Turn it on and the twin-screen sporting the Adrenox operating system comes to life and while they look identical to the earlier version, Mahindra has added 13 new features to the list of connected car features. These will also be made available to existing owners via a software update and the list includes Prognosis, M lens, Ecosense leaderboard, Welcome greeting, toll diary, Ask Mahindra concierge and more. Most are targeted at making it easier to troubleshoot malfunction warnings in the car and offer you preventive maintenance and measures along with a direct helpline for assistance with in-car features. A great idea for the tech-challenged demographic who may find themselves behind the wheel of a giant gadget!
Another big update comes in the form of captain seats in the second row and ventilation for the front row of seats. But making it a multi-step procedure doesn’t bode well for convenience while on the move. Buried into the climate control menu of the Adrenox system, the on-screen-only controls for the seat ventilation require taking your eyes off the road for a few seconds when it could’ve just been a toggle switch on the bank of buttons located right below the climate control hard keys. The fans themselves whirr away at an alarming pace, creating quite a ruckus in the cabin and are louder than most other cars with a similar feature. Thankfully, the 12-speaker Sony 3D audio system is more than capable of drowning out this noise with immersive audio that can be tweaked to your liking. Depending on the kind of music you listen to and the mood you’re in, you can choose to create a wider, more open soundstage or an intimate, direct attack that is great for R&B, hip-hop and electronic music. One of the highlights of the XUV700’s tech suite, but bear in mind that it tends to favour louder volumes to come into its own.