[Roja]

Hi Anshuman,

Wonderful write up from every point of view literally. Thank you for shedding light on the XUV.

Have a question for you: For tires - how big do you think you can go for in this vehicle? 235? 245? maybe 31" or 33" ? and say if you use MT? Do you think it would work?

Any modifications to be done or do you think a bolt on would work?

I had to ask you since - you are really well versed with this vehicle and I haven't really come across any posts related to this.

Look forward to hearing your views.

Best,
Roja

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Roja

Hi Anshuman,

Wonderful write up from every point of view literally. Thank you for shedding light on the XUV.

Have a question for you: For tires - how big do you think you can go for in this vehicle? 235? 245? maybe 31" or 33" ? and say if you use MT? Do you think it would work?

Any modifications to be done or do you think a bolt on would work?

I had to ask you since - you are really well versed with this vehicle and I haven't really come across any posts related to this.

Look forward to hearing your views.

The Stock tires in XUV are 235/65, i do not have big complaints in terms of grip, yes these OE Bridgestone tires start making noise quite early when pushed hard but they do not let go. So in terms of on road behaviour, i really have no concerns in terms of tires or suspension setup.

For looks i feel broader rubber like 255 will look better.

MT tires on a XUV, Are you serious? I am not sure what size M/T tires would fit.

I'd definitely prefer to go for A/T tires(extra toughness and L'il bit more grip off the road) when time for replacement arrives. As of now the availability of A/T tires in OE size is limited in our market.

[Pankaj_Ahlawat]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

It turned out to be dead battery . One cell was absolutely dead, and other one was weak. So i had to get a new battery. I bought Amaron battery with 2 years warranty for 4800 Rupees.

Same kat kat sound and refusal to start. Battery charged and its back in motion. However thinking if I should change it or continue for a while. Mine was parked for a week or more so may be that is the reason

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Pankaj_Ahlawat

Same kat kat sound and refusal to start. Battery charged and its back in motion. However thinking if I should change it or continue for a while. Mine was parked for a week or more so may be that is the reason

Get the Battery cells checked, if any of the cells are damaged there is no point charging the battery, over the time battery will discharge on its own.

Any Battery wala will test the battery for free/nominal amount in 5 mins.

[me_sid]

Great review Anshuman. HELLA Red Grills are devils indeed. I have it in my Baleno, one toot and the autos and even minibuses scamper off. I have a question though, have you just replaced the stock or kept the red grills as secondary/aternative? The sound from the suspension, did you change anything or they just tightened the bolts et all?

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by me_sid

Great review Anshuman. HELLA Red Grills are devils indeed. I have it in my Baleno, one toot and the autos and even minibuses scamper off. I have a question though, have you just replaced the stock or kept the red grills as secondary/aternative? The sound from the suspension, did you change anything or they just tightened the bolts et all?

I have replaced the stock horns with Red Grilles, the mounting point and wiring is all stock, nothing had to be changed.

It was due to faulty design of earlier roll bar bushes, the noise has vanished with the newer design bushes. The suspension overall is holding up pretty well to the abuse dosed out to my XUV frequently.

[me_sid]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I have replaced the stock horns with Red Grilles, the mounting point and wiring is all stock, nothing had to be changed.

It was due to faulty design of earlier roll bar bushes, the noise has vanished with the newer design bushes. The suspension overall is holding up pretty well to the abuse dosed out to my XUV frequently.

Hehe,abuse? But dont they promote it that way in their live young live free video? I also changed my bushes at around 5k. But did you pay for it?

[me_sid]

Forgot to ask you anshuman. This suspension overhaul that you talked about. Are you going for aftermarket or are you getting your shockers springs etc changed and staying with OEM. Am sure that they won't be doing it under warranty or will they?

