Aston Martin DB12 vs Mahindra Xuv 3Xo

What's the difference?

Typically when a car company makes a bold claim in their press release it's hyperbole designed simply to grab attention. But in the case of the DB12, Aston Martin truly has built something different than before, elevating it beyond its previous ‘Grand Tourer’ status.

While ‘Super Tourer’ may be a bit dramatic in name, this is a very impressive car across the board. It’s fast, fun, luxurious, comfortable, opulent, stylish and liveable, so while it may require a heavy financial investment, you are duly rewarded.

Plus you also get to pretend to be James Bond…

The fact this is Australia’s cheapest SUV is a massive feat for the Indian brand. It also has so much standard kit so this is even more surprising.

In many ways the XUV 3XO is better to drive than its rivals. The three-cylinder turbo engine has plenty of charm and moves this car along with ease, the car feels confident and composed out on the open road, and there aren’t any bings and bongs from intrusive safety systems.

However, things aren’t perfect. I wish the steering column offered reach adjustment, the steering feel wasn’t so inconsistent and the lane-keep assist wasn’t so hands-on.

If you can overlook these quibbles, this tiny Mahindra is an outstanding value buy if you’re considering a first new car.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

Personally, I felt like Aston Martin peaked with its ‘DB’ design nearly two decades ago with the DB9. It was a masterpiece of simplicity, elegance and heritage and the subsequent DB11 just looked more fussy and complicated for the sake of being different.

The DB12 manages to correct that mis-step from the designers, getting back to the classic silhouette of an Aston Martin, maintaining the trademark elements (specifically the unique grille shape) and the elegance of simplicity.

Aston Martins don’t need to be attention-grabbing like a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Instead, they attract attention with an understated but unmissable presence that just attracts eyeballs. You don’t need to know anything about cars to know that the DB12 is a very expensive, luxury sports coupe - it says all that the second you get a look at it.

The interior of DB12 looks and feels every bit as prestigious as the exterior does. High-quality materials have been used throughout and there is a level of fit and finish that elevates beyond most other cars on the market. It feels like a hand-made car, built with patience and detail, rather than something rushed down a production line.

The cabin design itself manages to feel both classical and modern, in the same way the exterior takes inspiration from Aston Martins of previous years but gives them a 21st century update.

From outside it’s surprising just how small this SUV is. At just under four metres long, the XUV 3XO is shorter than a Mazda2, for example.

The reason for this is because in India there are tax breaks for vehicles under four metres long. The Ford EcoSport, sans the tailgate-mounted spare wheel, was another SUV that met this requirement.

As a result of being so short, this has made the rear overhang virtually non-existent. It’s a strange look, especially because the bonnet is so much longer.

Even though the XUV 3XO is based on the KGM Tivoli (formerly SsangYong Tivoli), which was briefly sold in Australia, you’d be hard-pressed to find visual similarities. The former looks more modern from the outside and has more visual interest with the chunky wheel-arch cladding and diamond motifs.

At the front it’s hard to not see the face of a sad panda. The LED headlights are big and plunge down the front fascia, giving it a droopy and sleepy appearance. It’s not helped by the thick black bar connecting them.

Around the side the diamond-cut alloy wheels are a nice touch, along with the contrast black-painted roof on this AX7L tester.

The rear end is a little on the flat side, though the badging is tasteful. I’m not a fan of the full-width LED light bar, however, as it’s an overdone design cue now.

Inside I appreciate the mix of both old-school and new-school. There are dual 10.25-inch screens ahead of the driver for the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen multimedia system, as well as plenty of physical buttons and knobs for shortcuts and the climate controls.

For such an affordable car I’m surprised how many soft-touch finishes there are in this car. In the AX7L you get an extended use of synthetic leather on the door cards and dashboard, which helps make for a pseudo-premium look and feel.

However, one of my biggest gripes with the XUV 3XO interior is the amount of glossy piano black. It’s on the dashboard, centre console, door cards and even the steering wheel.

This may look cool and slick when you pick the car up from the dealer, but it shows up dust quickly and then gets scratched when you try to wipe it clean. Our tester had fewer than 1000km on the odometer and the centre console was already scratched to the wazoo.

Inside Aston Martin’s designers have understood the typical customer isn’t a Gen Alpha who does everything on their smartphone, so there’s a neat array of proper buttons, switches and dials to take care of all the functions without taking your eyes off the road. If you are into technology you may be disappointed by the relatively small infotainment screen, but from a usability perspective it does the job well.

As you’d expect the level of fit and finish is impressive and the diamond quilting on the leather seats looks exceptional. The seats themselves are comfortable and supportive, with generous cushioning rather than the sportier, less comfortable seats found in purebred sports cars.

The DB12 is a 2+2, with a pair of seats in the rear, but to be frank you’d need to be desperate to use them. They are ‘emergency use only’ seats that will deeply compromise the front seat occupants just to squeeze anyone in the back.

Given this SUV is tiny, I’m blown away at how much interior space it has.

Up front both the seats are manually adjustable, which is to be expected at this price point. Despite this, they’re still comfortable and offer an elevated driving position which is something SUV buyers seek.

