Mahindra XUV700 vs Tata Safari vs Hyundai Alcazar – The Battle of The New Breed of Seven-Seater Stalwarts

Mahindra has bounced back by replacing the aging XUV500 with the all-new XUV700. Here’s a comprehensive story on how it fares against its main rivals, the Tata Safari and Hyundai Alcazar

Without any doubt, the Mahindra XUV700 was the most anticipated launch of the second quarter of 2021. The new XUV700 has a lot riding on its shoulders – it is the first SUV to wear brand’s new logo and has come in as a replacement to the XUV500, an SUV which has played a key role in putting Mahindra on a global pedestal.

However, unlike the first generation XUV500, the Mahindra XUV700 is not going to have it all easy. This time around, it has two potential rivals in the form of Tata Safari and Hyundai Alcazar, both of which have managed to impress much with their own set of attributes.

Price

Mahindra is yet to announce the pricing of all the variants of XUV700. The Mahindra XUV700, for starters, will be available in four different variants – MX, AX3, AX5 and AX7. All these variants will come with all the possible powertrain combinations of petrol-manual, petrol-automatic, diesel manual and diesel-automatic.

Currently, the Hyundai Alcazar is priced between Rs. 16.30 lakh to Rs. 19.99 lakh for the petrol variants and Rs. 16.53 lakh to Rs. 20.15 lakh for the diesel variants. The Tata Safari comes only in diesel powered variants, prices of which range between Rs. 14.99 lakh to Rs. 22.02 lakh.

Given the high-end features and best-in-class powertrains, the Mahindra XUV700 is certainly going to be priced over both the Tata Safari and Hyundai Alcazar. However, the base petrol-manual variant, with lesser features, might come with a lower starting price than the better equipped base variant of Hyundai Alcazar.

(all prices Ex-showroom, Delhi)

(All prices mentioned above are ex-showroom, pan India)

Engine and Performance

The Mahindra XUV700 has now set the benchmarks in this segment of seven seater midsize SUVs, when it comes to powertrain options. Both the petrol and diesel powered engines of the XUV700 are much more powerful than those of the Tata Safari and Hyundai Alcazar.

Let’s start with the petrol engine first. The Mahindra XUV700 gets the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine from the Mahindra Thar. However, here, it is in its highest state of tune, as it makes maximum power and torque outputs of 200 PS and 380 Nm respectively. These figures are much more than 159 PS of maximum power output and 191 Nm of maximum torque output from the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated petrol engine of the Hyundai Alcazar. The Tata Safari misses out on a petrol engine option altogether.

The Mahindra XUV700 has topped the game when it comes to diesel powertrain as well. The 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine of the XUV700 produces 185 PS of power and 420 Nm of torque (450 Nm with automatic gearbox). On the other hand, the Tata Safari makes 170 PS of power and 350 Nm of torque from its 2.0-liter Fiat-sourced diesel engine. The Hyundai Alcazar is the least powerful in this class, with 115 PS of maximum power and 250 Nm of maximum torque from its smallest 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine.

Exterior and Dimension

The dimensions of the Mahindra XUV700 are not yet disclosed. However, given the fact that it will be bigger than the outgoing XUV500, it is naturally going to be a bigger SUV than the Hyundai Alcazar. The dimensions more or less are going to be in the ballpark of Tata Safari, which currently is the largest seven-seater SUV in its segment.

Design and Features

All the three SUVs have pushed the envelope much further when it comes to features. On the outside, all these SUVs come with 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, LED tail lamps, daytime running LEDs. While the Tata Safari gets white HID headlamps and conventional halogen fog lamps, the Mahindra XUV700 and Hyundai Alcazar get more premium LED headlamps, with the former getting LED fog lamps as well. The XUV700 also gets first-in-segment flush-type door handles.

On the inside, the common features in all the SUVs are wide touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, powered driver’s seat, panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, push button start with keyless entry, multi-functional tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel and automatic climate control with rear AC vents.

The features which are there in both Hyundai Alcazar and Tata Safari are in-cabin air purifier, wireless charger, full TFT colored instrument console, wireless functionality for Apple Carplay and Android Auto and voice-command system. However, while the Alcazar has the exclusivity of ventilated front seats, the XUV700 comes with built-in Amazon Alexa and dual zone automatic climate control.

Safety Features

When it comes to safety features, it is once again the Mahindra XUV700 which is leading the charts.

All these three SUVs come with front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control, electronic stability control, hill start assist, hill descent control, drive modes, rear parking sensors and rear camera. The XUV700 and Alcazar, in addition, also gets front parking sensors, 360-degree camera and cornering lamps.

The exclusive safety features in the Mahindra XUV700 are the driver knee airbag and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, which include adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring system and driver drowsiness alert.

Verdict

It is clear that when it comes to features, the Tata Safari, despite being a well-equipped SUV, feels a bit dated in front of the Mahindra XUV700 and Hyundai Alcazar. Where the Hyundai Alcazar feels a bit lower-spec than other two SUVs is smaller dimensions which make it looks smallest in this company and least powerful engine options. It is the Mahindra XUV700 which tries to be the new benchmark with the best-in-class engine options and longest list of features.

ALSO READ:

• Mahindra Bolero vs Mahindra Bolero Neo
• 2021 Skoda Kushaq: Active, Ambition and Style Variants Compared
• Skoda Kushaq vs Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos