Mahindra XUV 7XO Diesel Manual First Drive Review

The XUV700 brought in a sea of change in the fortunes of Mahindra, and this was well deserved, considering the insane value for money package that it offered back in 2021. Now, the Indian SUV maker has taken it to the next level with the introduction of a mid-life facelift. Now called the XUV 7XO, in line with its younger sibling, the 3XO, does the updated model have what it takes to retain the credentials it has built over the last few years? We find out in this detailed review.

The XUV 7XO has retained the overall silhouette of its predecessor, while at the same time, making a healthy chunk of changes to the design. Up front, the DRLs have slimmed down from a dual unit to a single one, and the main headlamp setup has been upgraded to Bi-LED projectors. The grille is all-new, too, and the slats are now angular, giving it a much-needed refresh in an era where the family design is becoming mainstream across brands. The bumper has undergone a revision to accommodate the larger DRLs, and the air dam has been tweaked too, with either side housing a dual fog light setup, one of which is static and the secondary unit working as a cornering unit.

At the side, the silhouette is untouched, and the only change, apart from a fresh colour palette borrowed from the XEV 9e, is the new 19-inch alloy wheels. The overall body cladding has been upgraded to a glossy black finish, too, and while it looks good, more so in person, the maintenance could pose a challenge for a few of us obsessed with keeping it in an optimal state.

The derriere also benefits from a range of changes, including a redesigned bumper with a new faux skid plate, glossy black inserts with a honeycomb design, new reflectors, and a black insert for running between the LED taillights borrowed from the XEV 9S. While I’m still divided when it comes to the overall design of the car, it has seemed to evoke a largely polarising opinion from the public at large.

Inside too, Mahindra has upped the value quotient of the XUV 7XO, and there are a plethora of changes, though there is nothing that has changed under the skin. The dual-tone black and white theme makes way for a new ‘Lumina and Chestnut Brown’ one, and though it is a welcome change, we wish Mahindra had offered the brown and black theme that you currently get only in the mid-spec variants. The centre console has undergone minor revisions too, and the buttons and controls for the AC functions have now made their way into the touchscreen. Personally, I’m a little old school on this front and prefer physical buttons for multiple reasons, and so, this certainly wasn’t to my liking. That said, these have freed up space for an additional cubby hole that can house a smaller mobile phone or some knick-knacks, thus adding to the practicality. A single line of buttons that house the controls for the drive modes, hazard lamps, surround camera, and more was tedious to use, which required hard pushes, and further resulted in the movement of the whole panel, something that Mahindra should have paid more attention to. The UI of the infotainment screen was lagging too, which comes as a surprise considering how Mahindra pitches tech in its cars.

The quality of materials used is at par, if not the best in the segment, with soft-touch materials present at various touch points. The addition of such a finish on the top of the doors takes the premium experience a notch higher. What did stick out like a sore thumb, though, was the inconsistency of a few panels, especially the one where the door meets the dashboard. This comes as a surprise for Mahindra, and we hope this is something that has been learned from another homegrown brand that is (in)famous for the same.

Practicality is top-notch too, take for example the front door pockets, which swallowed as many as five half-litre bottles with space for a cleaning cloth or a pack of juice to spare. The second-row occupants have been showered with more features, some of which include ventilated seats, sun blinds, wireless charger, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) functionality, and a four-way powered boss mode to control the front passenger seat. There is ample legroom and a fair amount of headroom, more so if the sunroof blind opens up. In the third row, my head almost touched the roof, and I constantly hoped we wouldn’t jump a speed breaker on our trip to another city, with the fear of my head hitting the roof. The shoulder room is pretty tight too, and might overlap, based on the body profile of the occupants. Meanwhile, I’m happy to report that the legroom is sufficient, and even with my heavy frame, the knees didn’t touch the front seat, and further, the position wasn’t as upright as you’d expect in the third row of a car, irrespective of the segment. While the last row does benefit from a dedicated blower control and AC vents, it does miss out on a charging port, not even one, irrespective of type-A or C, which shouldn’t have been the case.

