Amit Saraswat 
Mahindra is currently the largest SUV maker in India by revenue and second in terms of sales. The XUV700, Thar and Scorpio N are among the benchmarks in their respective segments. Back in 2019 when the XUV300 was launched, it stirred up the segment with its new features and design but it was short-lived owing to growing competition from rivals.
Cut short to 2024, the XUV300 stands fifth in sales under the sub-compact SUV segment and Mahindra is determined to move up the ladder with the heavily revised XUV300 and among all that is new, it gets a new name too — the Mahindra XUV 3XO. We recently drove the new Mahindra XUV 3XO to find out if its bold claims have some holding against the stiff competition.
Trying hard to hide Ssangyong-ness
In these last odd five years, a lot has changed. Mahindra pulled its investments from Ssangyong and the Korean SUV maker changed its name to KG Mobility. What remains unchanged is the platform of the XUV 3XO that continues to find its roots in the Ssangyong Tivoli’s underpinnings. The new XUV 3XO is trying hard to put a blanket on its Korean connection and while it has succeeded in doing so, the outcome is not really pleasing.
The design of the new XUV 3XO is a mixed bag of gloss black paint, diamond elements slapped all across and a cut-short tail. The front is something that is going to diverge opinions. The LED DRLs and the twin projector setup looks neat but all the gloss black plastics around the housing and excessive use of diamond elements rob away the subtle design. It’s unnecessarily loud, as if it wants to summon all the attention around it.
The side profile looks great with the Octavia RS-inspired 17-inch alloy wheels but only until trail your eye sight towards its tail. The connected LED tail lights give it a handsome look and the revised tailgate helps to give it more muscle. However, that’s not enough to hide its innate lack of length towards the rear, giving it a chopped-off stance — something that has always been there with the XUV300.
Old interior, now tech-savvy
The cabin of the new XUV 3XO comes brimmed with features, a few of which are not yet seen in the sub-compact SUV space. The biggest talking point, of course, is the inclusion of a panoramic sunroof. Is having a dual-pane sunroof really necessary in a sub-compact? You decide. There are a plethora of other “more necessary” features as well — dual-zone climate control, new-gen electronic-stability control with auto-hold, all-four disc brakes and Level-2 ADAS, to name a few. The new touchscreen now comes coupled with a Harman/Kardon sound system and wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. However, the wireless connectivity was not enabled on our test cars.
The cabin space remains XUV 3XO’s one of the strongest points. The seats are well contoured but come finished in white leatherette upholstery, which is prone to collect dirt over time. Adding to that, the generous use of gloss black plastics all around the cabin could result in premature ageing of certain trims. What’s likeable is the cabin ambience thanks to the panoramic sunroof and white LED cabin lighting. Mahindra has also added rear AC vents along with type-C charging ports for added convenience for the rear passengers.
Any better to drive?
Mahindra has not restricted the XUV 3XO to cosmetic updates, rather used the opportunity to further enhance its driving experience. Before setting off, it’s crucial to note that Mahindra added a new 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission with the XUV 3XO petrol, however, we got to only sample the diesel manual powertrain on this first drive.
The diesel manual powertrain is devoid of any changes. It continues to put out the class leading 300Nm of torque from its 1.5L block. The power stands at 117PS and is transmitted to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission. Pay INR 80,000 more and Mahindra will offer you a 6-speed automated manual transmission. The new 6-speed torque converter, which commands a premium of INR 1.50 lakh over manual, is restricted to the petrol engine options only.
Coming back to the diesel engine, it’s a potent unit if all you want is to haul your family around the city with good fuel efficiency. It purrs under the bonnet without much NVH translating into the cabin and ambles around the city with ease. However, it doesn’t impress with its outright performance since the build-up of power is linear above 2,000rpm. The transmission is slick to use and its ratios feel rightly-spaced. The clutch pedal, though progressive, contains a long movement of operation, which could feel naggy in bumper to bumper traffic.
Another big change Mahindra has incorporated into the new XUV 3XO is the enhanced suspension set up. The suspension now boasts new advanced dampers that are said to improve ride comfort and dynamics. As a result, the new XUV 3XO feels really comfortable, especially at higher speeds on poor road surfaces. It glides over the bad patches with minimal body movement or any noise or vibrations.
We encountered a few niggles with our Mahindra XUV 3XO diesel. To begin with, the new 10.25-inch instrument cluster was showing multiple telltale lights while driving such as engine oil temperature, passenger airbag and traction control. We tried turning on/off the traction control but the car didn’t respond to the command. Similarly, the button for the steering modes was not functioning properly as it took 3-4 presses for one action.
In addition, even the buttons on the steering wheel were finished poorly, with some having zero feedback upon pressing. The touchscreen also kept on falling in the sleep mode on multiple occasions. While the cars we drove were pre-production units, we expect Mahindra to take care of these issues on customer cars.
Concluding thoughts
The Mahindra XUV 3XO takes a massive departure from the ageing XUV300. While the design remains subjective, the XUV 3XO brings a strong case for itself against its rivals with new features like Level-2 ADAS, panoramic sunroof and more. Its new 1.2L turbo petrol automatic engine option is something we look forward to sampling as and when it arrives in our office. If you are looking for a diesel sub-compact, the XUV 3XO is one solid option and worth checking out.
