CHENNAI: Mahindra, the Indian auto giant known for the versatile vintage “jeeps” to the modern tech-filled XUV 700 has always tasted success with SUVs. Its iconic THAR crossed a significant production milestone of one lakh units on March 29.
However, to see what is in store for the future, one has to look at the firm’s electric plans. That’s why I tried my hands on Mahindra’s first-ever electric SUV, the XUV400. Here’s what I saw, studied and experienced.
What to see...
The XUV 400 reminds me of Mahindra’s compact SUV XUV300. That’s not a wrong thing; it is essentially the electric version of the XUV 300. But this one is 400 meters longer. On a closer look, we can see that instead of a grill, there is a closed panel with many Xs carved on it. A few Xs have copper colours on their two arms, like an arrow. Mahindra’s new twin-peak logo is copper colour, instead of the chrome logo in petrol-diesel SUVs. And this copper theme continues to lower parts of the bumper too, making it a theme colour for the e-SUV.
We know some other brands use blue stripes for that ‘e’-branding. So copper definitely helps XUV 400 to stand out. When we open the boot, we can see a benefit. The XUV 300 has only 257 litres capacity, while this e-version comes with 378 litres. The cabin wears the familiar look of the petrol/diesel SUV and doesn’t have any special electric feel. Overall, its black interior theme has an elegant look. We can see clever inserts of copper in the cabin too. Having a wheelbase of 2600 mm, the cabin space and legroom are very generous. The back seat is wide enough to occupy 3 adults. All seats are comfortable.
What to learn...
The XUV comes in two versions — EC and EL. EC has a lithium-ion battery pack of 34.5 kWh, offering a range of 375 km, while EL comes with a 39.4 kWh battery, offering a 456 km range. The EC version has two charger options — 3.3 kW and 7.2 kW. The top variant EL has only the faster charger of 7.2 kW.
In addition, the XUV400 can be charged from any 16 Amp plug point. Both versions have the same motor, with a peak power of 110kW (150PS) and a torque of 310 Nm. XUV400 offers three drive modes (Fun, Fast and Fearless), with a combination of steering, throttle and regenerative energy response. The instant torque helps the car to achieve impressive acceleration, 0-100 kmph in a mere 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 150 kmph. The model has amazing driving manners, too. The vehicle comes with a 17.78 cm touch screen-infotainment system offering good connectivity and information regarding the car, charging infrastructure etc, and a three-year standard warranty with unlimited km.
It has an additional warranty of eight years or 160,000 km (whichever is earlier) for the battery and motor.
Variants & showroom prices
EC (3.3kW charger): Rs 15.99 lakh
EC (7.2 kW charger): Rs 16.49 lakh
EL: Rs 18.99 lakh
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