Mahindra XUV700 vs Renault Symbioz

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.

There’s certainly a lot to like about the Renault Symbioz. It may cost more than its direct competition, but it looks, feels and drives with an edge on many of its rivals. And the integration of the Google system will no doubt appeal to some, especially a younger audience which craves the latest tech.

But the extra cost coupled with the image problem French cars have had in Australia - justified or not - will make it a hard sell. The small SUV market is dominated by the big name brands and cut-price models - and the Symbioz is neither. 

Renault Australia has no ambition for this to out-sell the Tiggo 4 Pro and Kona, but even attracting modest sales in such a highly competitive segment will be a hard slog.

If you’re willing to make an unconventional choice, though, you will likely enjoy your time with this little French alternative.

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

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. 

The Symbioz effectively replaces the Captur in the local range and brings with it the French firm’s latest design language; which debuted on the recently launched Scenic.

Certainly, compared to some of the more conservative and simple models in the small SUV contest the Renault stands out. It has the look and feel you expect from a European car, on the outside and in the cabin.

One of the reasons for this is Renault Australia is offering seven colours, but only Flame Red is standard rather than the typical white and the other more muted hues cost an additional $900.

In terms of its size and where it fits into Renault’s slightly crowded SUV line-up, the Symbioz is 4412mm long, while the all-electric Scenic E-Tech is 4470mm, the more rugged Duster is 4345mm and the Megane E-Tech is 4200mm. So they’re all quite close, but thanks to unique designs and powertrains (and the fact the Duster isn’t designed to be a Renault), they fit together to form a cohesive line-up for you to choose from.

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.

There are two elements that really stand out inside the Symbioz when it comes to practicality and technology, and how they are integrated.

The first element is that Renault has partnered with Google and this new model features the latest Google Automotive Services (GAS) which includes integrated Google Maps as well as access to the Google Play Store for downloading apps, but does so much more. Google Assistant is offered by default but you can also upgrade (via an over-the-air update) to Gemini, the tech giant’s artificial intelligence (AI).

This means with a simple ‘Hey Google’ voice command you can search for not only an address but anything you might need when you’re behind the wheel. So, if you are driving and want to stop for a coffee, you can ask Google Assistant or Gemini to find you a suitable spot to stop.

We were able to sample both systems and there is a clear difference between the two, with Gemini able to provide more detailed answers. But you have the freedom to choose if you want AI in your car or not, and can simply decline to update and stick with Assistant.

The second stand out feature is the amount of physical switchgear used throughout. Despite the switch to Google, Renault has stuck with physical controls for all the key functions - climate control, stereo, etc - which adds to the cost but makes for a much easier and safer driving experience.

While it may be a small SUV in size, Renault’s designers have created a surprisingly spacious and well-considered interior.

Up the front there are plenty of small item storage spaces, with an emphasis on small. But what they lack in size they make up for in quantity. There is a small ledge ahead of the stubby gear selector, with the wireless charging pad hidden underneath it. There are two cupholders and a small lidded console box as well, plus small door pockets.

In terms of space for people, up front the seats are comfortable and roomy, while in the rear the back of the driver and passenger seats have been heavily sculpted out to create a good amount of kneeroom.

As for the boot, Renault claims it is one of the best in the segment thanks to the back seats being on a slider, which allows you to trade-off rear passenger space for more cargo capacity.  It means the mild hybrid has between 563-695L depending on the rear seat position, while the full hybrid is smaller, between 460-592L; with the difference attributed to the different position of the spare tyre.

The fact both models include a temporary spare tyre is notable in itself, as it’s something increasingly rare in this segment and very much a welcome addition in Australian conditions.

There are three variants of Symbioz available from launch, with two different powertrains to choose from - the Techno with a mild hybrid and conventional hybrid available in either the Techno or Esprit Alpine trim.

The Techno mild hybrid kicks off the range at $36,990, plus on-road costs, then the Techno hybrid starts at $42,990 and the Esprit Alpine hybrid caps the line-up at $45,990.

That positions the Symbioz roughly $5000 more than its main rivals in the small SUV segment, the Hyundai Kona and Toyota Corolla Cross, which both start at around $37,000 for their entry-level full hybrids.

However, that means it is at the more premium end of the market, well above the likes of the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, Jaecoo J5 and MG ZS, which all start well below $30,000.

The most direct rivals to the Symbioz are the slightly more premium options, such as the Honda HR-V (from $32,990) and Mazda CX-30 (from $34,360), so against those the price comparison is better.

