The Mahindra XUV 7XO will be a good upgrade from your Honda City. As a five-seater is spacious and comfortable, and its third row gets you the added flexibility to ferry an occasional sixth and seventh passenger. Its 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine delivers strong performance, and the 6-speed torque converter automatic is smooth in its operation. The new XUV 7XO not only rides well and feels tough over bad roads, but it is also good to drive and is an able long-distance tourer.
However, if you plan to travel with six or seven passengers regularly, for long hours, then you will be better off with a Toyota Innova HyCross petrol-CVT. It is a lot more spacious (in all three rows) than the Mahindra car, and even though it lacks some features or the overall feel-good factor of the XUV, being a Toyota, the Innova Hycross’s ownership experience is likely to be a bit better.