Mahindra XUV400 EV

The Mahindra XUV400 is the all-electric version of the XUV3XO (which was previously known as the XUV300) It’s a slightly larger car compared to its petrol/diesel-powered counterpart and it promises to deliver a more exciting and efficient drive experience. 

Having driven its chief rival, the Tata Nexon EV for nearly 5000km, I was curious to see how the XUV400 fared in the real world. Here’s a detailed review of the Mahindra XUV400 after having spent nearly a month testing it. 

Design and Build Quality

The XUV400’s exterior styling borrows heavily from the now discontinued XUV300. That said, it has its own personality with all the copper inserts peppered throughout. 

The front might not look as futuristic as the XUV3XO, but its conventional styling boasts some premium elements nonetheless, like the sleek LED DRLs. They look chic, especially with the extending copper strip that runs below them. 

The design of the headlights, however, isn’t that impressive. Not only do they look a bit aged, they also make do with halogen projector headlamps, no LEDs here. As a result, their performance in low visibility conditions is strictly average. There are basic halogen foglamps too, which are equally old school.

Viewed from the side, it’s easy to note the increase in length compared to XUV300. The side looks purposeful with muscular fenders, roof rails and clean character lines. Mahindra offers 16-inch dual tone alloy wheels in the EL Pro model. The lower EC Pro variant gets steel wheels, but the tyre size remains the same at 205/65R16. 

It’s the rear of the XUV400 that’s by far the most chunky overall. The bumper is massive and so are the taillights, which get interesting LED elements within them. Mahindra has paid attention to detail here, with the Mahindra logo, XUV400 badging and EV badging finished in copper instead of the usual chrome. It’s a small but classy touch! 

The build quality on the XUV400 feels solid. The doors shut with a reassuring thud and feel heavy too. I’ve got no complaints regarding paint quality or panel gap inconsistencies either. 

Mahindra offers some interesting colour options with the XUV400. This includes Everest White,

Napoli Black, Galaxy Grey, Nebula Blue, Infinity Blue and Arctic Blue. All variants are available with a Copper-coloured roof in the EL Pro model. 

We now feel it’s time for the XUV400 to borrow the design from the XUV3XO. It looks dated from the outside and a fresher design will most definitely help it grab more eyeballs.

Design and Quality

The interior design of the Mahindra XUV400, however, is identical to that of the XUV3XO. In fact, it was the EV that debuted the refreshed styling with the free-floating touchscreen, new instrumentation and new steering wheel design. 

It is a nice place to be in, with the dual tone theme creating a sense of space. There are copper inserts here as well, which along with the piano black elements up the premium factor. But the latter does pick up dust and scratches rather easily, so keep a dusting cloth handy!

While the central AC control unit has big, well-defined buttons and dials, the display for the AC controls is rather slim and looks old school. Mahindra could’ve offered digital displays within the two temperature and fan speed control knobs, which would’ve made the cabin look modern and even more premium. 

The cabin quality is decent with no major complaints, though it could be better. Fit and finish are good, there’s leatherette seats on offer and you also get soft-touch materials on the central and door armrests. But the rest of the cabin sports plastic elements only. Given that the same platform-based 3XO offers soft-touch materials on its dashboard and door pads, the same material could’ve been offered here as well. 

Front Seats

It gets leatherette seats, which not only feel nice to touch but are actually pretty comfortable on both short and long journeys. Their cushioning is on the softer side, and you get good support from the big side contours as well. There’s manual seat height adjustment on offer, and despite the omission of telescopic steering adjustment, finding a comfortable driving position is easy.

Rear Seats

The XUV400’s rear seat experience is far better than that of the Nexon EV. Just like the front seats, the rear bench offers both balanced cushioning and support, which makes it a comfortable place on long distance journeys. And because the cabin is wide, the floor is flat and the backrest is flat-ish, three people can actually sit here without any major complaints. In fact, the middle passenger also gets a headrest, so they won’t have issues on long distance journeys as well.

Average-sized adults won’t complain about knee- and headroom. However, underthigh support could be better. That’s because you sit in a slightly knee-up position and really tall adults (6ft+) could feel a slight discomfort here.

But no one will ever feel cramped in the XUV400’s rear seats. The cabin already is spacious and you get big windows that offer a clear view out. So whether you’re looking at it as a chauffeur driven vehicle or one that will be comfortable for your elderly parents, the XUV400 won’t disappoint you. 

Storage and Practicality

Most cars get the usual 1-litre bottle pockets on all four doors. But the XUV400 goes one step ahead and offers two bottle slots in each door for the front passengers. Your coffee mugs can be stored in the two cupholders in the central tunnel, above which is a decent cubby hole underneath the armrest. The wireless charging pad can be used to keep wallet and keys when not in use and you also get a roof mounted sunglass holder. 

