New Mahindra XUV-500 Tested on the Snowy Run
What better test for your new Mahindra XUV500 than a run from Moranbah in Central Queensland down to the Snowy Mountains, with the family aboard, and with a pop-up caravan in tow?
That’s the challenge Brett Ogden, window tinter/stay at home Dad from Moranbah in Central Queensland chose to give his Mahindra XUV500 and the results of the approximately 4000-kilometre haul were nothing if not surprising.
On top of the five passengers and luggage, for the return trip Brett added a 6-berth pop-top camper – itself containing cargo – to the challenge. Put to the test, the XUV500’s 140bhp, 2.2 litre mHawk, direct injection diesel engine stood tall.
“On the way down we easily achieved 7.6 litres per 100 km with 2 adults, 3 kids and baggage. Then, with the top camper attached on the way back, the XUV500 towed it without a hiccup and the fuel economy was still only 8.8 kilometres per 100 kilometres.
“And that was without me even babying it.
“The engine is really powerful and refined; we’re very impressed with the Mahindra.
“It was my wife that picked it; we had set criteria for a new car. It had to be turbo diesel, manual because she loves manual, and we wanted leather, because with the three kids and dogs and stuff, you just wipe the mess away. We also wanted something new with no issues or anything else, and didn’t want to go into enormous amounts of debt for it.”
As a former car salesman himself, Brett has a keen eye for sorting the wheat from the chaff, and he found that the Mahindra ticked every box. After they test drove a few other makes and models and they came back to the XUV500.
Brett really appreciates that for a vehicle that looks so compact from the outside, the XUV500 has loads of room on the inside, and not just plentiful legroom – “There are little nooks and crannies everywhere. “Like, cup-holders everywhere, and when you’re on a long trip and you have to go through the drive-through, you don’t have to worry about drinks spilling over because everyone has a cup-holder, even the third row. Everyone’s got what they need.”
Brett really likes the cornering lights and how much of a difference they make, but his kids really get a kick out of the Voice Command function. His son loves the fact that the XUV500 has third row seats, and that he can control the air conditioning himself separately from the other areas of the vehicle.
The simple fact that there’s vents in the third and second row, that is something that people who have been in the car, and found themselves sitting in the middle row, have all commented on. Usually you just get those under seat vents.”
Brett’s other car that he uses around town as a promotional vehicle is a big American style PikUp, so he enjoys the contrast of economical motoring. “It’s a big gas-guzzling V8, so the whole idea of being able to look at the fuel economy and go, ‘wow, we’re near 1000 km from a 74 litre tank in the Mahindra – it’s just great.
“Where we are at Moranbah, it’s doing a lot of 100kph driving, on what I would call pretty ordinary roads. And everything’s super-sized here because of the mines; big massive trucks, road trains, wide loads and all that sort of stuff that you have to overtake and know that your car isn’t going to leave you hanging out there on the other side of the road for too long. But I was able to overtake anything, even with the trailer on the back, it didn’t feel like it was on the back at all.
In a part of the country where one brand has a stranglehold on the market, Brett, like many Mahindra owners, enjoys standing out from the flock.
“Up here, everyone is always, “you’ve got a buy one of these”.
“They go on about turbo diesel, well here is one that will happily keep up with them when it is towing, cost half as much, and I can fit 10 times the stuff in it.”
“Were happy with it, and I’m happy to tell everyone about it, and so is the wife. Everyone says, what is that? And tell ‘em, it’s a Mahindra. And you can see people’s eyes opening and saying “What? You only paid that for it?
“If anyone is considering purchasing a similar SUV I highly recommend test driving the Mahindra XUV500.”
All Mahindra Vehicles feature a leading 3 year / 100,000 kilometre warranty with free roadside assist
Speak to your nearest dealer today to book a test drive 1300 696 244