2016 Mahindra XUV500

VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS

Mahindra XUV500 safety rating

Mahindra XUV500

Mahindra’s XUV500 earned a loyal following in South Africa’s mid-size SUV crowd by offering genuine seven-seat practicality at a price point that undercut the usual suspects—think Ford Kuga or Hyundai Tucson. Every XUV500 runs the same 2.2-litre mHawk turbodiesel, gutsy enough for hauling the whole soccer squad or slogging through Joburg’s worst traffic. Buyers got either a manual or automatic depending on trim, but right now your options are slim: just five used listings from R109,500 up to R289,900. That tells you these aren’t showroom-fresh—no new ones left—so you’ll need to be comfortable shopping the second-hand market. Most are mid-spec autos hovering around R227,500, which is probably where most families should aim. You’ll spot that the W10 automatic sits at the heart of the action, with most examples clustered between R224,900 and R258,900. That’s the sweet spot if you want the full-fat seven-seater without overpaying. There’s a single W6 auto at R289,900, but that’s a stretch given a tidy W10 is cheaper. At the opposite end, a W8 manual at R109,500 will be much older—2014 vintage, give or take—with typical mileage just over 125,000 km. People who picked the XUV500 over a Tucson did so for more seats and value, not badge snobbery, and that matters. On paper at least, it’s a compelling family hauler: a diesel seven-seater auto for under R260k, if you pack smart and don’t mind a few kilometres on the clock.