Team-BHP - Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoneAndDusted (Post 2921725)

Thats pretty interesting! I had booked the W8 FWD and heard that the vehicle has been shipped from the factory. I am tempted to check out the AWD, although I don't think i will be doing any off-roading. Would anyone recommend a AWD for any specific reason?
Let me check with the dealer about the availability of a test drive of the AWD and the options available to move to an AWD. Will post my findings

I'll be in the market for a new car soon and at the top of my list is an AWD XUV. I approach car-buying like buying a camera - always buy from the next higher category than you originally planned. This helps in two ways - one is that you have the peace of mind. You won't regret later not buying the higher version for a little more money when you had the chance, especially if you intend to keep the car for a long time. My current car has completed 9 years and so will my next car.

Second, you never know when you might need that one feature which the higher version has and which might make all the difference to your ownership experience. This was the reason I bought Nikon D7000 over D90. I absolutely need that 6fps speed (and that silky-smooth mirror-slap response).

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoneAndDusted (Post 2921725)

I have not tested the XUV AWD but this is based on my experience with driving AWD and FWD cars.
If you opt for an AWD the issue is that you would lose out on milage of the vehicle due to the added weight and Mechanical friction. If your daily route includes driving through areas that have no roads (or really really bad roads) where you require the extra grip and need to negotiate turns comfortably, in those roads then the AWD option is good. In my opinion, for normal city or highway driving you would not notice the difference between AWD and FWD.
High speed cornering would be better for the AWD (Safety wise they would be the same since the FWD has traction control but you would get better handling in an AWD).

In the end it depends on your usage. If it is majorly city and highway, you would be spending more and compramising on milage with not to much of a difference in ride and handling. This is just my opinion.

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to share a nasty experience yesterday. While driving from Vasant Kunj (Delhi) to Andheria Mod, just after the Fortis redlight, this joker in a Tata 407 driving on the Left side suddenly swerved towards the right side on the narrow road without looking in the rear view mirror (I think he was high). He completely boxed me between the truck and the road divider and hit my left side with a loud crash. He didn't realise I was behind him on the right side of the road and he He also hit the Left passenger side rear view mirror which shut inwards upon impact.

Upon closer inspection, when I saw the damage - thanked my stars that the Side Step bore 98% of the impact and though there were some deep dents, on it it was still in tact with a few loose nuts. The front passenger door had a few scratches (only on the surface but NO dents on the door) and a small scratch on the handle but no major damage.

I was also afraid that with the impact the LEFT OVRM would have broken and would have required a replacement but thankfully it was working fine.

My advice to all XUV owners is not to delay installing the side steps and rear bumper guards. In places like Delhi where there is so much rash driving it makes sense to have some protection. I was lucky as the impact was taken by the side step else for sure the front left door would have gone!

Secondly i was pleasantly surprised that despite the impact on the Left OVRM, it still worked perfectly and was solid enough to take some beating so kudos to Mahindra.

The car has some very light white scratches which i am thinking of getting it sorted out with some paint touching. Let me know if any members have any other idea. But do install the side-steps. Its worth the money.

Ravi

Quote:

Originally Posted by bansal98 (Post 2921844)

Just curious. If we keep the AWD disengaged and only use FWD, will the mechanical friction still occur? I am assuming AWD can be disengaged when not required.

Keeping the AWD lock off means that you use the vehicle as an FWD until the car senses the need for AWD. Once the vehicle senses a lack of grip in the front wheels the differential passes the power to the back to help balance the car at that speed.
Whenever there is power on all 4 wheels there is an increased friction. (This makes an AWD a safer car to drive than the FWD. But an FWD with Traction control also controls the lack of grip by reducing the power delivery)

PS. This is my theory. I may be wrong. please correct me if i am wrong

Quote:

Originally Posted by gandalf (Post 2921837)

If you opt for an AWD the issue is that you would lose out on milage of the vehicle due to the added weight and Mechanical friction.