In front of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which feels nice in the hand. While it offers tilt adjustment, it disappointingly doesn’t have reach adjustment. This is frustrating if you’ve got long legs and short arms, like myself.

The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster has an overall dark and minimal look, but you can cycle through a range of informative views. There’s even one that allows you to display a full-width map.

Moving across, the 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system appears to be snappy enough. I’ve experienced fewer glitches in this car than in previous Mahindras I’ve driven.

I like the physical shortcut buttons underneath the touchscreen because it allows you to jump around to key sub-menus a lot easier.

As standard there’s both wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. With my iPhone 15 Pro Max the connection was flawless and only dropped out during known interference points.

This AX7L spec comes with a seven-speaker Harman Kardon sound system which gets this tiny car booming. The subwoofer in the boot is so powerful it almost feels like overkill.

In terms of storage up front there are two cupholders, big door pockets with two bottle holders, a centre armrest and a cooled glovebox. There’s also a USB-A port, 65W USB-C port and a wireless charger.

Moving to the second row there’s a decent amount of space for adults to sit behind adults. You could easily fit two adults along the rear bench, though pushing it to three would get a little too squishy.

Second-row amenities include rear air vents, a USB-C port with a phone slot, as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

At the back there’s a manual tailgate, which is to be expected at this price point, but finding the trigger to open it is a little tricky. It’s a small button that’s hidden away.

Once the tailgate is open, the amount of boot space on offer is generous. Mahindra claims there’s 364 litres with the rear seats upright.

While the loading lip is high, the boot area is deep and wide. Unfortunately there’s no cargo cover available as standard, which means you’ll need to be careful what you boot back there.

Under the boot floor there’s a space-saver spare wheel, which is fantastic peace of mind if you travel long distances away from tyre repair shops.

The Mahindra XUV 3XO is currently Australia’s cheapest SUV.

There’s a caveat, however, because this is thanks to an introductory pricing offer that ends on August 31.

Currently though, the XUV 3XO line-up starts at $23,490 drive-away for the AX5L and extends to $26,490 drive-away for the AX7L, as tested here.

After August 31 the drive-away asking price of both of these XUV 3XO variants is set to go up by $500. This will see it share the title of Australia’s cheapest SUV with the Chery Tiggo 4.

Despite the affordable asking price, Mahindra has packed a lot of standard kit. This includes 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, electric park brake with auto-hold, keyless entry and push-button start, leather steering wheel and gear selector and black cloth upholstery.

For an extra $3000 in the AX7L you get a black-painted contrast roof, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED front fog lights, panoramic glass sunroof, seven-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, 65W USB-C charger, cooled glovebox, black synthetic leather upholstery, and synthetic leather on dashboard and door trims.

Aston Martin was once famous for its V12 engines, but with the brand changing hands so many times over the years and the pressure to develop increasingly expensive powerful, yet fuel-efficient engines means the brand now outsources some of its powertrains. So while the brand is developing a new V12 engine, the DB12 is powered by the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 built by Mercedes-AMG.

While Aston Martin fans may bemoan the use of a German engine in this British car, the truth is it’s a much better engine than the previous V12 used in the DB11, Vantage and other models. It offers up 500kW/800Nm and delivers all that performance in a broad spread across the rev range (unlike the old V12).

It gives the DB12 a sportier, more urgent and responsive driving character than its predecessors and helps to explain the new ‘Super Tourer’ name. Aston Martin claims it can run 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of 325km/h.

All variants are powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 82kW of power and 200Nm of torque.

This is mated to an Aisin-sourced six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with drive sent to the front wheels only.

Aston Martin claims a combined fuel cycle return of 12.2 litres per 100km, which is not what you would call sipping the unleaded, but given this is a large, grand tourer (sorry, Aston Martin, Super Tourer) it’s actually a solid return. If you’re in the market for a car like this, anything sub 15L/100km should be considered acceptable; if you’re worrying about emissions or the cost of petrol you probably shouldn’t be buying a $455k sports car.

Unfortunately we didn’t have the DB12 long enough to get a real-world fuel economy figure, so we’ll just have to take Aston Martin’s word for it.

With its 78-litre tank the DB12 does have a theoretical driving range of approximately 630km.

Mahindra claims the XUV 3XO has a combined urban/extra-urban fuel consumption of 6.5L/100km.

During my testing, however, I achieved a real-world fuel consumption figure closer to 6.2L/100km, which is better than the claim.

All XUV 3XOs have a 42L fuel tank that Mahindra claims can take 91 RON regular unleaded petrol, but 95 RON premium unleaded petrol is recommended.

With my as-tested fuel consumption this means the theoretical driving range from a full tank of petrol is around 675km.

The defining characteristic of a ‘Grand Tourer’ is that while fast, they aren’t typically agile and as responsive as a sports car. In other words, a grand tourer is best suited to a long, cross-country trip on faster, flowing roads, rather than a winding mountain pass or twisty switchbacks.

So, in keeping with the ‘Super Tourer’ theme that the brand is selling, the DB12 is notably more responsive and therefore more engaging to drive across any condition. It still has the comfortable, laid-back nature of a ‘GT’ but when you want to have some fun it’s capable of hiding its size and feeling very sporty.

