Toyota Innova Hycross or Mahindra XUV700: which is the better highway car?

I recently sold my Ford Endeavour 2.2 and I’m looking for a replacement in the Rs 30 lakh-33 lakh (on-road) price bracket. We’re a family of six, and this car will be used mainly for highway drives. I’ve already booked the Mahindra XUV700 D AT, but with no signs of delivery, does it make sense to switch to the Toyota Innova Hycross? Space, comfort and fuel efficiency are priorities.

Harish Udani, Pune 

Autocar India says: The Toyota Innova Hycross is the one for you. It ticks all the boxes – it is very spacious, the seats are extremely comfortable, and being a hybrid, expect good fuel efficiency, better than the diesel AT XUV700 or your Ford Endeavour. At least initially, you might miss the diesel’s strong mid-range pull in the hybrid Hycross, but the hybrid’s characteristic is very different. The petrol engine, combined with the electric assistance, is brisk in its own right, and it’ll make light work of quick overtakes on the highway, so performance is more than adequate. Bookings for the Innova Hycross have opened and deliveries are likely to begin in mid-January 2023, so we’d suggest you get in line, as dealers are already stating long waiting periods.

Also see:

Toyota Innova Hycross review: Moving the goalposts

Toyota Innova Hycross video review

2021 Mahindra XUV700 review, test drive

2021 Mahindra XUV700 video review