We drove the recently introduced Mahindra XUV 3XO, which is one of, if not the, best passenger cars from the Indian automaker.
It may comes as a surprise to many that Mahindra has been selling vehicles in the South African market for just over 20 years. The local subsidiary celebrated this milestone a few months ago. While there are many newcomers from the East that have taken the bulk of the recent headlines, this Indian automaker has been slowly and steadily building a fanbase in the local market.
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There has been a gradual improvement with each successive model that Mahindra has introduced locally. We were quite impressed with some of its recent offerings, including the XUV300. It’s most recent arrival, the XUV 3XO, is a heavily revised take on the XUV300. But so heavily revised that it may as well have a new name as well.
What’s New?
Well, the most obvious change is a completely new appearance. The funky-looking front-end is eye-catching. We prefer the 3XO in brighter shades (such as the car pictured above) where the drop-down headlamp units and darkened trim can really stand out. We’ve seen a few in darker shades and they just aren’t as eye-catching. Dual-tone alloys and plastic cladding along the wheel arches and flanks add to the contrast. There are also new taillamp units with a body-wide strip that links the rear lights. From a stylistic point of view the Mahindra makes a statement. It is funky enough, we think, to attract a young audience, which is this car’s target market.
Updated Interior
The ‘funkiness’ continues into the cabin. There’s a digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver. There is another, high-quality screen atop the facia. The touchscreen interface has wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Thankfully, Mahindra has seen fit to retain physical buttons and rotary switches for the HVAC system. There’s also a handy wireless charger just ahead of the gear lever and a 65W USB-C fast charging port. But weirdly, there isn’t really a place to keep your phone if it doesn’t need charging.
Overall the cabin feels quite premium for a budget level vehicle. It could serve as the benchmark for just about every rival in this segment. Thanks to a long wheelbase, similar to that of a large hatchback, there is plenty of space for rear seat passengers. However, boot volume is a bit limited. A fixed rear shelf and high loading lip make accessing the boot a bit of a chore as one has lift items quite high to drop them into the storage area.
Mod-Cons
Infotainment system aside, the 3XO is very well specced. ABS, six airbags and ESP are standard items across the range, which is great to hear. The range-leading AX7L, which we had on review, is also fitted with dual-zone climate control, keyless start, a multifunction steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof, and a Harman Kardon premium audio system. The latter has a subwoofer and an extremely sensitive volume control. 1 on the dial is too soft and 2 is too loud to hear your passenger, anything over 5 is blaring.
One Powertrain
Mahindra has pared back its engine line-up to just one offering. This is a 1,2-litre turbopetrol unit. There are no turbodiesel or naturally aspirated options. There are however two transmissions: a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic. The latter isn’t a CVT or a DCT. Mahindra has stuck with a traditional torque converter, which is smoother shifting, and far more pleasant to drive in our view.
The motor has a healthy 82 kW on tap and even more handy 200 N.m of torque. The turbocharged torque delivery makes for a relaxed nature ie you don’t really have to rev the engine hard to maintain a decent speed. Overtaking is also a cinch with the auto’ transmission that responds well to throttle inputs. The transmission shifts down just as required by throttle inputs and stays in a gear when needed without shuffling to a higher ratio too soon. We didn’t quite manage to get anywhere near the company’s claimed fuel consumption figure. Admittedly, our entire time with the test unit was mostly within the urban scenario.
We found that the Mahindra XUV 3XO has a well resolved ride. The high-ish profile tyres and soft springing means that it handles just about any road imperfections, of which there seems to be an increasing number these days, really well. We suspect the soft ride is a consequence of poor road conditions in the Mahindra’s home market. One area of its dynamics that could be fine-tuned is the steering action. The electrically assisted steering has an overly sensitive lane-departure corrective action.
Summary
To say that Mahindra has come along away, is a bit of an understatement. While other brands from the East arrived, left and returned with ‘new-age’ products, Mahindra stayed the course in SA, offering value-for-money products to the cash-strapped buyer. The evolution was gentle and could be seen over a number of products/years. Mahindra has built a fanbase over time has has learned to trust its brand.
The XUV 3XO AX7L is the brand’s most capable and polished product to date, of this we have no doubt. We tend to see quite a few on a weekly basis. A quick look at local sales stats shows that almost 500 units were sold in June 2025. That figure accounted for the bulks of the automaker’s local passenger car sales that month. If you are weary, as some are, about gambling on a brand from China, then perhaps you’re better off with an automaker that has shown commitment to SA and now delivers an excellent product such as the XUV 3XO.
Model: Mahindra XUV 3XO AX7L
Price: R404 999
Engine: 1,2-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol
Transmission: six-speed automatic, FWD
Max power: 82 kW
Max torque: 200 N.m
0-100 km/h: n/a
Top speed: n/a
Fuel consumption: 5,6 L/100 km (7,7 during review period)