[sk7671]

Nice beast Anshuman. Awesome pics. I am about to book a W8 and bumped into your post. Now am confused not only between used vs new, but fwd vs awd as well. Family (Wife and kids) want me to take a new one. If my driving is mostly in the city, some long trips on Highways and once in a while some ghat road, will I need an awd?

[.anshuman]

Firstly, XUV is doing great at 35,000 kms, apart from a fused low beam headlamp bulb nothing has gone wrong for last 9 months/ ~15000 kms, touch wood! I am glad they have found the fix for the roll bar bush problem. The latest design seems to be holding well.

The last row of seats on XUV were of no use to me. Instead i have to carry a lot of luggage and other stuff in boot frequently. So i removed the last of seats. The last row of seats are actually very easy to remove, with my SKIL toolkit it took me 15 minutes to remove the last row of seats. Removing the seats has added quite a lot of luggage space that i need to use a lot.



I was not able to find mats/carpet to cover the whole boot floor area, so i cut this spare carpet i had at my office. This one is much easier to vacuum clean and can be disposed off when required.

[.anshuman]

We got back from another fun trip to the Himalayas earlier this month. We covered Spiti Valley and Chitkul in early april. Few days spent below freezing temperature.

Top marks for XUV's cold weather start. Even when parked in Negative temperature for whole night, facing wind, my XUV fired comfortably all the days. Thanks for the Glow Plugs Mahindra! After all it doesnt stuggle like Scorpio, Xylo, Innova and Safari in the cold. I was carrying anti gel fluid for Diesel, but did not use it anywhere. Night temperatures came down to as low as -10c in Kaza. Another car, a Ford Ecosport parked next to my car, had to get some baking in sun due to Engine check light every morning, maybe due to inconsistent supply of Diesel due to gelling(just my guess), they also reported issues with traction at places(2wd).

Absolutely no issues faced with the car. Only issue, frozen Windshield Washer fluid happened due to my own negligence, if forgot to add windshield washer fluid and the water froze.

AWD system performed flawlessly, traction reserves were generous, even with the stock H/T tires. We explored each and every road till the closing point.

Kaza is situated much lower than 4500-5000 metre mark, where XUV spent a lot of time last year. Being at lower altitude, engine felt peppy most of the time.

Fuel Statistics-
Total Distance- 2066kms
Total Fuel consumed- 178.88 Litres
Fuel Efficiency-11.55 Kms/Litre

Distance from Kaza to Gurgaon while coming back was done on a single tank of fuel, 843.5 Kilometeres(includes deroute to Chandigarh) done in 64.88 Litres, acheived a FE figure of 13.0087 kms/Litre.

Had fun flying around on non existent gravel roads, i have new found respect for the fun handling and flat ride which keeps getting better with speed. Good Cheetah!

[.anshuman]

Some Random pictures from my Phone-

[Wanderers]

Hi Anshuman,

Thanks for sharing your Spiti valley drive in XUV. This place is my dream drive, which I have promised myself in near future but may be when its warmer and road are more friendly.

Meanwhile on my XUV, I am frequently having my headlamps blown. It got blown 4 times in last 3 months and happens to both the sides but never together and nothing happens to the fuse.
Request your suggestion.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Wanderers

Hi Anshuman,

Thanks for sharing your Spiti valley drive in XUV. This place is my dream drive, which I have promised myself in near future but may be when its warmer and road are more friendly.

Meanwhile on my XUV, I am frequently having my headlamps blown. It got blown 4 times in last 3 months and happens to both the sides but never together and nothing happens to the fuse.
Request your suggestion.

Last evening i realized the RHS low beam bulb has conked off. A fused bulb is not much of an irritant in mot cars but replacing the bulb is quite a task in XUV-500. My car is due of 40k service this week, ill get the bulb changed at dealership.

Second instance of fused bulb in my XUV-500, but i have seen a lot of XUV's on road running fused low beam bulbs, is it really an issue or just a case of ignorant owners?

[.anshuman]

Pin River Panorama, clicked using Galaxy Note 3.