Mahindra XUV700 vs Toyota Kluger

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.

The Toyota Kluger GXL Hybrid has been the ultimate SUV this week, as it fits my gear and family in comfort, the on-road handling is excellent and the fuel usage makes owning this long term actually feasible.

This is a great example of a mid-spec seven-seater that is both functional and comfortable. There’s lots to satisfy here and even though it hasn’t been updated, it may be a case of ‘if it aint broke, don’t fix it’.

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 Kluger epitomes what a large SUV was originally meant to look like. A big body and with enough ground clearance to earn the tag, but the shape is all long lines and gently curving panelling and that makes it look sleek rather than rugged.

Make no mistake, the Kluger is large at 4966mm long, 1930mm wide and 1755mm tall. It's only only 24mm shorter in its length than its big 4WD Toyota Prado cousin. It's size and road presence assures you that it's capable, but it's not trying to convince you it's a 4WD.

Despite not seeing any design updates, the Kluger still feels relevant and more than holds its own when it comes to kerbside handsomeness.

On the inside, the black synthetic leather trims, softly padded touchpoints and interesting dashboard make the cabin both pleasant to look at and spend time in.

The 12.3-inch multimedia display looks lovely with its clear graphics, but it’s still nice to see some traditional elements - like the gear selector, analogue instrument cluster (with a 7.0-inch digital display) and lots of buttons and dials to play with.

Interestingly, there isn’t a traditional transmission tunnel, which means you get a practical flat floor in the middle row and, thus, more legroom for middle seaters. 

It's a forgiving cabin that lots of different drivers will find something to like in.

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 Kluger is both practical and comfortable for passengers as each row gets a great amount of head- and legroom – yes, even third-rowers, but the low level of amenities in that row will render it a 'sometimes seat' for adults or older kids.

The 208mm ground clearance, wide door apertures and low-sitting seats makes it a very easy SUV to get in and out of, even for kids. The access to the third row is also good as the 60/40 split middle bench seat can be slid forward.

The electric front seats offer lots of adjustments, including lumbar support on the drivers side, but both seats get heating. They’re also well-padded and quite comfortable on a longer journey.

The outboard seats on the middle row offer the most comfort as they have longer under-thigh support, but the entire row benefits from heavy padding and the seat backs can recline.

The third row offers a curious 60/40 split and is wide enough for two adults to not be squished like sardines.

Although the Kluger is a seven-seater, families will be bummed that there are no child seat anchor points in the third row. But the middle row has two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points. It is more than wide enough to accommodate three seats side by side and you’ll have enough room for the front passenger when a rearward facing child seat is installed, too.

Individual storage is above average for the class, but the front row gets the best of it. There are two handy shelves built-into the dash, a glove box, a deep middle console (that swallows my arm) and cubbies in the centre console that include a phone cradle and two cupholders. There's also a sunglasses holder and little cubby beside the driver's knee.

In the middle row, you get two map pockets, two cupholders in a fold down armrest, and a drink holder in each door. While the third row gets a couple of cupholders.

Amenities are well-rounded for the most part, with the three-zone climate control and well-positioned directional air vents in the roof for the back two rows. Middle-rowers also get reading lights and two USB-C ports.

Technology is easy to use and looks great as the 12.3-inch display uses the same multimedia system as Lexus. The built-in satellite navigation is simple to set up and shows clear directions with lots of route customisations available.

There is wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, but you do have to initially connect the CarPlay via a cable.

Rounding out the cabin is the great-size boot that offers 241L with all seats in use, but that can jump up to 552L when the third row is stored.

The level loading space makes it easy to slide larger items in and out of, and there’s a handy underfloor storage compartments for smaller items. You get a full-size spare tyre underneath the car and a powered tailgate in this model.

You have to love a simple three-grade line up with variant names that aren't hard to say! The Kluger starts with the base GX, mid-spec GXL and then the flagship Grande model.

