Driving the Mahindra XUV7OO AX7 Luxury Pack Diesel AT

I must give a special mention to the sound system. That 12 speaker Sony sound system set on immersive 3D setting is - "mind blowing". I can safely say it beats the 10 speaker system in the Hexa and the 9 speaker setups in the Safari and Harrier, though not by much.

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Posting my feedback after taking a test drive of the XUV7OO AX7 Luxury Pack Diesel AT In Bangalore. It wasn't a long and detailed test drive (given I had to really tap a few shoulders to even get the vehicle at my place) and I had to be always conscious of the time I'm spending with the vehicle to allow it to move to its next stop within time. I actually forgot to check the odometer to see how many kms it has been driven. For reference I'm an ex-XUV5OO owner and a current Hexa XTA (2018) owner and who has taken a few spins in the new Tata Safari. They all belong to the same class, so probably it helps as comparisons should be mostly justified if not always.

Ride Quality: With a non-nuclear family including senior citizens that travel together with me, ride comfort is of importance for me. I'm not the one putting a large SUV on the road just for sheer street cred, I have an actual use for the larger foot print vs other compact SUVs. The XUV7OO rides well. It is leagues ahead of its predecessor the XUV5OO, which was the one I would always avoid getting into immediately after having food, as it would make me feel sick in the stomach. No such issues with the 7OO. However, despite have FSD (M&M doesn't miss to state it is version 2.0 while other use version 1.0) and independent suspension all around, I cannot say it's far better than the new gen Safari. In fact I will need to drive the Safari back to back with XUV7OO to actually notice the differences. However since Safari is known for its good ride and XUV5OO was notorious for its ride quality, it's a huge progression for M&M. But the Safari definitely has higher articulation than the XUV and I guess is a tad bit firmed than the XUV since it doesn't have the luxury of a FSD and a rudimentary panhard twist beam setup at the rear. But in comparison to the Hexa, there is just no comparison whatsoever. If on a scale of 10, if XUV7OO is a 7/10, Hexa is definitely a 10/10. While I could bottom out the XUV at several places, nothing like that happens with my Hexa and it is super silent (though I ride on 19" wheels). XUV is also fairly silent and the thuds are heard in the cabin but it is not close to that magic carpet ride of the Hexa. Marketing mumbo-jumbo aside, in isolation, the XUV7OO has a good ride but in comparison with the Hexa it pales. But it is no shame as many cars even in 40+ bracket will also get shamed by the Hexa.

Engine and AT Gearbox: I feel like the XUV5OO, in the 7OO as well, the engine masks the deficiencies of the gearbox. And boy what an engine it is. No doubt better than the old Varicor400 on the Hexa and also better than the Fiat one in the Safari and the Harrier. While the AT gearbox on the XUV7OO (Asin) is better than the Safari twins (Hyundai), it is not more responsive than the Punch PowerGlide in the Hexa. I can say so because despite having a sloppier engine and a much higher kerb weight (1600 odd on the XUV vs 2300 odd on the Hexa = 700 kgs of difference), the way the Hexa gearbox drops the cogs to throttle inputs and keep the car moving fast, is commendable. I recently also drove the Gloster which has far more power and torque than the Hexa, yet it felt way too slow than it (may be it won't under straight line outright acceleration of 0-100, but who drives like that in real world). But again as I said since you have a lower kerb weight, a more rev happy engine, and a decent enough AT on the XUV7OO, someone coming from Hexa wouldn't have reason to complain as it will be quicker even if the gearbox is not constantly shuffling between the gears. There is loads of grunt and pull lower down and enough in the mid range to keep drivers happy.

