India's cut-price compact crossover nearly here

Mahindra is on the verge of launching its first compact SUV in Australia, where the all-new XUV500 will become available in just over two weeks in all-wheel drive guise before a cut-price front-wheel drive version follows in two months.

Both variants will be powered by a 103kW/330Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel with fuel-saving idle-stop technology, matched exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission, which could limit the XUV500’s appeal in the auto-focussed Australian SUV market.

However, both XUV500s will come in well-specified ‘W8’ Western-market form, aimed directly at bargain-basement compact crossovers like Great Wall’s X200 diesel, which at $25,990 drive-away is currently Australia’s most affordable compact diesel SUV, and SsangYong’s Korando diesel, which starts at $27,990 drive-away in 2WD guise.

Mahindra’s first self-designed monocoque-based crossover, which officially goes on sale here on June 14, will also offer the flexibility of seven seats, as well as coming standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, a full safety suite comprising electronic stability/traction control, six airbags, ABS brakes with four-wheel discs, rollover mitigation, hill descent control and a reversing camera.

The XUV500 has also undergone testing by independent Australian crash safety body ANCAP, which is yet to publish its findings.

Front and rear foglights, air-conditioning, remote central locking and power windows/mirrors will also be standard across the range, and other features expected to be available in the XUV500 for Australia include leather trim, satellite-navigation, a cool box, remote steering wheel controls, climate-control, adaptive cornering headlights, tyre pressure monitoring, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights and reverse parking sensors.

The ‘W6-spec’ 2WD XUV500 is likely to forego luxuries like leather trim, sat-nav and a reversing camera.

Both variants will offer a competitive 2500kg braked towing capacity (750kg unbraked), with the AWD weighing 1810kg and offering a 700kg payload and the 2WD weighing 75kg less at 1735kg but still affording the same 2510kg gross vehicle mass.

As we’ve reported, the XUV500 has been a smash hit in India, where it is produced, as well as South Africa, and will be one of two new Mahindra models imported by the company’s factory-owned Brisbane-based Australian distributor this year, including the new Genio 1.25-tonne pick-up, the first example of which has just arrived Down Under for Australian Design Rule approval.

The Mitsubishi Outlander-sized XUV500 rides on a 2700mm wheelbase with 172mm of ground clearance, measures 4585mm long, 1890mm wide and 1785mm high, and is suspended by MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link independent rear suspension system.

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