Cadillac Lyriq vs Mahindra XUV700

What's the difference?

It's got a couple of quirks, but the Cadillac Lyriq is a pretty convincing, and definitely American, take on a premium electric vehicle in Australia. The only issue, I think, is that, while the brand is obviously iconic in the USA, it's not that well known in Australia, and we are a market now awash with pretty good, and often much cheaper, EVs from China. It's a hyper-competitive market. Only time will tell if Cadillac can convince Australians that its badge belongs among the European premium marques.

The Mahindra XUV700 is a solid, well-rounded family SUV. It has a practical cabin with a usable third row and a punchy turbocharged powertrain. The Indian manufacturer needs to address a few things like interior quality and some ADAS calibration and there’s more work to do when it comes to ride and handling. But overall this seven-seat SUV represents exceptional value for money against some pricier rivals and should be on more consideration lists.

The Cadillac looks… well, it looks American, right? A kind of difficult-to-describe Americanness that’s somewhere between an SUV and state car.

That’s not an insult, by the way. I personally think the Lyriq looks kind of pretty, with its bold elements countered by the surprisingly gentle touch applied in places, like its razor-thin daytime running lights (DRLs).

I’ve got to say, it doesn’t look much like any of the other new SUVs arriving, or a knock-off German brand. It’s got its own persona.

The cabin of the Lyriq is predictably plush, with comfy massaging seats, soft-touch materials and plenty of tech, but it is a little shiny and busy in places for my tastes. Minimalist this is not.

But I do like the fact that – when I’ve got Apple CarPlay hooked up – I can just leave the screen be. My driving stuff is accessed by the wheel, and everything else I want is accessible through physical buttons.

There are some strange elements, though. The grab handle on the driver’s side, which isn’t replicated on the passenger side, is odd, and likely a byproduct of the factory moving the steering wheel. Some of the central storage bins are too small to be really useful, and I hate gloveboxes that can only be opened through the screen.

The XUV700 is a reasonably handsome vehicle in the metal. It has a distinctive look that ensures it is immediately identifiable as a Mahindra. It is a clear evolution of the XUV500 it replaces, but far more coherent. 

It has a typical SUV shape but in profile the bonnet looks short and it has a big glasshouse with a kicked-up window line from the C-pillar back.

Front on the unique headlights surround an appealing six-bar grille with the cool Mahindra badge front and centre.

The rear features stretched and pinched tail-lights and the XUV700 sits up high on the road.

Inside the cabin is neat and the dash has an uncomplicated layout. It’s not the world’s most visually appealing interior but it doesn’t get anything wrong. Although the steering wheel feels a bit cheap.

The lovely dark grey interior is broken up with a light grey upper half and there’s stitching on the seats, dash and steering wheel. There are plenty of piano black inserts but it's not overdone. 

It’s a big boat, the Lyriq, stretching more than five metres long and almost two metres wide. That’s not much shorter than, and in fact slightly wider than, something like a Nissan Patrol, just to put it into perspective. Though of course it’s nowhere near as high as a proper 4WD.

Predictably, though, its dimensions mean plenty of room in the boot, which opens to reveal a very useable 793 litres of luggage space. Drop the seats, and that number grows to a massive 1722 litres. 

But the Lyriq does without any spare wheel of any kind. A tyre repair kit is your only option.

Now, the backseat. And I know this is likely only of interest to parents of newborn babies, but that’s me, so I noticed. These are some of the best ISOFIX attachment points I ever used. Usually you’re fumbling around between the seat cushions trying to line up the latch points, but the Lyriq's solution — while perhaps not the most visually alluring – puts the brackets beneath plastic lift-up flaps, and they're so damn easy to use. 

But there are some quirks in the backseat, too. Those same ISOFIX attachment points, which are so great for baby seats, are less great for the adults actually sitting in the back. You can feel the hard plastic covers, and what feels like the bracing bar running across the backseat, beneath the cushions. It's not diabolical, and if you shift your rear-end forward slightly you can't feel it at all, but it's a strange quirk all the same.

Elsewhere in the backseat, there is plenty of room for backseat riders, and you can control your own temps, too.

The Mahindra boasts a versatile, practical cabin - not something all mid-size seven-seat SUVs can claim.

This grade has electric ‘smart’ door handles that pop out when the car is unlocked. They’re not super easy to grab and feel a little gimmicky. 

The sunroof has a solid power-operated blind, unlike an increasing number of models that come with a flimsy sheer blind or no blind at all, which is unimaginable in our hot Australian climate. Thank you, Mahindra! 

Another cool feature is the extendable sun-visors that are great at blocking out sun at the front or side, especially on longer drives.

A chunky rear centre headrest impedes rear visibility, but it is easily removed. However the rear outboard headrests are also big and that impacts vision out the large rear side windows.

Great to see Mahindra has retained physical controls for the air conditioning, although if you want to adjust anything digitally, you can via the central screen.

Sitting under that and the air vents are buttons for the reversing camera, hazard lights and other controls, then there’s a wireless phone charger, an extra little slot for your phone and two USB-A ports. No USB-C up front in the XUV700.

There’s decent storage up front with two compact, squarish cupholders in the console, a small central bin with a handy rubber key holder, while the glove box is a decent size and will fit more than just the manual.

Bottle storage in the front doors is excellent. The tall CarsGuide bottle fits easily and there’s extra storage for a bunch of other items. 

The front seats are on the firm side but the side bolstering is good, helping you feel nicely secured. The base makes you feel like you’re sitting on the car rather than in it. There’s not a great deal of adjustability - you can’t extend the under-thigh cushion - but the Mahindra has Mercedes-Benz-style controls on the door.

The multimedia screen houses a lot of functions. If you tap the bottom of the screen the climate controls including seat heating pop up. There are more functions if you tap the top of the screen like sound, camera view and the like.

The multimedia screen homepage has tiles, one says ‘Fun in XUV700’ (for Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and radio) and the other says ‘Fun with XUV700’ (vehicle performance). 

Driver assist functions are accessible via the driver’s instrument display using the steering wheel-mounted controls and you can change the intensity of cruise control and lane keep assist or turn off functions like traffic sign recognition and smart pilot assist. 

There are a few cons up front. The indicator sound is awful and makes it feel cheap. There are some quality issues, like the flimsy panel to the lower right of the steering wheel that’s home to the auto stop-start. It feels like it’s going to fall off. And some of the fabrics don’t quite line up.

The device charger could do with a fan as my phone gets super hot charging on the pad, while the ‘Siri’ talk-to-text function of Apple CarPlay is patchy. 

In the second row, the legroom is decent and while there’s not acres of room I don’t feel cramped sitting behind my 183cm (six-foot) driving position. A tiny transmission tunnel means good centre seat legroom. There’s a lever on the front passenger seat back allowing rear passenger behind to move that seat forward.

Headroom is also decent without being ample. There’s about an inch between my head and the roofliner.

The window line is low enough for small children to see out but not so low you feel like you’re sitting on the car. 

The rear seating row is comfortable enough but the backrests - which recline - are flat. 

You’ll find rear knee-level air vents, one USB-C port (the only ‘C’ port in the car) and a pair of map pockets, a phone slot under the vents, a centre armrest with two cupholders and loads of door storage for big bottles and more.

For child seats, the two outboard seats have ISOFIX anchors and there are two top tethers as well.

Access to the third row is much easier than I expected for a mid-size seven seater. The passenger-side single outboard seat tumbles flat then up, leaving plenty of space to get into the rear. There’s even a grab handle to assist.

Headroom isn’t great back there for me, but again, I am six-foot tall. A kid will be fine. There’s a surprising amount of legroom and toeroom. 

Third-row occupants have access to cupholders and air vents on both sides, a fan speed dial, speakers and a 12-volt outlet that is also accessible from the boot when the seats are lowered.

The fact the curtain airbags cover the third row is a big tick. Overall, a solid third-row experience.

