[LithiumSunset]

My vote goes to version 4 too. It cleans out the silliness of M&M original design. Hope you are sharing this with the over the top designers at Mahindra.

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations on the new car Anshuman, being away from forum for too long and everything seems to be new. The shock at Mahindra Service gives me jitters, and i am sure it does the same to perspective SUV customers.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Coming next week- XUV vs Rexton comparison report

Is this up yet? Could you post the link. Thanks

Originally Posted by ACM

love someone to do a Storme vs Fortuner

That would be a killer compario, people might avoid as they belong to different price segments but in my view both are similarly capable and targeting the same segment of users (minus the price)

[ACM]

Anshuman:

I Liked version 3 the most. M&M teeth is symbolic of the brand and needs to remain I guess.

It is amazing that such simple changes are sufficent to solve the "looks aspect" issue that most people have. For me the rear moustache is the bigger issue.

They have "Over Designed" every aspect of the car (be the tail lights or the AC Vents) and a 20% tone down would do it a lot of good.

[.anshuman]

During the last week's mud-plugging attempt, my XUV got both the rear mudflaps cracked. One of the front Mudflaps already had a crack, so i finally removed the mudflaps. This is the first XUV i have seen without mudflaps, looking for now, but some B-Pillar like tape will have to applied since there is no cladding below where mudflaps were.









Also, got wheel balancing done from Star wheels, there was a minor wobble in steering which has now disappeared.

[TheTeacher]

So how did the mud plugging go? How did the AWD handle it? Details please?

[narsi_6989]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Coming next week- XUV vs Rexton comparison report

Attachment 1059703

Hi Anshuman, still eagerly waiting for the comparison report . This comparison carries more importance since there is no official review thread for Rexton yet.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by narsi_6989

Hi Anshuman, still eagerly waiting for the comparison report . This comparison carries more importance since there is no official review thread for Rexton yet.

The comparison will have to be delayed due to things beyond my control(even beyond Mahindra India's control) as the Rexton is lying at a Mahindra dealership, waiting to be diagnosed of the engine issues. Mahindra is unable to even diagnose the issues, leave alone sorting them out.

[.anshuman]

I was experiencing some noise from underbody after the off-roading attempt, the sump guard once scraped on a soft surface(mud) during a drive in rough , there was no hard hits. So i took the XUV to Sterling Gurgaon, convinced the super busy(on phone) RM Manish to get my car checked, he assigned someone from the workshop for a test drive with me.

The person could not hear the noise i was hearing, and reported the car to be absolutely normal. I insisting to get underbody checked, they were resisting but still convinced them to get my XUV on lift. I personally checked everything for any sort of free play or damage. The plastic sump guard was hanging loose, with most of the screws missing, hanging on the last 1 or 2 screws. While this was a simple 1o minute job, managed to waste first half of my day already.

_________________________________

I have seen a lot of BHPians raise concerns on the low placed and fragile plastic sump guard. I got a chance to inspect the whole underbody of XUV. The sump guard is indeed placed low, but there is atleast 2 inch gap between sump guard and sump, some of it is filled by a foam kind of material. The sump itself is made of a very strong material, i seriously doubt if any kind of hits would be able to do any serious damage to the sump. The other component below the guard on the other side(GB??) is placed even higher, so there are no fragile critical components hanging low. Look at the pics to see, what i am saying. Only the mountings on a subframe(?) look vulnerable.

The Oil remains are from the time of PS hose replacement.

[rkbharat]

I am waiting for your rough road driving report on AWD XUV. I am at the verge of deciding on something, and I am utterly confused right now :(

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

I am waiting for your rough road driving report on AWD XUV. I am at the verge of deciding on something, and I am utterly confused right now :(

Hi Rajeev, I'll wait for some more trips in the rough before i post a detailed report on performance in the rough, maybe after this year's trip to Ladakh/Spiti Valley.

If you have any specific queries, please feel free to post them here or drop me a PM, ill try to answer them. Which all other Vehicles are in your shortlist? What is the confusion about? Are you looking for a vehicle for expeditions to Himalayas?

[rkbharat]

I am looking for something which can take lots of beating and Abuse, can seat 4 people comfortably, a very good ground clearance, have to be comfortable inside for all those four people, including modern digital comforts, having a 4WD is must, basically a good capability to clear heavy slush, snow and bad roads. I am not going to throw it off-road, but it should clear anything under limits, if asked.

Initially for short expedition in India, but there is something in mind across Asia.

I am also inclined of picking up a used Suzuki GV, get it modified, like custom shock, suspension, raise it few inches, performance kit, get a good AT tyres, A snorkel (not really a must), A winch (again not sure),

I had Rexton in mind but, the scary support experience keeps me away from it

As of now SX4 is taking me places, add to it more GC, good ramp clearance, 4WD, good shoes and it will do all I am looking for.

SX4 is a pure delight and happy experience, and the expectations are much higher now. I just can not wait for weeks and months for spare parts :(

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Hi Rajeev, I'll wait for some more trips in the rough before i post a detailed report on performance in the rough, maybe after this year's trip to Ladakh/Spiti Valley.

