Tata Motors is very soon going to launch the Safari Facelift which will come with major changes, and so we thought why don’t we compare it against the Mahindra XUV700 to see if booking Safari Facelift is the right choice.
So, from the outside, the Safari Facelift has undergone big exterior changes such as the ront fascia as been changed completely with changes to the grille, bumpers, and headlamps. A full-width LED strip is above the grille that spans across the front body, an significant features of the Curvv concept. It has split LED Projector headlamps positioned vertically, ADAS Radar panel at the bottom grille and the camera at the top of the windscreen from the inside. Moving to the side, it has simple look with creasing, chrome on the window beltline, thin wheel arches and rides on the new 19-inch alloy wheels. Moving to the rear, changes extend to the bumpers, skid plate, and new Audi inspired LED taillights connected by an LED strip.
At the front of the Mahindra XUV700, you can see there is the grille with twin-vertical bars and the first and last twin vertical bars bends to give that flowing into LED headlamps, which those two lines act as LED DRLs as well. The side profile of the XUV700 is just clean with roofline, chrome line on the bottom frame of window, the smart door handle for improved aerodynamics, non-functional roof rails, and thin wheel arch lines. At the rear, it has the arrow-shape taillamps, rear spoiler with shark fin antenna on top, and the bumper finished in faux silver skid plate.
Talking about the interiors, the Safari Facelift undergone some changes as well like the new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is sleek, thinner, and very responsive; new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster that is configurable, and displays navigation maps while driving; in front of the cluster is the new four-spoke steering wheel with display at the center that illuminates the Tata logo, and ambient light across the dashboard, and around the voice-assisted panoramic sunroof. Below the AC vents, it features touch-sensitive panel to control the dual-zone climate control, and other things.
In front of it is the rotary dial for the drive and terrain modes, steptronic gear shifter, and electronic parking brake with auto hold function. It features an fixed armrest but the space inside is good enough to store two cans. On the leather seats, it features huge adjustable headrests to keep you comfy, and further enhances the luxury appeal. Both the seats are electrically adjustable, and comes with ventilated seats. Moving to the rear, the seats are split in 60:40 ratio if you opt for 7 seater, or if you go for 6 seater config, you get captain seats that comes with ventilated seats, and the SUV it’s equipped with 10 Speaker JBL sound system.
As for the XUV700, it has dual 10.25-inch displays with one being the infotainment system and the other acting as a digital instrument cluster. It has rectangular shape AC Vents at the sides with the dual-tone dashboard theme option as well. The XUV700 has a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, a huge panoramic sunroof, and the pedals finished in black. The button for the engine start/stop is on the left side of the steering wheel. Around the gear lever, it has electric parking brake with auto hold function as well, below that is the rotary dial to control the infotainment and can be program for other things, and sliding armrest with storage inside. The second row has seats split in 60:40 ratio and the third row is split in 60:40 ratio. Mahindra has fitted the XUV700 with 12 Sony 3D Speakers sound system for you to hear the best sound as possible.
so, from the outside, and the inside, Tata Safari Facelift just looks way too good, spacious, and luxurious, while the XUV700 interiors is good, but I might prefer the Safari for now.
| Tata Safari Facelift | Mahindra XUV700 | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 4668 MM | 4695 MM |
| Width | 1922 MM | 1890 MM |
| Height | 1795 MM | 1755 MM |
| Wheelbase | 2741 MM | 2750 MM |
| Ground Clearance | 205 MM | 200 MM |
| Boot Space | 420 L (3rd Row Folded) | 450 L (3rd Row Folded) |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 50 L | 60 L |
When it comes to Dimensions, the Safari Facelift measures 4668 MM in length, 1922 MM in width, and 1795 MM in height. The Mahindra XUV700 on the other hand, measures 4695 MM in length which is 27 MM longer, 1890 MM in width that is narrower by 32 MM, and height of 1755 MM that is shorter by 40 MM. The Safari Facelift features a wheelbase of 2741 MM, and ground clearance of 205 MM where as the XUV700 measures 2750 MM that is longer by 9 MM, and ground clearance of 200 MM which is lower by 5 MM. The Safari Facelift is offered a 50 L fuel tank and 420 L Boot Space (3rd Row Folded), while the XUV700 features 60 L (bigger by 10 L), and Boot Space of 450 L (3rd Row Folded) (Bigger by 30 L).