I agree with most of your points, except the mileage part. Unlike Full Time 4WD SUVs like landcrusier etc, these soft roaders have no transfer case. They have a clutch pack based system that transfers power to the rear wheels only if slippage is detected in the front wheel. Hence in normal driving you will hardly notice any mileage difference. I am not sure how the XUV's AWD system is set up, but typically most AWD softroaders run only FWD mode. The AWD is engaged in three modes 1) Under heavy acceleration from stand still to reduce Torque Steer and loss of traction on front wheels. 2) When slippage is detected, 3) When you put the AWD Lock button on. This automatically disconnects after a preset speed as these systems are never meant to be full time AWD systems. If you can afford it, I suggest the AWD since it will give you a much better driving experience under all kinds of slippery conditions and not just off-road.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bansal98 (Post 2921844)

Just curious. If we keep the AWD disengaged and only use FWD, will the mechanical friction still occur? I am assuming AWD can be disengaged when not required.

By default AWD is disengaged in the XUV. It only kicks in at certain times. see my response above.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gandalf (Post 2921931)

Keeping the AWD lock off means that you use the vehicle as an FWD until the car senses the need for AWD.
PS. This is my theory. I may be wrong. please correct me if i am wrong

In automatic mode, you cannot prevent the AWD from getting engaged. There is no AWD off button. There is only an AWD lock button to manually engage AWD to get out of a tricky situation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravi1976 (Post 2921840)

...The car has some very light white scratches which i am thinking of getting it sorted out with some paint touching. Let me know if any members have any other idea....

Please try rubbing compound first. If the scratches are NOT deep, this itself will take care of those. Any good polisher should help you with it. Else a DIY also could help! Keep touch up as last option since it doesn't give you the optimal results. Mind posting some pics of those scratches for us to understand where exactly are those?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoneAndDusted (Post 2921725)

...I am tempted to check out the AWD, although I don't think i will be doing any off-roading. Would anyone recommend a AWD for any specific reason?...

I will NOT recommend an AWD right now. There were rumours that AWD option was delayed because there was some serious problem with the system. Until & unless I get to know what exactly was the problem and how is it rectified, I will NOT touch an AWD. If you are so interested, please wait till some deliveries happen and check for feedbacks and then take a plunge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious (Post 2922491)

....
I will NOT recommend an AWD right now. There were rumours that AWD option was delayed because there was some serious problem with the system. Until & unless I get to know what exactly was the problem and how is it rectified, I will NOT touch an AWD. If you are so interested, please wait till some deliveries happen and check for feedbacks and then take a plunge.

At least a couple of TBHPians do own the AWD (dockap's Wolverine is a fine example: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...00-w8-awd.html) from the first batch and although they have seen a fair share of 'regular' niggles, I don't remember reading anything specific about problems with the AWD system.

So, I am not sure if the AWD bookings were stopped because of technical issues OR to moderate the demand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bansal98 (Post 2921826)

I approach car-buying like buying a camera - always buy from the next higher category than you originally planned. This helps in two ways - one is that you have the peace of mind. You won't regret later not buying the higher version for a little more money when you had the chance, especially if you intend to keep the car for a long time. My current car has completed 9 years and so will my next car.

Second, you never know when you might need that one feature which the higher version has and which might make all the difference to your ownership experience. This was the reason I bought Nikon D7000 over D90. I absolutely need that 6fps speed (and that silky-smooth mirror-slap response).

Quote:

Originally Posted by gandalf (Post 2921837)

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious (Post 2922491)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDP (Post 2922650)

Thanks all for your valuable thoughts and comments. While I like Bansals view on planning for the long term, the main concerns I have based on which, I will most likely not go the AWD route are
1. My usage - I know I will be driving 80%+ of the time in the city
2. From Wolverine and other folks thread, there seems to be a 2-3 Kmpl drop in fuel efficiency, which is almost a 20% drop in fuel efficiency.
3. I agree with SwiftnFurious, that the AWD might not have been all that well tested as of now. The reason, I held off from booking the XUV in the initial lots was to avoid being the guinea pig. Although there have been a few AWD owners, I don't know if all the core issues with AWD have been brought to the surface. I am also not sure if the service centers will be able to handle any issues with AWD.
4. Finally, I am not sure if the dealer will let me switch over to the AWD, since my vehicle has apparently been dispatched. Even if he does, not sure if I will have to wait 2-3 months again for the AWD.

Anyways, I plan to visit the dealer today/tomorrow to see if they have a test drive of the AWD and to discuss on point # 4. Will make the final decision after this.