[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Gagzie

Hi!

On an , I am currently in talks of acquiring a 3 year old SCross 1.6 Alpha. Would that be a better choice than this baby XUV? Comparable features, few lakhs less and that utterly delectable 1.6 engine?

The S Cross anyday, it is a superior car in most respects, if you manage to get a well maintained example and can live with the turbo lag. Performance wise, nothing comes close.

For me, the downers with respect to the XUV 300 were:

(1) Atrocious prices, in my view. On road Bangalore prices cross Rs. 14 lakhs for the W8 variant (!!), which is the variant without the exalted "high end features" which Mahindra has been tom-tomming about to anyone who will care to listen. W8 (O) crosses Rs. 15 lakhs, holy moly ;

(2) diesel engine was no great shakes below 2000 RPM. That range of revs (above 2000 RPM) is rarely seen in day to day city driving, and the Ecosport engine is much more drivable as in city conditions. I was expecting a blast of torque from 1500 RPM, but was left quite underwhelmed by reality. The XUV will be a capable highway cruiser though;

(3) White interiors. As you have pointed out, a one and a half day old test drive car had patches of dirt and stains all over. A maintenance nightmare is there ever was one.

[Gagzie]

Originally Posted by Satyakart

@Gagzie Did you get a chance to check the high speed ride quality in XUV 300, I have checked it yesterday, and it looks like a bit bouncy around 90 kmph, Just wanted to get some thought about it..

Not really. It was a mostly sedate test drive on city roads. Infact I was amazed that I immediately got a TD by just walking in the showroom! I tested it around 70-80 at max. Would definitely try a highway TD if possible.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

The S Cross anyday, it is a superior car in most respects, if you manage to get a well maintained example and can live with the turbo lag. Performance wise, nothing comes close.

For me, the downers with respect to the XUV 300 were:

(1) Atrocious prices, in my view. On road Bangalore prices cross Rs. 14 lakhs for the W8 variant (!!), which is the variant without the exalted "high end features" which Mahindra has been tom-tomming about to anyone who will care to listen. W8 (O) crosses Rs. 15 lakhs, holy moly ;

(2) diesel engine was no great shakes below 2000 RPM. That range of revs (above 2000 RPM) is rarely seen in day to day city driving, and the Ecosport engine is much more drivable as in city conditions. I was expecting a blast of torque from 1500 RPM, but was left quite underwhelmed by reality. The XUV will be a capable highway cruiser though;

(3) White interiors. As you have pointed out, a one and a half day old test drive car had patches of dirt and stains all over. A maintenance nightmare is there ever was one.

I do agree that it is the superior car any day, but my concerns were the spares availability (as its a discontinued car), not much information about the previous owner, slightly aged styling and the turbo lag. All my life I have owned petrol cars so managing the turbo lag was a different experience. That's why the confusion!

[CarStruck]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

My perception has changed after I looked this baby Mahindra in person. Keep that badge aside and it screams Ssangyong inside out. Heck even the pricier Creta is no match to the interiors of XUV300. This definitely feels like a car from another segment except the boot. If you have the money and can forego the smaller boot, this car is definitely worth the premium over Nexon.

This thought made my day!! After sifting through numerous cars over nearly 3 years, this one's features were the most appealing. And if it indeed is a premium product (thanks for saying so ) it adds weight to my choice.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

(1) Atrocious prices, in my view. On road Bangalore prices cross Rs. 14 lakhs for the W8 variant (!!), which is the variant without the exalted "high end features" which Mahindra has been tom-tomming about to anyone who will care to listen. W8 (O) crosses Rs. 15 lakhs, holy moly ;

Completely agree on pricing. Mahindra really missed a trick here to bring W8 Diesel under the 10 Lakh mark. This increases on-road priced by as much as Rs. 60-70K in some states not to mention TCS which needs to be deducted for cars over the 10 lakh mark. Ford offers the Ecosport Titanium Diesel variant with most of the same features and better boot space for 9.99 ex-showroom.

I had a look at the XUV 300 at the Delhi airport last week. The interiors are well put together and look sturdy. I am sure a pair of seat covers will give protection to the light colored upholstery. The clutch is light and gear shift throws are precise. If only they had priced it more meaningfully I would have considered it positively for replacing my 5.5 year old Ecosport Titanium (O) TDCI.

[Karthik Chandra]

Chennai price list

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

The XUV 300 locks horn with Ecosport as the Nexon is priced well below and the Brezza is a Maruti Suzuki. I'm guessing Ford has gone back to the drawing board for a few tweaks.

It'll be easier for Ford to incorporate the missing features in terms of safety as the export spec Ecosport gets the following,

1. Knee airbag
2. Rear discs
3. Headrest for middle passenger
4. 3 point seatbelt for middle passenger

The same is manufactured in Chennai plant along with the Ecosport meant for domestic market and hence there won't be any additional cost in product design. Its just that Ford has to decide, add & price it appropriately.

