Mahindra XUV700 vs Toyota Yaris Cross

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 Yaris Cross Urban is a city-savvy SUV that’s easy to park, nimble in traffic, and relatively fun to drive. It’s cute as a button on the outside, but the cabin doesn’t quite match the price, and some of the tech feels a little behind the times compared to rivals. The hybrid powertrain definitely earns it points but is it worth the jump in price over its rivals? A hesitant yes, because who doesn't like efficiency? But it needs a cabin upgrade to stay truly competitive in our market.

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 Yaris Cross is genuinely adorable. It's compact enough to slip into tight city spaces, yet proportioned well enough that it never looks toy-like. Its upright stance gives it a bit of attitude, and the chunky black plastic moulding around the base actually works in its favour, adding a tough, almost adventurous edge.

The rear is one of its best angles, with crisp LED tail-lights and a clean, sculpted shape that gives it more presence than you’d expect from something this small.

Inside, though, things don’t climb to the same heights. There’s a lot of hard plastic throughout, and while the synthetic leather and cloth upholstery looks decent, it doesn't elevate the space. The tech is well positioned and the layout is tidy, making it a pleasant cabin overall but there’s an unmistakable sense of 'nice, but not quite enough,' especially given what you’re paying.

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 front row is easily the best place to be, with the most comfort and creature comforts on offer. Only the driver’s seat is powered, and the controls not the most intuitive to use but both seats have decent padding and single-level heating that makes longer drives more bearable. The new centre armrest feels like an afterthought as it sits too low and tilts too far forward to be truly comfortable.

The rear row is cosy and realistically suited to two adults. Behind my driving position (I’m 168cm), there’s enough knee and head room, but the smaller door apertures may make loading child seats a bit fiddly. You do get two ISOFIX points and three top tethers, but two seats will fit best. My nine-year old loves how light the doors are to open and close, though he isn’t thrilled about the taller windowsills as they block a fair bit of the outside world for smaller passengers.

Storage is better than expected up front with a mid-size glovebox, a storage tray underneath the air-vents and climate control panel. There are two cupholders and drink bottle holders in each row and the rear also gets a single map pocket.

The 8.0-inch media display shares is straightforward to use and the touchscreen is responsive. It’s easy to connect to the wireless Apple CarPlay and it maintained a steady connection all week. The basic sound system can sound a bit tinny when you’re full-pelt on the highway but is otherwise sufficient.

You miss out on a wireless charging pad on all grade levels, which I really missed, and the only two USB-C ports in the car are up front.

Boot space depends on the drivetrain. The front-wheel-drive Urban has a decent 390L, which feels competitive. The Stonic can take 352L. The all-wheel-drive version offers less at 314L, which is smaller than the Juke (422L).

In real-world terms, groceries, school gear and my son’s extracurricular chaos all fit without complaint. You also get an adjustable boot floor, a temporary spare wheel (not always a given in a hybrid) and a powered tailgate for extra convenience.

The Yaris Cross range spans four grades, and for this review we’re in the second-from-the-top Urban. The GR Sport is technically the flagship, but the Urban feels like the smarter pick as it carries most of the premium features without climbing the price ladder just to wear a GR badge. A badge that doesn’t mean as much here as it does elsewhere in Toyota’s line-up. A GR performance hot hatch it is not.

Priced from $36,930 before on-road costs, the Urban front-wheel drive is pricier than some of its closest rivals. The Nissan Juke Ti is a touch pricier at $37,940, while the Kia Stonic GT-Line is a much cheaper $32,480. Both competitors also offer rear USB ports, and the Juke adds dual 12.3-inch displays and a much larger boot, so the premium you’re paying here really comes down to the Urban’s hybrid powertrain.

Other hybrid rivals include the freshly launched Suzuki Fronx (from $28,990) or the slightly larger Chery Tiggo 4 hybrid ($34,990 drive-away for the Ultimate).

This model-year update brings a modest bump in equipment, now including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cloud-based satellite navigation, an armrest up front and illuminated vanity mirrors.

