The Mahindra XUV 700 needs no introduction, certainly does not after 4 years of its launch. The review comes late as weren’t able to source all the powertrain options the car comes with. Some of road tests become an Ode to the car instead of reporting as early as possible because of the aforementioned. However, we had to cover the story for our readers and consider this as a road test of the two variants we could get our hands on. We could not test the manual versions and lower spec version of the diesel version of the SUV as they were never made available during the entire duration of the car’s life. Given the fact most people in our community as well own automatics and it was difficult to find a manual, which is why Mahindra does not seem keen to provide. What has the XUV 700 been all about, let’s discuss as the facelift is surprisingly very close to launch as we write this story in October 2025.
Let’s start with the design. The SUV has a proportionate stance, a very good design and still grab attention in the new colors introduced over the years. The elements such as the front grille, and large headlamps with excellent and uniqe LED DRL’s make it stand out. The large tail lamps at the back stand out despite being not so shouty. We have had the car in 2024 as well with the black color which had some additions to the top end variant. The large 18-inch wheels, tall stance, large boxy design is perfect blend of urban SUV that can do it all. The build quality seems solid and as we know, Global NCAP has awarded 5 Star safety rating to the XUV 700.
On the inside, the build and quality are good, not great. The stowage is good enough, charging points are in plenty, and overall a very practical cabin. The feature list, we have explained time and again in our launch reports. You get every feature possible in the top variant including the Sony Sound system, ventilated seats, panoramic sunroof and Android Auto and Apple Car Play is wireless.
Space is quite good too. The shoulder, head, leg, and knee rooms are segment standard and more than adequate. The boot space is negligible with the third row of seats up, with seats down, there is over 500 litres. Road and wind noise inside the cabin can be better controlled as it can get intrusive. Wind noise creeps in, but after 160 km/hr. The safety kit includes ABS and EBD with six airbags that come as standard. Overall, cabin experience is conventional and vanilla, but it does the job of being upmarket and worth the price tag when it was launched and even today considering GST cuts and benefits.
We drove both the petrol 2.0-litre engines making 197 PS and 380 Nm of torque in the 2.0-litre diesel making 185 PS and 450 Nm. Both the motor are free-revving and low on NVH unit by a big margin but some intrusion does happen when you start pushing the car in the rev range. This is the case with petrol and diesel. What we have driven is automatic on petrol and diesel and they are ISIN torque convertor units which are the best in the segment. Seamless, quick and smooth shifting gearbox that adapt to your needs easily. Thar still delivers spectacular fuel economy on the highway and city. 17 km/l on the highway and 11 km/l in the city is a very good number for diesel. Petrol delivered 6 km/l in the city and 11 km/l on the highway in normal driving cycle with few bursts of acceleration. Low and mid-range are good and the top-end is adequate with top speed of 190 km/hr. At cruising speeds, it has enough power to overtake between 100 km/hr or 120 km/hr. This makes good enough for city and highway duties together.
The low to medium ride quality has underlying stiffness means it takes bad roads well enough at medium speeds, at crawling speeds, the stiffness is felt inside the cabin. The high-speed ride is stable and well-judged too. Clearly, the independent suspension at the back makes things so much better. However, it is the front with a Mcpherson strut is something that Mahindra could update despite it has Mahindra’s well tuned FSD dampers. Body roll increases as speeds get higher while taking a corner or changing lanes at high speeds. The XUV 700 feels largely light on its feet giving that playful character. However, the length and tyres limit from having it serious fun. Steering is light, precise, and has bare minimum feedback on offer. However, it is confidence-inspiring in most driving situation, making the 700 worth that all-rounder tag. Brakes are good with a well-done pedal bite.
The Mahindra XUV 700 continues to be a top notch option in the segment and it shows through its age. The XUV 700 does get a decent third row of seats and lack of boot space with third row up is surprising given Mahindra had a free hand to make its flagship car far bigger and better. Regardless of the small niggles, the XUV 700 dominates the sales chart for its unhinged performance numbers, an upmarket SUV that is largely reliable. The SUV is easy to live with on a daily basis and does family duties really well considering it is a safe car. Come 2026, the battle will get intense every single year there onwards and the new facelift will iron out all problems and will help maintain the sales chart pole position it has, mentally and physically.
