[fusionbang]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Extra Pair of Eyes - Aux Lights Setup

Nice Avinash Well executed job there for the Aux lights. Finally after going through phases with HID, hope you have found the right pair of eyes for the cheetah. Will wait for your long term review on the same and take a call later for my cheetah along with the HID's.

Anyway will have a look at it personally when we meet today evening and appreciate it more

[abirnale]

Yesterday I spent elaborate time testing the new light setup as well as taking this opportunity to meet Sunay (@fusionbang)! In the maddening outgoing traffic from city, we went to Swathi Delicacy Hotel on Mangalore Highway after Kunigal.

A picture for the records



It was a good comparison between various lighting situations! Sunay's XUV has the same P8 HID setup running and it is still a fabulous proposition if you are looking at something descent and legitimate lighting. Combined with stock high beams of XUV, that setup works well. On the four lane highway, there is less trouble with oncoming vehicle headlights glare than it is on single lane roads.

The XUV stock setup works well in this scenario. For the slightly higher speeds of around 120, the high beams is must. While you are at 100-120 band, the need is to scan the road farther ahead and anticipate moves. The well aligned high beams suffice in this situation. The low beams are OK but having HID is a boon. Sunay was at east driving!

The New Aux LEDs I have fitted recently are superb when it comes to short throw and lighting up. Not sure if you noticed but they are fog lights with spot beam and does their job perfectly. They are bright and aligned well to light up road better than low beams. The sour point still though is for speeds of around 100-120, these LEDs are not sufficient. A proper driving LEDs would be right. But the catch here - all these LEDs regardless of what beam pattern they are scare the hell out of oncoming vehicles. Anyone looking into the beam can get blinded. So it is not recommended to use continuously on a busy highway. I am sticking to use it only to scare the monstrous KSRTC and state transport buses, trucks and those morons who always drive in super high beams!

I think finally I have found peaceful upgrade for the lights.

Next project is procure some good Hella or Lightforce setup to address the need of scanning road farther! But that is a "want" and not a "need".

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Extra Pair of Eyes - Aux Lights Setup

Just realised that I somehow missed the below picture from upload list -



Some Other updates -

Got few things done today.

• In view of the Tadoba Trip next week, I decided to replace the front brake pads. Took XUV to Sireesh Singsandra and the job was done in less than 30 mins.
• Bought the magnetic sun shade from Sireesh, Silk board junction for ₹1500.
• Fitted Rain visors for around ₹1800. I can now leave windows slightly open and heat will not trap inside. Visors hide slightly open window nicely.
• Received Hella Red Grill High Tone horns from Amazon today. Replaced the stock ones with these new ones. It was a Simple DIY. No relay required. The Hella Red Grill is very shrill but thankfully not very loud. The rated decibel levels - 118db.

Seems like I am almost ready for the hot summer as well as take the XUV out for summer runs in scorching heat! More updates on the trip to follow soon.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Got few things done today.
[*]Bought the magnetic sun shade from Sireesh, Silk board junction for ₹1500
[*]Fitted Rain visors for around ₹1800.
[*]Received Hella Red Grill High Tone

Do post some pictures of the these updates you have done on the car. Waiting for them especially the magnetic sun shades.

Don't these rain visors create any wind noise at high speeds?

Also do post a frontal image showing the red grille horns.

Doesn't the XUV get brake pad wear indicator?

[abirnale]

An impromptu day trip with Mohan (@tilt) to Halli Berri Coffee barn and Hoysala Village Resort was fun. Some pictures from the Sunday drive -






XUV with Jetta!




It was fun throwing the XUV around the corners on the ghat. There is of course no comparison of XUV ghat manners with Jetta but definitely fun going over those broken roads between Tiptur - Belur or taking corners tightly on the way to Chikmanglur. In a straight line it is even more fun. On the single lane roads between Tumkur to Hassan, XUV and Jetta had fun doing sedate but decent average speeds.

While the temperature outside were soaring in early 40's, sitting inside a cool XUV cabin was like heavenly feeling! Add to it the recently applied magnetic sun shades - they were very very effective.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Don't these rain visors create any wind noise at high speeds?
Doesn't the XUV get brake pad wear indicator?

Some Magnetic sun shade images -




Hella Horn from outside - hard to notice unless you see closely.


The rain visors -



To answer your questions -

• The rain visors fit very close to doors - not much gap. But definitely there will be some noise. With Apollo tyres I am running, this noise can not be even felt, so that is a plus
• Yes, there is a brake pad wear indicator. Typically you can replace the pads only when you see the indicator warning comes up. But imagine you are on a 2500 Km trip and this happens mid-way! Proactive measures help ensure safety. Stay tuned for more updates - Cheetah is going in search of some tigers!

Ciao until next update!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Some Magnetic sun shade images

Thanks buddy for the images.

I particularly liked the magnetic sun shades for the front row. A thoughtful design to leave the driver's view w.r.t ORVM on both the sides.

