The new Mahindra SUV takes on the garb of a Cheetah. With jaw-shaped front grille, paw shaped door handles, bodylines of a pouncing Cheetah and bold lines, all make it a look alike of a Cheetah in motion.
The new SUV by Mahindra is based on monocoque construction which is a single frame unlike the traditional design version which is the body-on-frame. This ensures better handling and also makes the car safe and secure. The front face of the mighty looking SUV has a characteristic jaw-shaped honeycomb grille similar to a Cheetah’s face cuts. The honeycomb grille also finds its presence on the broad front bumper. The headlamps are two barrel shaped with side indicators in the same headlamp assembly. There are also daytime running lights placed horizontally just below the two barrels of the headlamp in the same assembly. Overall, the front has a shape of a pouncing Cheetah.
Moving on to the sides is much more rewarding than the front. The bold line that starts from just above the front side fender continues to the rear lamps. There is also much prominent and bold splash-guard on the front and the rear wheel that makes it look macho than other SUVs in India. The doors also have ‘paw’ shaped handles which are first in class and gives Mahindra XUV 500 a thematic look. The side outside rear view mirror also houses the side indicator and small parking light. The sides appear more like a fully built SUV with a high stance. Mahindra has however dealt beautifully with the side appearance and it does not look boxy from the sides. The roof rails have also be streamlined with the roofline.
The rear appearance of XUV 500 is in consonance with the overall Cheetah image and has been carved out well. In all, it has 50-50 ratio of the boot and the rear windscreen. The tail lamps have a unique three vertical compartments separated by molded reflectors. The tail lamp sweeps forward to the side and merges with the bold line that has come from front fender. The rear also has a rear wiper and high mounted stop lamp. There are also two stop warning indicators on both the sides. The spare wheel has been very intelligently hidden just below the boot. The
are bumper colored and distinctly visible. The characteristic feature of Mahindra XUV500’s rear is the presence of twin exhausts.
The car has a look of a fully grown SUV and so the exterior measurements confirm. XUV 500 has an overall length of 4585mm, a width of 1890mm and it has an overall height measuring 1785mm. It has a wheelbase of 2700mm and it has an impressive turning radius of 5.6m. The gross weight of the SUV is 2450kg.
View Mahindra XUV 500 Interior Pictures
Step inside the new XUV 500 and you will realize that there is something extraordinary in place inside it. On the inside there is a comfortable seating for seven people, two at the front, and three on the middle row and two at the rear. The passenger side bench type seat in the middle row is foldable. The two seats in the last row are also foldable and the space works as a boot with it in a folded state.
The dash that houses a long central console is the one that grabs the attention of the person entering the SUV. On the central console, there is a
6-inch touchscreen monochrome/color display on the top besides audio controls and the AC controls below it.
There are four AC vents on the front dash, two on the sides of the central console and one on either side. The steering wheel of the Mahindra XUV 500 is a mix of sporty looks and functionality. Its one half is a steering wheel and the other half is a remote control to the audio so that numbers keep shuffling while the SUV growls on-road and off-road. It also has cruise control buttons on it. Placed just behind the steering wheel is the sporty twin-pod shaped instrument cluster that combines, looks and functionality.
The interior is clad in beautiful two-tone shade with fabric/leather upholstery. Besides, the cabin is lighted to set the mood. There are also background lights that highlight the door handles. The internal rear view mirror has manual night view feature. Just above the internal rear view mirror there is sunglass holder box along with another small box for keeping some essentials. The dash also has a spacious glove box that can even accommodate a small laptop in it. The interior plastic quality is good and it is at par with the global standard that the Mahindra XUV 500 vouches.
Interior Comfort
Contrary to the image of an SUV, XUV 500 has unbeatably comfortable interiors. The material used inside has a comfort feel apart from a lot of functionalities that are there in this SUV. Overall, Mahindra XUV 500 takes care of even little comfort features viz. an umbrella holder that is no where seen in any of the SUVs and that is why the SUV has lots of features that make this car stand apart from others.
Interior comfort starts with the agile nature of the XUV 500 that is further complemented by the
mHawk engine that gives a low NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) . Besides the new SUV has a seating for 7 people but the last row acts as a boot in a folded state. The front seats are ergonomically designed and have lumbar support. The driver seat is 8-way adjustable including height adjustment feature. The front seats have height adjustable seat belts in the front row.
There is a cool box between the front seats. There are also two cup holders between the gear knob and the cool box. The door handles have background lights and are highlighted so that these are accessible even in dark. Besides, the room lamp has the same shade lighting. Mahindra XUV 500 also has a sunglass holder just above the internal review mirror besides a conversation mirror just above it so that the driver can talk to the rear passengers without turning his head. The glove box in the dash is also spacious and even a laptop can be stored in it.
The central console is the key area where the comfort enhancements are controlled. It is well within the comfortable reach of the driver and houses a 6-inch color display with voice activated module that displays information regarding the navigation, music being played and some other information. There is also a music system on the central control with DVD player.
The music system can be connected to an iPOD with the help of a USB port besides the Bluetooth connectivity for phone . The console also has AC controls.
The air conditioner has fully automatic temperature control with dual HVAC . The central console also has a glove box on its top.
The leather clad, ergonomically designed tilt and telescopic adjustable steering has various controls on it including Cruise, audio, phone & voice command switches. In order to quickly open the driver side window screen, there is a driver side express down button. The tail gate is remote operated and locking and unlocking the SUV 500 is far easier with the flip key with remote central locking. The ORVMs are electrically foldable and adjustable. Mahindra XUV 500 takes care of all the three rows well with reading lamps for the all the three rows along with
mobile charging points .
In order to avoid sunrays disrupting the vision through the front windscreen there is a
tinted solar reflecting glass used in it. The rear windscreen has a wash and wipe feature besides a rear demister for better visibility. If it is SUV it is bound to access bad weather as well and for it, Mahindra XUV 500 has rain sensing wipers.
There are also array of lamps including Puddle lamps, Entry assist lamp, Door ajar lamps, Camping lamps on the XUV 500. There is also an umbrella holder in Mahindra XUV 500.
Interior Measurements
Being a big SUV, the XUV 500 interior space is also decent. There is
very good headroom, legroom and shoulder room at the front and the middle row. However, the last row is a little cramped and only two people can fit in.
Mahindra & Mahindra has put India on to the global scenario with its newly design based SUV – the Mahindra XUV 500 . With this product, Mahindra now has 5 UV products in its portfolio.
