[.anshuman]

Dad called me one day and told me he had sold our Punto! and asked to me to find a new car. We were planning to sell this car since last few months, I never imagined finding a buyer for this Fiat would be so easy and it would fetch a good amount.


There was not really a need to upgrade at all, the Punto I had bought in 2009 was aging really well, with no niggles or issues, it was holding well and might have lasted atleast a decade before throwing some serious tantrums. The service from Tata service centers was as pathetic as it could have been, but then the long 15,000km interval and niggle free nature of car kept my visits to Tata at a bare minimum, at times I even sourced the parts from Tata and got the car serviced outside(what a huge relief!).

It was Dad's idea to sell the Punto and upgrade to some other car, this time I wanted a Crossover or maybe a SUV with 4wd, though there was no need, both Punto and Laura regularly took me to places people normally do not take their hatchbacks and sedans. One thing was clear, If it had to be a Sedan, it should be a Euro car. Upgrading to a sedan looked like a boring idea, we already had the best sedan which is brilliant to drive and very satisfying to own, so the idea of getting a Jetta or another Laura was not really clicking. Picking a sedan from lower segment was a even terrible idea, I had no interest in going for Rapid or Vento, end of the day they do not feel like proper Euro cars, however hard they try they cannot hide the fact that they are Polo with boot and bigger engine, coming from Punto they hardly seemed like a upgrade(except the extra power).

There were no perfect 4wd SUV/Crossovers, each one had its own set of disadvantages-

Ever since the Launch Skoda Yeti 4x4 looked like a very appealing car to me, excellent road manners, gem of an engine mated to a equally good 6 speed manual with closely stacked ratios, a haldex AWD system.... But I already had a Skoda! There is nothing wrong with my Laura, it has proved to be as reliable as the Japs and Koreans, but Skoda Dealers are not worth trusting, Skoda has little control over them. Getting warranty warranty approvals takes months, I do not really want both my cars to be Skoda/VW.

Scorpio 4wd looked promising, at 11.80lakhs ex showroom it surely is very expensive for an ageing vehicle, I had this SUV in my mind all along, I had driven a mhawk for thousands of kilometers earlier and I knew exactly what Scorpio was all about about. This was the Plan B, there was no Plan A but Plan B was Scorpio 4wd, Java Brown color with cladding in Brown, Captain seats. A dealer in Delhi was even offering insurance free and delivery within 3-4 weeks of a freshly manufactured car in my choice of color and seating. This was a proper old school truck with proper 4wd system and a solid rear axle, it would easily take me everywhere I wished. But compared to the competition the Interiors looked bad, dynamics were bad, gadgetry was all useless and seats were uncomfortable, all in all it felt more of an compromise.

Few months back, Duster 4wd was it for me, expecting a price of one lakh rupees over 10.99lakhs of RXZ variant, it was expensive for what it offered but still it took care of most of the requirements. But 4wd variant was nowhere to be seen, and Renault over the time had bumped up the price by around 70,000 Rupees. I would have dropped my 4wd plans for a 2wd variant if the pricing was any sensible.

The local Renault dealership in Gurgaon was even pathetic, I had booked two cars earlier, one for my cousin and another for a close friend, while my friend dropped the booked(after getting 5k deducted and went in for a Rexton, I took delivery RXL 80hp for my cousin after they refused me delivery of the lower variant I had booked only because this car came at the old price.

In December we drove a Duster 85hp RXLto a holiday in Jaisalmer, we were five people in the car, and I spent a good amount of time behind steering and on all the seats to form a solid informed opinion on the car, this was not the car for me, for sure. The RXZ variant had interiors which felt like a downgrade even compared to my Punto, the cost cutting was evident everywhere, even minor stuff like HVAC controls and beam height adjust felt worse than a basic Hyundai i10, chrome plating and beige inserts did not fool us into accepting it to be worthy of its price. My biggest concern were the small front seats and the fixed rear seats that did not recline even a inch, ergonomics were weird too. Ride quality was AWESOME, at up all kind of roads without losing composure and still staying flat(for a SUV) most of the time. Handling and steering were strictly average, under hard the rear always struggled to kick out of the intended line and this car desperately needs ESP, check the ELK tests to find what I am talking about.



Mahindra XUV 500 was not a candidate till now, but since I was sort of mentally prepared to let go my 4wd drive ambitions, I decided to check it out. I had driven XUV several times and I had liked it, but never saw it from a buyer's perspective, I did not know the exact prices, all I knew was that top of the line AWD was expensive. A visit to local Mahindra dealer changed my perspective, pricing was much lesser than I had thought, the lowest w6 variant at 11.70 ex showroom was around the same price as top end Duster, at the same price the seating and some other stuff was out of this world, time to consider this one.

