Mahindra XUV 3XO

The Mahindra XUV 3XO (XUV300 facelift), is our home grown brand’s attempt at cracking the ever competitive sub 4-metre SUV segment. The brand is no stranger to this space, having launched multiple products such as the Quanto (later updated to Nuvosport), and TUV300 (now known as the Bolero Neo). The XUV 3XO competes against popular models such as the Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, and Maruti Suzuki Brezza.

After driving the 3XO extensively and spending some time with its direct rivals, which focus on being the best at one or two aspects, it becomes clear to me that the 3XO is promising to do a little bit of everything and offering quite a loaded package for the price.

It's clear at first glance that Mahindra wants the 3XO to stand out and grab attention, and it does so with its aggressive styling. Subtle styling is not something you’re going to find here, irrespective of the variant you choose.

The lighting elements here are the highlights with sharp LED projector headlamps and C-shaped DRLs at the front, and connected LED taillamps at the rear. All these elements, especially at the front, add to the aggressive styling, and bring in a modern touch.

However, the front end design is likely to split opinions. The sharp character lines, chrome elements, and gloss black elements together make the front end design busy. I feel Mahindra could have achieved a similar ‘mean’ look with a cleaner design.

From the side, you'll notice that it has a typical SUV look with muscular styling. The must haves of a long nose, flat roofline, and a tall stance are done right. It sits on 17-inch dual-tone alloys which suit its modern yet rugged styling, and is further complimented by chunky cladding. But, something that grabs unnecessary attention are the cuts on the wheel arches, which look awkward.

Its rear is the most appealing angle with the connected lighting setup and a large bumper. It looks great from the back and the bumper makes it look butch and muscular. One thing that would have made it look even better is a shark fin antenna, which is an odd miss.

Colour options for the XUV 3XO include: Citrine Yellow, Deep Forrest, Dune Beige, Everest White, Galaxy Grey, Nebula Blue, Stealth Black, and Tango Red. All of these shades are also available with a black roof. I personally prefer the Citrine Yellow as it grabs a lot of attention, but the Tango Red and Stealth Black suit the car just as well.

As far as the design is concerned, the 3XO is one of the most attention grabbing cars in its segment. It’s also quite a sharp change from the XUV300 which looks very subdued in comparison. We like the aggressive and mean looking design which gives it a great road presence, and this design sits well in the carmaker’s lineup.

Design & Quality

Unlike the exterior, which is outright in your face, the cabin takes a subtle approach. The design is simple and to a certain extent minimalistic, and the use of good quality materials and consistent fit and finish bring a sense of premiumness. It gets a dual-tone black and white colour scheme which makes the cabin look roomier and classy at the same time. 

The entire dashboard is covered in soft touch leatherette padding, as are the doors, which is something unseen in this segment. The gloss black panel on the dashboard is textured, and there has been a generous use of gloss black element in the centre console. Nothing feels loose or flimsy, all the buttons are solid, the AC vents have a sense of weight to them, and all touch points are covered in soft touch padding.

For reference, the Kia Syros has recently set a benchmark in terms of cabin quality and material selection, and the 3XO is very close to what the Kia SUV offers. In fact, even the Kia Sonet offers a cabin that is as rich and well built as the 3XO’s.

Front Seats

Getting in and out of the 3XO is easy due to its tall stance. Once inside, you’ll notice that just like the doors and dashboard, the seats are also covered in leatherette upholstery, and so is the centre armrest. These seats look good, but due to their white shade, keeping them clean and spot free will be a tedious task, especially if you have children.

The front seats offer good space for an average-sized adult, and even a 6-foot tall passenger will not have any complaints regarding space. There is ample amount of headroom, the seats hold you in place thanks to the chunky bolsters, and there is enough footroom to easily stretch your legs, however, the underthigh support is lacking, and could have been better.

These seats offer balanced cushioning, not too hard and not too soft, which means you can sit comfortably for both long and short journeys. The headrests are adjustable for added convenience and even at its lowest position, the driver seat offers a commanding view of the road.

