Upon its launch, Mahindra XUV700 will lock its horns against MG Hector Plus, Tata Safari and the upcoming Hyundai Alcazar
While Mahindra’s plans to launch XUV700 might have hit another speed breaker, the company is in no way holding back from rigorously testing the upcoming SUV. The recent surge in Covid-19 infection cases has further pushed the launch date of XUV700 to the end of the third quarter of 2021 in all probability.
Another reason for delay could be the ongoing crisis of semiconductor chip shortage. As per a report, there is also a shortage in supply of the new digital cockpit which is developed by Visteon, hence, the extended wait for the SUV. There is also a new development with regards to its specifications which has come to light.
Three States of Tune in diesel engine
According to a public forum, the new XUV700’s diesel powertrain is being tested for three different states of tunes. The company is pushing testing prototypes of its SUV in 180 bhp, 190 bhp and 210 bhp tunes in the oil burner variants. The report further states that Mahindra is most likely to opt for a 180 bhp version while the 210 bhp tune, which has a torque output of 450 Nm, could be reserved for the SUV’s first facelift, or the flagship XUV900 coupe.
Powertrain Specs
Even with the 180 bhp tune, it would make it the most powerful diesel SUV in the segment. For reference, Safari and Hector Plus share the same diesel engine sourced from Fiat which returns an output of 168 horses.
On the other hand, the upcoming Hyundai Alcazar will be propelled by a 1.5-litre CRDi diesel engine which generates 114 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque. All except Hector Plus come with both manual and automatic gearbox options in the diesel unit. MG only offers a manual gearbox in the Hector range.
XUV700 will be offered with both petrol and diesel engine options. The 2.0-litre mStallion turbo petrol engine is expected to pump out 190 bhp. The 2.2-litre mHawk diesel powertrain to be offered in XUV700 also powers the second-gen Thar, although it is only rated to return 130 bhp. Both engine options will be paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. All-wheel-drive functionality will also be offered in the higher-spec variants.
Segment Leading Features
Reports further claim that this diesel powertrain is expected to set new benchmarks in terms of driveability and refinement. The car will also be a segment leader as far as features are concerned.
The new XUV700 will be offered with an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) which comprises features such as adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, forward-collision warning, parallel park assist and more.
