Mumbai to Chennai, 24 hours to do it, a Mahindra XUV 7XO to do it with, 4 brand new Bridgestone Turanza 6i Tyres and 2 professional drivers - if this doesn’t make memories, we don’t know what will.
Let me be very honest. I hate roadtrips. If I can fly somewhere and save a bunch of time, even if it costs a lot more, 10 out of 10 times, I will choose flying over driving. But with every clause, there are always exceptions. And this, well, this is one of them. Saneet, my colleague, who has written numerous articles in this very magazine has a way of coming up with weird ideas for articles. The problem though is the fact that he can sweet talk me into approving them. And that is how this saga began.
Let me be very honest. I hate roadtrips. If I can fly somewhere and save a bunch of time, even if it costs a lot more, 10 out of 10 times, I will choose flying over driving. But with every clause, there are always exceptions. And this, well, this is one of them. Saneet, my colleague, who has written numerous articles in this very magazine has a way of coming up with weird ideas for articles. The problem though is the fact that he can sweet talk me into approving them. And that is how this saga began.
“Should we do a 24 hour drive without shutting the car off?”
Usually, I’d scoff at such an idea, but in this case, he made a pretty compelling argument, and even promised to organise everything — his only clause, I had to be on the trip. Reluctantly, I agreed. The reluctance however, went straight out the door when he told me what we would be driving and where we would be driving to. A brand new Mahindra XUV 7XO — from Mahindra’s HQ in Kandivali in Mumbai to its state-of-the-art test facility on the outskirts of Chennai — the MSPT: Mahindra SUV Proving Track.
Of course, as with every long drive I have ever done, we needed to do the “pre-flight” checks. While I would love to give you my full run through of all I check, it would probably take up this whole page, so for the sake of keeping it brief, a thorough check of fluids, brake discs and pads — visually of course — and underbody cladding and wheel arch clips (yes, there is a story behind this) — we moved on to a crucial part of any journey, tyres! For this run, the XUV 7XO was fitted with four sets of Bridgestone Turanza 6i tyres in the stock 235/55 R19 size. With alignment, balancing and tyre pressures set to spec, we were good to go.
Our task was actually rather simple. Start the engine at exactly 9:00 a.m. at the Mahindra Auto headquarters in Kandivali, Mumbai and shut the engine at exactly 9:00 a.m. the next day, at the phenomenal Mahindra SUV Proving Track or MSPT. The official distance according to our (un)trustworthy friend Google Maps, 1273 kms.
The route was traditional too — Mumbai > Pune > Kolhapur > Hubli > Bangalore > Chennai.
The official map time, 23 hrs and 19 mins.
At exactly 9:00 a.m., the XUV 7XO came to life. At exactly 9:03 a.m., Mumbai reminded us who’s boss. We hadn’t even properly merged onto the Western Express Highway when we slammed straight into a wall of traffic so dense it felt like the entire city had decided to collectively ruin our day. What should’ve been a clean escape turned into a crawling, inch-by-inch negotiation with autorickshaws, buses, and the occasional motorcyclist who believed mirrors were optional equipment.
Three minutes in, and we were already in trouble. “Great start,” I said, looking at the ETA, which had begun climbing like a bad stock. By the time we approached the Atal Setu, we’d already haemorrhaged close to two hours. Two hours. Gone. Evaporated in the humid Mumbai air. The kind of loss you feel in your bones because this wasn’t just traffic, it was time we couldn’t get back. Saneet, of course, was loving it. Traffic meant he could peacefully sit in the ventilated passenger seat and take in all the video content he liked from the passenger screen. But is it safe to have the passenger see something while the driver is driving? I can now tell you with a certain sense of confidence that the privacy settings in that third screen mean the driver can’t see squat! At least the traffic was entertaining for him while I crawled around at an average speed even though I could beat on my two legs. But then something shifted.
The moment we got onto the Atal Setu, Mumbai loosened its grip. The road opened up, the horizon stretched out, and for the first time that morning, the XUV 7XO could finally breathe. We pressed on, chasing back lost time, knowing fully well Mumbai wasn’t done with us yet. And it wasn’t, because just when you think you’ve escaped, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway steps in.
Another jam.
Another standstill.
Another hour gone.
At this point, we stopped pretending we were “on schedule.” We weren’t. We were now in damage-control mode, the kind where you stop chasing perfection and start chasing possibility. Five hours after leaving Kandivali, sometime around 2 or 3 p.m., time had already started blurring, we finally cleared Pune. And then, almost like a cruel joke, the roads got worse. The stretch towards Kolhapur wasn’t just bad, it was relentless. Broken patches, uneven surfaces, the kind of tarmac that makes you question your life choices. The XUV 7XO, to its credit, took it all in stride. The new suspension setup on the XUV 7XO is mindblowing, it really is. I remember many years ago I had an interview with a very senior official at Mahindra and they said:
“We would rather have our cars drive better, and perform better, instead of chasing a fuel economy number like our rivals.” And if there was one car that really personifies where Mahindra today stands as an automaker, it is this.
