Mahindra XUV700 vs Genesis GV80

What's the difference?

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.

I rarely drive luxury vehicles so it doesn’t take much to impress me. However, it’s clear to anyone with half a brain (even me) that the GV80 is a premium ride and in Black guise it’s even better, albeit by increments only and those perceived improvements largely hinge on styling tweaks to the Signature platform on which it’s based.

Does it tick all of the boxes that someone considering this type of vehicle would want ticked? Sure it does and then some. But there’s plenty of stiff competition in the form of other premium AWDs on the market nowadays and even some 4WD wagons that offer similar levels of prestige.

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. 

I most frequently test and review vehicles that are tall, bulky and have plenty of ground clearance – usually 4WDs – so the GV80 is, in my experience, a mild revelation.

Firstly, it’s low and sleek and practically oozes – yes, oozes – prestige. Word of warning here. If you don’t like black as a colour on your car you’re in the wrong place because the GV80 Black and GV80 Coupe Black are only offered with – you guessed it – a black exterior and interior.

Secondly, this G80’s interior is a plush mix of quilted Nappa leather upholstery with black suede inserts, black ash wood trim, an abundance of soft-touch surfaces and very impressive all-around fit and finish. The interior of the cabin makes a strong style statement but it’s not over the top.

Genesis Motors Australia also says it has used a range of eco-friendly materials, including leather upholstery and door trims dyed using recycled carbon-black extracted from waste tyres. So, there’s that.

The cabin more than matches its rivals, such as Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, in terms of pure styling and as for practicality? Well, keep reading…

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 GV80 Black is the same size as the standard GV80 – 4940mm long (with a 2955mm wheelbase), 1975mm wide and 1715mm high – so nothing has changed there.

And because the Black treatment is all about the looks, inside and out, the interior remains the same as standard for roominess and practicality. So, let’s dive into it.

First up, the 27.0-inch multimedia touchscreen dominates upfront, which is handy because it’s from here you operate most of the GV80’s controls. Thankfully, though, there are some physical dials and buttons, as well.

That screen is big, the colours are clear and crisp and the on-screen controls are easy to use, even for a true luddite like me.

Same goes for the driver display and the 12-inch head-up display. Clear to read and versatile enough in configuration choices to set them up as you want.

Then, everything flows on from that well-appointed dash.

The steering wheel is heated and power adjustable. By the way, I still don’t see why a heated steering wheel is a thing in Australia. Nowhere on this continent is cold enough to warrant it.

All seats are soft but supportive and very comfortable as you’d expect in a prestige vehicle with an interior that’s replete with “rich textures and bespoke materials”, according to Genesis.

There’s adequate seating room all-around, but the third row is squeezy and best suited to children or other height-challenged people that you despise.

The front seats are 18-way power-adjustable, heated and ventilated. They even have a massage function – if that’s your particular cup of tea.

The second row has heated and ventilated outboard seats (with power-base tilt and backrest recline), and there’s a climate-control panel each for the second and third rows.

Charge points abound with USB and 12V options available in the front and second row.

There are plenty of storage options throughout the cabin including a glove box, sunglasses case, cupholders etc. But the door pockets are narrow and awkward to get anything in and out of. A minor annoyance, but an annoyance, nonetheless.

In terms of cargo area capacity, with all three rows up and in use there is a claimed 327 litres of space available, 727L with the power-folding third row stowed away, and 2147L with the second and third rows folded down and out of the way.

Worth noting for anyone who drives beyond city limits is the fact this vehicle does not have a spare wheel, it only has a tyre mobility kit attached by Velcro to the rear cargo area floor.

The GV80 also has a power-operated tailgate.

The top-spec GV80 Black variants are based on the GV80 Signature 3.5T-GDi AWD and are only offered with that powertrain.

Our test vehicle, the seven-seat GV80 3.5T Black all-wheel drive SUV, has a Manufacturer’s List Price (MLP) of $136,250, while the five-seat GV80 Coupe 3.5T Black AWD has a MLP of $141,750. Both prices exclude on-road costs but include Luxury Car Tax where applicable.

