[CarGuy_DM]

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

Right now Tata having a free run with the unopposed Safari. Interesting to see how the battle pans out once this enters the fray.

Safari is actually not having such a free run as it seems. To the non enthusiast (which is 90% of the car buying community) Hector and Hector Plus are rather compelling. Feature wise the Tata twins can’t touch the MG twins. And once a prospective buyer sits inside the MG twins, Tata twins interiors will be a major turn off.

[rpm]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

Hello bhpians........

Also the XUV is expected to score a 5 star rating in NCAP and Mahindra may get the certificate before the launch itself. This will surely be one of the trump cards of the XUV in its segment.

If true, good luck to the Safari. The Harrier, and by extension, the Safari, already enjoy a perceived strong build among the masses, thanks to Tata's hardwork from the ground up. I haven't seen even an iota of doubt in the casual buyer's mind about the duo's crash rating, with everyone speculating the flagship product to one up even the Altroz.

Tata got their Altroz crash tested before launch, and having established itself as the apex predator in the food chain, Mahindra didn't take long to respond. In a mere week's time, what could be advertised as India's safest GNCAP tested car, was reduced to India's safest tested hatchback.

If Mahindra has already planned another assault, I don't think the Safari has any way to retaliate other than going through the grind, and getting, well, a slap on its right cheek (technically 40% of its face, but yeah, this one has more of a nice ring to it).

While it may not deter the mainstream public; it will serve the purpose of Gibberillic Acid to the seeds of doubt that have already taken root in the forum, and rightfully so. Tata's lack of motivation is worrying, and I'll be happy if it gets anything above 16 points.

The lion may be the king of the jungle, but the mHawk is no slouch.

[vigneshkumar31]

@rpm.This XUV looks like a far more earnest attempt than the Safari which appears as an afterthought on many fronts. The Safari is still a good sorted product with the learnings of the Harrier filtered into it and the reported sweet engine gearbox combo.

I hope and pray the face is not overdone in typical M&M fashion and the company goes with cleaner lines for this flagship (Now that the Alturas is gone). Speaking of which, the dial in the central console, is it the 4WD selector like in the Alturas?

The NCAP of the XUV would be a true USP for it along with the AWD at launch. Full marks to M&M for their speed of execution.

[Shashwat.75]

Originally Posted by CarGuy_DM

Safari is actually not having such a free run as it seems.

Tata twins managed to inch ahead of the MG twins past month. And given that the Safari launched on 22nd, it sold pretty well.

On the contrary, I might hold an unpopular opinion here - it won't be as easy for the Hector/Herctor+ and I feel it's sales will be affected by XUV500 's launch the most . As both XUV500- SAFARI have a greater fanbase than the Hector. And the way I see it is , for chauffeur driven, it'll be Safari (yet to come across photos of next gen XUV500 with captain seats) and XUV500(maybe Harrier as well?!) for the self-driven/one's seeking AWD

Originally Posted by CarGuy_DM

And once a prospective buyer sits inside the MG twins, Tata twins interiors will be a major turn off.
.

This - to me atleast, seems certainly subjective.

[udaikalra01]

Originally Posted by Shashwat.75

Tata twins managed to inch ahead of the MG twins past month. And given that the Safari launched on 22nd, it sold pretty well.

Safari sales were dealer dispatches, not retail sales. Also Harrier sales were wholesale sales. On the other hand, the numbers reported by MG were all retail sales. So, they can't be compared. We will get a better idea in 3 to 4 months.


P. S. - I still think that Harrier and Safari will outsell the Hector twins in the coming months.

[rpm]

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

@rpm.This XUV looks like a far more earnest attempt than the Safari which appears as an afterthought on many fronts. The Safari is still a good sorted product with the learnings of the Harrier filtered into it and the reported sweet engine gearbox combo.........The NCAP of the XUV would be a true USP for it along with the AWD at launch. Full marks to M&M for their speed of execution.

Oh well, the Safari nameplate did seem like a last minute decision, but I believe that horse has already been beaten to death by us, while Tata successfuly milked the cash cow from the shadows; generating buzz in what was an otherwise dead thread with the Gravitas.

The product is not a bad one by any means, especially if you keep the nameplate aside. It is quite competent and sorted, as you say. However, if it can't get a GNCAP rating for whatever reason Tata's not keen on letting us know; the XUV immediately becomes a much easier choice, provided it offers, what the Safari left us wanting.

Recycling the Land Rover pedigree in ads gets old pretty fast. It doesn't absolve you of the need of an NCAP rating, Tata. Yes, you may fool the gullible with Omega-Arc and all the Land Rover mumbo jumbo, but I don't think that people on this forum are naïve enough not to see through it.

On the other hand, and in a completely parallel universe, if Tata is staging a coup d'etat for how Mahindra made short work of the Altroz in a mere week; I'm all for it. Why not? It would be wicked too. Besides, healthy competition; am I right?

[_lewie_]

Originally Posted by Guna

Looking great, just couple of observations/opinion:

• That plastic hood on top of the wide screen was not necessary and kind of looks like an afterthought. May be they want to cut the glare on the instrument cluster part of the screen but something smarter could have been done instead of placing that piece of plastic on the top.
• Dark plastic on the top of the door trim gets really thin at one point and makes it look very weak (visually). Such things take away the perception of robustness (important for an SUV)
• Car seem to be finally getting a proper tip-tronics for the manual override on the AT (instead of the weird button on the current car)

I keen to know when the bookings (formal or informal) would be open.