If you have any specific queries, please feel free to post them here or drop me a PM, ill try to answer them. Which all other Vehicles are in your shortlist? What is the confusion about? Are you looking for a vehicle for expeditions to Himalayas?

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

As of now SX4 is taking me places, add to it more GC, good ramp clearance, 4WD, good shoes and it will do all I am looking for. SX4 is a pure delight and happy experience, and the expectations are much higher now. I just can not wait for weeks and months for spare parts :(

If you are happy with SX4 and just AWD and some more GC is what you are looking for, then XUV500 or any other AWD Monocoque is the stuff you are looking for. AWD system works as it should, provides extra traction and gives me enough confidence to take me to places i do not bother with other 2wd vehicles.

For a Crossover- Approach angle is good(Thanks to CRV like angled bumper), Ramp breakover angle is excellent and Departure angle is decent. If you plan to do something more extreme you will have modify some of the plastics below front bumper, all else looks good, this is the case with most other Crossovers.

You might miss Low range though, electronics like Hill start assist and Hill Descent control try to make for it in few of the situations. I would have preferred a shorter first gear for better speed control.

AT tires are tough to find, but they do exist.

I am looking for something which can take lots of beating and Abuse, can seat 4 people comfortably, a very good ground clearance, have to be comfortable inside for all those four people, including modern digital comforts, having a 4WD is must, basically a good capability to clear heavy slush, snow and bad roads. I am not going to throw it off-road, but it should clear anything under limits, if asked.

The question is how extreme do you want to go? For taking extreme abuse and stuff, with top grade reliability you should be looking at either the Fortuner or Pajero. But there is a compromise in every SUV type you pick, with these Chassis based SUVs you will compromise on Safety, Highway manners, Ride quality at speed, FE etc, to gain Better offroading performance and ability to take abuse.

Another Vehicle i have in mind for you is soon to be launched Duster 4wd. It sure would be expensive for what it will offer but will tick most other requirements, except seating comfort. I do find seating in Duster uncomfortable, for my size the front seats are smallish and i find fixed rear seats with limited space a bother for long Ladakh type journeys(5 of us travelled to Jaisalmer in a Duster and most of the time we were busy fighting for space). If you can live with the seating setup and weird ergonomics(and cost cutting everywhere) this is the vehicle you are looking for.

Something like this-

Source:http://www.google.co.in/imgres?hl=en...4&tx=153&ty=55


Yeti is another brilliant car, if you drive it properly once, you might never forget it. GC and Support is not as good, but it is the perfect Sx4 replacement, if you dont want to go extreme.

Initially for short expedition in India, but there is something in mind across Asia.

I am also inclined of picking up a used Suzuki GV, get it modified, like custom shock, suspension, raise it few inches, performance kit, get a good AT tyres, A snorkel (not really a must), A winch (again not sure),

Outlander is another crossover that is available for very tempting prices in Used car market, but Ground clearance is a concern with this one.

If you wish to modify the SUV with stuff like Winch and Snorkel, do not look at anything without Chassis. For SUVs like Fortuner, Endeavour or Pajero, the list of modification possibilities is endless, with good availability of quality parts. Everything from Lift kits to Diff locks is available. And only these Japs(Endy is a Jap under the skin!) can promise you the Bulletproof reliability you might be dreaming of.

About the Grand Vitara, Samurai and Sudev know more than anyone else on the forum, they'll be able to guide you better. I hope you have read Samurai's thread on skid plates for GV. Finding a good used Grand Vitara 2.4 will be tough, 2.0 is weak and equally thirsty.

I had Rexton in mind but, the scary support experience keeps me away from it

You might not like Rexton's suspension, on highways there is annoying amount of constant vertical movement but off the road it is in the league of Fortuners and Pajeros.

But do you really need to go that extreme? If occasional Snow, Ice and Slush is what you are expecting to encounter, any tech laden crossover like XUV or Duster 4wd with Traction control and AWD will be more than capable.

[.anshuman]

For last 2 tankfulls my XUV500 has spending a lot time idling and crawling in bad traffic, serving as a mobile office. I was surprised to see the FE display as 15+kpl, last time i was shocked when i got 17kpl on a relaxed highway drive but the display was still showing 15.XXkpl, this FE readout is nowhere close actual FE.

Here is data for last 2 tankfuls, 100% City traffic, endless hours of idling with AC on-

Tank 1




FE is 11.84KPL


This is what onboard computer says
____________________________________

Tank 2





FE is 11.93KPL


This is what onboard computer says

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Just installed Hella Red grill horns on my XUV, a simple half an hour DIY. I have been using these horns for 13 years

I understand that relay comes as default for XUV5OO....Is that suffice for the new fitment or u did wired with the relay that came with the Hella box

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Surprise

I understand that relay comes as default for XUV5OO....Is that suffice for the new fitment or u did wired with the relay that came with the Hella box

My experience of installing red-grilles on last 2 cars(Elantra and Punto) says the stock relay is more than enough to handle these horns, these Hellas never died or created problems on these cars, so i decided to use the stock relay on XUV this time again. For now Horns are sounding great, a big relief on highways, but i make sure to honk them in half bursts or quarter bursts for city use, that too only when necessary. They do work great, everybody from stray animals to insensitive Autorickshaw drivers respond much better to them compared to stock horns.