The glovebox is generous too and can store your knick knacks along with the vehicle documents. Moving to the rear, there’s a phone storage area beneath the rear AC vents and two cupholders in the central armrest. 

Before this update, the XUV400 offered an open space in the passenger-side dashboard, which has not been removed. It was useful to store loose stuff like keys and the XUV400’s practicality would’ve been even more complete if this space was still available.

Charging Options

There are two USB ports and a wireless charger up front, while the rear occupants get the convenience of a 12V socket along with a type-C port. 

Features

The feature list of the XUV400 is quite comprehensive. Basics include keyless entry, push button start/stop, cruise control, powered mirrors, automatic headlamps and wipers, and an auto-dimming IRVM. It also features dual-zone climate control that lets you set individual temperatures for the driver and co-driver side. 

The highlight is the large 10.25-inch touchscreen that runs the same software as the XUV700. It is easy to use, works lag-free and has crisp graphics. Toggling between core menus is easy, courtesy of the physical buttons just underneath the screen. It supports wireless Android Auto as well as Apple CarPlay. The screen is paired with a basic 6-speaker sound system. 

The 10.25-inch driver’s display too feels premium with neat graphics. It relays a ton of information, right from trip details to tyre pressure figures – all of which takes scrolling of some menus. Navigating through them might be confusing at first, but you get a hang of it rather soon as the steering-mounted controls are well laid out. 

Another highlight for the driver display is the navigation feed that can also be shown directly here. But sadly, it only works with Mahindra’s in-built navigation, and not with Google or Apple Maps.

Despite the XUV400 gaining so many new features, it still misses out on equipment compared to its rivals and the list includes a branded audio system, ventilated seats, 360-degree camera and vehicle-to-load tech. These misses pinch even more so when you realise the smaller 3XO offers more kit than the XUV400.

Sure, not having a few of these features won’t necessarily mean that you’re missing out or compromising, but ventilated seats and 360-degree camera are things that you would surely have appreciated. Given that the 3XO and XUV400 share a lot of similarities in their cabin, it is possible that Mahindra could add these features as part of a facelift very soon. Dawn of the 4XO? Only time will tell.

In terms of features, the XUV400 gets dual airbags, ISOFIX mounts, all-four disc brakes, tyre pressure monitoring system, and ABS with EBD as standard equipment. 

The top-spec trim further gets six airbags, rear defogger with wiper and washer, hill-hold assist and a rear view camera. Although, the execution of the rear view camera could’ve been better as the feed’s quality isn’t the best and it doesn’t guide guidelines either. The latter will be added via an OTA update, says Mahindra.

BharatNCAP has crash tested the XUV400 where it secured a full five star rating for adult occupant safety as well as child occupant safety. It scored 30.38/32 for adult safety and 43/49 for child safety.

One of the advantages of the XUV400 over its chief rival and even the 3XO is its boot space. Thanks to the elongated rear, you get 378 litres of space. Not only is it massive, but the floor is deep and the area is wide, so a full suitcase set that includes a small, medium and large suitcase can fit easily. Even after that, you have space for a duffle or a couple of laptop bags.

Additionally, the rear seats fold 60:40, which allows you to store more or longer items. However, the floor isn't flat since the seats are slightly raised, and, also, Mahindra still doesn’t offer a parcel tray here. But overall, the XUV400’s boot won’t leave you wanting for more.

Mahindra offers two battery pack options with the XUV400: 34.5kWh and 39.5kWh. However, the motor output remains the same at 150PS and 310Nm. 

City Performance

Driving the XUV400 is a very pleasant experience and despite its electric nature, new or amateur drivers won’t take time to adapt to it. There are three driving modes on offer – Fun, Fast and Fearless – and irrespective of the drive mode you’re in, you won’t feel a lack of performance. 

Power is delivered instantly, courtesy of its electric nature, which makes both city and highway overtakes very easy. The acceleration is quick, but doesn’t feel scary as the throttle calibration is smooth. So when you get on the throttle, the XUV400 picks up speed smoothly and doesn’t feel jerky.  

Between the three driving modes, you’ll feel a change between its throttle response and steering weight. The fun mode is equivalent to a conventional Eco mode, wherein the car picks up speed very smoothly, which is adequate for relaxed city and highway driving. If you want the throttle to be sharper, you can switch to fast or even the fearless mode if needed. 

The car picks speed really quickly in the latter, and while it is still smooth and linear, it can be a little overwhelming for a new driver who isn’t used to an EV’s instant torque. But even new drivers won’t have any issues getting used to the XUV400’s regenerative braking.

