- First premium EV from Mahindra
- Pack two pricing will be announced at the end of March
Mahindra made a big splash in the electric segment at the end of 2024 with the launch of the XEV 9e SUV. It’s raised the bar regarding product offerings and is the first of the large SUVs that will arrive in this price bracket over the next two years. The SUV from our tests impressed us in terms of features, performance and ride quality.
And that’s created a buyer conundrum (of sorts). With a claimed range of 683km on the 79kW battery pack, the XEV matches both the luxury quotient offered by its ICE siblings, as well as the usable claimed range, giving potential buyers the option to choose from both ICE and EV.
Feature list
This is perhaps the most important bit of information needed to give weight to this story. What’s on offer when you want to go all out and head first into luxury Mahindra-style? Standard features across all three cars include dual-zone climate control with rear AC vents, powered tailgate, powered front seats with ventilation and memory function for the driver, 360-degree camera, level-2 ADAS, connected car technology, panoramic sunroof/glass roof and a full LED light package.
Over their EV siblings, the XUV700 twins have a captain seat layout, while the EV gets a triple screen display, V2L, and a much more detailed connected car system with EV-specific features.
Dimensions
The XUV700 as well as the XEV9e are large cars, measuring in at 4.69-meters and 4.78-meters respectively, while their wheelbases stand at 2.50 and 2.75-meters respectively. However, their individual appeal lies in the fact that one is a proper three-row SUV, while the other is a coupe SUV.
The XUV700 will of course get an EV in the form of the XEV 7e, that’s expected to debut closer to 2026. However, one of the biggest differentiating factors is that the XUV700 rides on 18-inch wheels, while the XEV gets 19-inch wheels in the top-spec version.
Powertrain
Now that we know about the features and exterior design and how surprisingly close they are up until this point, here is a major factor separating them, and one of them plays heavy in pricing. The XUV700 in this petrol guise uses the automaker’s 2.0-litre turbo petrol, producing 197bhp and 380Nm torque, and is paired with a six-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. The diesel on the other hand is a 2.2-litre unit, producing 182bhp and 450Nm torque.
It is offered with a six-speed torque converter AT and gets AWD. On the other hand, the top-spec version of the XEV 9e is RWD, powered by a 79kWh battery pack, and a motor that produces 210bhp and 380Nm torque. Both the petrol and the diesel versions have 60-litre tanks. While Mahindra has not officially revealed the numbers, both cars are expected to offer over 550kms of range tank-to-tank. The official claimed range for the top-spec electric version is 683km from the 79kWh battery pack.
Pricing and target buyer
The XUV700 petrol AT is priced at Rs. 24.29 lakh, the diesel AT with AWD is priced at Rs. 25.89 lakh, and finally the XEV 9e at Rs 30.50 lakh (All-India ex-showroom). However, when you factor in on-road pricing, the cost now shoots up to Rs. 29.04 lakh for the petrol AT, Rs. 31.46 lakh for the diesel AT, and Rs. 32.53 lakh for the XEV 9e, positioning it much closer to the XUV700 family.
The diesel is the one to go for, if you are going to go long distances regularly, i.e. over 1000kms every month. The EV makes sense over the petrol if you drive less, but want something fancy yet cost-effective. However, it is limited by the EV infrastructure and if you don’t want to factor that into your driving process regularly, then the petrol AT is the one to go for.
