The Mahindra XUV700 has jumped into the news with full force since its launch earlier this year. Reviews for the car have been quite positive as well as public demand with sources suggesting that those booking the car now are likely to get it only a year from now. We have of course driven the XUV700 and you can find a link to the review here or watch the video below. But where did this success start? With the XUV500 of course!

Over 11 years, Mahindra’s first premium FWD monocoque vehicle racked up quite a few achievements and along the way CarWale has been there for each of them. Here are our top stories with the Mahindra XUV500.

First-ever review of the Mahindra XUV500

Published on 23 October, 2011, the first-ever review for the Mahindra XUV500 looked quite positive. It had been a major step ahead for a company, at that time and was a sign of things to come. Highlights at that time included an all-wheel drive, six airbags, a cooled glovebox and even a sat-Nav system.

Rally of Maharashtra 2015

From the land of Thunder Dragon to the land of navigational notes and stages. In 2015 we attended the Rally of Maharashtra outside Nashik and watched the duo of Gaurav Gill and Musa Sheriff fly their super XUV500 through all three stages and clinch a ‘clinical’ victory for the second year running.

XUV Aero

At the 2016 Auto Expo, Mahindra showcased a coupe-SUV design for the XUV500 called the XUV Aero concept. While it seemed like a distant dream at that time, Mahindra in its annual plans, earlier this year, revealed plans for such a model in the XUV family. It is likely to be a hybrid model and will arrive around 2025.

Authentic Bhutan 2016

This was Mahindra’s first-ever foreign road expedition and what better vehicle and place than the XUV500 and the land of the Thunder Dragon. We spent a week driving through what is essentially one big, green painting of nature and along the way breathed in extra clean air and ate and drank all of Bhutan’s delicacies!