Third Time's A Charm

Mahindra’s cheetah-inspired XUV500 has received another (its third) makeover. On offer here is a punchier powertrain and some other niceties. We take it for a short spin to see if it puts it back in the game.

- Shivank Bhatt

It’s a well-known fact that car buyers in India can’t resist a product that offers more for less. Our love for SUVs is yet another fact that’s well established by now. So, a product that caters to both these traits is likely to succeed in the Indian market. While manufacturers are only realizing this now, the XUV500 shows that Mahindra grasped this idea way back in 2011. At the time, the XUV500 was the only SUV in its segment that offered features and equipment usually reserved for much higher-end vehicles. And the result was obvious – the XUV500 straightaway became one of Mahindra’s bestsellers.

Over the years, competition has caught up with the XUV500 though. And while it was given a nip-and-tuck in 2015, this flagship Mahindra SUV had fallen behind the times – especially compared with the likes of the Tata Hexa and Jeep Compass. As a result, the XUV500’s monthly sales have slumped considerably in the past year or so.

In order to keep the XUV500 at the top of its game, Mahindra has yet again given it a new lease of life. But this time the updates are more comprehensive and discernible. So, let’s find out if these updates do the trick.

What’s new?