On the surface, the Mahindra XUV700 may not be a fleet vehicle as most would expect, but the list price tells a different story. That, and the impressive value for money proposition Mahindra’s new seven-seater offers.

Mahindra is not a new name to NZ Company Vehicle or our readers, though to be fair, we’re more familiar with the Pik Up, given its working nature, which some contractor companies have also ‘picked up’ on.

The Mahindra vehicles of today come with a new corporate identity and a new take on what the company is marketing and today, it is the XUV700’s time to shine.

And that is precisely what it is doing. With the XUV700, Mahindra is demonstrating how quickly and how well, the brand has matured. .

The formula for affordability and great use of inner space was there, but to put it kindly, the ‘outer clothes’ were a little Bohemian.

Well, Bohemia is in the rear view as far as Mahindra 2023 is concerned.

Today, the XUV700 is a smart looking SUV with staunch and solid lines and shape to it, not quite abandoning its identity, but making sure its styling is relevant and desirable.

Of course, it’s not all about looks. The Mahindra XUV700 comes in three models and this, the XUV700 AX7L is the top of the line. The AX7 sits below it and the five seat AX5 provides the entry point for the XUV700.

Typically, NZ Company Vehicle would be rooting for the underdog but the AX5 takes a bit of a hit in regards its safety systems.

You don’t get ADAS systems; Adaptive cruise, Pilot assist, Forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring and high beam assist, until you go to the AX7 model.

Go one teensy step further and the AX7L gives you blind spot monitoring, knee airbag, 360-degree surround camera view, and other niceties like wireless charging and continuous digital video recording and a few other things as well as all that has gone before.

So, in this instance, we are going to recommend the top spec’ version, which is still staggeringly affordable despite its premium equipment level.

This extends to the cabin refinement too. Premium quality materials and trim – including white leatherette for the seats (not to all tastes perhaps, but Mahindra is proving a point here) – are found throughout the cabin and for the stuff we could expect to be less than plush, it is certainly a step up from some product we have seen recently.

And thanks to some sincere flattery and a homage to luxury auto marques, Mahindra has positioned its seat adjuster switchgear on the doors while two conjoined 10.25-inch displays make up what Mahindra calls Superscreen and that – Mr Cecil B DeMille – is not a screen to be sneezed at.

So, yes, there’s plenty of surprise and bedazzle in the cabin which just quietly, is among the best of the proper seven – adult – seaters in the market today.

Sure, boot space is compromised to about 240 litres when all seats are in service, but we’ve found seven seat troop carriers don’t usually need to have lots of bootspace.

If the seats are set up properly in terms of area – and the Mahindra’s are – cargo is frequently best distributed in and around the occupants. When you only need furniture for five, you do get 450 litres of space to stuff your stuff.

The ride is superb. We loved it. So smooth and so quiet, it puts others to shame without even trying. And as far as chassis dynamics go, the XUV700 gives good accounting for itself even when pushed on open roads. It’s an SUV a car driver can enjoy.

Part of that is down to the engine, in this instance, a two-litre, four pot petrol with an unobtrusive turbo and direct injection mated up to an Aisin six-speed automatic. Perhaps not the most athletic sounding combination but in fact, we found it to be much better than expected.

Mahindra’s combined fuel figure is a conservative 8.3 litres per 100km. We made it into the sevens, but this was most easily done when doing big kilometres.

For the mile munching rep then, the XUV700 stacks up well, though a little gamification in terms of ‘whose fuel figure was the lowest this month’ should keep that eight-litre and a bit figure comfortably in the fuel reports.

There’s a lot to like about the XUV700 and not a lot to frown about. Mahindra’s time is very definitely ‘now’ and we reckon it’s products are only going to get better, but we’re picking the brand is going to be holding its value for money proposition for a good while yet – though the XUV700 is hard to match.