The seat adjustment is manual but what you do get is a long range of adjustment. This means someone well over 6 feet in height can sit with their legs stretched out if needed. Believe it or not, tall drivers will be more comfortable here than they will be in the Toyota Fortuner! But, there is no telescopic steering adjustment, which should have been present. But, to make the driving position more comfortable, Mahindra has offered an adjustable front armrest, which can be moved ahead if you’re a short driver or passenger.

Due to its adjustment range, the commanding view you get from the driver seat, and no major blind spots, the 3XO becomes very beginner friendly, and the only thing you need to get used to is the car’s dimensions, especially if you’re shifting from a small hatchback or sedan.

Rear Seat

Just like the front, getting in and out of the rear seats is also very easy thanks to the wide opening doors. Once you get inside, you notice how wide and spacious the rear seats are. There is enough headroom for 6-footers, even after the presence of a panoramic sunroof, and the kneeroom and footroom will not leave you wanting for more. What will make you want more, is the underthigh support, which is sub par.

This rear seat has enough space for three passengers to sit comfortably, with little to no shoulder overlap. However, the middle passenger sits slightly upright, which can cause discomfort during long road trips. The good thing is that Mahindra has provided adjustable headrests for all three passengers.

As far as visibility is concerned, the big windows and massive sunroof brings in a lot of light, which makes this white cabin feel even more airy, and there are no frontal visibility issues. The big windows also allow you to look outside with ease, and the windowline is thankfully not too high.

For rear seat amenities, the passengers get a centre armrest with cupholders and adjustable rear AC vents. If Mahindra added sunblinds, the overall rear seat experience would have become a lot better.

Storage & Practicality

There is ample amount of in-cabin storage inside the 3XO. The front occupants get two 1-litre bottle holders in the doors along with smaller pockets on the side. The centre console has two cupholders, and the wireless charging pad doubles as a tray.

There is storage under the front armrest, and the glovebox is massive with multiple levels. Rear passengers get similar door pockets with 1-litre bottle holders and some space on the side. They also get two cupholders in the centre armrest, seat back pockets, and a tray under the rear armrest to keep their phone.

Charging Options

There is a wireless phone charger in the front, along with a USB port, and a 65W type-C fast charging port. Rear passengers get a 12V socket and a type-C charging port.

Overall, the 3XO’s cabin proves to be premium with its design, fit and finish, choice of materials, and offers good space for a family of 5. It gets all the necessary storage options, and appeals to a family with its practical nature. With cars like the Syros offering better space and a more premium cabin in this segment, the 3XO is surely not the best in this regard, but what it offers is more than enough for a family, and it definitely deserves a 4 out of 5 rating for its interior quality and space.

Features

First, let’s look at the basic everyday use and functional features of the XUV 3XO, which are detailed in this table.

On top of these features, it also gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which gets a very user-friendly interface with large icons and easily navigable settings. This screen works without lag and supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which work as intended.

Next to this touchscreen is a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, which has neat graphics, multiple themes, and it displays the drive information clearly. However, switching between views and settings (done through steering mounted controls) takes time and makes this screen feel slow.

It also gets a wireless phone charger, which charges your phone at a fast speed, but it can heat up your phone very quickly. Also, there’s a panoramic sunroof, which brings in a lot of light into the cabin, and is one of the biggest sunroofs in the segment.

A 360-degree camera is also available which is useful in getting out of tight parking spaces, and it comes with a blind view monitor, the feed of which is displayed on the driver’s display when you indicate. However, the feed of the camera is too small, and the frame rate keeps dropping which leads to lag.

Apart from these standard safety features, the 3XO gets a tyre pressure monitoring system, front parking sensors, rain sensing wipers, auto dimming IRVM, a 360-degree camera, and an electronic parking brake with auto hold.

The top-spec variant brings in level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) features like adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, and high beam assist.

3XO gets a radar based ADAS which is paired with a front facing camera. This setup makes these aforementioned ADAS features usable in multiple conditions and environments, including low light and rain. However, in our use, we noticed that these ADAS features, especially adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, need well marked lanes to function properly.