The practical bits are covered with a powered driver’s seat, keyless entry, push-button start, a temporary spare tyre, single-zone climate control, and a powered tailgate.

A few bougie touches like the cloth/synthetic leather mix and heated front seats help lift the cabin, too.

Tech-wise, you get an 8.0-inch touchscreen, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, a coloured head-up display, digital radio, Bluetooth, steering-wheel controls and a 360-degree camera system. A standard audio setup rounds things out.

All up, it’s got enough but only just.

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 Yaris Cross variants share the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid setup, producing 85kW of power combined and 120Nm of torque from the petrol engine. Toyota does not provide combined torque figures for its hybrid powertrains.

On paper, those numbers look a bit anaemic but in practice the hybrid system does a good job of masking the low torque. Around town, it feels livelier than you’d expect, with that electric assist giving it just enough punch to feel almost spritely off the line.

Our test car is the front-wheel-drive version, but you can opt for all-wheel drive for a couple of grand extra.

Compared with rivals, the Yaris Cross lands in an interesting middle ground. The Nissan Juke makes 84kW of power, while the Kia Stonic sits at 74kW.

And that’s really where the critique lands, because while the Yaris Cross feels zippy and eager at low speeds thanks to the hybrid boost, once you’re outside the city the torque deficit becomes harder to ignore. Overtaking and keeping up to speed aren’t the real issues - it’s more that the engine starts to whine like it’s under a bit of duress when you ask for more.

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 Urban FWD has an impressively low claimed combined fuel consumption of 3.8L/100km, and with its 36L fuel tank, you’re looking at a theoretical driving range of up to 950km, which isn't bad for an urban trawler. In real-world use, including longer highway trips and everyday city errands, I averaged 4.4L/100km, which is still very efficient.

By comparison, the Nissan Juke Ti uses 5.8L/100km with a 46L tank, while the Kia Stonic GT-Line sits at 5.4L/100km with 45L. The Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid uses 5.4L as well.

The Yaris Cross not only sips fuel but makes the most of its smaller tank, which means the hybrid powertrain wins this round.

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.

Power delivery is crisp and punctual, and while the engine can sound strained when you push it on the open road, it rarely translates into any noticeable lag. You won’t feel deep reserves of power, but there’s enough to keep up with traffic and overtake when needed.

Ride comfort is better than expected, with suspension that soaks up smaller bumps, and it corners confidently without too much body roll. The cabin picks up a lot of road noise, and there’s an annoying electric whine at lower speeds but it's easily drowned out with music.

Steering is on the lighter side but remains responsive, making the Yaris Cross genuinely easy to drive. It would make a great first car, or a simple, fuss-free choice for an older couple.

Visibility is excellent, giving you a solid sense of the car’s dimensions which is a big help when manoeuvring and that's even before you look at the 360-degree camera feed. Add in the small 10.6m turning circle, and parking this SUV is almost effortless. If you struggle, it’s not the car’s fault.

The Yaris Cross has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2021 and has eight airbags, including a front centre airbag, which is good for the segment. It scores well across individual assessment sections with an 86 per cent for both adult and child protection, 78 per cent for vulnerable road user and 82 per cent for its safety assist systems.

There is a healthy suite of safety equipment including lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, safe exit assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and auto high beam. There are also seatbelt reminders (audio/visual), two ISOFIX child-seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points.

The adaptive cruise control is fairly well calibrated, although it can occasionally slow down too much on a corner, and none of the safety systems are annoyingly intrusive. A welcome change as it’s been a while since I’ve been in a car that hasn’t yelled at me.

The Yaris Cross has autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with car, pedestrian, cyclist and intersection detection which is operational from 10 - 180km/h but it is more common to see this feature operate from 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 Yaris Cross comes with Toyota’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, extendable up to seven years if you stick to servicing at a Toyota centre. That makes it more competitive as the Nissan Juke offers a 10-year term and the Kia Stonic comes standard with seven years.

Servicing is also straightforward and affordable, thanks to Toyota’s five-year capped-price program, with each service costing just $255. Intervals are well spaced at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.