Upcoming Mahindra XUV700 caught testing in sand dunes

Mahindra revealed the XUV700 at the 2018 Auto Expo. It will become the new flagship of the brand and will be launched around the festive season this year. The SUV has been caught testing before and now the latest pictures show the XUV700 being tested in sand dunes.

The XUV700 is a SsangYong Rexton G4 underneath. Due to the lower brand-awareness of the SsangYong, Mahindra has decided to rebadge the vehicle for the Indian market. Even though most have assumed the name XUV700 in various reports, Mahindra is yet to officially confirm the name of the upcoming luxury SUV. The Mahindra XUV700 will be the most expensive and the most luxurious vehicle from the Indian brand.

The XUV700 will be a seven-seater SUV that will take on the likes of Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour in the Indian market. The test mule seen here is still carrying the SsangYong badge, which has been camouflaged with an opaque tape.

The Indian version that was showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo had a different, vertical slat grille with a big Mahindra logo in between. Mahindra will import the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits of the SUV from the SsangYong plant in South Korea. This will allow Mahindra to price the SUV aggressively in the market.

Mahindra has been seen testing another version of the vehicle in white colour too. That also had the SsangYong grille. It indicates that the SsangYong Rexton G4 and the Mahindra XUV700 would be similar to each other.

The pics in the sand dunes are followed by a set of pictures from a Mahindra service centre. The XUV700 will get a ground clearance of 215 mm and will get 4X4 drivetrain with the low-ratio transfer case. It will make it quite capable. A 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine will power the upcoming vehicle.

It should be noted that it is not the same 2.2-litre mHawk engine that is used in the XUV500 and the Scorpio. The XUV700 gets a maximum power output of 178 Bhp and 420 Nm of peak torque. It gets a 6-speed manual transmission in the international markets, but the Indian version is expected to get only the 7-speed automatic transmission.

Souce: 4X4 India