Mahindra & Mahindra's XUV 700: For those who want city comfort
When a manufacturer has
built a car that has been tested on a special track with modern tech kitted out
to spot for chinks in its developmental growth, you know that serious effort
has gone into the car. That is exactly the story with the latest SUV from the
Mahindra stable -- the XUV 700 -- a car that’s been getting M&M more attention
since its erstwhile bestseller of yesteryear, the Scorpio.
Unequivocally, this is
the best Indian car that I have been behind the wheel of in a long time and, of
course, that doesn’t include the Jaguar or the Land Rover. Why? There are a few
reasons, to start with. For one, the interiors don’t feel like that of a truck
or a commercial vehicle. They are spiffy, comfortable and aesthetically
pleasing with dashes of wood-grained veneer, leather and high-end plastics
interspersed in the front, side and rear.
Even the chrome-brushed
handles in matte finish evoke a BMW kind of fit and that’s a good thing. Start
the car and the smooth sound of the engine is unlike any other M&M car.
Mahindra big boss Anand Mahindra has often repeated in the past that every
M&M car shares a certain DNA which is rugged, with an off-roading quality
and built for hard wear and tear.
In that vein, the XUV
700 goes a step further. It is all those, but also has a smoother edge for
those who want city comfort now offered in the likes of competitor vehicles
such as the MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Tiguan and Tata’s Harrier.
Right from the nifty and
unique door handles that pop open with the click of the key fob to the lane
change cameras that are positioned both in front and behind the car, the 700 is
out to make a sweeping statement. Namely, that it’s not leaving any stone
unturned in reclaiming lost ground. After all, Mahindra has been the big alpha
dog when it comes to tapping the SUV market that has been evolving and growing
in leaps and bounds. That king of the hill position not only slipped but also
saw the clear and present danger of being dethroned forever with the onslaught
of top class products made by MG, Kia and more in just the last 24 months.
Once you start up the
700 with a start-stop button, its new-generation, 6-speed automatic
transmission helps to smoothly push the 1,600-plus kilo five-seater into
action. On the road, it moves smoothly and with confidence although being built
on a monocoque chassis, there is more rigidity. That also means the car is a
little bouncy on uneven roads in India, and can feel wobbly in the beginning
but rev it up and that smooths out in due course.
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