| Turbo Diesel | Tata Safari Facelift | Mahindra XUV700 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.0 L 4 Cylinder | 2.2 L 4 Cylinder |
| Displacement | 1956cc | 2198cc |
| Power | 167.67 BHP | 182.38 BHP |
| Torque | 350 NM | 450 NM |
| Transmission | 6 Speed MT / AT | 6 Speed MT / AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 16.30 KMPL – MT 14.50 KMPL – AT | 17 KMPL – MT 16.57 KMPL – AT |
When it comes to Engine Options, both the SUVs are offered with Turbo Diesel powertrain. Let’s begin with the Tata Safari Facelift first. The Safari Facelift is powered by the 2.0 L 4 Cylinder Turbo Diesel engine generating 167.67 BHP and 350 NM of torque, it’s mated to 6 Speed Manual Gearbox with 16.30 KMPL fuel economy, and 6 Speed Automatic Gearbox with 14.50 KMPL fuel economy. The Mahindra XUV700 on the other hand is offered with the same 2.0 L 4 Cylinder Turbo Diesel engine producing 167.67 BHP and 350 NM of torque paired to 6 Speed Manual Gearbox with 17 KMPL fuel efficiency, and 6 Speed Automatic Gearbox with 16.57 KMPL fuel efficiency.
| Turbo Petrol | Tata Safari Facelift | Mahindra XUV700 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | – | 2.0 L 4 Cylinder |
| Displacement | – | 1999cc |
| Power | – | 197.13 BHP |
| Torque | – | 380 Nm |
| Transmission Type | – | 6 Speed MT / AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | – | 15 KMPL – MT 13 KMPL – AT |
Other than the Turbo Diesel Engine, the XUV700 is also offered with the Turbo Petrol powertrain. The Safari Facelift was also said to be getting a turbo petrol engine, but at the moment there is no official word. The XUV700 is paired with the 2.0 L 4 Cylinder Turbo Petrol engine producing 197.13 BHP and 380 NM of torque mated to 6 Speed Manual Gearbox with 15 KMPL fuel efficiency, and 6 Speed Automatic Gearbox with 13 KMPL mileage.
| Features | Tata Safari Facelift | Mahindra XUV700 |
|---|---|---|
| Headlamps | LED Projector | LED |
| Taillamps | LED | LED |
| Wheel size & Tyre | 18-inch, alloy wheels | 18-inch alloy wheels |
| Auto Power Window | Yes | Yes |
| Seat upholstery | Leather | Leather |
| AC | 2-zone | 2-zone |
| Rear AC vent | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument cluster | Digital | Digital |
| Infotainment System | 12.3-inch | 10.25-inch |
| Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Wireless | Wireless |
| Air Purifier | Yes | – |
| Ambient Lighting | Yes | – |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Sound System | 10-speaker JBL sound system | 12-speaker Sony 3D sound system |
| Cooled Glovebox | Yes | – |
| Auto Dimming IRVM | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless Charging Pad | Yes | Yes |
| Height adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated Seats | First Row Second Row (Only for 6 Seater Variant) | – |
| Electric Parking Brake with Auto Hold | Yes | Yes |
| Powered Tailgate | Yes | Yes |
| Powered Seats | 6-way Power Adjustable Driver Seat 4-way Power Adjustable Front Passenger Seat | 6-way Power Adjustable Driver Seat |
| Sunroof | Panoramic | Panoramic |
In Features, the XUV700 misses out on ventilated seats, passenger powered seats, cooled glovebox, ambient lighting, air purifier, bigger infotainment system and alloy wheels.
| Safety Features | Tata Safari Facelift | Mahindra XUV700 |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | Seven Airbags | Seven airbags |
| Camera | 360 Surround View Camera | 360 Surround View Camera |
| Parking Sensors | Front and Rear | Rear |
| Rain-Sensing Wipers | Yes | Yes |
| TPMS | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Headlamps | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control | Yes | Yes |
| ADAS | Level 2 | Level 1 |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Assist | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Descent Control | Yes | – |
| ISOFIX | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Yes | Yes |
In Safety, the Mahindra XUV700 misses out on Hill Descent Control, and Front Parking Sensors.
| Model | Price (ex-showroom) |
|---|---|
| Tata Safari Facelift | Expected Rs. 16.85 L |
| Mahindra XUV700 | Rs. 14.03 – Rs. 26.57 L |
The Mahindra XUV700 starts at Rs. 14.03 lakh for the base ‘MX’ variant and goes up to Rs. 26.57 lakh for the top ‘AX7 Diesel Luxury Pack Automatic’ diesel variant. As for the Tata Safari Facelift, it’s expected to start at Rs. 16.85 Lakh.
As for the warranty, Tata offers 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period for the Safari that can be extended up to 5 years/unlimited kms and Mahindra offers 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period for the XUV700 that can be extended up to 5 years/1,50,000 km
In the end, the decision to buy which SUV depends totally on you, however, if you ask us the upcoming Tata Safari Facelift looks very promising as it’s got a new makeover, new features, good engine and performance, spacious, and feels very luxurious. Although, the Mahindra is affordable and offers two turbo engines, bigger in dimensions than Safari Facelift, great peformance, and efficiency almost the same features as the Safari. So, if you ask us, we recommend to wait for the Tata Safari as it’s going to be worth buying, or you can buy the Mahindra XUV700, your call. Which SUV are going to buy?