on the boat to Australia.

Mahindra claims that the XUV700 AX7L will use 8.3L/100km of 91RON regular unleaded, and we achieved 9.7L/100km in mostly urban driving. While that could be improved, our test car had under 400km on the clock, so the economy will no doubt improve as the engine opens up.

On the road

As you’d expect for a vehicle developed for India and its famously bad roads, the Mahindra XUV700 rides softly and is generally quite comfortable. Its low speed ride quality is great, with quick body control ensuring that it settles quickly after bumps. It’s also refined at higher speeds, with low road noise levels helping refinement.

The flip side of the soft ride is that the XUV700 is also soft when it comes to handling. Obviously, it’s no sports car and isn’t intended to be, but there’s a lot of body roll and the steering is quick without offering much feel. If you’re looking for a more car-like driving experience, a Nissan X-Trail will handle that for you. The XUV700’s visibility is good, however, thanks to its large windows and mirrors.

In Australia, the XUV700 is only available with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that’s surprisingly gusty, with the full 380Nm of torque hitting low in the rev range at just 1750rpm and hanging around until 3000rpm – or, basically, the majority of where the engine will spend its time. The six-speed automatic transmission is quite smooth as well, and does nothing wrong.

The XUV700’s active safety systems are surprisingly refined, compared with some other contemporary cars we’ve recently driven. The active lane keeping assist could be more accurate, but the adaptive cruise control works well. Disappointingly, the XUV700 doesn’t feature blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert in either model, just a slow blind-spot camera feed, so that reversing out of driveways can be a bit daunting without the extra tech there to help out.

Service and warranty

Mahindra covers the XUV700 with a strong seven-year/150,000km warranty, complete with seven
years of roadside assistance.

The XUV700’s service intervals are a little unusual, with a free check up at 1500km and then the first service at 10,000km or 12 months (whichever comes first) and the proceeding services each at another 15,000km (or 12 months) annually. Four years/55,000km of servicing costs $1781.

Verdict: should I buy a Mahindra XUV700 AX7L?

For seven-seat SUV buyers, the Mahindra XUV700 holds definite appeal thanks to its low purchase price, long list of standard equipment and comfortable driving experience. Its gutsy turbo-petrol engine impresses on the road with good performance and refinement, while its ride quality is soft enough to easily tackle the bumps we could throw at it.

Counting against the XUV700 is that there’s no alternative drivetrain available, features such as blind-spot monitoring are missing, its third row isn’t huge and its service schedule is odd. However, there’s still a lot of appeal to the XUV700 – sure, an X-Trail is more polished, but the Mahindra does its job without fuss or breaking a sweat.

XUV700 rivals

Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max

Nissan X-Trail

Mitsubishi Outlander

Specifications