The handling is highlighted by how quickly the front end of the car reacts. Typically with this front-engined 'GT' cars you feel like you're sitting at the very back of the car, so it feels slow to respond to inputs and that can create a feeling of laziness. But not in the DB12. The front end feels sharp and responsive, making you feel like you are right at the centre of the action.

It's helped by the engine that feels lighter than the old V12s but more urgent with its power delivery, too. It adds to that feeling of a more sporty and focused driver's car, rather than a 'GT' for just soaking up the kays. It shouldn't be surprising though, AMG doesn't really build relaxed, laid-back engines, rather ones designed for maximum excitement - and that's what the DB12 delivers when you bury your right foot.

Remarkably, it also plays the role of ‘daily driver’ well too. Which is an unusual way to think of a car like this, but for those fortunate enough to have the means to afford it, the DB12 could ferry you from home to work and back again in luxury and comfort.

Behind the wheel, the Mahindra XUV 3XO feels refreshingly old-school.

The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine does seem like it would be underpowered, but in practice it’s completely adequate. Peak torque comes on tap from 1500rpm so it doesn’t have to work too hard at all.

It’s fun hearing the noise the three-banger makes when under the boil. You don’t hear it much though because the revs are typically kept down low to minimise fuel consumption.

The key reason why this car feels old-school is the six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. It’s nice to not drive an affordable everyday car that doesn’t have a continuously variable transmission (CVT) or dual-clutch automatic transmission as these can suck the life out of a car or be jerky.

The gear shifts in the Mahindra are sometimes docile, but are smooth and measured. It just operates like a regular car that doesn’t require you to rewire your brain to drive.

There are three drive modes to choose from. They’re hilariously called ‘Zip’, ‘Zap’ and ‘Zoom’. These correspond to Eco, Normal and Sport, respectively.

While I did eventually get used to driving in the ‘Zap’ mode, it felt a little snoozy at points, taking a beat or two to get the car accelerating with traffic. You can sidestep this with ‘Zoom’ which feels much more lively. If you activate cruise control or restart the car, though, it defaults back to ‘Zap’.

The XUV 3XO makes the most sense in the city where you’re able to use its tiny exterior dimensions to navigate tight urban carparks and narrow laneways with ease.

It almost became a challenge for myself to find the smallest parking spot I could slot this car into. As standard on this AX7L there are front and rear parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera system.

Where this car is let down, however, is the steering feel. It’s incredibly light at low speeds and then as the speed builds it gets very heavy. So much so it feels like I’m getting an arm workout.

Unlike some of its rivals, there is still a semblance of feel through the steering wheel, but this drastic change from light to heavy steering weight is too stark. Somewhere in the middle would be nice please.

Something Mahindra is very good at is developing a comfortable suspension tune and this car is no different. It can tackle pimply urban road imperfections and speed bumps with no problems whatsoever.

Out on the open road this car surprised me. It feels like a much larger car than it actually is and doesn’t get blown around in the lane like small cars can.

The three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine remains confident at higher speeds, though if you frequently travel up hills the fuel consumption will skyrocket. There’s also a bit of road noise, which is to be expected when a car is this small.

For the most part the suspension does a fantastic job at rounding out road imperfections, but bigger bumps or potholes can unsettle the car. It’s not helped by the larger 17-inch alloy wheels.

Out in the twisties this tiny SUV is fairly agile. It’s not the sportiest thing out there by a vast degree, but it remains planted and solid even when pushed into harder corners.

Lastly, another point that makes this car feel old-school is the lack of obtrusive bings and bongs from the safety systems.

Sure the parking sensors can be a little over-the-top and the traffic sign recognition takes over the entire digital instrument cluster when it picks up a new speed limit, but having no driver attention monitor and intelligent speed limit assist is refreshing.

It’s not all perfect however as the lane-keep assist is too hands on for my liking. It activates from 60km/h and is quite overt in how it directs the car through bends.

The Mahindra XUV 3XO hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP just yet.

It was, however, tested by India’s less stringent Bharat NCAP testing authority in 2024 and received a five-star rating.

Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Stepping up to the AX7L gets you a surround-view camera, blind-spot view camera, and front parking sensors.

Notably absent from the entire range is rear cross-traffic alert, as well as a traditional blind-spot monitor that alerts you when a car is in your blind-spot.

There are two ISOFIX points on the two outboard rear seats, as well as three top-tether child seat anchorages across the rear bench.

The standard Aston Martin warranty covers three years/unlimited kilometres, which is unusually short by current industry standards; a curious case of the top end of the market lagging behind the mainstream brands.

Servicing is handled by individual dealers, so there’s no set cost structure, but the intervals are every 12 months/16,000km. Instead you’ll need to discuss what sort of costs are involved with keeping your DB12 running smoothly when you speak to a salesperson.

Like other current Mahindra models, the XUV 3XO is covered by a seven-year, 150,000km warranty with seven years of roadside assistance.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, though the first service is required after 12 months or 10,000km.

The first seven services are capped-price and total $1994. This averages out to $284.85 per service.