Top 4 Mahindra XUV 500 features that stand out from the competition
At its price point, the Mahindra XUV 500 is a high-value SUV that demands you take a closer look before spending signing on any other dotted line – it certainly makes a compelling case for itself on space and standard equipment. We take a look at some of the features that may sway your decision.
Mahindra is one of the fastest-growing brands in SA, a trend that’s sustained by well-made offerings that don’t cost an absolute fortune to buy. The Mahindra XUV 500 is a good example: a large-ish 7-seater SUV with plenty of standard equipment and a punchy turbodiesel engine (available with an automatic gearbox option since 2018), with a surprisingly low pricetag.
In fact, the XUV 500 has few real competitors at its price point. Its abilities and available cabin- and load space puts it among some pretty good competition, such as the Ford Everest, the Isuzu mu-X, the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, and of course the segment king – the Toyota Fortuner. All of these are great SUVs in their own right, but they're also all quite a lot more expensive to buy. Getting attention from buyers in such a competitive market can be quite a task, but the Mahindra XUV 500 does well to put up as much of a fight as it does.
1. Equipment
A comprehensive list of features attracts buyers, so the more features an SUV has, the better the package looks. More often than not though, these features cost extra with the mainstream brands, and this trend really runs rampant among the German brands. That isn’t the case here, however.
The XUV 500 variants are certainly all well-equipped. Even the entry-level W4 has dual-zone climate control, for instance, and in the higher-trim XUV 500 variants, you score a lot of nice-to-haves. Colour touch-screen infotainment with navigation, 6 airbags, multifunction steering wheel with remote controls, leather upholstery, cruise control, and a rear-view camera with park-distance control (PDC) are standard features from W8 trim upwards, with the automatic-only W10 adding an electric sunroof and electric front seat adjustment.
Included in their pricetags are a 5-year/150 000km warranty and 5-year/100 000 km service plan. These things matter to many buyers, by virtue of sheer peace of mind.
Related: The 6 cheapest new 7-seaters on the market.
2. Styling
Of course, when it comes down to styling and looks, it’s subjective at best. We think Mahindra XUV 500 looks pretty decent (or at least distinctive), thanks to projector head lights with light guide function across the range, some great looking alloy wheels, available electric sunroof with anti-pinch function, and four colour options at no extra charge.
Inside, the leather seats match the exterior looks: they’re comfortable, offer the right support and can be had in dark or light shades, depending on taste. And, while the cabin’s plastics aren’t up the standards of those other 7-seater SUVs, it’s all tightly screwed together and more than decent enough for the price.
Related: Along with refreshed styling, the XUV 500's last update brought some significant upgrades.
3. Proven engine
The Mahindra XUV 500 features a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine, dubbed the mHawk. It produces 103kW with 330Nm of torque, and is mated to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic, trim and spec level dependent. It’s a solid engine that does its job well, and it’s claimed to use 6.5-litres / 100km on the manual version with the auto claimed to return figures of 7.5-litres / 100km.
The XUV 500 comes close to those numbers in real life as well, and there’s plenty of power for overtaking, thanks to the wide torque spread and well-chosen gear ratios. These engines are by now well-proven and highly-regarded (also doing duty in the Scorpio and Pik Up), so that gives the Mahindra XUV 500 a high five for reliability.
Related: The XUV 500 received an automatic gearbox in 2016. Here's what we thought of it at launch.
4. Affordability
The biggest reason to look at the Mahindra XUV 500 as an alternative to the usual suspects in the 7-seater segment, is pricing. The range starts off at R309 900 for the W4 MT entry-level trim, and rises to R429 999 for the big daddy version, the feature-packed W10 AT. To put that into perspective: the Ford Everest ranges from R522 700 to R776 500, the Isuzu mu-X starts at R618 000, and the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport starts at R589 995. All of a sudden the Mahindra starts to look like a very attractive option.
Playing the field in the used market makes even more sense; a good, clean previously loved XUV 500 W10 can be had around the R400 000 mark and the slightly lower-spec’d W8 version has been seen under the R300 000 barrier – that’s a lot of seats at a significant saving, with most of that nice warranty and service plan still intact.
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Shop for new and used Mahindra XUV 500 cars for sale here.