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Peugeot 2008 vs Mahindra XUV500

What's the difference?

VS
Peugeot 2008
Peugeot 2008

$24,789 - $38,880

2021 price

Mahindra XUV500
Mahindra XUV500

2018 price

Summary

2021 Peugeot 2008
2018 Mahindra XUV500
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 3, 1.2L

Diesel Turbo 4, 2.2L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Diesel
Fuel Efficiency
6.1L/100km (combined)

6.7L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

7
Dislikes
  • Hefty pricing
  • Lack of advanced safety features
  • Slightly grim rear accommodation

  • Underwhelming safety
  • Steering that requires plenty of guesswork
  • Cheap-feeling interior
2021 Peugeot 2008 Summary

The 2008 is kind of a big deal for Peugeot - the old car was a bit niche and people didn't really know what it was. It also had a whiff of last-decade Peugeot whereas this one is proper 2021, fashion-forward Peugeot. The brand has changed so much in the past few years that it's even going to slap a new logo in its big grilles in the coming months.

Peugeot's product strategy was missing that important, late-millenial/early Gen X grabbing compact SUV, a cheaper entry to the brand that attracts fans of good design with a plenty of readies in their pockets. Basically the people Mini's Countryman, BMW's X2, Audi's Q2 and VW's T-Roc and T-Cross are going after. So not an easy task, then.

The local importer knows it needs to find younger customers to hook into the brand, because the halo of its turn-of-the-century success, the 306, has now faded. People like me will buy Peugeots because they wanted a 306, are Francophiles or are just plain contrarian (in my case, all three). Peugeot needs an in. The 2008 might just be it.

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2018 Mahindra XUV500 Summary

Just in case attacking Australia's crowded SUV market with a virtually unheard of Indian brand wasn't a high enough hurdle to leap over, Mahindra had made its task even harder - think a Bollywood version of Mission Impossible - by launching its XUV500 SUV here with a diesel engine (which nobody wanted) and a manual gearbox (which few could even remember how to use). 

Fortunately, it fixed one of those issues late in 2016, finally adding an automatic transmission to the line-up. And now, at long last, it's fixed the other.

This, then, is the petrol-powered XUV500 SUV. And, on paper at least, it's the most sense-making Mahindra to date. 

For one, it's a ferociously cheap way into a new seven-seat SUV. For another, it's pretty well equipped, even from the base level. There's a long warranty, an equally long roadside assistance offering, and there's capped-price servicing, too. 

So, should the mainstream SUV players be looking over their shoulders?

Spoiler alert: no.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Peugeot 2008 2018 Mahindra XUV500

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