Mahindra recently launched the XUV 3XO, or the XUV300 facelift, in the market. The SUV has been priced quite competitively, and bookings will start later this month. We were in Nashik a few days ago for the SUV’s launch and had the opportunity to drive the new automatic turbo petrol version. Mahindra claims the XUV 3XO is “everything that you want and more.” Does it live up to this statement? Let’s find out.
Exterior
In addition to the name, Mahindra has also changed the SUV’s exterior design. It is not a generation change, but it does receive several updates that make it more relevant in this highly competitive segment. The front and rear designs of the SUV are completely different from the older version.
We feel the front design of the XUV 3XO remains a bit polarizing. It looks more like an appliance than a car. The gloss black strip with chrome vertical inserts, C-shaped LED DRLs, projector headlamps, and LED fog lamps all give it a futuristic look.
There are going to be customers who will and will not like this new design of the SUV. We personally felt the front design could have been better. The side profile of the SUV remains the same as the XUV300. The only noticeable change here is the wheels. The higher variant gets 17-inch wheels with redesigned alloys, while the lower version continues to get 16-inchers.
Just like the front, the rear of the SUV also gets a completely different design. Most cars in this segment and above have a connected LED bar on the tailgate, and Mahindra has also decided to join the bandwagon. We see all-LED tail lamps with connected LED bars. The turn indicators are LED too. Just like the front, the rear of the XUV 3XO looks different. The sub-4-meter SUV gets a chopped-off design at the rear, which looked odd with the previous version and remains the same with the 3XO. The rear bumper gives the Mahindra XUV 3XO a muscular look.
Interior
The interior of the SUV looks different from the previous version. The dashboard gets a new design. In fact, you would have already realized by now that the interior of the XUV 3XO is the same as Mahindra’s XUV400 EV facelift. It gets a 10.35-inch floating-type touchscreen infotainment system, a similarly sized fully digital instrument cluster, a multi-function steering wheel, leatherette upholstery, and so on. There are soft touch materials on the dashboard and door pads which give the cabin a premium look.
The SUV offers dual-zone climate control; however, it misses out on features like front seat ventilation and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat. Mahindra has, however, worked on the interior of the SUV to make it a lot more spacious. It feels a lot airier, especially with the Ivory-colored interiors. There is ample space for the driver and occupants in both the front and rear seats. Mahindra claims that they are offering the best-in-class roominess with the XUV 3XO. While ivory colour in the cabin looks premium maintaining it is going to be a pain in Indian conditions. Mahindra should have ideally given a darker theme like we saw in the Scorpio N.
When compared to the XUV300, Mahindra has worked a bit on improving the boot space. Up to the backrest, the Mahindra XUV 3XO has a boot space capacity of 295 liters, while if you decide to fill it up to the roof, it can be expanded to 364 liters. Mahindra is also offering a 60:40 split rear seat as standard so that you can easily carry items of any shape and size without any problem. Mahindra has improved the camera quality, and the top-end version also comes with a 360-degree camera.
How Does it Drive?
As we sat in the driver’s seat, the first thing we noticed was the commanding view. The large windows and windshield give a commanding view of the road, giving you confidence to drive through busy city roads with ease. As we were driving the turbocharged petrol version first, we noticed that the NVH levels have improved a lot. The cabin feels a lot quieter than before. Good job here, Mahindra. While we loved the NVH levels in the turbo petrol version, the diesel version still felt a bit loud inside the cabin, and we feel Mahindra could have done some work here.
Coming to the driving part, the turbocharged petrol engine we were driving is a 1.2-liter, 4-cylinder unit that generates 130 PS and 230 Nm of peak torque. The engine feels extremely peppy, and the newly added automatic transmission only adds to the convenience and fun.
Mahindra did a good job by removing the AMT from the petrol engine options as they were not the most refined. The jerks during the gear shifts were evident even after Mahindra tuned it. With the new 6-speed automatic transmission, the shifts felt seamless and enhanced the overall driving experience.
The steering felt well balanced. It was light enough for city use and also weighed up well while . The Zip Zap Zoom Drive modes did change the way the car behaved to some extent. One of the complaints that many XUV300 users had was that the ride felt too hard. The SUV was not offering a comfortable ride quality. Mahindra listened to their customers and improved on this front too. The XUV 3XO’s suspension is tuned in such a manner that it provides a comfortable ride without compromising on stability at higher speeds. The turbo petrol engine is extremely capable and can easily reach and maintain triple-digit speeds without any issues. As we were driving the top-end AX7 L version, it came with the Level 2 ADAS feature.
This feature is the same as the XUV700, but we feel Mahindra needs to calibrate this system a bit more. The SUV that we were driving was actually detecting obstacles and applying brakes or slowing down even when there was enough gap for the SUV to move ahead. This issue can easily be resolved by Mahindra as they only have to fine-tune this feature.
Mahindra is very confident about the build quality, and we are expecting nothing short of a 5-star rating here. Mahindra is offering 35 standard safety features with the XUV 3XO, including 6 airbags, 4 disc brakes, 3-point seat belts for all passengers, passenger airbags on/off for child safety, and many more.
Should You Buy One?
Mahindra is known to price their products competitively, and the 3XO is no different. Mahindra had to price it this way to ensure that people notice this odd-looking SUV among rivals like the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, and Tata Nexon. Mahindra XUV 3XO prices start at Rs 7.49 lakh, ex-showroom, and go up to Rs 15.49 lakh, ex-showroom.
For this price, the XUV 3XO feels like a value-for-money product as it offers premium looking cabin, redesigned exteriors, variety of engine and transmission options and several segment-first features, including the panoramic sunroof and Level 2 ADAS. To conclude, Mahindra XUV 3XO does feel like an SUV that offers everything that you want and more. Bookings for the SUV will start from 15 May, 2024 and deliveries for the same would commence from 26 May, 2024.
The post Mahindra XUV 3XO First Drive Review: Does It Really Offer ‘Everything You Want & More’? first appeared on Cartoq.
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