All Kluger models share the same all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain, and our test model is the mid-spec GXL, which is priced from $70,440 before on-road costs.

Its price positions it in the middle of its seven-seat hybrid rivals; the Hyundai Santa Fe Elite ($65,000 MSRP) and the Kia Sorento GT-Line AWD ($73,330 MSRP), but it should be noted that the Sorento hybrid is only offered in one high-spec grade level and the Kluger can’t always match the Sorento’s plush features.

The GXL is still fairly well-specified and includes eight-way powered front seats with heating, adjustable lumbar support (driver's seat), black synthetic leather upholstery, a powered tailgate, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing LED headlights, keyless entry/start and a full-sized spare tyre.

There is also 12 months of complimentary access to Toyota Connected Services, which allows you remote access, via the myToyota Connect app, to safety and security features, multimedia connect and driving insights.

The other technology is well showcased in the 12.3-inch multimedia display that has touchscreen functionality, in-built satellite navigation, wired Android Auto, wireless Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth and digital radio. You also get a single USB-A port, three USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets and three-zone climate control.

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.

All Kluger grades are all-wheel-drives with a smooth continuously variable transmission. They share the same 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that produces up to 184kW of power. Toyota does not quote a combined torque output.

At first look, these outputs may look underwhelming, but the on-road experience has shown that it’s more than enough to move the Klugers big body around without it feeling underpowered.

The Kluger has a braked towing capacity of up to 2000kg, which means you can hook up most of your weekend adventure toys!

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 Kluger may be massive but it has an excellent combined fuel cycle usage of just 5.6L/100km because of its hybrid powertrain.

Combined with its large 65L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 1160km, which is really good for a family SUV and rivals diesel models of the same size.

I’ve been super pleased with the fuel usage of our test model because despite doing quite a few long distance trips, which is where hybrids are usually the most inefficient, I’ve managed a real world usage of only 5.8L/100km! That is a great result.

The Kluger only accepts a minimum 95RON unleaded premium petrol.

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 engine can sound like it’s under pressure, but that doesn’t translate to underwhelming power delivery. The GXL has enough grunt to make it a comfortable open-roader that’s confident on hills and overtaking.

The steering is light for such a big SUV, but with its 11.4m turning circle, it’s every parents dream when doing the school run or navigating small lanes or parks for after-school activities. It’s almost stupidly easy to drive and feels much smaller than what it is, even in the city.

Visibility is mostly good because of the large windows, but the B-pillar is larger than I’d like and I found myself checking my blind spots carefully. 

The ride comfort is really good and suspension is forgiving on the worst of the bumps without feeling like it floats on the road. Road noise is low, even at higher speeds, but occasionally you get a weird wind whistle through the air vents. 

Even those usually put off by a large SUV, should find this comfortable to get around in. Parking it is the only time you really notice its bulk. While the reversing camera is great quality, a 360-degree view system would have been much better.

The Toyota Kluger has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2021 and scored highly across its individual assessment scores. However, it only features seven airbags, which is a bit low for a car of this size, but the curtain airbags extend to the third row, which is good. 

The Kluger has lots of safety equipment, including daytime running lights, hill-start assist, seatbelt warning (all seats), lane departure alert, lane-keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, a reversing camera (with guidelines) and front and rear parking sensors.

The Kluger does miss out on family friendly safety items, like child-presence alert and side exit assist. The adaptive cruise control isn’t as well tuned as I’d like as it doesn't hold it's speed all that well, slows down too soon behind a vehicle, and sometimes can be sluggish to return to a normal speed once a vehicle has left its 'radar'.

The GXL has AEB with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction turning assist and is operational from 10-80km/h (up to 180km/h for car), but it is usual to see that starting point sit closer to 5.0km/h.

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 Kluger is offered with Toyota’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, but that can be extended to seven years if you service on time and with a Toyota service centre, which makes it competitive against some rivals.

There’s a five-year capped-price servicing program available, with services costing just $285, which is cheap for the class. Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.