I called up Dad and discussed XUV, he did not like the idea much but said buy it if you like it. W6 variant in Red color looked good VFM for me, I was very happy with the package, all I was losing compared to Duster was little bit of Ride comfort and Fuel Efficiency, and adding the probability of more niggles to deal with. I had been following the XUV niggles thread from day one, nothing I had read was serious enough to scare me off, or maybe I am brave enough with cars, first I traded my Swift for a Punto, then moved to a Laura from my Elantra and now a XUV!

Long waiting lists fades away all the new car excitement I have, Punto was already gone and we wanted the replacement to arrive ASAP. Sterling Mahindra Gurgaon sales guys were decent to talk to but they were not open to negotiations of any sorts, Thank you Bye Bye! Sri Durga staff was a lot better, we started negotiations with a 2 month wait, to a 21 day offer from Mahindra to a Silver w6 in and finally ended with ready delivery of a red W6, all because I promised upfront payment, no Finance no Loan, cash transferred directly to their account.

Red XUV 500 W6 was almost final, I asked the sales executive to wait for a day or two till I make up my mind. Thought about it all day long, even most of the night, talked to close friends just to check alternate opinion, I was never confused regarding cars, this was the first time. An idea popped my mind, How about trying some options in used car market before finalizing this one, what's the harm anyways, I am paying cash and there might be a good car waiting for me. I scanned the Internet and newspapers from previous weeks, saw hundreds of XUVs before I came across two W8 AWD cars, one black and other one white, both less than a year old and done close to 10k. Called up and checked with these dealers, both cars were available, but the black one was 2wd.

XUV AWD solves all the problems for me, I do not need a hardcore 4wd, I can live without low range, I do not really want to take it to OTRs. We visited this used car dealer. This white car looked too good to be true, Gurgaon registered, absolutely all clean bodywork, everything notch, most of the plastic covers not even removed, we were not bothered about the rather high asking price which we were sure would come down when the dealer sees some cash. I drove the car, everything was right, all stuff working, no signs of wear or high usage. But I should not be trusting these used car dealers, the digital odo meters are so easy to clock, be it anything, my experience with cars was damn sure this car could not have seen more than 20k under any circumstances. The next day we walked in to a Mahindra Service center, and narrated our situation to a service advisor, he was keen to help and got us a printout of the service history, and it matched with what the dealer was claiming, the car had a consistent usage in a set pattern and had come for a minor job last month. Everything was good now, except the price. We went the next day with token amount, checked the car thoroughly again for everything, just like a forensic team we checked the car over and over again and everything was ok, all the panels were factory painted, for everything else there was a warranty left. Papers were all genuine, we started with negotiations, that went on and on for the rest of the day, end of the day I said Yes with a token. Was it Expensive, Cheap, Steal?? I feel it was just the right price for this car, in fact similar to other similar 2wd we could have managed. The fact that there are not much buyers for the AWD variant helped us score a good price.

[.anshuman]

Though I have driven my XUV close to a thousand kilometers already, I still feel it is too early to form an opinion. Here is a quick report(to be followed by a detailed report as I log more miles)-

What's Awesome?

• Full Sized 7 seater Monocoque Crossover compared to smaller sized competition.
• The seating comfort for front and middle row is excellent, the middle row seats recline to a very comfortable position for long drives. Middle could have had little more underthigh support.
• Acres of space. Even passengers sitting behind a very tall person like me have lot of room left for them.
• Equipment list is generous, especially the safety equipment which includes 6 Airbags, ESP with rollover mitigation, Traction control, ABS+EBD+Brake Assist. XUV 500 scored well in the recent Australian NCAP crash tests.
• Attention to detail is worthy of an applause, a lot of thought has gone into everything from lightning to storage to controls(unlike the rival Duster, which is exact opposite).
• Refined Mhawk engine is a gem, pulls strongly from low down and more free revving compared to the version used in Scorpio, peppy all throughout the rev range making it a effortless cruiser with tall six gears.
• FE for a vehicle of this size is very good, I managed to get ~14kpl in Gurgaon and Delhi usage and ~17kpl for highway usage.
• No irritating Torque steer unlike the 2wd variant, at strong acceleration from standstill on any kind of surfaces the steering on AWD does not pull to a side.
• Paint quality and fitting of panels is top notch.
• All the electronics are useful and work well, much much superior than the gadgetry in Scorpio.
• Tall gears, excellent high speed Composure, punchy Engine lend make it very comfortable high speed cruiser. The XUV 500 loves to stay in the triple digit speed band all day, without throwing passengers around or scaring them.

What's Good?

• The Multimedia system works well, it has good amount of input options, it works great with my Galaxy Note Phone with both calls and music streaming through bluetooth.
• Ride, Handling and composure is well tuned. The springs are stiff with not as much travel as traditional SUVs, which lend it a stiff low speed ride which improves with speed and stays fairly flat most of the time(though Duster rides even better). It might not have the bad road ability of the old school SUVs but easily outperforms them on the road. High speed stability and Handling is top notch too.
• Intelligent ECU controlled clutch pack based AWD, which can be switched locked in AWD mode, is very very quick to react, supplied by Borg Warner. Along with ESP and Traction control should be good enough for most requirements.
• Real world braking performance is very good, stopping distances are good under hard braking with good composure.