On top of this, the XUV 3XO has a 5-star crash test safety rating from Bharat NCAP, making it one of the safest offerings in its segment. Couping this with the extensive safety kit, the 3XO deserves a 5 out or 5 rating in its safety department.

Mahindra offers the XUV 3XO with a 295-litre boot if measured up to the parcel shelf, but unfortunately there is no parcel shelf on offer. This limited boot is deep and wide, but is too small length wise, due to which you can’t put large suitcases here easily.

We managed to keep one medium suitcase, one small suitcase, and two soft bags, but that was it. Mahindra offers the boot with hooks on the side if you want to keep some groceries, but with a boot full of luggage, keeping anything else, no matter how small, will be a difficult task. If you do need to keep additional items, the rear seat comes with a 60:40 split, which can be folded to create more space, but the fold is not flat.

On top of that, the boot lip is a little too high due to the large bumper, which makes it difficult to load or unload luggage. This boot is best utilised if you use small cabin sized suitcases, and even then the space and execution is not up to the mark, which leads to its rating being just 2 out of 5.

The Mahindra XUV 3XO is offered with three engine options: 

The 3XO is the only car in its segment to offer two turbo-petrol engines along with a diesel one.. The power output of its engine options are similar to its rivals, but its TDGi turbo-petrol is the most powerful in the segment.

That was the engine in our test unit which we drove recently, and this is what the experience was like.

1.2-litre TGDi Turbo-petrol

This is the most powerful engine this car offers, and that is seen from the eagerness it brings. The refinement levels are okay, but could have been better, as some vibrations were felt in the footwell, steering wheel, and even on the seats in our experience. This is more apparent during cold starts but gets smoother as the engine warms up.

City Drive Experience

Take your foot off the brake pedal, and the first thing you’ll notice is the fast crawl speed. The engine is too eager to start going, and that causes some trouble when you’re in bumper to bumper traffic, as you have to be very measured with the brakes.

But once you stand moving at city speeds, you realise that you have more than enough power for quick overtakes, and cruising around in the city is effortless. We drove the automatic variant of the 3XO, and the gear changes were smooth and intuitive.

With the manual, the gear throws are slick, the clutch is light, and you can easily drive it around in the city. Since this engine has a lot of power at low RPMs, the pick up at slow speeds is more than enough, you never feel that it’s lethargic, and you can easily cruise around in 2nd or 3rd gear.

As far as fuel efficiency goes, do not expect much from this engine, as it focuses more on performance. With the manual, you can get around 9-10kmpl in the city, while the automatic offers close to 8kmpl.

Highway Performance

Once you reach the highway, you realise how powerful this engine actually is. It picks up speed effortlessly and getting to 100 kmph takes no time. Overtakes are effortless and require no planning whatsoever.

Even here, the gear changes with the automatic are smooth, and if you need to overtake someone at high speeds, it quickly downshifts to avoid any delay. With the manual, the in gear acceleration when in 5th is a little slow, and you’ll have to downshift to overtake if you’re cruising at 80 or 90 kmph.

The fuel efficiency with the manual will be around 14-15kmpl, and with the automatic it will be close to 13kmpl.

1.2-litre MPFi Turbo-petrol

This is the slightly less powerful turbo-petrol engine, but the drive experience is quite similar to the more powerful version. The refinement levels are similar, and the performance is enough for a relaxed driving experience.

City Performance

Inside the city, cruising is easy with this engine, and so are overtakes. It offers a smooth and relaxed drive experience and won’t make you complain. In bumper to bumper traffic, this engine is a little less eager, which makes it easier for you as you don’t have to be very careful with the brakes.

It gets the same transmission options as the more powerful engine, and the experience is the same as well. Manual comes with a light clutch, gear throws are slick, and you can keep driving in 2nd or 3rd gear with ease.

The automatic transmission makes life easier with smooth and timely gear shifts, and is more convenient if you drive in the city a lot.

This engine offers slightly better fuel efficiency as well. With the manual, you can get around 10-11kmpl in the city, and with the automatic, it's around 9-10kmpl.