It varies slightly between the three modes and the intensity depends on the speed of the vehicle, but it still feels natural at all times. You additionally get a single-pedal drive mode, which has really strong regen and can bring the car to a complete standstill as well. That’s something you will certainly appreciate in bumper to bumper traffic. 

Highway Performance

If you don’t mind planning ahead, you can do even longer road trips with the XUV400 as it gets fast-charging capabilities of up to 50kW. The DC fast charger takes only 50 minutes to charge the XUV400’s battery from 0-80%. So when you stop for some stretching and snacking, your car can juice up quickly as well.

Beyond your usual city commutes, the XUV400 can definitely be used as a road trip vehicle too. It can comfortably maintain triple digit speeds and acceleration even at these speeds is practically instantaneous. You can truly enjoy the full potential of the XUV400 out on the highway. 

Note: Mahindra XUV400 Real World Range

Another thing to appreciate is the XUV400’s range. Mahindra claims a range of 456km for the larger 39.5kWh. In our tests the SUV could be driven 290km on a full charge. 

To put that into perspective, if you have a daily running of around 40kms, then you’ll only have to charge the vehicle once a week. And with 290km of real-world range, you can take it beyond the city borders and easily do intercity trips like Delhi-Jaipur, or Mumbai-Pune, provided that you have a charger at the destination. 

While we haven’t tested the smaller battery on the XUV400, a similar efficiency could see it return ~240-260km of range on a full charge.

The XUV400’s suspension takes up all the potholes, speed breakers and rough roads that our city’s infrastructure can throw at it. It works silently and you’ll rarely ever feel movement inside the cabin, despite the additional weight of the battery pack. Even when you miss a speed breaker or pothole and can’t brake and stop the vehicle in time for it, the XUV400’s suspension will still keep the movement to a minimum and absorb the impact for the most part. 

It is only over really broken roads with deep potholes that you’ll feel movement inside the cabin, which could be uncomfortable for older people sitting in the back seat. So it is best to take those patches at a really slow speed. 

The ride comfort is appreciable on the highway too as the car feels planted and the movement is controlled despite any sudden change in elevation. It is stable around a corner too – that is, if you drive in a regular manner. Drive a little spiritedly and the XUV400’s additional weight makes itself known and the car starts to understeer. But take it easy and your family won’t have anything to complain about on those road trips in the hills.

The Mahindra XUV400 is offered in two variants: EC Pro and EL Pro

Mahindra XUV400 EC Pro:

• This variant is available only with the smaller 34.5kWh battery pack. 

• Exterior highlights include 16-inch steel wheels, LED tail lights, LED indicators on ORVMs and a rear spoiler.

• The cabin features a dual-tone theme, fabric upholstery and functional features such as a front armrest, and 60:40 split second row.

• Features include dual-zone climate control, rear AC vents, passive keyless entry, push button start/stop and powered mirrors. Do note there’s no music system available. 

• Safety kit consists of dual airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control and tyre pressure monitoring system. 

Mahindra XUV400 EL Pro: 

• This variant is available with two battery pack options: 34.5kWh and 39.5kWh.

• Additions to the exterior include 16-inch alloy wheels, projector headlights, LED DRLs and front fog lamps. 

• Interior experience is richer with leatherette upholstery, leather-wrapped steering wheel and rear armrest. 

• Feature additions include a 10.25-inch touchscreen (with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, reverse camera, single-pane sunroof and a reverse parking camera. 

• Safety is improved with the addition of side and curtain airbags, rear washer wiper and defogger along with hill assist.

CarDekho recommends:

• Unless you’re on a strict budget, do not consider the EC Pro variant. 

• The EL Pro variant of the Mahindra XUV400 very easily justifies its price premium.

In a day and age where cars try really hard to grab your attention with futuristic, alluring gimmicks and looks, the XUV400 sticks to the basics and gets them right. It offers a sober design, a spacious cabin, a large boot and doesn’t compromise on comfort either. The feature list is better than it used to be, but still has scope for improvement. 

With a real world range of up to 300km, the XUV400 can be a good option for those with high running, especially on a fixed route. It becomes even more convenient if you can install a charger at home or office to use for overnight battery charging. 

As good as the XUV400’s package is, it is wiser to wait for an updated model to launch with features and styling from the XUV3XO. 

Other Cars To Consider

Tata Nexon EV

Reasons to consider

• More modern styling

• Better features: panoramic sunroof, branded audio system, 360° camera

• More real world range of upto 330km

Reasons to ignore

• Not as spacious

MG Windsor EV

Reasons to consider

• Better backseat experience

• More features: powered driver’s seat, V2L/V2V charging

Reasons to ignore

• Not as fun to drive