Is the Mahindra XUV500 W4 variant value for money?

The Mahindra XUV500 W4 variant is now priced at Rs 10.83 lakh ex-showroom. Does that make it value for money? Let's take a closer look.

1.  Styling: Fortunately nothing has changed. The XUV500 W4 still looks as good or as bad as you want it to be. Design and styling is a very individual choice, and while I don't necessarily like the way it looks, others do. Nonetheless, all the key ingredients that made it imposing and striking are still intact. The lack of alloy wheels replaced by standard steel wheels with plastic covers and the removal of cladding strips will however take off some of the handsomeness.Generally positive.

2013 Mahindra XUV500 W4

2. Features: There is a lot of kit that has been taken off. Almost all the goodies that made the XUV a gadget lovers delight have been removed off the list. You don't get rain sensing wipers, touchscreen infotainment, GPS navigation, DVD player, tweeters on the dashboard, the tyre pressure monitoring system, intelligent light sensing headlamps and the glass embedded antenna. You also don't get the telescopic steering, automatic climate control, fog lamps, premium quality upholstery, alloy wheels, cruise control and the hundreds of lamps that lit up everything. Negative

3. Safety: On the safety front you lose the ESP, hill hold and hill descent control. These might not seem like much but in a vehicle this large, heavy and unwieldy in slippery conditions I don't think taking these off is a smart option, definitely not a value for money proposition. It still has ABS though and that is redeeming. Negative

4. Efficiency: You still get the lowest fuel efficiency compared to the Duster/Terrano. On OVERDRIVE test runs in the city and on the highway (this is for the two wheel drive XUV500) the fuel efficiency figures are significantly lower. Doesn't not seem like good value to me. Negative

5. Space: What you still get is space and that is without comparison. The XUV500 W4 offers ample lot of space, it's still the only 7-seater SUV available in its segment. Add to that great knee room for rear seat passengers with enough shoulder space and head room. Definitely a winner when it comes to interior space. Positive

6. Size: On the flip side to the space debate is the size of the XUV500. One of the principal reasons people have veered towards the Ecosport, making it tough for even the Duster to move minds, is its compactness. We live in increasingly crowded urban areas where space is at a premium. Every time you take a 7-seater SUV outside your garage, you are worrying about how slowly you will move through traffic and where you will park. Also how often do you use the 7-seats and then when you use all those seats where do you shove your baggage? So on one hand the immense size is a bane for the XUV500 W4. Negative

7. Drivetrain: The XUV500 W4 is a 2WD SUV, which means you are stuck to urban areas and highways. The XUV500 W4 is not your outdoorsy lifestyle choice. Negative

8.  The ride quality on the XUV500 W4 also works well but in a very narrow band, there are some roads where it works well but others tax it immensely. It's also not the most dynamically stress-free SUV to drive and there are areas that need improvement, lots of it. The competition is definitely better, if you read our comparison. Sort of positive.

9.  Engine: The XUV500 W4 has a mighty engine and that is something a lot of people will appreciate. With 140PS and 330Nm of torque there is no other SUV in this segment that can stand close to the XUV500 W4. So yes, to continue to offer that powertrain on the XUV500 W4 at a lower price is definitely good value. Positive.

10. Powertrain options: The one question that Mahindra has never had to face up to yet is their lack of powertrain options. The XUV500 W4 is neither available with a petrol engine nor as an automatic. Now those choices may not contribute enough for Mahindra to even make the effort to go in that direction. Yet its one less choice for the consumer to make at the end of the day. As of date you can only buy a XUV500 as a W8 AWD, or just the W8, a W6 and now the W4. Compare that to the 7 variants of the Terrano, 8 on the Duster  and 10 on the Ecosport. Negative

Overall then if its just space, imposing style and horsepower you're looking for, the new XUV500 W4 at a lesser price makes more sense. But correct me if I am wrong. The costumer on the street is looking for a lot more and the competition is proving that there is more to look forward to. Even at a lesser price then some of the core requirements remain unfulfilled.  The XUV500 W4 does not necessarily spell better value to me.