Mahindra XUV 500 Vs Tata Aria

Once upon time there was a lioness who was forced to walk in the wilderness all alone as she wasn't accepted in the fierce jungle called the motoring world. With winter around the corner and hibernation on her mind, little did she expect a young cheetah sweeping the masses off their feet and quickly becoming the darling of the crowd. This forgotten lioness though refused to be tamed like a circus prop and decided to strike back by taking the safari for total domination. The Tata Aria (lioness in Hebrew) goes one-on-one against the Mahindra XUV 500 whose styling is inspired by a cheetah. We just sit back and let the wild cats fight it out. We agree one is like fine wine, which you just can't have enough of, while the other one is a chilled beer you just guzzle down without thinking too much about it but both the XUV and Aria cater to the same segment of people.

The fully loaded XUV with the gorgeous centre console, not to forget touchscreen with an in-built Mapmyindia navigator, is a package hard to resist

The modern design and the quirky arches makes the Mahindra XUV 500 look too contemporary for the Tata Aria's likingEven a blind man can figure out that the XUV is pleasing to the eyes or to your inner eye. The modern day monocoque crossover makes you feel like a superstar with people from all walks of life trying to stop you to get some information about the vehicle or zip past to check if this is truly a Mahindra. Extreme looks of the XUV makes the conservative Aria look like a cab even though its clean and big swooping headlamps tries to catch some attention, in vain. Step inside the Mahindra and yours eyes will glisten with all colourful telltale lights and futuristic speedometers. All this bling reminded me of Captain Kirk in his command centre in Star Trek. The centre console of this 'Starship' gives out an exorbitant rich feel that too with a responsive touchscreen. But before I go all ga-ga about the XUV, the plastics and faux wood scream out XYLO. Okay a shade better than that but the quality here dips south leaving us with much to desire. Just too many hard cheap-ish plastics. Saving grace is that the colour camouflages this faux pas. Let us not get started with medieval gate-like air condition vents. You need to fiddle around a bit to get the correct angle but it looks like an after thought really.

The Aria gets classy interiors and also gets soft touch plastics on board, which is a nice touch. Storage space is more than in the XUV

The XUV 500's rear has a love ithate it design while the Aria gets a traditional MUV rear, which is not pulsating in looks but it definitely offers better visibility

Back to Aria, the first thing that strikes you is the huge amount of space available. Not that the XUV is tiny from any angle, but the Tata feels a lot more spacious, thanks to its typically MPV shape. The simple styling of the dashboard may look a bit jaded compared to the XUV but the Tata does get soft touch plastic which feels heaven sent. But then Tata's Achilles' heel are gaping panel gaps that remain in the Aria. The plain Jane look and the 'cutting edge' blue display is like a flashback into Microsoft- DOS days. Both the vehicles come up steering controls and in both cases while taking a turn chances are you might press the mute button. The positioning is too close for one's comfort. Mahindra's gear stick, for a change, is not tilting towards the driver but is slightly notchy. In case of the Aria, the gear shift is smoother, requiring less effort but is less precise as well.

Mahindra XUV 500 Step on the pedal and the torquey 2.2-litre mHawk races to high speed

Sit behind the wheel and each and every part of your back is pampered by seat contours on the XUV. The side support in particular on the front seats is much better. Fire up the engine and the 2.2-litre mHawk's 140bhp gruff note lets you know it is alive. Step on the accelerator and it goes. I promise you, it will surprise you with the amount of torque it has as it keeps picking up speed like a powerpacked hatch. In third gear, the XUV can trot at 30kmph in traffic or shoot up to 100kmph without a whimper. If that's impressive then this lightning quick crossover tames daily traffic like a hot knife cutting through butter as it feels more like a sedan than an SUV. The suspension is slightly stiff but nothing to panic about as it doesn't really crash into potholes.

Tata Aria The 2.2-litre DiCor is a refined engine but suffers from lag at slow speed

The big lioness' 2.2-litre heart meanwhile doesn't howl but purrs. It is smooth but you need to warm her up as the intial pick up finds the Aria wanting. As far as mid range torque goes, the Aria too is quick and able. Only, the XUV is better. The Tata does ride better though. With a softly sprung setup, it doesn't shy away from potholes or any such. Its driving position takes a slender lead as it gives an imposing view over the road. Visibilitywise too the Aria's big windows are a boon, especially when you want to use the rear view mirror.

Mahindra XUV 500- XUV 500 is an ace in the pack. The killer looks and awesome power makes it a total package.

Tata Aria- Tata Aria Prestige 4x2 Space, ride, visibility are its strengths. But at nearly Rs 2.5 lakh more, it just doesn't match up.

Scorecard

Body: The Mahindra XUV 500 steals the shop in the safety department as it's a fully loaded vehicle. Besides what the top of the line 4x2 Aria offers, the XUV gets ESP and front side airbags as well as curtain airbags. It's also more spacious at the back, has a more usable boot and has better quality overall. The Mahindra also has the better interior ambience of the two vehicles.

Drive: Even though when it comes to power the XUV has only 2bhp more than the Aria, the way the Mahindra takes off like a rocket with no lag is simply mind blowing. The Aria's gear shift is a lot smoother but it does not slot in precisely. The XUV wins brownie points in the fuel economy field too, which is important as you never know when a hike on diesel prices may take place.

Comfort: The Aria rides better but the XUV is more dynamic. The seats in the XUV are very comfortable but it lacks thigh support for the rear passengers compared to the Aria. The XUV is a lot more comfortable in corners while the Aria is a nervous customer here. The Tata MUV's second row seats slide back and forth, improving kneeroom.

Dynamics: The XUV has a more dynamic steering both at slow and high speed and one that offers a good amount of feedback as well. Its sharp turning radius helps the XUV to take U-turns in city traffic. With the Aria you are always aware of its gigantic size and while parking, this becomes an issue. In terms of brakes the Aria halts in less distance.

Cost: From the points table the XUV whizzes past the Aria as an all-rounder in terms of looks, performance, features – both comfort and safety. The Aria tries to make a last minute comeback with a far superior warranty. But as a product, the XUV is so strong that it easily sweeps top honours in this road test.

Verdict

We finally have the answer... the cheetah does win over the lioness. The Aria does what it's supposed to do – be a practical, comfortable MUV. You also get desired space, enough features and storage space to keep the family happy. But, then comes the XUV 500, which outdoes the Aria in almost every respect – it has better seats, more equipment, better handling and way better performance. It is certainly worth every penny.