WELL-ENDOWED 7-SEATER: Mahindra XUV700: Good-looking, well-priced, comfortable and more

By Ali Mphaki

Word is out that Indian manufacturer Mahindra wanted to name its latest medium-sized SUV after the fictitious British spy James Bond 007.

Not so quick, said the British, claiming copyright to the 007 nomenclature which saw the enterprising company from that land of hot spices flipping the script and naming their good looking product Mahindra XUV700. Fact is aint no stopping the Indian brand whose offerings over the years has metarmophosed from a tractor manufacturer into well-equipped and modern vehicles, in the process winning friends and keeping them.

It’s no wonder that the XUV700 has been voted Car of the Year in its home country, where we are told the waiting list for one is as long as voting queues in the recent Zimbabwean elections.

The Mahindra XUV 700 front section looks pretty massive, ensuring a dominating road presence for the SUV. If eyes are the window to the soul, the XUV seem to make direct contact with its LED Clear-view Headlamps with Automatic Boosting, LED daytime running lights and LED sequential indicators.

The unsuspecting reader will be fascinated to learn the lights also come with another useful feature called auto booster headlamps.

This system – powered by AdrenoX – automatically increases headlight illumination when speed reaches more than 80 kmph.

At the rear, the arrow-tip tail lights utilise LED technology, with an additional high-level LED brake lamp. It comes equipped with one of the largest sky roofs in the industry.

Most interesting update is segment-first flush-fitted smart door handles. These gently slide out only when they are needed. A friend quipped that these door handles may break easily in the township as they easily attract attention.

Mahindra offers three derivatives of their XUV700 range, a 5-seater, with the middle and top versions being 7-seaters. Typically there is a third-row of seats though when in use eats up luggage space. No doubt the Mahindra XUV700 has its work cut out, geared to compete with other 7-seaters, such as the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, Hyundai Grand Creta and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, as well as other 5-seat offerings such as the Haval H6, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4.

How it will handle the competition is another matter, but in its latest incarnation the XUV700 looks fresh, feels modern and may be quite capable of competing with the many models in the medium-SUV segment.

The cabin is modern, feels well-put-together and even features more than a few premium materials and finishes. There are two 10.25-inch screens perched on the dashboard, which combine into one satin-finished panel. One serves as an all-digital instrument cluster, while the other is the touchscreen of the infotainment system. The XUV 700 get the full package of 7 airbags, automatic emergency braking, front-collision warning and driver drowsiness detection.

There is also light delay which allows the headlights to be on for 20 seconds or more after you’ve switched off and parked the vehicle. After 200km of uninterrupted driving, a voice message will ask if you dont think its time you stopped to have a break…

With such electro-gimmicks on offer, even secret agent James Bond may just be left shaken.

MOTORING:

Briefs

THE CHINESE CONNECTION

Chinese makers of electric vehicles have come out in force for this week’s IAA Mobility auto show in Munich, Germany.

About 50 companies — including heavyweight BYD and upstarts like Xpeng — have traveled to the city, according to China’s state media, about twice as many as the last time the event was held and the largest-ever Chinese delegation at any global car expo. And they were the talk of the town. Even before the show kicked off, Renault chief executive Luca de Meo was on French radio talking up the rapid advances made by Chinese EV makers. “It’s clear that they are very competitive in the electric car value chain. I think they are a generation ahead of us,” de Meo told RTL Radio Monday. “We need to catch up very, very quickly.”

MERCEDES LITTLE G

Earlier this week at the 2023 IAA Mobility show in Munich, Mercedes confirmed reports about downsizing the G-Class recipe for a smaller off-roader. Described by company CEO Ola Källenius as the “Little G,” the new model is expected to go on sale in the latter half of the decade. When it does eventually arrive, it’s going to be electric, although ICE versions might be on the agenda as well.

Since Mercedes’ teaser consisted of a sketch depicting a boxy SUV with a rear-mounted spare wheel, it was a subtle way of saying the petite G will stay true to the instantly recognizable shape of the full-fat G. Our speculative design exercise builds on that and adds some design cues we typically see on the EQ-branded models. We’re honestly wondering what took the German luxury brand so long to capitalize on the immense popularity of the G-Class to green-light a smaller and more affordable version.-moto 1.com

PETROL MINI LAST FACELIFT

Mini’s swansong petrol-powered hatches will be given a nip and tuck before they’re put out to pasture – but not a complete platform switch that was expected for a final generation.

While the new electric Mini Cooper E and Cooper SE embark on pure electric power with a completely new architecture, the F55 and F56 generation Minis will not be given a comprehensive overhaul, settling instead for an end-of-life facelift.

It’s now known that petrol-powered Minis will be resculpted to appear almost identical to the electric version that rolled out in Munich this month, but the new look will be achieved through a reskin and interior overhaul of the existing model – despite new model designations of F66 and F65. When asked if the facelifted Mini would continue to roll on a platform different to the new Cooper, Mini head of design Oliver Heilmer responded “Yes, exactly. That’s the point.”- WHICH CAR?

LOTUS EMEYA

Lotus unveiled its Porsche Taycan competitor — the Emeya — on Thursday, 7 September 2023, and the company hopes to scale production and sell 150,000 cars annually by 2028, TechCrunch reports. The Geely-owned carmaker hopes to establish itself as a global performance brand within the next five years.

The Lotus Emeya — set to go into production in 2024 — is the company’s second all-electric car after the Eletre and will be produced at the same factory in Wuhan, China. Regarding performance, Lotus hasn’t revealed exact power figures for the Emeya. However, it promises to be fast, with the company saying it will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in under 2.8 seconds.

ONE MORE THING…

As the warm weather rolls on, with temperatures of 32C predicted for tomorrow, this handy advice can help you stay cool and save money. Expert mechanic Craig explained why aircon is better than opening a window during a heatwave In a TikTok clip he said: “Air conditioning is always going to give you cooler air than opening a window, especially if the ambient temperature is higher than 5C or 6C.”

This means that using aircon is a far more efficient way to cool down, even if it does burn fuel to run the system. However, Craig went on to say that opening the extra drag created by opening the windows consumes roughly the same amount of fuel as running the AC.