Is the Mahindra XUV300 the SUV you’ve been waiting for?

REVIEW: Everything you need to know about Mahindra’s new SUV.

The Mahindra XUV300. Picture: auto.mahindra.com

REVIEW

In country where collisions are a norm, drivers change lanes and only then indicate, while others fail keep to a safe following distance, one’s driving expertise are secondary factors on South African roads.

To be safe, you need to be in a car that has passed the crash safety test with flying colours. So, when I got a confirmation that I will be putting the Mahindra XUV300, W8, petrol variation to the test, I quickly googled the car, and the first thing that stood out for me was this: its safety credentials remain unmatched in its class.

It is needless to say that nobody leaves their homes with the hope that they will get into a car accident. But getting to your destination without a scratch on the car or losing your cool with fellow motorists is an underplayed win.

Parting ways with just over R300,000 for my protection in a car is not too bad at all. This Mahindra was tested by the Global New Car Assessment Programme for both India and Africa, the XUV300 set a new benchmark for crash safety in its class in Africa, and it boasts a score of 16.42 out of 17 for adult protection, giving it five out of five stars.

And if you drive with your little one sitting comfortably at the back, the car received four out of five stars for child safety.

I am generally not a fan of compact SUVs. They tend to straddle the line of giving you little of everything, and not entirely anything at the same time. That is my general view on compact SUVs, irrespective of the brand. Most of them don’t have enough boot-space, and they give you just enough legroom, but you wish the people at the backseat would have enough legroom too.

But South Africans love compact SUVs, and they continue to buy them. That market is one of the toughest and most saturated. The XUV300 competes in a rapidly growing segment with rivals such as the Hyundai Venue, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Mazda CX30, Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Chery Tiggo Pro 4, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Haval H1, to name just a few.

With the XUV300, I thought the interior could have had a more luxurious finish to it, and less of the plastic feel. But the feature of an updated nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system makes you smile again. The new system is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, making it easy to just plug and play.

With fuel prices always going up and down, the XUV300’s fuel capacity is also equal to most hatchbacks, taking in 42 litres. I consistently got a consumption of 6.4l /100km, but this could be due to the traffic between Sandton and Centurion in the morning and afternoon.

I still don’t understand why this car has a six-gear transmission; the five gears are enough. But it’s a head turner. When I shared a few pictures of the car on my WhatsApp status, friends and family couldn’t outright guess the brand of the car. They named the competitor brands and were surprised by the beautiful design by Mahindra.

The Mahindra XUV300 is a car that is reliable and has a beautifully distinguishable design. And you are guaranteed the highest level of safety, should the undesirable happen, especially if you are going to be on the road daily.

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