What's Decent?

• Steering, is well weighted, with decent amount of hydraulic feel, quick enough for a SUV.
• Quality of plastics is Decent for most part, some of them feel cheap, I am yet to find terrible ones.
• Choice of interior colors looked good enough to me, though I prefer all Black over all Beige but this dual tone Brown scheme looking quite good for now.

What's Bad?

• Fitting of certain components in the Interiors, like the center console on dashboard, the opening of the console below armrest.
• Styling is overdone at places, I do not like the excessive detailing at places like front bumper.
• The brakes could have done with better feel and feedback, and maybe a bit more assistance.
• The Mahindra Rise Video whenever the car is started, starts to irritate after a day.
• Last row of seats are not any good for full sized adult, though I have no plans to use them.
• 1st and 2nd gears remain notchy at the time of cold start, long throws spoil the other wise good gearshift action.
• Audio Quality for a vehicle of this price could have been better, or maybe I am spoiled by the excellent OE Audio system in my Laura.
• Being a monocoque with stiff springs and not as much travel, it might not be as abuse friendly as Scorpio and Innova.

[.anshuman]

Some more pictures-

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Though I have driven my XUV close to a thousand kilometers already, I still feel it is too early to form an opinion. Here is a quick report(to be followed by a detailed report as I log more miles)

Let me be the first one to congratulate you on your purchase...!!

The XUV is indeed a practical combination of power, space, comfort and features which is why it is the segment leader, by a huge margin. Wish you many happy miles in it.

It would interesting to see which car you end up driving more, the XUV or the Laura..!!

OT: Can you please change the title of my Hariya thread?

[swiftnfurious]

Congrats! Had noticed your new avatar when I was going thru the Laura thread and wanted to ask about this. Thought that would be off-topic and you have all the details here.

Wish you miles of happy & safe motoring!

[Schoudhury]

Congrats Anshuman.

I was also seeing your new profile picture and knew we will be seeing a new XUV thread soon but never expected it to be awd XUV and a preworshiped one .
I think this vechile must have been from the initial batch of XUV , which had some niggles .
After getting the XUV , is there anything which you got serviced or checked.
Bdw how much did you pick it up for and also the on road price of a new awd XUV.

Cheers

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on the XUV Anshuman! Wish you many safe miles in your XUV. It's what I plan to do a few years down the line when its time to say goodbye to the Polo. Given the condition of most of our roads, you'll need a SUV if you travel a lot.

I didn't see the price you paid mentioned anywhere, please do update it. Looking forward to a comparo between the Laura and the XUV, it sure will be interesting to see which fares better

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I do not really want both my cars to be Skoda/VW.

Our garage of of today! Fingers crossed

[SDP]

Congratulations Anshuman!
Two moderators from TBHP falling for the charm of the XUV5OO. Mahindras can use that for promoting the XUV5OO!

Congratulations once again. Have fun!!

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Congrats Anshuman! Frankly, I was waiting for an ownership review from you after looking at your changed avatar. Your XUV looks new and in white this cheetah looks the best IMO. The interior colours are also better as compared to the other combination.

Have awesome experience with your new acquisition.

[blurust]

Congrats Anshuman.
I love this color on XUV..i would be watching your thread closely as i was waiting for somebody to write a report on an AWD XUV. I am planning to get it for myself in another 6-8 months.

[ampere]

Congrats Anshuman for the new arrival. Its a brilliant machine. I too was looking at it, but decided other wise because of its size, since I drive most times in the city solo.
But leaving that aside, I think this is the best X-over with perfect VFM aspect too.

Congrats and wish you many many more miles.

[RavenAvi]

Many, many hearty congratulations, Anshuman! Neatly detailed report, complimented by some crisp, stunning pictures. Tempting, specially now when I await the launch of the EcoSport to choose between it and the XUV later this year.

The cheetah looks formidable in it's white avatar, and yours is an all-round, all-terrain AWD beast. Great to see you found one in such mint condition - looks as if it rolled out of the showroom yesterday itself!

Wishing you plenty of happy miles on it. Will keep your thread bookmarked for updates on your prowling hunter.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Congrats Anshuman. Waiting for a detailed ownership report on the AWD in the coming weeks.

[jkrishnakj]

Many congratulations and here's wishing you miles of driving and heaps of happiness with your XUV. One more thread for me to follow closely, given that i will get into a dilemma on what car, in about 5 months time.

[MetalBuff]

Congratulations anshuman,

A very well detailed writeup followed by equally beautiful pictures.

Are you sure this is a pre-owned vehicle as, It looks brand new from every inch ! Looking forward to more updates on your Xuvi.

With the Civic trend sparked off by GTO, do we see one for the XUV added to your credits?

Wishing you many happy miles with this beast. Cheers!

-Shivang Gandotra