There’s a handy plastic lever on the rear of the seats to lower and raise the third row easily. They don’t quite fold flat into the boot floor so they sit up a little, but don’t intrude on boot space.

It looks like there is a cargo cover option but it wasn’t fitted to this example of the car. There are lots of hooks in the boot to hold bags, but note there is no power tailgate - it’s a manual operation in the Mahindra. 

You also get a temporary spare wheel housed externally on the underside of the car.

One thing I can’t tell you unfortunately is the boot volume. Mahindra doesn’t provide those figures. I can say that when all three rows are in place, there is not much room behind the third row. Just enough for three backpacks or a few bags of shopping in a row. When the third row is lowered, there’s ample luggage space.

The Mahindra XUV700 is offered in two model grades, both powered by the same petrol engine. It all kicks off with the AX7 from an affordable $39,990, drive-away.

The focus of this review is the AX7L which tops the range at $42,990, drive-away, which is still great value.

At this price the Mahindra undercuts most mainstream medium SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 and lines up more closely with the GWM Haval H6 and MG HS from China.

But unlike most of the mid-size SUV set, the XUV700 has a third seating row. The only other offerings in this category to boast that option are the Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail, - all of which are more expensive for an equivalent seven-seat grade when factoring in on-road costs.

For the model year 2025 update, both Mahindra XUV700 grades gain all-black interior trim, while the AX7L updates to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as ventilated front seats with memory settings for the power function.

Standard gear in the AX7L includes a panoramic sunroof, dual 10.25-inch screens, synthetic leather trim, keyless entry and start, a 12-speaker audio system, wireless charging and a leather steering wheel.

You also get a 360-degree surround-view monitor, Bluetooth, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels and an electronic park brake.

The only option available is premium paint at $495 extra, including the 'Midnight Black' shade on our test car.

This isn’t top-grade luxury car levels of standard gear, but there's very little that’s missing and for $43K, that’s impressive.

All Aussie Lyriqs are dual-motor affairs, with an electric motor at each axle producing a total 388kW and 610Nm, which in a car this big, which weighs just under 2.7 tonnes, is more than enough to get the Caddy up and moving, but not enough to make it feel like a supercar. The two motors mean AWD, of course.

The XUV700 is powered by what Mahindra calls its ‘mStallion’ 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine delivering 149kW of power and 380Nm of torque. These are solid outputs and the only petrol-powered mainstream rivals that come close to those figures are the Kia Sportage/Hyundai Tucson mechanical twins, with their 1.6-litre turbo punching out 169kW/350Nm.

The Mahindra’s engine is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels only, so no all-wheel-drive option here.

The Lyriq is equipped with a 102kWh lithium-ion NCMA battery, which delivers an ok 530km on the combined cycle. I say 'ok', because the BMW iX offers 600km-plus, while the dual-motor Polestar 3 is more like 630km claimed. Energy consumption is a claimed 22.5kWh per 100km on the combined cycle. 

When it comes to plugging in, the Lyriq is set up for 190kW DC fast charging, with the brand promising 128km of range in 10 minutes, or 10 to 80 per cent in just under 30 minutes. At home, a 7kW wall ox will deliver more like 43km an hour.

The XUV700 is only available with that petrol engine so no fuel-saving hybrid or plug-in hybrid options for now.

It’s also on the thirsty side with an official combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle fuel use figure of 8.3 litres per 100 kilometres. That’s more than petrol versions of the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail.

After a week of mixed but mostly urban driving, the trip computer showed an average of 8.5L/100km, but my own calculation based on real-world use at the fuel pump came out at 11L, so a bit of a discrepancy there.

The first thing you notice behind the wheel of the the Lyriq is just how whisper-quiet it is on the road. Cadillac makes a big deal about its 'Active Noise Cancellation' tech that's deployed here – it uses sensors to monitor road vibrations and the like, and then uses the car's stereo to create what it calls an 'anti-noise' signal.

It all sounds pretty high-tech and complicated, but it also works, with the Lyriq a seriously quiet and composed way to get around, with only the artificial EV noise really noticeable in the cabin.