Coming to the features, the first thing that grabs your attention is the freestanding triple-screen setup on the dash. The new, third screen offers a plethora of applications, be it entertainment, music, or even ordering an iced coffee from your favourite food delivery, and yes, even e-commerce platforms. The clarity and UI are crisp, and for added safety, the screen adds a privacy filter when viewed from the driver's seat, thus saving on any possibilities of a distraction. That said, this works only during the day, as it is visible in clear view once the sun sets. The infotainment screen also houses the AC control and ventilated front seat functions, which can be distracting to use if you’re the only occupant in the car. Something that caught our attention was the GrooveMe function, which syncs the lighting up of the exterior lighting elements with the music being played inside the car, which is (no pun intended), the car’s party trick.

Also up for offer is a 540-degree camera, and this additional 180-degree view comes in the form of a transparent bonnet function, which is useful when going even slightly off the road or on the beaten path. Elsewhere, you get enhancements in the form of powered front seats (memory function for the driver side too), memory function for the ORVMs with auto-tilt, ADAS visualisation, frameless auto-dimming IRVM, and multi-zone ambient lighting. Then there are seven airbags, with the curtain airbags now extending to the third row. It is to be noted that the model also scored a five-star rating in the BNCAP crash test, although the finer details are still under wraps. The previously available features, like the panoramic sunroof, Level 2 ADAS, flush-fitting door handles, ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, EPB with auto-hold, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and air purifier, among others, are carried over, thus retaining the feature-rich quotient. If we had to nitpick, it would be two key features that the car misses out on: a powered tailgate and a heads-up display.

The XUV 7XO continues to be offered with the same 2.0-litre mStallion turbo-petrol and 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engines, paired with six-speed manual and torque converter automatic transmissions. We tested the diesel manual avatar, which develops 182bhp and 420Nm (450Nm for AT). In typical fashion, there is loads of torque available right from the word go. The car lunges forward from a standstill, although notably, the gearing is short in first and second, and shifting through these initial cogs might be twitchy at times.

Of the three drive modes, it was Zip and Zap that were mostly in use, courtesy of the large power band available at our disposal. In Zip mode, which is the default setting, the car suggests upshifts between 1500-1700rpm, which is marginally on the lower side, even for a diesel, but this should result in better fuel efficiency. Speaking of mileage, the SUV returned around 15kmpl on a 250km trip, most of which was on the highway. That said, we will, in signature fashion, do a CarWale mileage run in the near future to get you the most accurate details.

The foot well area is large and offers a lot of space, be it in between the pedals or otherwise, and the dead pedal is rather huge and can easily make your left leg comfy, no matter how big the size. Something that we didn’t expect here was the amount of vibrations that filtered into this area as the car began to hit triple-digit speeds. Apart from the latter, we found the NVH levels to be pretty impressive, with the car idling with near petrol-like refinement.

This is another department where the XUV 7XO takes the cake. With the updates in the suspension department, notably the addition of the DaVinci dampers, a first, not just in India but across the globe. The ride has become pliant, and there will be next to no complaints, irrespective of the row you sit in, or even if you’re the driver or passenger.

The SUV gobbles up everything in its path, passing on almost negligible effect, if any, to the occupants in the car. It came as no surprise then that during our road trip, we decimated every single speed breaker, barely slowing down. What further inspired confidence was the fact that our photographers, who are usually very particular about the ride due to the sensitivity of the equipment they use, were at utmost ease, as the bags in the boot barely moved, something that we don’t see often. All said and done, there is some body roll, but for the majority of its target customers, the car is not going to be driven hard, so it shouldn’t be much of a bother.

The XUV 7XO builds on the strong pillars of features, design, and then some more, straight from where the XUV700 left off. Sure, there are a few things, such as the lack of select features if one had to nitpick, or the rare panel gap, but otherwise, it makes a very compelling case for itself.

The facelifted model, with its improved road manners, feature enhancements, and effortless driving, takes things a level higher, if not two. The fact that it has a range of offerings, be it the colours, variants, or engine and transmission combinations, along with the optional AWD, means that there is a 7XO out there for a wide range of customers. Priced between Rs. 13.66 lakh to Rs. 24.11 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom), there is little to no competition when it comes to the value that the XUV 7XO offers, and this just makes the package that much more alluring.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi