Mahindra XUV500: Buy the current model or wait for the XUV700

I was peacefully enjoying the waiting period on XUV500 again and Mahindra announces that they are giving a new badge (XUV700) to the upcoming vehicle.

BHPian chaitanyapramod recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Some backstory

I had driven a Hyundai Grand i10 Asta for about a year at ~1.5k km/month usage, had to get rid of it in 2016 due to concerns about structural integrity after an incident (perhaps another post).

Better half is in the picture since 2019 and we have been making do with cabs and two wheeler since pushing the expense of a car due to a housing purchase, but want to purchase a car again now given the greater need for social distancing and creature comforts and an ability for easy weekend touring that a car offers.

Requirements/wants

• Ex-showroom price 10-15 lakhs
• Usage is a mix of commuting to work (post-unlock) and monthly weekend trips. Without a car, we have been dearly missing impromptu weekend drives out of town
• Having driven small petrol motors, want my next car to be a torquey diesel
• Spouse prefers automatic for convenience (beginner-level driver). I prefer manuals over automatics. I see the benefit in automatics for city commutes and can bend for a good package, however don't want jerkily-shifting AMTs or rubber-banding CVTs. Would go for Torque Converter which gets high reliability rating in T-BHP
• Planning to self-drive now with potentially a chauffeur coming on a few years down when I'm too tired to drive myself to work

Cars considered

• Kia Sonet HTK+ Diesel AT
• Kia Seltos HTK+ Diesel AT
• Mahindra XUV500 W7 MT

Had rejected Sonet because we wanted to seat three adults comfortably in the rear. Wasn't able to get a TD of XUV500, and of the remaining cars, we liked Seltos and booked HTK+ D AT. Loved the quiet cabin experience here.

I was peacefully enjoying the waiting period on the Seltos when a Mahindra dealer calls and offers TD on XUV500. While we grudgingly accepted the slightly-stiff suspension on Seltos, XUV500 felt much more comfortable munching through the potholes in Bengaluru and the 2nd row seat is amply spacious, and so is the boot space when last row is folded down. We don't really need a 7-seater, it'd almost always be used as a very spacious 5-seater. Always loved the butch looks of XUV and Mahindra has only made the design better with every iteration. Ignoring the loss of AT, XUV was only ~40k dearer than Seltos (before Mahindra hiked the price by ~40k). Mind gives in to heart and Seltos booking is cancelled and XUV booked in its place. The next-gen XUV rumours were around (in Q1 2021) but I wasn't willing to wait months without a car and Mahindra is known for two years of niggles on new launches.

I was peacefully enjoying the waiting period on XUV500 again and Mahindra announces that they are giving a new badge (XUV700) to the upcoming vehicle and that has started to worry me about the resale value of XUV500 and parts availability. Though there are no plans to sell the vehicle for the foreseeable future. Like GTO, I believe in keeping products for long to extract maximum value.

The vehicle had arrived at dealer's stock yard in May, but lockdown prevented my PDI and delayed the delivery. Now that lockdown is lifting up, I turn to the wise counsel of fellow T-BHP members:

Should I take the delivery of XUV500 or look at other vehicles? Are my fears of unavailability of spares unfounded?

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

See, it's an old product now, I agree - but it's still competent. It still offers more features than many offerings, more comfort and flexibility than any pseudo SUV, better performance than any other diesel UV you can buy for the price (Barring the Crysta that's priced higher, and Harrier fans may argue over it, but the 2.2 is a better tuned motor in every manner), and a well proven reliability.

What you get for your money:

• Very comfortable, supportive, and well shaped seats. Flexible interior with an option of 7 seats. All this with impressive space too.
• Extremely reliable 2.2l mHawk motor, with really low maintenance in terms of engine and drivetrain.
• Impressive performance in both city and highways
• Feature list that is up to the mark even today
• Safety (XUV got 4 stars back then itself)

If you like it, go for it with closed eyes, you will love the ownership experience. It's an extremely VFM offering that does very well what it's supposed to do. I don't find any wannabe SUV like Creta or Seltos to be any better than an XUV500 other than the age, it's your old and faithful dog that will any day prove better than these new fancy puppies (Creta and Seltos fans are free to feel offended over this, they are just feature loaded pseudo SUVs in India with questionable safety standards).

Coming to maintenance and spares, you need not worry about that too, 2.2l block is still doing duty under the hood of the Thar, and at least for coming 10 years; I don't see any reason for a spares shortage.

Since you are eyeing W7, I think there won't be any overlap with XUV700 lower trims too - so I don't think there is anything wrong in taking the delivery. Still if you wish to wait, then you can wait for XUV700 price unveil!

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Going against the tide on this thread, but I wouldn't buy an XUV500 today. When it arrived, options in the segment were scarce. Today, there are way too many and most importantly, the all-new XUV500 / 700 launch is on the horizon.

Secondly, for your kind of usage and your wife's preferences, you are buying the wrong transmission. I'd go for an AT. The XUV500 has a smooth well-tuned AT and a clunky MT.

You clearly don't need a 7-seater and there are too many nice newer cars you should test-drive = the new-gen XUV, Creta, Seltos (already done) and Kushaq.

Because you keep cars for long, it is most important that you:

- Buy the right car

- Buy the right transmission. I know too many people who bought an MT, regretted it, sold the car at a huge loss and bought an AT. However, I have yet to meet a single person who regretted buying an AT (a proper AT, mind you, not the lame AMT).

- Buy a fairly up-to-date car. XUV500 feels outdated man, especially on the inside.

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