Space:
This is one of the vehicle's strong points and therefore deserves a separate section. Well, there's space everywhere, loads of it! Starting from the front, you have sufficient space in the dash glove box, on top of it and also under the seats. Yes, you can store all your luggage under all the seats. Under the driver's seat you get a lockable drawer enough to hold a normal sized laptop plus other stuff (only E6 and E8).
Apart from that, you have enough space under all the seats to hold normal sized suitcase/bags. The boot area if we can call it has the same space as the Innova. Additionally, the third and second rows can be folded to convert this car into a cargo carrier.
You also get two cup holders near the handbrake lever for the front row occupants, one bottle holder and two cup holders for the middle row which can be folded in. You also get a second 12v outlet for the second row. The cup holders also act as the lid for a storage compartment where you can keep small stuff.
The third row is something that surprised me the most. It gets a center arm rest that can be opened and folded back into the backrest like many luxury sedans. It has even got a bottle holder and two glass holders. When folded, it becomes a part of the backrest of the seat. The Xylo's third row does not feel like a third row. Its has by far the largest legroom I have seen in any of the MUVs or the SUVs. You guys wont believe, the third row can accommodate 4 normal sized persons if need be.
The spare tyre is mounted under the third row and can be accessed using the wheel spanner. You need to open a small rubber lid to access the bolt which when rotated using the spanner, slowly drops the spare tyre from the underbody. The jack, rod, spanner, toolbox and the triangular safty reflectors are all stored in a compartment on the left side of the third row. You also have a manual over-ride for the fuel tank opener there.
Engine Compartment:
Open the hood and you will be surprised with what you see there. This looks so much sophisticated. Everything laid out so much organized and in detail. The biggest thing you will see is the nude Intercooler that sits on top of the engine head. I haven't seen the mHawk but I guess its the same configuration. Its just that the scoop is avoided and the air flows from the front grill ducting to the ducts made integrated to the underside of the hood and opens up to the top of the intercooler. May by pics will explain this better.
I will have to add that the plastics have spoiled the party even here. Every thing plastic shouts of the cost saving quality its made out to. The oil cap, power stearing fluid reservoir, washer reservoir, brake oil reservoir etc, all of them look below par in quality. May be I am spoilt by the quality offered by Hyundai but still feel its below par.
Performance:
Take the driver seat in the Xylo and the first thing you notice is the outside view you get all around. The large windscreen and the height of the vehicle make you feel sitting very high up. Its a bit higher then even the scrop.
The innova's roof line comes just below half way of the Xylo's windows. Start the eagle and the refineness of the engine comes alive. There is very little engine rattle you will hear at idle. Although the engine noise is bit prominent when the engine is cold, it subsides as the temp picks up. Shift to the first gear and you will notice the same Scropio's tranny but a bit softened. This is a spectaculer improvement then the earlier boxes.
Release the clutch and the vehicle moves forward with a sudden urge. You feel the torque right from the beginning. Although, I am not able to enjoy the turbo zone as the turbo kicks in at around 1800 and I haven't gone above 1900-2000. But before even the turbo adds power, the eagle has that kick that I have been enjoying in my Viva crdi and seen a little bit in the mHawk too. I am sure when the eagle is unleashed, it will give me the same feel that I have been enjoying all through these years. The gearing is a bit long and you might not engage the top gear in the city ever unless you have a long empty stretch of road ahead. In 5th, the vehicle easily cruises at 90-95@2000 rpm. I tanked up the Xylo the same day and added the Liqiu-moly diesel additive provided with the vehicle, drove it around the city at normal speeds for around 40-50 kms and then the early next morning, took it on the highway. Tanked up again after around 250 Kms and I was amazed to see the FE figures! It was a staggering
17.1 Kmpl !
I am sure the Xylo will definitely deliver better FE after the runin and the first service is done. The DDAS on the other hand was showing 16 Kmpl so its somewhat accurate.
The body roll issue although present, can be ignored. I braked hard at 60 Kmph and could feel a little unbalanced but it wasn't as reported in some auto mags and elsewhere in this forum. It is expected from a vehicle of this dimensions to behave like this. The shape of the body also adds to this behaviour but its something which can never be termed unsafe.
One thing also not to be left out is that a Mahindra will always be a Mahindra. After I drove it on some of the potholed sections of the road for some 50 odd Kms, I could hear some rattling sounds from the driver side door. The issue is not a big one but still needs mention here. I am sure this will be sorted out in the first service itself but Mahindra should take care of these little things.
Will post the real performance report once I test it post run-in.
Now the time for my ratings:
build quality: 9/10
Fit and Finish (exterior):9/10
Fit and finish (interior):8/10 (poor plastics)
performance: 9/10
Overall package: 10/10
------------------------------------------