Mahindra XUV700 Black Edition review: Back in Black

I put the pimped-out stealthy version of Mahindra’s XUV700 – Australia’s cheapest seven-seater – through its paces

There’s nothing better than being the best at something. Or the “est” of anything, really. The fastest, tallest, plushest, fittest… you get it.

So what about cheapest?

With the cost of living looming large with the federal election bearing down, being cheaper than the competition could be especially handy if you’re selling cars to budget-conscious Aussie families.

The Mahindra XUV700 Black Edition looks great with its stealthy styling.

That’s the punt India’s Mahindra has taken in its assault on the Aussie car market and cheapest seven-seat wagon is the title it can lay claim to with its impressive XUV700 SUV.

It’s impressive for the money, which I consistently reminded myself about while I was putting the pimped-out new Black Edition through its paces.

It’s basically an XUV700 that’s been tricked up, blacked out and sent Down Under with every imaginable accessory and mod-con for $4000 over the base model’s driveaway price.

The Black Edition truly is pimped out, with a long list of surprising extras including Tesla-style flush electric door handles, electric memory seats (which are also airconditioned) that slide backwards to help you get out, a digital dash, a massive panoramic glass sunroof, 360-degree top-down cameras (including blind-spot cam, although the resolution is quite low – like a 3Mobile video call from 2005) and a 12-speaker Sony sound system.

Nice materials, plenty of space and gizmos inside the XUV700 Black Edition.

Rear passengers get their own airconditioning and plenty of room. Even the third row isn’t the smallest I’ve seen and, with those seats folded down, you get a pretty massive boot.

The Black Edition is 4.7m long, 1.9m wide and 1.75m tall, packing a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine pushing out 149kW and 380Nm through the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

The materials inside are fairly industrial but decent quality, soft in the right places and certainly quite impressive for the money. The piano black accents are a great touch.

I reckon the XUV would be pretty easy to keep clean, especially after getting battered at the hands of my two rowdy little boys.

The carpets in the cabin and boot are hard wearing, too.

The Black Edition certainly had its foibles, but you have to remind yourself this isn’t a Rolls-Royce – it is exceptionally cheap. Still, there were a few quirks worth mentioning.

Wireless CarPlay is a nice inclusion and unavailable on plenty of cars going for much more money, although the wireless mobile charger consistently got quite warm, to the point the phone would refuse to charge til it cooled off.

The digital dashboard of the Mahindra XUV700 Black Edition.

I also caught the traction control napping a couple of times coming out of roundabouts, lighting up the front wheels, but overall the XUV700 felt pretty planted and smooth, even though it’s a bit “trucky” at times.

I was quite impressed with the level of tech inclusions, but the infotainment software – despite having everything you would expect – felt a bit old school.

The extras extend to the safety tech too. It’s nice to know that, for under $45,000, you can get adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assistance, automatic high beams and traffic sign recognition.

The XUV700 Black Edition was more than up to the task of ferrying my boisterous little brood around Brisbane.

In an age of competing desires to save cash but have the latest and greatest, Mahindra could be on to something offering this much car for such little money.

My advice for anyone looking at moving seven people in style is to have a look for yourself and consider what sort of money you’d have to spend to find something with similar features. This one is compelling!

Mahindra XUV700 Black Edition

PRICE: $43,990 driveaway

WARRANTY/SERVICING: 7yr/ 150,000km warranty, 7yr roadside assistance, 5yr capped-price services

ENGINE: 2.0-litre turbo petrol, 149kW, 380Nm, six-speed automatic gearbox

THIRST: 8.3L/100km (claimed)

SAFETY: Radar cruise, autonomous braking, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, auto high beam, tyre pressure monitoring.

VERDICT: 3.5 stars

Cheap and cheerful – and definitely worth a look.