Steering: Steering on the XUV7OO is lighter than anything I have put my hands on on this size and class of vehicles, except may be a Hyundai. No feel but accurate enough and weighs up nicely as the speed increases. Needs to be tested more on curves, but whatever little I could test, it was light years lighter than the Hexa hydraulic unit. Despite being termed heavy, I didn't find the Safari steering heavy at parking speeds (probably because my daily drive is a Hexa) but the XUV7OO is noticeably lighter than the Safari twins. More like the Nexon. But I can say for sure it is not like a Ford (aches my heart again that they are no longer going to operate in India)

NVH:  NVH Levels are acceptable and rather good for the class of the vehicle. I felt the Hexa, Safari and Harrier - all of them are a bit more damped than XUV7OO. But the engine note is least obtrusive in the XUV7OO. Mind you it's not silent like that of the Gloster, but it is much quieter than the XUV5OO and doesn't become prominent unless you are in the higher rev range. Road noise was there on the MRF tyres and wind noise wasn't so much noticeable for me, probably because I couldn't take it over 100 kmph due to dearth of time and the road on which I was driving. Vibrations on steering and pedals at start is not much, but is also not non-existent.

Cabin and interiors: The area where most cost cuttings have been made. Other than that gorgeous touchscreen and MID, there is barely much to write about. Buttons are damped but lack the premium feel. There are hard plastics all around and the car already had a squeak coming from behind the drivers seat (I suspect it was from the B Pillar). The XUV5OO was also notorious for rattles and squeaks and the fact that M&M has used hard plastics everywhere and damping is not class leading, I feel a bit skeptical on how easily can the car be kept rattle / squeak free. For comparison after 30k kilometers and 3.5 years of ownership, the Hexa hasn't till date developed 1 rattle or squeak whatsoever. It is probably the best put together car of Tata. In comparison, I visited the service center almost every month to get the rattles and squeaks on my XUV5OO fixed. I hate rattles / squeaks and I cannot drive with them -- period. Plastic quality is average and I'm not a fan of the piano black finish on the buttons. Still much much better than its predecessor. But once large touchscreens become a norm, the ordinary cabin quality will start becoming an eye sore. In this department the Safari twins definitely feel, a segment above the XUV7OO. The materials are top notch.

I must give a special mention to the sound system. That 12 speaker Sony sound system set on immersive 3D setting is - "mind blowing". I can safely say it beats the 10 speaker system in the Hexa and the 9 speaker setups in the Safari and Harrier, though not by much. But even if marginal, it is no doubt superior and the bass is typical attacking bass of Sony. I expected the same from Bose in Kia but the bass there was more boomy and muddled whereas on the Safari, Hexa and XUV7OO it is sharp with XUV being the finest of all. I will say it's better than the Meridian system on the Range Rover Discovery Sport as well.

Looks: I deliberately kept it last because it is subjective and controversial. If I keep the XUV value proposition aside, I will never buy a car with this design. It's not quirky, its simply overdone -- again. Safari and Harrier look so much better and well proportioned than the XUV7OO. The Hexa might give MPV vibes to few, but it has a design that has aged well and still looks imposing and exudes European class. The XUV7OO design has not grown on me and if I decide to buy it, it will not be for its looks for sure.

ADAS, lane keep assist, blind view monitor, 360 camera -- all work fine. I enjoy driving so while things like adaptive cruise control is appreciated, I'm too engrossed a driver to be heavily dependent upon them. Where driver reflexes cannot match the machine like ABS and ESP, I'm glad we are covered on that from almost every OEM now a days.

So here I conclude my brief on experience with Xthe UV7OO test drive. I'm still not sure if I should be buying one. Family appreciated all the advancements from the XUV5OO, but I have no issues with the Hexa except that I sorely miss a screen where I can project Google Maps for navigation and the infamous 4 years itch that is approaching. But those who really need a 7 or a 5 seater, the XUV7OO is not just a marketing offspring. It does pack a serious punch with a value quotient that puts all its rivals to shame. They may be better at a few things (and if 1 or more of them are a deal breaker for you, they just are and there is no reason to follow the crowd that is going gaga over XUV7OO and feel bad about it) but overall as a package, the XUV7OO is unbeatable.

Here's what BHPian Sebring had to say on the matter:

I spent a good 30-40 minutes on the sound unit, discovering the different settings with genres of music I had carried, and it started to give me a headache. That overhead speaker placement is questionable.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.