URBAN THRILLS TO MOUNTAIN CHILLS

The smog is hanging just right.

- 

The city is humming softly under its usual veil of soot, stray horns, and the not-so-faint aroma of ambition. Crows cackle from overhead wires. A chaiwala on the corner is already on his third kettle. And we, as one should on a weekday morning, are blocking traffic with four large SUVs and an expensive-looking camera drone.

This was our attempt to navigate India's mad, magnificent terrain with four very different Mahindra SUVs: the XUV 3XO, the Thar Roxx, the Scorpio-N, and the XUV700. Each has its own identity. Each meant to thrive in a different environment. Together, they're Mahindra's greatest hits re-recorded for the present day with better vocals, smarter production, and a surprising amount of wireless tech. Our journey? From Mumbai's motorised mayhem to the hills of Mount Abu. A test of city sanity, highway stamina, and mountain mettle. Let's begin.

PART ONE:

URBAN MAVERICK

If you've ever driven through Mumbai at rush hour, let's be honest: Every hour here is rush hour, and that is why compact SUVs are having a bit of a moment. The cars that survive this city need to be sharp, nimble, relaxing, and preferably immune to emotional damage.

This brings us to the Mahindra XUV 3XO, the smallest member of our quartet and, frankly, the most surprising. Technically, it falls into the sub-four-metre compact SUV category, but it doesn't carry the usual air of compromise. You don't get the sense that Mahindra said, "Let's build something cheap and cheerful." What you get instead is a car that feels thoroughly considered. It was as if someone, possibly with a notepad and an espresso, sat down and thought, "What does a car actually need to be good at in a city like this?"