[pacman2881]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I think, Tata should shelve Merlin now. No way they can match M&M's XUV.

There is one more new competitor who will be badly hit - Force one. Despite Force's good efforts, XUV with all it's gizmo's and Mahindra's brand image will capitulate Force one. Wrong timing for Force one for sure.

[zteg]

Originally Posted by Crazy4Power

1. Monococoque Design - In case of accident how the repairs will be.
In normal chasis design only the body gets damages or if it very high impact the chasis gets damaged and you can replace the body parts or the chasis.

But in case of XUV what damages will take place because of impact and what needs to be replaced?
How it will affect the overall body alignment ? I may be wrong so experts pls clarify.

Good question. Experts can throw some light on this.
How easily can the repairs be done? Wont this be heavy on pocket when compared to LOF.

Originally Posted by pamishra

XUV has the Start-Stop technology. As i understand it, the engine with shut down on braking (and at idle) and again start automatically when the accelerator is pressed

This is the same Micro Hybrid which is available in Scorpio. Guess all the VLX owners have this feature switched off.

[aks_karthik]

Just had a TD. Might be my expectations are very high after reading 'n' no of reviews/opinions. Over all car is good. But interior color theme is not for my taste as well as plastic quality. Especially fish eye compartment is very lousy.
Riding is composed but power delivery and brakes are not up to the mark.
The 3rd row is really cramped. Definitely it should have seat rail for 2nd row to adjust the seat as it has loads of leg space which is not essential for normal Joe. If it has seat adjustment to move forward then 3rd row seat will be more useful. Now it can be strictly used for children or people less than 5 feet. Hope they will give seat adjustment in near future. Scorpio scores here.
No way to keep luggages if all seats are occupied. Need roof rail carrier to safe your luggages.
Exterior is awesome. It should be seen in person. Very huge and charismatic. I love the stance.
Showroom is jam packed and have a queue for TD.
Almost 20 bookings have been done and that too W8 AWD alone.
Awaiting to check black and brown interior theme.
Thanx Mahindra for giving us a wonderful package called XUV 500.
Whether I'll buy it, of course after comparing with Tata Merlin.

[flyingkolors]

Originally Posted by Crazy4Power

1. Monococoque Design - In case of accident how the repairs will be.
In normal chasis design only the body gets damages or if it very high impact the chasis gets damaged and you can replace the body parts or the chasis.

But in case of XUV what damages will take place because of impact and what needs to be replaced?
How it will affect the overall body alignment ? I may be wrong so experts pls clarify.

Thats rightly pointed out. Monocoque design has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

Compared to older techniques, in which a body is bolted to a frame, monocoque cars are less expensive, lighter, more rigid, and can be more protective of occupants in a crash when appropriately designed. The use of higher strength steels in panels at points of high stress has increased strength and rigidity without increasing weight.

Disadvantages

Unfortunately, when a vehicle with a unibody design is involved in a serious accident, it may be more difficult to repair than a vehicle with a full frame. Rust can be more of a problem, since the structural metal is part of the load-bearing structure (of metal that is much thinner than a conventional chassis) making it more critical, and must be repaired by cutting-out and welding rather than by simply bolting on new parts (as would be the case for a separate chassis).

Source: Wikipedia

Originally Posted by zteg

This is the same Micro Hybrid which is available in Scorpio. Guess all the VLX owners have this feature switched off.

Can you please elaborate why you think its switched off? Its an innovative technique to save fuel when stopping at signals, etc. I've seen many Scorpio owners using it effectively.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Crazy4Power

1. Monococoque Design - In case of accident how the repairs will be.
In normal chasis design only the body gets damages or if it very high impact the chasis gets damaged and you can replace the body parts or the chasis.

But in case of XUV what damages will take place because of impact and what needs to be replaced?
How it will affect the overall body alignment ? I may be wrong so experts pls clarify.

All cars except Ambassador sold in India have a Monococoque design, so from an accident repair stand point, it will be no different from a Maruthi Van or Montero.

Originally Posted by Crazy4Power

2. AWD - In tricky situations like mud or soft sand etc we normally slect the right gear 4L / 4H before approaching it prefrably on hard surface itself. It helps helps in attaning the right momentum to clear the obstacle, becuase once you are stuck and your wheels loses the traction the 4 wd also doesn't help much in most of the situations.

So in case of XUV AWD it may be too late for the vehicle to recognize the requirement of AWD. Is there any option where you can forcibly put the vehcile in AWD?

The AWD sytems of Soft Roaders are generally not meant for the kind of off-road situations. It is basically a traction aided system no different from a Subaru AWD station wagon or Audi Quattro system.

The sensor is supposed to sense wheel slippage within micro seconds and engage AWD so the scenario you described about getting stuck only because you were not in 4WD mode is very unlikely as AWD will kick in almost at the first recognition of loss of traction. In addition to that having ETS (Traction contol is almost like having front/rear/center diff locks as the ETS will lock the wheels that are slipping and you may even be about get out with traction on just a single wheel.

