Cupra Born vs Mahindra Xuv 3Xo

What's the difference?

The Cupra Born has so much going for it. An appealing price, long range, and super cool design chief among them.

I think the main thing holding it back will be that it doesn’t quite have the same out-and-out performance people have come to expect from a ‘hot hatch’ in the era of cars like the VW Golf R.

Importantly though, it delivers huge dollops of fun and driver engagement, something that's quite rare in the electric era.

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.

To stand out, any new brand should make a statement when it comes to design, and Cupra goes above and beyond to grab people’s attention.

It needs to, because Cupra is faced with the task of standing apart from its Volkswagen Group stablemates, especially the likes of Audi and Skoda.

One look at the Born, and it’s clear the brand has done an admirable job of separating its aggro hatch from the more tame Volkswagen ID.3 with which it shares its underpinnings.

I love its pugnacious face, which is designed to pierce air resistance in a similar fashion to the face of the Kia EV6, complete with its frowny light profile, bronze Cupra typeface, and dimples on the bonnet.

At the side, there’s the choice of almost Tesla-like sweeping aero designs for the standard 19-inch wheel option, or complex 80s rally-inspired wheels for the 20-inch Performance Pack hoops. The square beltline is perhaps the only spot where you can clearly see the Born’s relation to its ID.3 cousin, but I think the contrast flourish on the C-Pillar, which interrupts the roofline and makes it look more coupe-like, is a masterful touch.

This piece also wears a fishscale-like pattern, which is a motif that works its way through the entire car. In fact, the pattern is more than just theme-work for the Born specifically, but a deliberate pattern to interrupt plain plastics, which goes a long way to making sure no matter where you look, there’s a visual appeal to every corner of this car.

The inside continues this thoughtful and genuine ethos. Any area where a normal car would use a fake leather, or even plastic textured to look like leather, has been presented in a completely different way. The driver-focused instrument console, for example, is clad in a padded neoprene material, which is not only honest, but gives the interior a very modern look and feel.

The recycled seat materials offer a similar touch, and are comfortable in their bucket arrangement, too, and the neoprene finish continues here as a contrasting trim.

The colour palette is rich, with vivid blues, deep reds, a light smattering of tame silver rather than chrome, while the Cupra Bronze permeates to the car’s badges and highlights touches throughout.

This tone won’t be for everyone, and if you don’t like it, or the colour schemes, or even the car itself, that’s fine by Cupra. It wants to be controversial, and for a niche set of buyers, and says this contrast is the point of its design choices. If the amount of Borns sold before the car even landed is anything to go by, they’re on to something.

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.

Thanks to the Born’s VW Group all-electric MEB underpinnings, which are designed to make the most of interior space, the Born is much bigger on the inside than you might assume.

Clever packaging means a tall roof, glasshouse window structure, and a significant amount of adjustability and comfort for the front seats, with the clever digital instrument panel which is distilled to a handful of elements, and rides atop the column itself, so it moves as the driver adjusts it to maintain visibility.

The large touchscreen is oriented toward the driver, and has nice clear easy to use elements, although it is unfortunate the volume, temperature, and fan speed controls are a touch-based panel, and not easy-to-operate dials.

The rear seat offers impressive room, even behind my own seating position, and there’s sufficient headroom for me also, at 182cm tall. The cool recycled trim and comfortable seats continue to the rear row, although this car’s main practicality downside also resides here.

Opting for either pack will remove the rear seat, instead providing you with an odd cutout between the rear seats, and a drop-down armrest with a ski-port behind. Very European.

The boot measures 385 litres (VDA) which is relatively large for a hatchback, and it offers a nice low floor, impressive considering the motor is mounted below on the rear axle, although there’s no additional frunk storage for the Born.

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.

The Cupra Born is interesting, in that it’s a rear-wheel drive hatchback. This provides both fun driving dynamics as well as a hike in efficiency, and in Australia, we get only the most powerful motor setup available.

This is a unit that produces a peak of 170kW under boost mode, and 310Nm of torque. This is approaching Golf GTI levels of power output, to give you an idea, although the Born is also some 400kg heavier, blunting its hot hatch potential somewhat.

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.

The Born’s astounding 511km driving range is afforded by its enormous 82kWh battery, which is more like the size of battery you would see in a much larger vehicle such as a Kia EV6 for example.

Thankfully though it’s not all brute force via capacity, this car is also reasonably energy efficient, with an official rating of 17kWh/100km.

Not all EVs can hit the WLTP numbers due to many variables from wheel size, tyre composition, and even temperature management, but even enthusiastically driving the demo cars on our launch saw numbers between 17 - 23kWh/100km. Nothing outrageous by any means. 

Expect a more thorough evaluation of the Born’s range and efficiency when we’re able to test one for a longer period of time at a later date.

When it comes to charging, the Born’s DC charger maxes out at 170kW, allowing a 10-80 per cent top up time of roughly 30 minutes.

Meanwhile its AC inverter tops out at 11kW for a slow charging time of roughly six hours from 10 - 100 per cent.

The Born uses a Euro-standard Type 2 CCS charging connector. Unfortunately, there’s no V2L function this time around.

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.

We’ve come to understand hot hatchbacks in certain terms, and these are defined by lightweight design, firm suspension, and over-sized engines in the front, usually driving the front wheels.

But the Born flips pretty much the whole formula upside down. It’s heavy, rear-wheel drive, not as powerful as perhaps it could be, and has comparatively forgiving suspension.

In fact, the Born has one of the most supple suspension tunes for an electric car in this price bracket, being much more comfortable and adept at absorbing rough conditions than a Model 3 or a Polestar 2 for example.

When it comes to power, it’s instantly responsive, as any EV should be, but in a straight line you won’t be outrunning even a base Model 3, or even a Golf GTI.

Whether it’s truly a hot hatch then will depend on how you define this concept, because so long as you don’t care about straight-line speed, the Cupra Born is an absolute blast.

Unexpectedly, this unusual formula works. The Born is a car with a completely different character to every other EV at this price. Rather than being tight and locked-down, the Born feels much more free and fun, with its ride and particularly its steering combining with the rear-drive push to make for a playful little car, with an organic feel to its feedback.

Again, unlike a lot of electric cars, the Born’s flexible approach to the road results in a car which demands much more from the driver. The traction control computer doesn’t conspire with the electric motors and brakes to sanitise the experience, this car will let you make mistakes within reason.

It’s possible to eke out a cheeky slide if you push it, for example, and the way the weight of the battery shifts the car around is more entertaining than unsettling, like it is in some small electric SUVs.

Even the regenerative braking is comparatively hands-off. It doesn’t have the single-pedal driving experience that some EV adopters are after, instead it will gradually taper speed off, relying on the driver to actually use the blended braking on the brake pedal itself, even when the car is set to the most aggressive ‘B’ mode. Again, this means the driver has to actually drive the car, jabbing the brakes in on sharp corners.

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.

Cupra offers the Born with a five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as the choice of either a three- or five-year service pack. Interestingly, the three year pack, at $999, is the same price as it is for combustion vehicles in Cupra’s range, while the five-year pack is some $400 cheaper at $1590. Either way, this pack pricing isn’t outrageous when you break it down by annual cost, but many rivals in the electric space are offering free or very cheap servicing over the same period.

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.