Standard features onboard this test vehicle include:

• 27.0-inch OLED integrated multi-media touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Built-in satellite navigation
• 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio
• 12.0-inch head-up display
• 18-way power-adjustable heated/ventilated/massage front seats
• Heated centre console
• Heated and ventilated second-row outboard seats (with power-base tilt and backrest recline)
• Second-row climate control panel
• Separate second- and third-row temperature control
• Power-operated tailgate
• Mood Curator (which is incidentally what I call the axe handle I keep by my bed for household protection)

Other features that set this Black variant apart from its stablemates include interior highlights such as a dark-tinted Genesis steering wheel logo, quilted Nappa leather upholstery (with black suede accents), welcome and goodbye animations, black ash real wood trim, black garnishes, bezels and switchgear and black aluminium speaker grilles.

Exterior highlights include black 22-inch wheels and brake calipers, black G-Matrix grille, dark-tinted Genesis front emblem and tailgate lettering and black body cladding.

All 2026 GV80s also get what Genesis calls a “Digital Key 2.0”, which enables users to lock and unlock front and rear doors and start the engine using a smart-phone or -watch. It can be stored on one device and shared with up to 15 devices.

Black is the exterior paint colour. Matt paint is optional and costs $2000.

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.

This Genesis GV80 Black has a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine producing 279kW and 530Nm, matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

This SUV has an all-wheel drive system and an electronic limited-slip rear differential.

The GV80’s engine has plenty of punch and the auto is impressively cluey as well.

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.

Official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption is listed as 11.7L/100km.

On test we were seeing a dash-indicated 9.6-9.8L/100km but recorded an overall average of 12.4L/100km after a mix of city, highway and suburban driving.

The GV80 has a 80-litre fuel tank so, going by our on-test fuel figures, you can reasonably expect a driving range of about 645km from a full-tank.

Worth noting this car requires 95 RON premium fuel.

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.

An excerpt from my initial drive notes on the GV80 Black read "smooth, slick (too slick?), impressive open-road cruising, plush, couch on wheels”. All sound points but there’s even more to this car.

For a big wagon, the circa-2345kg GV80 gets off the mark nicely with a crisp throttle response and it punches along at a fair clip once on the move. There’s little to no noise from the outside world, other than the low-key rumble of the V6 and it’s easy to hit the speed limit without realising.

The power-adjustable steering wheel can be dialled in for a preferred position and while this weighty AWD still exhibits minor body roll through tighter corners that characteristic can be restrained somewhat via the Sport drive mode for better suited suspension behaviour and controlled with sufficiently precise steering.

Ride and handling are well sorted out with the GV80’s all-wheel drive system and an electronic limited-slip rear differential giving the driver welcome levels of confidence in a variety of driving conditions.

Turning circle is listed as 11.98m and this car doesn’t feel unwieldy on busy suburban streets.

A few niggles. Digital rear-view mirrors are not among my favourite features in cars as they offer a headache-inducing fish-eye view of the world not to my liking and such is the case in this GV80.

Speaking of views, because the GV80 is low and sleek, it doesn’t afford the driver the levels of visibility I’m used to getting in the taller, more upright vehicles I most frequently review.

All-around, however, the GV80 is a smooth daily driver, with plenty to like about it and just a few foibles.

The Genesis GV80 3.5T Black does not have an ANCAP safety rating because it has not been tested.

As standard it has 10 airbags (including side curtain airbags) and driver-assist tech includes forward collision-avoidance assist, lane keep assist, highway driving assist, smart cruise control, a surround-view monitor and more.

The second row has ISOFIX child-seat anchors in the two outboard seats, and three top-tether points.

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.

Every new 2026 GV80 is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty and five years' roadside assistance. If the car's serviced at an authorised Genesis dealer this coverage increases to 10 years.

Servicing, scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km, is free for the first five years or 75,000 km, whichever occurs soonest. Genesis offers a concierge and courtesy vehicle service for five years with the complimentary service.

There are 11 Genesis dealers in Australia - Five in Sydney (including a CBD 'studio'), two in Melbourne and one each in Brisbane, The Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth.