Image: Mahindra press kit
A mechanically sorted, safety-loaded sub-4m SUV with strong engines and great value in mid variants, despite a polarising face and small boot.
The Mahindra XUV 3XO is a comprehensive facelift of the XUV 300, addressing its biggest weaknesses with a richer cabin, a new petrol automatic and class-leading safety credentials. Prices start at around Rs 7.49 lakh ex-showroom, with a 1.2 NA petrol, a 1.2 turbo-GDI petrol making 130 hp and a 1.5 diesel producing 117 hp and 300 Nm. It remains a driver's car in a segment full of family SUVs, with the polarising new face and modest boot as its main caveats.
Mahindra has gone for shock value with the 3XO's facelift, replacing the forgettable XUV 300 face with a wide grille, connected DRLs and high-mounted fog lamps. The reaction is split: from the rear and three-quarter angles the car looks resolved and genuinely smart, with an LED light bar and a planted stance, while the front is the part most reviewers struggle with. Faisal Khan finds the design grows on you across the variant range, but other reviewers note the thicker cladding and reshaped grille actually make the car appear smaller than the outgoing 3OO despite identical dimensions. The sub-4-metre proportions, stubby boot and 17-inch diamond-cut alloys on top variants give it more road presence than a Hyundai Venue or Kia Sonet on 16-inch wheels, and at 1.8 m it is the widest in class. Eight single-tone and dual-tone colour options, including Citrine Yellow and Nebula Blue, help personalisation. It is not pretty, but it is unforgettable.
Inside, the 3XO finally feels like a modern sub-4-metre SUV. The dual 10.25-inch screens lifted from the XUV 700, dual-tone white and black dashboard with stitched leatherette, dual-zone climate control, 7-speaker Harman Kardon system, wireless charger and 65W USB-C port for laptops mark a clear leap over the 3OO. Front seats are supportive and the cabin is the widest in its class, so two adults at the rear are comfortable, though three abreast is tight and thigh support could be better for taller passengers. The big panoramic sunroof on the AX7L brightens the cabin but lacks a proper insulating shade, slowing cool-down in Indian summers. The cabin's biggest weakness is execution: settings reset across ignition cycles, the 360-degree camera is laggy, dual-zone cooling can be erratic, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were not active at launch and constant chimes and warnings get intrusive. A parcel shelf, ventilated seats and a power driver's seat are notable omissions on a Rs 17 lakh on-road car.
The 1.2-litre turbo-GDI petrol is the headline act, producing 130 hp and 230 Nm (with a 250 Nm overboost) and now paired with a 6-speed Aisin torque converter. It is the most powerful engine in the segment and shifts are quick, smooth and well-calibrated, though paddle shifters are missing. MotorBeam reports real-world figures of 8-10 km/l in city traffic and 12-14 km/l on highways, while Mahindra's recommendation of 95 octane fuel is a real ownership consideration. The base 1.2 NA turbo petrol with 110 hp and 200 Nm offers most of the character at a lower price, and is also available with the 6-speed automatic. The 1.5-litre diesel making 117 hp and 300 Nm remains the sweet pick for high-mileage users, with claimed efficiency of 20.6 kmpl manual and 21.2 kmpl automatic; the catch is that the diesel automatic is only an AMT, and ADAS cannot be combined with the diesel automatic. Three drive modes, Zip, Zap and Zoom, alter throttle response meaningfully.
The chassis is the 3XO's quiet strength. Suspension tuning is firm yet absorptive, soaking up broken tarmac and potholes without crashing through, and 201 mm of ground clearance plus generous approach and departure angles let it tackle bad roads with confidence. The 17-inch Goodyear Assurance tyres on the top variants are a big improvement over the past, both in grip and in resisting sidewall damage on rough surfaces. Lower variants on 16-inch wheels offer an even more pliant ride and remain the pick for buyers who regularly drive on poor roads. Steering is light at city speeds and weights up acceptably on the highway, though some find the heft slightly artificial in Sport. Four-wheel disc brakes, standard across the range, give strong, fade-free stopping power. Body control on quick directional changes is composed for a tall sub-4-metre SUV, and noise insulation is genuinely good, with very little wind or road roar entering the cabin.
Build quality is among the better efforts from Mahindra. Doors close with a reassuring thud, panel gaps are reasonably consistent and the soft-touch dashboard, leatherette stitching and metallic accents lift perceived quality close to Hyundai and Kia levels, though Korean rivals still edge ahead on outright fit and finish. The body uses 45 percent high-strength steel with over 5300 spot welds, and the 5-star Bharat NCAP rating with six airbags, ESC, ISOFIX, hill hold, hill descent control and four disc brakes standard makes it one of the safest sub-4-metre SUVs on sale. Top variants add Level 2 ADAS with radar and camera, blind view monitor, 360-degree camera, electric parking brake with auto hold, TPMS and rain-sensing wipers. MotorBeam's long-term unit reported only minor niggles, a temporary left-speaker fault that self-resolved and a tyre sidewall bubble replaced under warranty, suggesting the underlying mechanicals are dependable.
Pricing starts at roughly Rs 7.49 lakh ex-showroom for the petrol and Rs 9.99 lakh ex-showroom for the diesel MX2, with the top diesel AX7L touching around Rs 18 lakh on-road in Mumbai. The base MX2 diesel stands out by offering features usually reserved for mid variants, including a 10.25-inch infotainment, all four power windows, rear AC vents, six airbags, four disc brakes and even three drive modes. The mid-spec AX5 and AX7 are the genuine value picks, packing dual-zone climate, sunroof, wireless Apple CarPlay, 17-inch alloys and Harman Kardon audio for a price that undercuts comparably equipped Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon and Skoda Kylaq variants. The AX7L commands a premium for ADAS, 360-degree camera and electric parking brake that not every buyer needs. A 3-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and 3-year roadside assistance are standard.
Independent long-term observations align with TeamBHP's typical assessment: the 3XO is mechanically the most sorted Mahindra in this class, with strong safety credentials and a genuinely engaging powertrain, but software polish, infotainment maturity and boot practicality remain real-world weak spots that owners will need to live with. The diesel manual is the connoisseur's pick, while the petrol AT is the most rounded daily driver.
"A mechanically sorted, fun-to-drive package whose biggest new flaw is the polarising front-end design, with a still-compromised boot and a long clutch travel on the diesel manual."
"A comprehensive walkaround pick that highlights the rich feature list, dual-zone climate and Level 2 ADAS but flags the smallish sunroof shade and the white dashboard's tendency to show dirt."
"The 3XO's turbo petrol is exhilarating but unrefined for city use, while the diesel manual is the friendlier daily companion; intrusive chimes and a laggy 360 camera need a software fix."
"Walks through all 10 diesel variants and rates the MX2 a steal at Rs 11.87 lakh on-road for offering segment-leading torque, six airbags and disc brakes from the base trim itself."
"After several months of long-term use, recommends the AX7 over the AX7L as the sweet spot, praising performance, ride and audio while flagging boot space, missing parcel shelf and absent ventilated seats."