Even travelling past freeway speeds, the Lyriq remains quiet, which does lend the whole experience a sort of premium vibe.

The Cadillac is also one of those cars that thinks solidity means premium, from the solid 'thunk' of the doors shutting to a general heft and weight to the steering, there's nothing feather-light or agile about the Lyriq experience, but it does all feel a little artificial, and like it's trying to be heavy on purpose.

The Lyriq, then, is no out-and-out performance car – it's 2.5-tonne-plus kerb weight and Olympic swimming pool dimensions largely put an end that – but it's more than brisk enough to get up and moving, with its twin-motor powertrain finding grip even in slippery conditions. It's brisk, but not brutal.

The Lyriq hasn't been tested or tuned in Australia, but happily it doesn't have that floaty, wafty suspension style so popular in the USA. This one feels to have at least had an international tune, which removes some of that marshmallow softness and makes you feel connected to the road.

The steering, too, feels direct enough and easy to predict, and the overall impression is one of quiet, calm motoring, which is probably what it says on the tin of any premium vehicle.

On the road the Mahindra has some clear pros and cons. Overall, it’s a more polished performer than you might expect.

The turbocharged engine sounds good when pushed and is a punchy unit, delivering linear acceleration and getting to speed quickly, mostly without fuss. The 235/60R18 MRF Wanderer tyres have a tendency to chirp when accelerating hard and the XUV700 would benefit from higher quality rubber.

The six-speed auto transmission works well with the engine, delivering smooth shifts but it can hold gears on downhill runs.

Ride quality is a mixed bag. Those tyres have a high sidewall but you’ll feel bumps like road and bridge joins, while speed bumps aren't so smooth, either. The ride is on the firmer side but it’s no dealbreaker. 

It’s a little top-heavy when cornering, so there is lateral movement in the car. A good reminder this is a family SUV, not a hot hatch.

Steering is overly light and a bit too sharp for this sort of vehicle. There’s nothing wrong with dull or slower steering in a family car because it’s less responsive if you accidentally turn the wheel when distracted by shenanigans in the back seat.

The brakes are also quite sensitive. Just a tap of the foot and you’re coming to a full stop.

A bit of road and wind noise creeps into the cabin, so it’s not the most hushed interior, but it’s not too dramatic.

Other points include a decent turning circle, making it more nimble than you might think in tight parking spots, and poor-quality, low-definition lane watch camera display. Also the remote lock and unlock is temperamental. You need to double check it’s locked.

The XUV700 is yet to be assessed by ANCAP so it currently doesn’t have a score.

The standard safety list is solid without being exceptional, and it includes seven airbags in this grade, with the curtain airbags stretching all the way back to the third seating row. However, it misses out on a front centre bag.

In terms of driver aids and advanced driver assistance (ADAS) tech, it also comes with adaptive cruise with stop & go, auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring, blind spot monitor and a pilot assist function. It lacks a rear cross-traffic alert.

The reversing camera lags when you put the car in reverse, taking a couple of beats to kick in. Not great when you’re trying to park on a busy street.

The adaptive cruise needs further calibration. When the system detects a car in front, it slows the Mahindra down a little too dramatically and takes too long to respond.

Cadillac has built a pretty convincing ownership package around the Lyriq, which begins with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty. Beyond that, you also get five years of servicing, and five years of roadside assistance, free. 

Then you get a year’s free public charging through the Chargefox network and a free home wall box charger. If you have a wall box, or don’t want one, you can trade the home charging for an extra two years of free public charging.

Mahindra covers the XUV700 with a seven-year or 150,000km warranty which is generous but doesn’t match Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre term. It also includes seven years of free roadside assistance.

The servicing schedule has a few quirks. There’s a free service at 1500km or one month of ownership, then the next service is at 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first. After that the term is every 12 months or 15,000km, so it’s a little confusing.

There’s four years of capped-price servicing that averages out to about $445 per service. That’s roughly $100 more on average per service than a petrol Mitsubishi Outlander.