Here in Q4: Mahindra divulges select details of new XUV 700

Its debut in India having taken place just under a year ago, Mahindra South Africa has divulged select details of the new XUV 700 ahead of its market debut in the fourth quarter of this year.

Unveiled on South African soil alongside the new Scorpio-N last week, the replacement for the XUV 500 will take position atop Mahindra’s SUV line-up in a move the automaker calls “the beginning of the next generation of sophisticated and authentic Mahindra SUVs”.

Joining the Scorpio-N as the second model to incorporate Mahindra’s new twin peaks “M” corporate logo in the centre of the grille, the XUV 700 will, for the first time, have a choice of engines as diesel motivation only prevailed underneath the bonnet of the XUV 500.

As in India, the units consist of a reworked version of the long-serving 2.2 mHawk turbodiesel, now rated at 135kW/420Nm, and the newly introduced 2.0 mStallion turbo-petrol that produces 147kW/380Nm.

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Transmission choices will consist of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic, though in the case of the latter, a 30 Nm torque increase comes when specified with the oil-burner. Drive will once again go to the front or all four wheels.

Its name pronounced “seven-double-oh” instead of “seven-hundred”, no further in-depth details were divulged, however, Mahindra did confirm the availability of its new dual 10.25-inch displays that comes as standard on the Indian market AX7.

Indeed, the automaker is unlikely to offer the entry-level MX in South Africa, meaning the sole availability of the upscale AX that comes in three trim grades; AX3, AX5 and the mentioned AX7.

What also remains to be seen is whether the XUV 700 will only come with five-seats, or seat seven as an option as it does in India. Expect diesel models though to come with the Zip, Zap, Zoom and Custom driving modes.

With current XUV 500 pricing from R410 999 to R475 999, expect the XUV 700 to be considerably pricier with current estimation pointing to a starting sticker of around R430 000 before ending at R500 000. As mentioned, this is purely speculative.