Have you wrapped some insulation tape on the magnets before sticking it onto the windows??

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Have you wrapped some insulation tape on the magnets before sticking it onto the windows??

Not required. The sunshades have pretty thick borders under which magnets get hidden.

Off to Tadoba -

This was the trip I was eagerly looking forward to! Almost three months ago the safari's were booked! And today is the day, I head out to this magnificent place called - Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve! The recent reports of sightings are encouraging. It wont be a very natural sighting as predators will be definitely found near those man made water holes to beat the summer heat! But nevertheless they would be in open just few meters away from us! Very excited and looking forward to meet the majestic cats!

Here is the road I am taking -



I will keep posted about the travel, trip and fun - as live as possible!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Here is the road I am taking

Can see the route crossing by Hyderabad. Do let me know if we can meet for a short while. Hi Hello types.

Awaiting pictures and report on XUV 5OO post the trip.

[abirnale]

Patience always pays off.

The most memorable trip of my lifetime just happened. I could not have been more lucky. I am sure if I would have asked for XUV to be like a Jag, my wishes would have come true. But all I did was asked for glimpse of majestic cats at Tadoba! And it was fulfilled beyond my imagination.

Ten distinct tigers (Two males, Two Females, 6 cubs) was highlight of our safari. A pack of Dholes, always shy sloth bears giving us close sighting! The tigress maya killing an indian gaur in front of us, Sonam doing the serious catwalk and stalking the wild boars, Madakasur male taking the lazy walk on dry lake bed, or the mighty Bajrang stalking deers in the tall dry grass! What else could I have asked for?

A little in hurry, but I will write more about the trip, Cheetah's encounter with the hottest terrain yet and the super spirited drive from Bangalore to Tadoba and Back - everything of it. For now, I present you the select few pictures of from the safaris!

A big thank you to my partners in in this quest - @RobiMahanta and @Diesel_Convert. The most refined pictures, up-close came from Robi's DSLR, while others are just the iPhone and Moto X outputs!

Enjoy the pictures -




















































More updates to follow soon. For the time being, I am busy packing bags for a overseas trip on account of business :(

[vinitbhavi]

Fantastic pictures dude. Its so good to see you are as raring to go in your Orange Cheetah as the last time I remember reading your post. Its experiences and passion for the cheetah from owners like you that have made me zero in on the XUV after long deliberation (I just got back home from sea)
Will be going to the showroom today for the XUV test drive to renew the fading driving experience and will book in a day or two after consultation with experts like yourself.
The AWD part is confirmed need to choose between W8 AWD A/T or
W10 AWD Manual.
The other dilemma is between the sunset orange and opulent purple. Any comments ?
All the help from you and others on this thread will be very much appreciated.
Have an awesome time at the tiger reserve and as always keep revving.

[abirnale]

Here I summarise few observations and findings from recent Tadoba trip.

There have been multiple things that went good beyond expectations on this trip. On Tuesday, we left from Bangalore around 6.15am. Navigating through Koramangala to pick up Robi, Hebbal to pick Jay, we were actually rolling only by 7.30am! I take the bommanhalli - silkboard junction route to Koramangala and was not sure how the Monday agitation at bommanhalli would turn up on tuesday. Luckily before the situation becomes worse, we were out of Bangalore. Probably the good omen suggesting our trip is going to be best one.

As temperatures kept rising on the Bangalore - Hyderabad stretch, XUV kept the pace without fuss. I was always apprehensive about the second row cooling and having all three of us as drivers on this trip, I literally tried middle seats, front passenger seat on this trip and of course the driver seat too! By just closing one front air vent I was able to have enough cooling at middle row. The magnetic sun shades probably contributed to this too. As sun kept rising and temperatures went up soaring to 44 degrees, all I had to do was switch on the rear AC at second blower position and slightly turn the vents towards second row. The cabin was chilled again! I think it's all about how I was able to figure out the comfortable temperature settings and direct air to right positions. Of course this could have been better by having separate blowers for second row but now complaints whatsoever.

The odd thing though is the seat belts on second row. They being absolutely not adjustable, it would end up going almost over my neck. I am 5,7" and the height of the seat belt needs to be down by at least 3" to 4". It was never a problem because the kids used to have booster seat and the height was perfect but for adults, its really annoying.

Thanks to the sparse traffic and smoother tarmac, we were able to manage the average speed of 90 Kmph without a single risky incidence! Even at 3K RPM mark, XUV's mHawk engine had enough grunt left to be unleashed. Only if we had better suspension, cornering on the triple digit speeds would be as safe as any other sedan. While you are cruising at around 120 Kmph, the slight undulations on the road can be felt inside the cabin. More on the middle row which to date I had not experienced. This is peculiar SUV handling but XUV is getting better and better at that. Thanks to M&M folks who are making every effort to enhance their flagship product.

