Mahindra XUV700 petrol replaces my XUV500 diesel: A comparison

The SUV offers fuel efficiency of around 12 km/l on the highway.

BHPian avijayr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I had originally thought of posting my buying and post-buying experience. But, became hesitant with the excellent write-ups provided by @Mudhalaipatti and some of the others.

I can try to jot down specific points though:

Remember that I am coming from a 2014 W8 Diesel which was 155 BHP to a 200 BHP AX7 Manual Petrol.

What's great about the Mahindra XUV700:

1. Road presence
2. Torque (it's amazing)
3. Ride quality (vibrations) - again, beats the diesel hands down
4. Motorized driver seat adjustment with memory

What's good about the Mahindra XUV700:

1. Tech features (though this is a mixed bag due to the number of glitches)
2. I am 50-50 on the door handles
3. Braking bite is good/sudden - needed to get used to it a bit

What's bad about the Mahindra XUV700:

1. Middle row reclining has been removed
2. Middle row headrest notches went from 4 to 2
3. No vanity mirror light
4. No trunk light
5. Only 1 cup holder in the front
6. Lost 2 storage compartments on the front dashboard compared to the 2014 W8
7. Lost the interior ambient light (the current one isn't useful at all!)

Fuel Efficiency

• City: 8-9 kmpl
• Highway: 12.5-13 km/l (driving very conscientiously at 80-90 km/h)

Buying Experience:

I would follow @Mudhalaipatti's thread - it's awesome! I used that to make the dealership match my insurance quote (took it down from Rs 1.27 lakhs to Rs 67k for the 3-year combo plan that the RTO demands new vehicles). I also did some searching and ensured that they did not charge me any "incidental charges" nor the "mandatory" accessories.

One Mistake I did:

I paid the full OTR price (even before the PDI) and then negotiated on the insurance, etc. This resulted in them having to give me a refund of Rs 70k approx - which I had to escalate to the dealership's GM - and only received it yesterday in fact - approximately 22 days AFTER taking delivery of the vehicle. For new buyers, I would advise that you please insist on PDI, negotiate on insurance and other incidentals/accessories, and only then pay the final amount.

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