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-   -   Mahindra XUV500 W8 FWD: My Pet Purple Cheetah EDIT: Sold! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/147751-mahindra-xuv500-w8-fwd-my-pet-purple-cheetah-edit-sold-9.html)

I am absolutely wrong.

You are absolutely right, triedeverything. clap: Just now, I repeated the experiment successfully not once, but many times! I tried to crank the engine, nothing happened and no 'grrr' sound too. I heard just the sweet purring of the engine only and nothing else. Perhaps, during my first experiment, I heard some other noise and attributed it to lack of protection against double-cranking. I am sorry that I gave wrong information about my Purple Cheetah. Thanks a lot for enlightening me, triedeverything. I wish Mahindra included this feature in the owner's manual and brochure. :D

Purple Cheetah brought us safely and comfortably to our Bangalore Basaveswara Nagar home at 4:20 am today. We had left our Chennai Royapettah home at 10:35 pm last night. I drove non-stop as usual. We didn't face any problem or traffic jam anywhere. Attibele toll plaza was almost deserted with very few vehicles predominantly trucks. Flyover works are still in progress at Hosur town at important junctions.

Without any stoppage, I feel 6 hours is a bit longer travel time than normal, or is it not?

I had slept in the afternoon and evening, dined, again slept, taken a bath and enjoyed aromatic filter coffee before starting. So, I didn't feel like breaking the journey en route. Ultimately, it all depends on the man and his machine. :D

Is this the usual mileage you get on this route. I did almost similar route (Vadapalani- Marathahalli) two weeks back and infotainment screen was showing in range of 14.6 or so.

Though it is similar to the mileage of your cheetah I was expecting it to increase to 15 KMPL + range after my first service. My vehicle just crossed 1000 KM during that trip. Another factor may be load in the vehicle, in my case it was just me and wife. I had got air filled for 32 on all tyres before starting from Chennai.

My Purple Cheetah was fully loaded with luggage and 3 persons on board; plus, it climbed from 1 m to 953 m above MSL, thanks to the altitude graph of the built-in navigator. I always get 2 kmpl less for Chennai - Bangalore trip that involves climbing up the ghat than Bangalore - Chennai trip, which is driving down the ghat. Here is the fuel efficiency of my last Bangalore - Chennai trip on 17/18 April 2014 for almost similar loading, route and timing:



I always maintain 32 psi for the front tyres and 30 psi for the rear ones.

Could you share which version of Maps is loaded in the your XUV? I dont think I have the version which has the altitude and speed. (mine is a 2013 april model)

There was an upgrade available towards october, but the service center told me that version is "unstable".

Version 8.0. On the navigator screen, you have to 'record' after selecting the destination by pressing the button on top right corner, which will turn from red circle to greyish square. After reaching destination, press 'menu' and select 'GPS log' to get speed and altitude graphs.





Now, my stand-alone MapMyIndia navigator Lx130 has version 9.0 maps and earlier had version 8.1. But, India Garage maintains that they don't any other updated maps and assures me that I would be informed as soon as the new version is available for update. Version 8.0 is not unstable and so are the others.

Today, I removed the spare wheel and checked the pressure as the Tiretronics still shows OK even after almost 6 months and found to be alright, but I increased the pressure slightly higher than the recommended and refitted it back.





I was toying with the idea of buying a hydraulic trolley jack as the earlier one had gone along with Linea. The details are here. So, today, I jacked up Purple Cheetah using OE stock screw-jack. Contrary to my expectations, it was an easy job. I could jack it up within a few minutes without much effort. I measured the jacking height required for replacing a flat wheel. It was 340 mm minimum.





All the 2 ton hydraulic trolley jacks that are available in ebay including my previous one had a maximum jacking height of 330 mm only, which will be useless to lift Purple Cheetah. So, I dropped the plan of procuring a hydraulic jack for the time-being until I come across one which has a jacking height of atleast 350 mm.

Today, Purple Cheetah visited the Babhubali shrine at Shravanabelagola.







We left our Basaveswara Nagar home at 5:30 am. For the up journey, I drove on SH via Magadi, which had good 2-lane roads until it joined NH 48. For the return journey, I came back via Nelamangala, reaching home at 12:30 pm.

Simple but very effective idea - I mean measuring the jack-up height required, by lifting XUV and measuring the height it is jacked up.

I have a question. I think the maps coming with XUV500 are Map My India Maps. Are they accurate about ever changing cities like Chennai and Bangalore?

Seran

Yes; my XUV 500 has version 8.0 maps. My RM says no updates and I would be informed as soon as they get new version maps. Whereas, in my stand-alone MMI navigator Lx130 for which I have subscribed for 2 year plan, has version 9.0 maps and earlier, 8.1!

They are 95% accurate. I faced problems at Kolkata, Guwahati and other places at the ghostly hours! MMI declared that I reached the destination, but Ginger Hotels at Guwahati was nowhere seen and half-hour later, I found that it was located on a lane perpendicular to the main road where I got stranded at 3:00 am! I had similar experience at Kolkata and other places. In hilly region, MMI is not at all accurate.

After analyzing many options and going through many wonderful user reviews of BHP-ians like you, SDP, RavenAvi and others, I made a full stop to the war between heart and mind and booked Honda City i-DTEC (Still keeping XUV for my next buy!). Thanks for all the info and guidance.

Congratulations and best wishes, Seran Manian. I wish you and your would-be Honda City infinite miles with smiles. :)

Right from the day-one, I always considered the beadings on both the sides of central facia a nuisance as they reflected the sunrays on the windshield, which in turn, spoiled the photographs clicked from inside. :Frustrati







Not any more. I bought 2 pieces of 1" x 1.5' matte black vinyl stickers costing ₹100 from the neighbourhood sticker guy, who used Coral Draw application in his PC with the connected sticker-cutter to get the stickers of the exact dimensions. After coming home, I pasted the stickers on the beading carefully so as to avoid any air bubble inbetwen the sticker and the beading. Now, the black stickers absorb the sunrays and do not reflect them on the windshield. :)