The plastic hood you're talking about placed in front of the IRVM is where the infrared cameras for the ADAS system is placed in cars that come equipped with it. You can also see the lower air dam on the front bumper has a rectangular camouflaged area. My guess is that the RADAR will be placed there. And if you haven't noticed for some reason that black portion seems to be offset towards the right in reference to the IRVM( never saw any other manufacturer do that)

[Avinash_R]

Originally Posted by rpm

Recycling the Land Rover pedigree in ads gets old pretty fast. It doesn't absolve you of the need of an NCAP rating, Tata. Yes, you may fool the gullible with Omega-Arc and all the Land Rover mumbo jumbo, but I don't think that people on this forum are naïve enough not to see through it.

So people on this forum are not buying Marutis, Kias and Hyundai's? I agree with reasons to have Tata get the safety rating and publicize it and they have used it as a Marketing tool but to say, everyone in this forum is prioritising safety ratings while buying a car is taking it too far. Ideally they should but it doesn't happen! There are more people prioritising safety these days but there needs to be more.

[TheGearBox]

Contiguous infotainment and instrument cluster screen from a Mercedes, control knob from a BMW, AC vents from an Audi. Can anyone else spot any similarities to other cars?

[Guna]

Originally Posted by _lewie_

The plastic hood you're talking about placed in front of the IRVM is where the infrared cameras for the ADAS system is placed in cars that come equipped with it.

I was referring to the plastic cladding attached to the top of the twin screen. If the intention is to cut the glare, they could have extended it to all 3 sides (wrapping around the sides and the top)

[rpm]

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

So people on this forum are not buying Marutis, Kias and Hyundai's? I agree with reasons to have Tata get the safety rating and publicize it and they have used it as a Marketing tool but to say, everyone in this forum is prioritising safety ratings while buying a car is taking it too far. Ideally they should but it doesn't happen! There are more people prioritising safety these days but there needs to be more.

Oh yes, you are quite correct to suggest that no NCAP rating doesn't translate to no buy on team-bhp. I did not, or atleast I think I did not suggest that the same was the case. I agree to all the points you make except, maybe, the last two lines, which I feel, being honest to yourself about what you want and what you already have, may be a better approach. The only thing I alluded to, or atleast I hope I alluded to, was; the members of this forum, being enthusiasts, can probably see through the fact that the Land Rover pedigree doesn't automatically guarantee a good GNCAP rating, which apparently seems to be the consensus among the masses.

If Tata doesn't get a GNCAP rating for its flagship, thinking that it can rest on its Land Rover laurels, while the XUV makes haste to get a 5-star rating at launch; they might lose the money of those safety conscious folks on here who have been in a dilemma about Harrier and Safari's NCAP rating ever since ram87pune's post, and/or those who are sceptical about Tata not sending their flagship product voluntarily for a crash test, while the much cheaper Altroz got a rating before it was even launched.

Such double standards adopted by Tata will weigh on the minds of those safety conscious folks who are considering a product in this segment, but the lack of NCAP ratings deters them from taking the plunge. The XUV shall help allay the fears of those who take their viewer discretion is advised seriously; those who hate taking a leap of faith, because life is no Assassin's Creed, and you may not always fall into a cart full of hay.

People on here are generally more informed compared to your casual car buyer; whether safety is a priority or even a consideration rests with the individual. I do not wish to question their priorities. The minor differences probably lie in having a faint idea of what you are getting vs thinking you are getting what you think it is.

The sales personnel in a showroom often leave no stone unturned to make a quick sale, even resorting to lies if they have to, and I've witnessed it first hand. If you are the casual car buyer who doesn't do his due diligence, you may end up with a product that wasn't actually what the salesperson told you it was. If (a big if) and when you do realize the reality of the situation, the sale has probably already been made, and you, my friend, are left to ponder over the famous phrase, caveat emptor, all by yourself.

Being an enthusiast probably mitigates the problem above, and hence, if a person on here wanted a safe car, they'd know their options better, is all I was trying to say. Doesn't mean you will see Maruti and Hyundai-Kia halting the sales of their poorly rated cars henceforth because of no takers. They'll do just fine, trust me.

[AKSarkar1]

Great scoop! The new-gen XUV500 interiors look very Kia or Hyundai like to me. Not sure if that is just me or if other fellow BHPians agree too?

The interior to me seems to be an attempt to go the safe route by having a set-up that people are somewhat familiar with. I was really impressed by the boldness and creativeness of the interior with the first-gen of the XUV. If I recall rightly, XUV was one of the first Indian cars in a rather humble price range to offer features like ambient lighting (first red and then blue on the facelift). For me, small quirks and features like this make or break the overall package.

Very happy to see the path that Mahindra is blazing on currently and hopefully the production-ready version of the 2nd gen is as exciting as the first one (don't say this very often)!!

[Leem]

Yes. from the looks of it, interior plastics and touch points are now very much at par with Koreans.
Way to go

[troublemaker]

XUV500 is definitely maturing well. The engine mated with that Aisin 6 speed is a gem anyways. I can vouch for that after 3 years and many road trips.

One area where Mahindra needs to pay attention is rusting of the metal body. I'm already onto my second set of doors and now, I see rusting on body panels as well. Totally not acceptable quality in this day and age.

[Sran]

Originally Posted by udaikalra01

XUV500 interiors

Attachment 2130467

Attachment 2130468

Attachment 2130469

Attachment 2130470

Shoutout to people who park their cars with angled steering and do not make an effort to park properly with straight aligned wheels.

First there used to be one tab attached to dashboard and now there are two of them protruding. Just waiting to see if IRVM can be replaced by a third one.