Highway Performance

While this engine does not offer an as exciting a drive experience like the TGDi does, the performance is still enough for your highway use. With this engine, you can get to high speeds easily, and overtakes do not require much planning. 

The experience with the manual and automatic transmissions is the same as with the TGDi engine, and the only major difference in performance comes at high speeds (90-100 kmph), when acceleration becomes a little slow, and overtakes require some planning.

Here, with the manual, you can get a fuel efficiency of around 15-16kmpl, and with the automatic, it is close to 14kmpl.

1.5-litre Diesel

This engine is an all-rounder which gives you a good balance between performance and fuel efficiency. For a diesel unit, the refinement levels are what you’d expect, and while there are some vibrations here and there, you’d easily get used to them.

City Performance

There isn’t much of a difference in city performance when compared to the petrol engines, but you do have much more torque to play around with. Bumper to bumper traffic is easily handled with this engine, and even at city speeds, you don’t need to worry about quick acceleration and overtakes.

With the manual, you can easily cruise around in 2nd gear, and while the clutch is a little hard, it is normal for a diesel engine. The gears slot into place nicely as well.

For automatic options, this engine gets an AMT, which isn’t a true automatic, but gets the job done. However, you will notice all the gear changes, and the shifts will also take more time. There is a learning curve involved with the AMT, but once you get the hang of it, city drives become very convenient.

Since it is a diesel mill, you can get good fuel efficiency out of it. Both with the manual and AMT, you can get around 13-14kmpl in the city.

Highway Performance

On the highway, this engine allows you to accelerate quickly, and getting to 100 kmph will not take much time. Overtakes are effortless and you get a relaxed driving experience out of it. 

If you like to enjoy your highway drives, we’d recommend the manual, as the AMT is a little slow to change gears, especially when you’re accelerating hard to quickly get to high speeds. You will have to take your foot off the throttle in order to change the gear, and for quick overtakes, the AMT will take some time to downshift, which can hinder your experience.

Fuel efficiency on the highway with both manual and automatic will be around 17-18 kmpl. If you’re cruising at 80 kmph, you can get a higher mileage.

To sum up, the 3XO offers multiple engine options, which range from fuel efficient to fun-to-drive. But there are other options in the segment which offer a more exciting drive experience, like the Kylaq, and similar fuel economy, like the Nexon, Sonet, and Venue. 

Out of 5, the drive experience of the 3XO is a solid 4, and it does have something for everyone.

Ride Quality

The ride quality of the 3XO is one of its highlights, and it shows that Mahindra had intentions of making a true family car. The suspension setup is balanced, not too soft, not too stiff, which creates a plush ride quality.

Over bad roads, small speed breakers, and small potholes, the 3XO manages to keep cabin movement to a minimum. Over deeper potholes or non-existent roads, there is noticeable body roll, but on most surfaces, the passengers inside the cabin do not feel any major movement.

Even on the highways, it handles undulations well. You don’t feel most of the cracks and unevenness, but whatever is felt inside the cabin is just slow movement. You’ll never get a sudden jerk if you’re driving properly, and even during sudden lane changes, the side to side movement of the passengers is kept to a minimum.

Handling

The 3XO is a family car with the right amount of performance and capability to keep things exciting.

At city speeds, the steering feels light which leads to easy maneuverability. This makes parking easy as well as taking U-turns. Due to the light steering wheel, getting out of tight spaces becomes very easy, and driving a big car like the 3XO in the city becomes effortless.

But the surprising part is its high speed stability. It remains planted on the highway and even sudden lane changes feel stable. At high speeds, the steering has some weight to it, which makes turns more precise. While this is a family car, it does keep up with spirited drives though the experience is more engaging in the Skoda Kylaq.

On the ride and handling front, the 3XO is a solid 4 out of 5.

• The Mahindra XUV 3XO comes in 9 broad variants: MX1, MX2, MX2 Pro, MX3, MX3 Pro, AX5, AX5 Luxury, AX7, and AX7 Luxury.