They call it the DaVinci damper — because it is a masterpiece like the Italian artist’s work. Great comfort while still having enough handling balance to be able to drive this SUV fast and still handle all the good and bad roads you can throw at it. The Bridgestone Turanza 6i tyres made their presence felt too. Silent at speed, smoothing out rough patches, and staying composed over broken roads. Braking felt strong and consistent, while cornering grip inspired confidence, even when the pace picked up. Over a drive like this, that balance of comfort and control made a real difference. And as we crossed Pune, the bad road bit came in wholesale. But before I rant, you might be wondering what we were going to do about 3 very very important things - food, bathroom breaks and of course, fuel! Well, it was simple. We would time it right. Fill fuel at petrol stations where there is a clean restroom and a small sampling of food one can buy. Stock up on a lot of biscuits, chocolate, munchies and of course (don’t tell my family), a copious amount of aerated cola!
As I mentioned, the roads from Pune to Kolhapur were a mix of average to horrendous and nothing better. I drove through this section, gripping the wheel, constantly adjusting, constantly reacting. This is where you really understand a car—not on smooth highways, but on roads that try their best to break both you and it. And by the time we reached Kolhapur, we needed a moment. Not to rest—we couldn’t afford that—but to recalibrate. We pulled into a Bridgestone Select dealer. Engine still running, of course. That was the rule. The Bridgestone Turanza 6i Tyres were checked. No cuts, no bubbles, no damage and no signs of stress despite our famous Indian road conditions. Pressures, however, needed a rethink. We dropped them slightly—just a PSI or two below OEM spec—to calm the car down, to give it a bit more compliance over the rough stuff. It was a small change, but sometimes that’s all it takes. From there, we pushed on.
Our ETA was still well over our target time, at one point, 3 hours over it! By the time we crossed over into Karnataka and into the city of Hubli, we were well over 12 hours into the journey and desperately looking for a quick food stop. We found one, sadly barely up to standard but it would do. Sometimes, when one is on these really long road trips, the food isn’t exactly great - and there is an added advantage to eating light and smaller meals - fewer bathroom breaks!
The sun had long set. The errant two-wheelers were now replaced by surprisingly less errant truckers - with the exception of the right lane hogging club - and at exactly 3:00 am, we hit a patch of road that one can easily classify as a race track - the Bangalore ring road. Dear god! Zero traffic, two drivers with purpose and a road like this almost felt like the shackles were finally off. Now if this is the kind of road surface every cross country road in India can offer, my first line viewpoint will see a change! But this is also where I needed some rest. While Saneet had driven a short stretch in the afternoon, just enough for me to get an hour and a half of shuteye, he was now rested and ready to do the red-eye stretch. Lucky man, I’d say! Empty roads, perfect tarmac and the perfect passenger - a fast asleep Cyrus!
But about 30 minutes into his drive, he woke me up. He needed a second set of eyes and as I did rub my eyes awake, what I saw seemed straight out of Apocalypse Now! A thick layer of fog. Barely any visibility. Gladly, the XUV 7XO has one of the best headlights an OEM offers in the Indian market. LEDs in fog lamps and headlamps lit up the road ahead as best as it could and we soldiered on until a point where we needed to halt for a quick tea break and some photos (as you can see here). Frankly, the XUV 7XO has taken the design language Mahindra wowed us with in 2021 with the XUV 700 and made it even better. Even sharper. And most certainly, a lot nicer to look at.
As the sky changed its colours and the sun started to peak through the horizon, we were at home stretch. Somewhere on the outskirts of Chennai, at Kanchipuram, just before the final push, we made a quick fuel stop. Engine still running? Of course. It was quick. Surgical. In and out.
At exactly 8:30 a.m., we rolled into Mahindra’s test facility on the outskirts of Chennai. MSPT. On August 16, 2021 I drove the pants off the XUV700 for the first time too! It was almost like homecoming. Twenty-three and a half hours after we started. And we were early, which meant one thing. A little surprise for Saneet. He had never driven here. He had never even been here. I had struck a little deal with Mahindra - if I get there early, we get to lap the MSPT for a bit of flat out, pedal to the absolute metal fun.
Imagine this, you’ve just spent nearly 24 hours driving across states, battling traffic, bad roads, bad navigation, fatigue, and your own sanity. And then someone hands you a racetrack. Of course we took it. Two laps. That’s all we had. From highways and potholes to apexes and straights. From endurance to exhilaration. The same car, the same engine, but in a completely different environment. And it handled it. Not like a track weapon, of course. But with enough composure to remind you that this wasn’t just a long-distance cruiser. It had another side to it. We parked up after those laps, the engine finally coming to rest, a welcome party of the most senior officials at the MSPT all cheering their proud child and us in. And then…..
Silence. For the first time in 24 hours. And in that silence, it all sank in. Mumbai to Chennai. Mahindra HQ to MSPT 1323 kilometres. Non-stop. One car. Two drivers. Four tyres. And a whole lot of chaos in between. Would I do it again and would I do it in an XUV 7XO? Absolutely. Would I start at 9 a.m. in Mumbai?
Let’s not get carried away. Oh and the cherry on the cake? We set a new India Book record. Little joys!
