Mahindra XUV 700 Vs Tata Safari: Space Frontier

Everybody’s favourite ‘big’ family SUVs go head to head but the right choice isn’t as clear as it may seem…

- Simran Rastogi

The three-row SUV. The timeless formula for the ultimate family mover. After all the first ever SUVs in the world were fashioned out of station wagons, with added abilities courtesy four-wheel drive powertrains. Fast forward to the present and in India at least, the formula’s been simplified a bit to exclude 4x4. Why? The market doesn’t buy it, apparently. At least not when it comes to going from a keyboard warrior versus actually walking into a showroom. So, with the Tata Safari, a resurrection of one of India’s earliest SUV name tags, we have a three-row adaptation of the Harrier, but minus any form of all-wheel drive… because what the market buys, the market gets. On the other hand, with the Mahindra XUV700, an all-new car that can be viewed as the next-gen XUV500 but named differently to position it over an upcoming new model, there’s a return to the all-wheel drive capability that was once offered on the XUV. And a tonne of tech. Mahindra’s taken their time with the XUV700, and it shows. On the face of it, there’s very little to dislike about the 700. Apart from the way it looks, so that’s as good a place as any to start…

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