The stretch after Adilabad when we cross over into Maharashtra, the roads aren't great. But we baby'ed the car and made sure that none of the moon craters on the road or pot holes upset our spirit or ride comfort. While we entered the Tadoba forest area, saw a sloth bear crossing the road. Not sure if that was caught on the dashcam, but we got expected knowing whats going to be served to us in next three days as safaris progresses.

At Moharli, there is no covered parking in the homestay we were staying. The village itself does not have many trees with shade in this season so it was futile to search for shade to park XUV for three days! We just kept it open on the roadside outside homestay and prayed that 45degree temperature does not cause the cabin plastic to have boils or rubber to get super hard. Thankfully and much to my joy, nothing like this happened. The leather had a little smell of the heat but leaving the car windows open for 2-3 minutes and running AC n full blast took care of that smell.

The return journey was pleasant too. Having left Moharli/ Chandrapur by 1pm on Friday, we made it to home by 3am on Saturday. A nice dinner break at Kurnool for Biryani ad DVR palace felt like eating in heaven.

This was first long night drive after I fitted those LED lights. The experience was amazing. Just with low beams, fogs and those LED lights, road was lit up like daylight. the four lane highway helped keep the lights ON for majority of stretches without causing harm to oncoming vehicles. It is now possible to keep the cruising speed around 110-120 even at night! I think it was worth the investment to put my money on those LEDs. Guess, if I put the P8 HIDs back, it could literally mean Diwali on the roads!

There were two awkward things we noticed on the car. First - the windscreen washer fluid was smelling badly. not sure if there was something mixed up into the water recently. Earlier I used to add that rainX to the water but never had that smell. May be after a while and heat, the water in the container might have become smelly. I will exhaust all of that water and in two more fillings if the smell persists.

There were few water drops inside the cabin on driver side - must be AC. Guess some hoses or condensation causing this. Once I am back from my business trip next two weeks, I will have to take the car to service station and rectify this. Changing AC filter would also be a good idea since we had lot of dusty terrain in and around Moharli - chandrapur region.

Here are some more pictures -



















Overall this trip was more than fulfilling from all perspectives - drive, XUV performance, Wild Life Safaris and great home stay experience. An item on the bucket list is ticked off

EDIT:
As on date the odometer stands at 23600 Kms! Next long drive would be the family run towards May end to conclude family's summer vacation time.

Ciao until next update!

[manasmadaan]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Here I summarise few observations and findings from recent Tadoba trip.
As on date the odometer stands at 23600 Kms! Next long drive would be the family run towards May end to conclude family's summer vacation time.

Ciao until next update!

Wonderful trip.
How much did the MMI headrests cost you?

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Can see the route crossing by Hyderabad. Do let me know if we can meet for a short while. Hi Hello types.

Hey Anurag. We were on a very tight schedule and did not want to divert our route. It would have taken at least 30-45 minutes if we had to meet - to chalk out the meeting point, and spend at least a cup of coffee time. Hence avoided. We can for sure meet in future! The Bangalore - Hyderabad route is good. just for the sake of it, we can make an excuse to meet and drive somewhere mid-way point!

Originally Posted by manasmadaan

How much did the MMI headrests cost you?

It was 17K INR I think. Done by Mahindra Dealer only. There is a detailed post around these headrests in first two-three pages of this post.

[vinitbhavi]

Hey Avinash have been an ardent fan like many others here of your ownership thread and was literally reliving your experience everytime I read something new on your thread . Finally the decision to go in for the xuv has been made and the variant for the cheetah is almost decided. Now the dealership here already has the vehicle at his stockyard on the outskirts. The delivery has been decided for the 9th of May which is Akshay Tritiya a very auspicious day That's why the urgency. I have to make the down payment by Thursday to get the loan approval and delivery by 9th. I will be doing that on Thursday as busy tomorrow. Where does the PDI and registration, after my approval in all this come in. Can I make the payment on Thursday then do the PDI on Friday / Saturday and give my approval for registration. I have already checked the wonderfully detailed PDI checklist and would request any fellow xuv owners to accompany me for the same on Saturday at their convenient time. It's a big request and I'll be highly obliged.

[muke31]

Nice experience and happy to see wild animals and your cheetah.

I just returned from Hyderabad trip to attend a family function on my XUV, Started Bangalore on Saturday at 3.30 AM and reached Hyderabad at 12.30PM, multiple stops on the way for refreshments etc.

The Bangalore-Hyderabad road is a heaven to drive and maintained 100-120 max and it returned about 14.5 both-ways(Tankful-tankful) which i feel is phenomenal when AC on full blast. The temperature on the way was above 46C and XUV AC was keeping us comfortable. We felt the summer heat only when we have to step out of XUV for food and refreshments.

I used cruise control during this trip and really enjoyed how useful its on empty highway. absolutely no complaints except the headlight and its not that effective.

Everyone was comfortable during this drive except the Hyderabad summer unbearable heat and we couldn't take pics on highway because of this extreme hot weather.

-MUKE