Mahindra XUV500 Petrol Review – Worth Buying?

Mahindra XUV500 Petrol Review

Car Tested: Mahindra XUV500 Petrol; Road Test No. 1000; Test Location: Mumbai

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 18.65 lakhs

A petrol engine in the Mahindra XUV500 doesn’t make much sense

The Mahindra XUV500 is a very popular SUV in India and why not? It offers good space, looks quite good, comes with a long equipment list and offers a robust 2.2-litre diesel engine with an automatic gearbox as well as AWD. It offers everything that an SUV buyer in this price segment would want? Or no? Well, Mahindra feels that a petrol engine on this SUV makes for an interesting proposition and hence they’ve plonked in a 2.2-litre petrol mill on the XUV. How different is it from the diesel? Time to find out.

Exteriors – Hardly anything has changed on the outside of the XUV500 petrol. The petrol engine is offered only on the G AT trim and thus it misses out on some cosmetic enhancements offered on the W9 and W11 trims. The G AT comes with 16-inch alloys in a silver shade as compared to the 18-inchers on the W11 trim. The G variant also loses out on chrome trims for the window beadings and comes with rubber beadings. Apart from this, no other changes are there on the exteriors of the petrol model.

Interiors – Inside the cabin, the Mahindra XUV500 petrol continues to get the same layout but the G variant loses out on quite a few features such as sunroof, leather seats, leather wrap on the dashboard and reverse camera. Instead, the petrol variant comes with fabric seats, conversation mirror instead of the sunroof and reverse parking sensors. In terms of space, comfort and practicality, the XUV500 petrol is exactly same as the diesel version.

Performance – The Mahindra XUV500 petrol gets a 2.2-litre engine which shares its block with the diesel engine. Producing 140 HP at 4500 RPM and 320 Nm from 2000-3000 RPM, this engine is very refined. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox and there’s no option of a manual. Driveability isn’t that great, it just offers a satisfactory driving experience. The low end punch isn’t very strong but in the mid-range, the engine delivers a good amount of power. The top-end is quite flat and the XUV500 petrol redlines at just about 4500 RPM. The gearbox offers smooth shifts but fuel efficiency is limited to 6-8 km/l.

Driving Dynamics – The Mahindra XUV500 drives similar to the diesel model. We were expecting the handling to be better but the petrol engine’s weight isn’t too different from the oil-burner’s. The SUV has a lot of body roll and the steering doesn’t offer great feedback. The suspension overcomes bad roads very easily but ride quality is quite bouncy, more so at the rear. The brakes have good stopping power but just like most other Mahindras, the pedal on this car too has a spongy feel.

Verdict – The Mahindra XUV500 doesn’t offer anything worthwhile over its diesel counterpart. It offers better refinement at the cost of fuel efficiency. We’d recommend the XUV petrol to only those people who really want a petrol SUV and don’t mind the loss of features as well as the low fuel efficiency. Otherwise, we whole heartedly recommend the diesel variant of this car because it just makes more sense thanks to all the variants that it comes with, better fuel efficiency and better features. Moreover, the G AT trim costs almost similar to the W9 MT trim and we think the latter is a better buy.

What’s Cool

* Good looks bundled with road presence
* 6-speed AT is a good slushbox
* Engine refinement

What’s Not So Cool

* Bouncy ride
* Only 1 variant offered which skips many features
* Fuel efficiency is low

Alternatives: Honda BR-V, Jeep Compass, Renault Captur

Further Reading –

Mahindra XUV500 Petrol Video Review
2018 Mahindra XUV500 Facelift Review
2018 Mahindra XUV500 Facelift Video Review
2018 Mahindra XUV500 vs Hyundai Creta – Video Shootout
Mahindra XUV500 Pros & Cons – Video In Hindi

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