Most soft roaders have a 4WD Lock switch that can lock the 4WD in place upto a certain speed limit. Not sure if Mahindra has omitted this feature like it omitted the manual gear selection in the Scorpio Automatic.

[bnzjon]

Chennai ex-showroom prices (in lacs) :

W6 - 10.96
W8 2WD -12.13
W8 AWD - 13.07

[zteg]

Originally Posted by flyingkolors

Can you please elaborate why you think its switched off? Its an innovative technique to save fuel when stopping at signals, etc. I've seen many Scorpio owners using it effectively.

I suggest you go through few ownership reviews of scorpio VLX and you get your answer. Imagine sitting inside a car mid afternoon for 180s at a signal. By the way, I have 3 scorpios in my family and I know more people who keeps it off.
A manufacturer might come up with many innovations. Its is not necessary that it is useful for everybody. What is good for me may not be good for you and vice versa.

[sidwadia]

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Just had a TD..
Riding is composed but power delivery and brakes are not up to the mark.
.

Hi AKS,
can u pls elaborate on the power delivery/Braking experience.
Power : is it not linear, not powerful enough, turbo lag is significant etc etc (since its a tuned up motor that does the job on the scorpio, one would assume a better responiveness)
Braking : this kinda baffles me..... with all 4 disc brakes/EBD/ESP if it still doesnt meet expectations, then there must be something seriously wrong with the vehicle .
Request your inputs.
cheers
Sid

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

All cars except Ambassador sold in India have a Monococoque design, so from an accident repair stand point, it will be no different from a Maruthi Van or Montero.

The Ambassador has a monocoque chassis and was among the first such cars in India.

[sindabad.sailor]

I was wondering just in case TATA decides to match ARIA with XUV pricing, how would the entire scene look?

Do you think people will opt for it over XUV?

I know I need to read comparo sheets in details but no harm in day dreaming till then.

One obvious thing is that ARIA could be delivered much earlier being far less booked.

I am praying this pricing kick a price war in the segment.

Rgds.

[zachi]

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Riding is composed but power delivery and brakes are not up to the mark.

So I guess the Scorpio's braking issues/nervousness as i like to call it continues for the XUV 500 also? Did anyone have a chance to check out the high speed dynamics?

[ethanhunt123]

I just returned from SKS Motors here. There was a mini stampede happening there with people falling over each other to sit inside and feel the XUV. In the 10 min i was talking to SA, i saw 3 bookings happen. Already this is a big hit !

The vehicle seems to have huge road presence. Black color should go perfect on this as it will hide the lower grill to an extent. Interiors are 10 steps above Safari/Scorpio and definitely equal to Aria. They still cant match upto Laura/Civic levels though. No TD vehicle as on now, dealer says he will get it only by Monday.

If a hardcore sedan guy like me can be tempted a little, i can only imagine how SUV lovers would fall over themselves to buy this !

[dadu]

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

.
Whether I'll buy it, of course after comparing with Tata Merlin.

Merlin(selectable 4x4) is actually not a right comparison for XUV(AWD) unless you are looking at the 2WD versions only. For 2WD versions too XUV's newer structure/design will provide more creature comforts as its the new kid on the block.

Originally Posted by sindabad.sailor

I was wondering just in case TATA decides to match ARIA with XUV pricing, how would the entire scene look?

Do you think people will opt for it over XUV?

I know I need to read comparo sheets in details but no harm in day dreaming till then.

One obvious thing is that ARIA could be delivered much earlier being far less booked.

I am praying this pricing kick a price war in the segment.

Rgds.

I dont think TATA will provide a Knee-Jerk reaction to XUV launch immediately, perhaps 2-3 months or next financial year would see price corrections.

But SUV Price wars have definitely begun and at the right time(for consumers) when the sales numbers are anyways not moving up.

[Y@SH]

Can someone please post a picture of the W6 interior (central console)?

[rajneeesh]

Just returned from Koncept Auto showroom. The crowd there was as if Shahrukh Khan was there distributing autographs, but it was XUV 500 that was the star of the show.

The vehicle has an imposing presence. I quite liked the seating position at the front but somehow the door seemed to be too close to my elbow.

The interior plastics are much improved, but still much lower than what you get in a Hyundai Verna. I did not like the chocolate and plum dual tone dashboard. Black looks better but does not jell well with chocolate.

There is very little legroom for the third row occupants. This car is best used as a 5 seater. With the third row seats up there is zero space for any luggage.

Overall, a big winner from Mahindra which will give the other manufacturers a lot to think about.

This machine will pull SUV customers like a magnet. The aggressive pricing will also compel the sedan buyers to have a dekho. It is priced very close to what the Vento and Verna Diesel variants sell for and it is pretty loaded. I also anticipate the waiting period for the fortuner to lessen if Mahindra decides to hold on to the introductory price.