Every M&M automotive shares a sure DNA which is rugged, with an off-roading high quality and constructed for onerous put on and tear.
The XUV is all these, but additionally has a smoother edge for those that need metropolis consolation now supplied in competitor automobiles reminiscent of the MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Tiguan and Tata’s Harrier, says Pavan Lall.
When a producer has constructed a automotive that has been examined on a particular observe with fashionable tech kitted out to spot for chinks in its developmental progress, you already know that critical effort has gone into the automotive.
That is precisely the story with the newest SUV from the Mahindra secure — the XUV 700 — a automotive that is been getting M&M extra consideration since its erstwhile bestseller of yesteryear, the Scorpio.
Unequivocally, that is the finest Indian automotive that I’ve been behind the wheel of in a very long time and, after all, that does not embody the Jaguar or the Land Rover. Why? There are just a few causes, to begin with.
For one, the interiors do not feel like that of a truck or a business car.
They are spiffy, snug and aesthetically pleasing with dashes of wood-grained veneer, leather-based and high-end plastics interspersed in the entrance, aspect and rear.
Even the chrome-brushed handles in matte end evoke a BMW form of match and that is a great factor.
Start the automotive and the clean sound of the engine is in contrast to another M&M automotive.
Mahindra massive boss Anand Mahindra has usually repeated in the previous that each M&M automotive shares a sure DNA which is rugged, with an off-roading high quality and constructed for onerous put on and tear.
In that vein, the XUV 700 goes a step additional.
It is all these, but additionally has a smoother edge for those that need metropolis consolation now supplied in the likes of competitor automobiles reminiscent of the MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Tiguan and Tata’s Harrier.
Right from the nifty and distinctive door handles that pop open with the click on of the key fob to the lane change cameras which are positioned each in entrance and behind the automotive, the 700 is out to make a sweeping assertion.
Namely, that it isn’t leaving any stone unturned in reclaiming misplaced floor.
After all, Mahindra has been the massive alpha canine with regards to tapping the SUV market that has been evolving and rising in leaps and bounds.
That king of the hill place not solely slipped but additionally noticed the clear and current hazard of being dethroned without end with the onslaught of top class merchandise made by MG, Kia and extra in simply the final 24 months.
Once you begin up the 700 with a start-stop button, its new-generation, 6-speed automated transmission helps to easily push the 1,600-plus kilo five-seater into motion.
On the street, it strikes easily and with confidence though being constructed on a monocoque chassis, there’s extra rigidity.
That additionally means the automotive is a bit bouncy on uneven roads in India, and may really feel wobbly in the starting however rev it up and that smooths out sooner or later.
Inside the automotive, there is not any giveaway that it is a automotive constituted of the similar manufacturing mindset of the early 2000s.
Auto lovers will do not forget that M&M would tout “frugal manufacturing” as a solution to construct nice vehicles.
The truth is such philosophies should evolve with time and on this case frugal was beginning to imply low cost.
Within the 700, there isn’t any shred of frugal manufacturing. So a lot in order that my neighbour, who sat in it, requested if it was an Acura!
That could also be stretching it and her lack of understanding may be forgiven, however how the uninitiated see and understand a brand new automotive is usually a far better indication of a car’s possibilities of success than what auto pundits predict.
A working example — the Mahindra XUV 700 has supposedly already obtained 50,000 bookings value over a billion {dollars}.
The problem? To not get complacent and preserve the bestsellers coming.
Spec Sheet
- Power: 200 PS at 5000 rpm
- Torque: 380 Nm of Torque between 1750 and 3000 rpm
- Transmission: New Generation 6-speed Automatic Transmission
- Cylinders: 4
- Displacement: 2 litre turbo GDi mStallion engine (petrol)
- Kerb weight: 1,620 kg
- Price: Rs 19.19 lakh + Rs 1.8 lakh for the luxurious pack (ex-showroom, all India)
MX Series
AdrenoX Series
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com