I was wondering where Mahindra lost the boot space

[Ananthc]

Originally Posted by Gagzie

I do agree that it is the superior car any day, but my concerns were the spares availability (as its a discontinued car), not much information about the previous owner, slightly aged styling and the turbo lag. All my life I have owned petrol cars so managing the turbo lag was a different experience. That's why the confusion!

Though the car is discontinued, availability of spares should not be a major concern as it is MS product. You should not be worried about that and instead be worried about the previous owner history and it's maintenance aspect. Since you have been only driving petrol cars till date, kindly think twice before you jump into a diesel car. The turbo lag coupled with a heavier clutch might become a downer.Remap is a possibility though to reduce the lag to an extent.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by nikipedia87

Apparently, it's a modified version of the engine that does duty on the KUV. So can we expect the same dismal mileage figures that plague the KUV?

Highly doubt that mileage on the petrol will be anything to write home about, especially when the ARAI figure itself is quite a bit lower than its competition. Turbo petrols have a dual nature, and while they deliver decent mileage if driven sedately, mileage usually plummets when they are driven in any other manner. Especially on heavier cars such as the XUV. Real world usage figures will only be available once there are enough owners.

[84.monsoon]

Mahindra is putting out full front page ads virtually every day. Looks like it has been a slow start for this car. Not surprised, they should have priced it a Lac lower across key variants and it would have really taken off.

[govigov]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Completely agree on pricing. Mahindra really missed a trick here to bring W8 Diesel under the 10 Lakh mark. This increases on-road priced by as much as Rs. 60-70K in some states not to mention TCS which needs to be deducted for cars over the 10 lakh mark.

While I agree that TCS increase the initial on road pricing, it will reflect in your ITR, so it should be immaterial. I think the TCS should not be included in the "true" on road price of the car.

If you do your calculation based on this, the value for money factor increases substantially.

[knightrider_7]

Ex-showroom price just under 10 lakhs is a magic number. Mahindra should add a new variant W6(O) just below 10 lakhs as early as possible.

Currently the feature distribution between W6 & W8 is not so good and introducing a mid variant between them may just do wonders for Mahindra.

[jaaz]

Originally Posted by govigov

While I agree that TCS increase the initial on road pricing, it will reflect in your ITR, so it should be immaterial. I think the TCS should not be included in the "true" on road price of the car.



If you do your calculation based on this, the value for money factor increases substantially.

You missed a main point here. @84.monsoon is referring to increase in other taxes apart from TCS, which is only 1%. Whereas other taxes (state) increase the Vehicle cost by 3.5 to 5%, since the tax slab changes for Cars above 10 lakhs. Even, a ₹1, increase in price above 10 lakhs, will jack up the on road price by at least 50-60 thousand, in most states.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by jaaz

Even, a ₹1, increase in price above 10 lakhs, will jack up the on road price by at least 50-60 thousand, in most states.

This is exactly why the Ecosport Titanium diesel still manages to be relatively value for money, since Ford has maintained the ex showroom price at just a tad below Rs. 10 lakhs.

A Rs 100 increase in the ex showroom price will increase the taxes (and therefore the on road price) several fold, just like it has done with the XUV 300 W8 variant.

[jaaz]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Mahindra is putting out full front page ads virtually every day. Looks like it has been a slow start for this car. Not surprised, they should have priced it a Lac lower across key variants and it would have really taken off.

Exactly, my view too. Instead of spending crores on marketing, they could have priced lower, at least as an introductory offer. More cars on road, will automatically convert more turnover for the company. Don't know, when companies learn this age old technique- jo dikhtaa hai, woh biktaa hai.

[locusjag]

^^ Maybe Mahindra wanted to play the higher-margin-per-product & low-volume game rather than a low-price-per-product & high-volume game? Is it really better to have high volumes to feed further volumes?

But if Mahindra wanted to play the margin game, they could have launched a separate brand (like Maruti's Nexa, or Honda's luxury brand Acura in the US) under which the XUV 300, the Alturas etc could have been sold. No one would bat an eyelid while overpaying for what is marketed as a separate luxury brand.

[JS Kwt]

Autocar Reviews XUV300 Petrol

In its diesel avatar, the XUV300 remains a very competent package. The performance is strong and refined and it also offers better efficiency to boot – ARAI figures indicate 20kpl against the 17kpl for the petrol. Also, unlike other cars, the diesel comes in at a premium of only about Rs 50,000-60,000, so it would remain our pick between the two.

However, this does not mean that the petrol is without merit; its performance and refinement are also good, and if your driving is less and you want that extra bit of refinement, the petrol fits the bill.

So, while it may not have the measure of the diesel, the petrol engine on the XUV300 certainly lives up to standards.

Full Review