They come fairly well-equipped for the asking price, featuring 18-inch alloy wheels for the Techno models and 19-inch rims for Esprit Alpine, plus a wireless smartphone charger, heated steering wheel, automatic climate control and auto headlights. There’s also a 10.25-inch digital driver display and 10.4-inch central multimedia touchscreen connected to a six-speaker sound system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included, as well as Google Automotive Services.

The Esprit Alpine adds a nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, performance seats that are heated and electronically adjustable, red white and blue stitching on the steering wheel plus a power tailgate and chrome exterior trim.

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.

As mentioned earlier, Renault is offering two powertrains - a mild hybrid and a conventional hybrid. Remarkably, despite this being 2026, this is the first time Renault has ever offered a hybrid powertrain in Australia.

It’s a decent hybrid option too, making a respectable 116kW and 265Nm from its 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor.

Meanwhile, the mild hybrid features a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and makes a more modest 104kW and 245Nm.

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.

Renault Australia management was keen to push the convenience of a traditional hybrid, which requires no outside charging and is therefore easier to use - even if that means it can’t match the efficiency of a plug-in hybrid.

According to the company, the so-called ‘multimodal hybrid gearbox’ is the key to its efficiency. On paper it’s a four-speed automatic, but it’s integrated with the engine, motor, starter and generator, which means the engine and electric motor can both drive the front-wheels, while also helping the Symbioz return a claimed 4.7L/100km.

The battery is quite small at just 1.4kWh battery, but there is an ‘E-Save’ button that allows you to prioritise the petrol engine if you want to hold on the silent power for later.

With a 48-litre fuel tank and the 4.7L return, the Symbioz has a theoretical driving range of more than 1000km on a single fill.

As for the mild hybrid, it gets a more conventional seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and has a claimed fuel economy rating of 6.4L/100km. 

It has the same fuel tank, so its theoretical range is 750km, which is still a good return but obviously not as attention grabbing as the full hybrid.

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.

If you’re going to pay a premium for your non-conformist small SUV, one of the perks should be an above-average driving experience and thankfully the Symbioz delivers in this regard.

It’s not that it channels the iconic Renault Sport hot hatches of the past, or even sets a new dynamic benchmark for the class, but amid the sea of more-affordable models the Symbioz feels more composed on the road.

It’s responsive to your inputs as the driver and inspires confidence that not all of its rivals do. A big part of that is likely down to the tyres, with Renault avoiding the trap of cheaper, less impressive rubber that detracts from some of its competitors and instead offer Continental tyres on the Techno and Michelin rubber on the Esprit Alpine.

The ride is firmer than average, which helps with the responsiveness but means you can feel bumps in the road a bit more sharply than some, although it’s never uncomfortable.

It’s worth noting that we did see a trip computer fuel economy figure below the claimed 4.7L/100km, but an extended stretch of our drive was on motorways, which obviously helps keep that number down.

There is some mixed news on the safety front with the Symbioz. Starting with the positives, it has all the modern safety systems you should expect, including driver attention monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and lane keeping assist. And generally those systems work pretty well and feel like they have been properly calibrated, certainly better than many small SUV rivals.

But if you really don’t like those systems, Renault has included a button labelled ‘Perso’ which allows you to customise the safety settings you want on or off at the press of that single button. So even though they are required to default to on whenever the car turns on, it doesn’t require navigating the menu to turn them off.

However, the bad news on the safety front is the Symbioz has not been rated by ANCAP but has a four-star crash test score from Euro NCAP. This was from a 2024 test, when the Symbioz went on sale in Europe, and was a result of missing points in several areas, notably some specific occupant protection (the driver’s chest protection was rated as “weak”) with no centre airbag or knee airbags for the driver or front passenger.

While short of the top score from the safety body, it is important to put the result into context and four stars does not mean the Symbioz should be considered unsafe in any way.

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.

The Symbioz is covered by Renault’s standard five-year/unlimited km warranty, which was fine a few years ago but when more affordable models are offering seven years and longer, it feels like a missed opportunity for the French firm.

The company offers ‘Assured Servicing Pricing’ which covers the first five years or 150,000km - whichever comes first. Intervals are every 12 months/30,000km and cost $2715 for the hybrid and $2695 for the mild hybrid.

Renault, which is looked after by an independent distributor in Australia, has 52 dealerships spread across the country.