[Guna]

I don't know if this was already reported

Source: Spied - Mahindra W201 caught totally undisguised
If this is accurate, the toothy (broken this time) grill really spoils it IMO. It also resembles rib cage!

[shivmarwaha]

The car definitely does not look as ugly as in this picture. It looked great when I saw it . These could be the prototypes or experiments mahindra may be doing to make the car look aggressive. The car is definitely well proportioned like the first gen Honda crb

[harimakesh]

Grill is spoiling the otherwise good front stance. Headlights seemingly with daytime running LEDs. roof rails and ORVM with indicators give good presence. Seems for the first time M&M managed to make a decent looking vehicle.

From day one, I am sure accessories shop will thrive by selling good looking front grills to make the vehicle better.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by Guna

I don't know if this was already reported

Source: Spied - Mahindra W201 caught totally undisguised
If this is accurate, the toothy (broken this time) grill really spoils it IMO. It also resembles rib cage!

guys this is a FAKE face of the XUV5 oh oh, to mislead people!

the actual face of the vehicle is much better looking.

[Gerardfdz]

Originally Posted by sudipta

Hi All,

Can anyone please confirm that actual date and place of the launch of this vehicle? As per my information 26th Sept is not the date for sure.

I too am very keen to change back to a SUV type vehicle! - Heard the launch has been put back till Dec2011?? any definate date yet?
Rgds

[GTO]

Spotted by my brother on the Expressway. He comments "Man, it was FAST! The XUV500 was easily & comfortably doing 165 kph". Adds that the midrange was strong too. He slowed down to overtake my bro & blinked his lights, bro moved out of the way, and the XUV500 accelerated away strongly.

[raj_5004]

Is the testing still going on? The launch is near, right?

I am glad to hear about the performance! :-)

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by GTO

Spotted by my brother on the Expressway. He comments "Man, it was FAST! The XUV500 was easily & comfortably doing 165 kph". Adds that the midrange was strong too. He slowed down to overtake my bro & blinked his lights, bro moved out of the way, and the XUV500 accelerated away strongly.

Awesome road presence. Looks quite wide too, with a Fortunerish high bonnet.

Pretty good performance if this is using a retuned version of the same 2.2L mhawk engine.

[julupani]

I am sorry, but are we sure it is the XUV500???

I am surprised to see a car that heavily camouflaged undergoing testing, a fortnight before launch. Why are they testing at a time when the production line should already be coming upto speed??

[Zed]

Originally Posted by Parm

guys this is a FAKE face of the XUV5 oh oh, to mislead people!

the actual face of the vehicle is much better looking.

One certainly hopes this is the case. Are you suggesting this is a deliberate attempt by some marketing whiz at M&M or an attack from a competitor? In my humble opinion - the pic does not look photoshop-ed.

A possible explanation is that this grille design was option (soft tooled) that has since been dropped in favour something more appropriate. The renderings that appeared in one of the Automags had a really smart front end. I hope the final design is similar.

Originally Posted by Gerardfdz

I too am very keen to change back to a SUV type vehicle! - Heard the launch has been put back till Dec2011?? any definate date yet?
Rgds

Since you mention 'SUV type vehicle' I assume that you are clear about the fact that XUV is not a SUV but a crossover with a monocoque body which should enable it to have handling and ride characteristics that is closer to a sedan rather than a SUV. This is great news if your intent is to drive on tarmac. I would certainly state that its worth waiting a couple of months to weigh this option before making your decision.

Originally Posted by VeluM

Awesome road presence. Looks quite wide too, with a Fortunerish high bonnet.

Pretty good performance if this is using a retuned version of the same 2.2L mhawk engine.

Perhaps this is the upgraded (170hp? ) version of the 2.2 Ltr engine that will probably be launched a bit later than the standard version. This could explain the camouflaged vehicle tests this close to the alleged launch date.

Either thar or it wasn't the XUV 500 that you encountered.

[shankar.balan]

lots of chatter about end sep/ early oct being the rough launch date
i think they may try to hit diwali

MH 15 is Nashik's RTO code, it could be XUV 500. One of my friends who is from Auto Industry, who works for a Belgium company that deals with Vibration Testing for most of the world wide mfrs, caught this on BLR-PUN highway. He too followed this and enquired to those people, ofcourse had to use his industry background to develop rapport. This vehicle has been driven all along Goldern Quadrilateral, NH7 (south to north) and also the Leh-Ladakh streth. The team which drives / tests are different in different states to give the test a variation of handlers.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

lots of chatter about end sep/ early oct being the rough launch date
i think they may try to hit diwali

According to this ET report Build mobility brand: Should Anand Mahindra be focused only on building world-class M&M SUVs - The Economic Times

The XUV500, which will be launched in the festive season in India, will straddle the space between the Scorpio and the Rexton

2.7-litre cc turbo diesel engine-powered Rexton will be pitted against the Toyota Fortuner and, at around Rs 20 lakh, will be the highest-priced product in M&M's auto portfolio

[BlackRaven]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

lots of chatter about end sep/ early oct being the rough launch date
i think they may try to hit diwali

I got a call from Sireesh to check my interest on this vehicle. They said they would be getting the vehicle shortly and that the launch is on Sep 28th.

[Pankaj_Ahlawat]

Its about time they put it on road , iam eagerly waiting for a crossover sort of vehicle which is litLle more of SUV character . I have been fascinated by Fortuner but again it has sort of lumpy ride and Innova is too sedate to have a character. This vehicle could be the one with sedan like ride under the wraps of an SUV.
But price would be the factor. If they lauch it at 14 L or road , then it makes all sense to go for it and would see swarm of bookings like new verna , but 14 L ex showroom would tip the scale to 16 L on road and few more features could take price to 17 L and then it would take the charm out of the whole equation, and it would be a lone wolf like the yeti which being an undestated sophisticated piece of macinery scare ppl away in the pure cost per kg of metal trade off, where people are willing to live with poor reliability of ford endeavour in the segment but stay away from fragile looking yeti.
Also the upcoming duster in 2012, though size and equipment wise may be a notch lower , but has the potential to suck away the midsize SUV hunters at the speculated price launch of 10 L fully loaded and can even seriously impact the price concious ppl waiting for XUV 500 if the difference between them is more than 4 L.
Well the wait is on , if none of them succeed , I would wait more and save for Fortuner ( though it costs a fortune at 23 L), however maybe an year down the line the used fortuners may come in 15L price bracket (today no dealr is willing to cut a deal less than 19-20), then things would heat up even more. Good times are coming for SUV lovers
Amen!