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My life is a whirlwind, travelling around the country and across the world, for TV commentary and business commitments.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it. But it also makes me appreciate the comforts of home a lot more. You know, the simple things… my friends, family, the beaches, and my car, a Mahindra XUV700.
It’s the one thing that links them all together.
I’ve had the XUV700 for two years now, but my relationship with Mahindra goes way back to before I could even drive.
My father, Australian cricketing legend Matthew Hayden, has been an ambassador for the company for 10 years now. So, we’ve always had a Mahindra in the family for as long as I can remember.
In fact, I actually learnt how to drive in the Mahindra Pik-Up. On our family property, or when we would go on holidays to North Stradbroke Island, dad would always be in the front seat with me and taught me the ropes on how to drive a manual car. I was adamant I wanted a manual licence, so it was awesome to learn in the Pik-Up.
They are such a great car, and so capable in any conditions and any terrain. My brothers still love the Pik-Ups.
But now I’ve got the XUV700, which is really the perfect car for me living in the city, and also to get away to the beach, or a drive through the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
My partner Wilson Statham and I love to go on waterfall adventures with our two cattle dogs Archie and Alfie, so we often just jump in the car and go and explore. And I love to surf, so it’s the perfect size to lay down the seats and chuck a couple of boards in the back and find a beach with a good wave for the day.
I enjoy going to the markets on the weekend too, and the XUV700 has plenty of room in the boot to load up with groceries and flowers for the week. I feel like I can always get everything I need in my car.
More than anything though, I appreciate the flexibility of its seven-seat configuration. I often take my girlfriends for a beach day, so we can all pile in and still have enough room in the back for our gear.
And we’re a family of five, so my car is usually the one we take when we all go out for dinner together.
My dad loves to steal my car when I’m away. I’ll come home and know that he’s been in it because he leaves little bits and pieces lying around. The other day, I found some fishing lures and fishing line in the centre console and I went… ‘Ah, I know who’s been in my car’.
All my family love the XUV700. One of my brothers is in his dating era at the moment, and I know he’s been driving it around when I’m away to impress the girls.
No matter what I’m doing, or where I’m going, the XUV700 is a car that ticks all the boxes for all of us. It’s comfortable, luxurious and has all the latest features I need. And it looks great too.
The attention to detail is amazing. It’s the little touches for me that are just next level, like the chrome trim highlights and the big touchscreen in the centre of the dash with Apple CarPlay, Maps and Bluetooth.
When I’m home, I drive my car a lot, so I also appreciate how fuel-efficient the 2.0-litre turbo engine is, and yet it has plenty of power for safe overtaking out on the country roads and highways.
With the six-speed automatic transmission, it’s really smooth too.
When it comes to safety, the XUV700 has a comprehensive suite of advanced driver aids like adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance and so much more, which is amazing and makes me feel confident navigating through heavy inner-city traffic and out on the highway.
Also, having Siri read out messages from your phone is a great safety feature. If you have a message, it comes through the sound system and you can reply using voice activation, which is really handy for me.
Another feature I really appreciate is the sunroof; it bathes the cabin in so much light that it feels even more spacious. And you can open it up to have the wind in your hair on a beautiful day or still have the light coming through but the air-conditioning blasting cold air on a hot summer day. The air-con is amazing, and we definitely need that in our extremely hot Queensland weather.
As you can tell, I love my Mahindra XUV700. It’s an amazing car that has plenty of space and feels luxurious, comes with all the features I need, and is enjoyable to drive in any environment. And the best thing about it, especially for families on a budget, is that it’s excellent value for money.
For all the things you get, you’d have to pay almost double for something similar from another brand. Pardon the pun, but it hits me for a six every time I drive it.