• The diesel engine is available from the MX2 variant, and the TGDi turbo-petrol is limited to the top three variants only.

MX1

• Gets halogen headlamps, LED tail lamps, 16-inch steel wheels, and no roof rails.

• The cabin has a dual-tone theme with black fabric seats and no soft touch materials.

• Comes with basic features like electrically adjustable ORVMs, power windows, manual AC, and rear AC vents.

• Safety kit gets 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, rear parking sensors, and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

MX2

• This is the entry level diesel variant, and does not get any other engine option.

• Does not get any exterior changes apart from an antenna.

• Feature additions include steering mounted controls, front USB and rear type-C ports, and keyless entry.

• Main addition is a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system paired with a 4-speaker sound system.

MX2 Pro

• Brings back MPFi turbo-petrol engine along with the diesel one. Also the entry level petrol automatic variant.

• The only exterior change is 16-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, and the only feature addition is a single-pane sunroof.

MX3

• Gets AMT with the diesel engine.

• No changes to the exterior and interior design.

• Gets feature additions like an HD 10.25-inch information system, wireless Android Auto, wired Apple CarPlay, cruise control, and a wireless phone charger.

• No additions to the safety kit.

MX3 Pro

• It only comes with exterior changes like LED projector headlamps, LED DRLs, connected LED taillamps, and 16-inch styled steel wheels.

AX5

• Exterior changes include roof rails and 16-inch alloy wheels. 

• Cabin gets leatherette wrap on steering wheel and gear knob along with a height adjustable driver’s seat, adjustable rear middle headrest, and a rear centre armrest

• Gets many additional features like dual-zone climate control, auto folding ORVMs, push button start/stop, and one touch up driver window.

• Infotainment package gets a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, wireless Apple CarPlay, and a 6-speaker sound system.

• Safety kit gets upgraded with a rearview camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system, a rear wiper and washer, and a rear defogger.

AX5 Luxury

• Only comes with the TDGi turbo-petrol engine option.

• Main feature addition is a 360-degree camera and Level 2 ADAS.

• Also gets a blind view monitor, an electronic parking brake with auto hold, auto dimming IRVM, and a cooled glovebox.

AX7

• Exterior changes include LED fog lamps and 17-inch alloy wheels.

• Cabin gets white leatherette seats and soft touch padding on the dashboard and doors.

• Major feature additions include a panoramic sunroof, a Harman Kardon sound system, 65W type-C fast charger, and front parking sensors.

AX7 Luxury

• Gets the same additions as AX5 Luxury.

CarDekho Recommends

• Pick the MX2 variant if you’re on a budget. It comes with the diesel engine, and offers basic features in all departments. Spend more for the MX2 Pro if you want a turbo-petrol engine.

• Go for the AX5 variant if you want a more premium package. It offers good everyday use features, a great infotainment package, and a good exterior design. Pick the AX5 Luxury if ADAS is a priority for you or if you want the more powerful turbo-petrol engine.

The Mahindra XUV 3XO delivers on the promise of being a true family car in the sub 4-metre space, and it manages to do that by offering great features, good space for 5 people, and a comfortable ride quality. Yes, its design might be polarising and we wish it offered a bigger boot but the package otherwise is impressive.

This car, with what it offers, definitely deserves a 4 out of 5 rating.

Other Options To Consider

Tata Nexon

Reasons To Consider

• Good feature list

• Both petrol and diesel engine options

Reasons To Ignore

• Less rear seat space

Skoda Kylaq

Reasons To Consider

• Exciting and fun-to-drive experience

• Graceful exterior styling

• More affordable

Reasons To Ignore

• Less feel good features

• No ADAS

• Less rear seat space

Hyundai Venue/ Kia Sonet

Reasons To Consider

• Get NA petrol engine options for a more relaxed city drive experience

• More affordable top-spec variants

Reasons To Ignore

• Less feature loaded

• Low on rear seat space

Kia Syros

Reasons To Consider

• Best rear seat experience

• Great feature and safety package

• Great cabin quality

Reasons To Ignore

• Polarizing exterior design

• More expensive than its rivals