[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

...Were the roads really so bad or you had some nasty pothole hits? It would not be fair to compare, but just wanted to share that I did my first suspension job after 8.5 years & 120K kms, Assy. Front Strut complete LH was replaced at a cost of over just INR 3K. I think Indica's suspension is most abuse friendly, no wonder why it the favorite vehicle of most fleet owners/ BPO cabs

I have NOT changed the entire suspension, but just the bushes (twice). My first suspension overhaul & bush replacement was at 55K kms.And second one at 80K kms

Roads used to bad in my native. Potholes and also bad roads with the tarmac gone in some places. I don't drive hard into a pot hole, but on rough roads, I drive at 30-40 kmph. Otherwise I would NOT be able to cover even 10 kms in an hour. Thankfully, all those roads are repaired now. Hope they last long too.

Edit:: This is one of the reason why I primarily believe I need an SUV (to tackle bad roads). But if the maintenance costs are high, I am better off with a hatch / sedan!

[dragstar]

I'd like to put to rest all queries and doubts about the XUV handling and braking at high speeds.

Drove the XUV on Formula 1 track at BIC on 2nd Feb, Torque Day.

Was absolutely impressed with the handling. Touched speeds of 165kmph just before turn 4 on the long stretch. Could have gone beyond 165kmph but the safety beeper in the XUV went off and I got distracted and took my foot off the pedal.
I drifted on the parabola and the steering and brakes worked like a charm.

Had a couple of guys driving like an old lady in front which didn't give me enough space in the first two laps so had to get them out of the way. Did a lot of turns at speeds above 70kmph, there was a lot of screeching tyres and a sweating co-driver but the XUV managed it fantastically well.

About the BIC track, its beautifully laid out, turn 3 is a climbing blind turn and keeps you guessing. The facility is one hundred percent world class and Mahindra put ear to ear smiles on every single one of us who drove at the BIC. Couldn't stop grinning through out the weekend.

Later we got to sit with pro rally drivers at the BIC gymkhana were they drove us around a track laid with orange cones. The driver tried their best to swing the XUV in every possible way within their limits and make the occupants puke. Besides one case where one front tyre came off the rim there were no cases reported.
With the extreme abuse the XUV was put through that day I am sure my XUV would behave decently well on normal roads. No doubt there are a few things that need to be ironed out in the XUV & Mahindra is taking the critics very seriously.

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by dragstar

I'd like to put to rest all queries and doubts about the XUV handling and braking at high speeds.
Was absolutely impressed with the handling. Touched speeds of 165kmph just before turn 4 on the long stretch. Could have gone beyond 165kmph but the safety beeper in the XUV went off and I got distracted and took my foot off the pedal.
I drifted on the parabola and the steering and brakes worked like a charm.

Had a couple of guys driving like an old lady in front which didn't give me enough space in the first two laps so had to get them out of the way. Did a lot of turns at speeds above 70kmph, there was a lot of screeching tyres and a sweating co-driver but the XUV managed it fantastically well.

Great.. I guess the vehicle is adorned with the ugraded brakes, time for another TD I guess

[parsh]

Originally Posted by dragstar

I'd like to put to rest all queries and doubts about the XUV handling and braking at high speeds.

Drove the XUV on Formula 1 track at BIC on 2nd Feb, Torque Day.

Was absolutely impressed with the handling. Touched speeds of 165kmph just before turn 4 on the long stretch. Could have gone beyond 165kmph but the safety beeper in the XUV went off and I got distracted and took my foot off the pedal.
I drifted on the parabola and the steering and brakes worked like a charm.

Had a couple of guys driving like an old lady in front which didn't give me enough space in the first two laps so had to get them out of the way. Did a lot of turns at speeds above 70kmph, there was a lot of screeching tyres and a sweating co-driver but the XUV managed it fantastically well.

About the BIC track, its beautifully laid out, turn 3 is a climbing blind turn and keeps you guessing. The facility is one hundred percent world class and Mahindra put ear to ear smiles on every single one of us who drove at the BIC. Couldn't stop grinning through out the weekend.

Later we got to sit with pro rally drivers at the BIC gymkhana were they drove us around a track laid with orange cones. The driver tried their best to swing the XUV in every possible way within their limits and make the occupants puke. Besides one case where one front tyre came off the rim there were no cases reported.
With the extreme abuse the XUV was put through that day I am sure my XUV would behave decently well on normal roads. No doubt there are a few things that need to be ironed out in the XUV & Mahindra is taking the critics very seriously.

You can say that again. Absolutely wonderful. I can vouch for the handling and the braking at 3 digit speeds having tested it on Mumbai Pune Expressway and taking corners even at 3 digit speeds. Does it give shivers? Naah, absolutely well planted on road without even giving hint that it is doing those speeds. In fact the only thing that makes you notice these speeds is the beeping alarm that goes off at 150. That was only for testing out on a part of the stretch of MPE when it was empty and not at all a throughout drive on MPE at these speeds. Also, this was with the old brakes. I believe the braking is improved even more now with the new brakes which I have not tested extensively.

[Tushargohil]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

The XUV500 makes an appearance in a startling new colour! Get ready to garner eyeballs with the XUV500 in Arctic Blue.

[swiftnfurious]

New color on XUV - Arctic Blue!



Image Copyright - respective owner(s)

[SDP]

^^ I would reserve my comment till I see in person this color on the XUV. But from the picture, does not seem to be too exciting.

On a separate note, has the green shade been formally discontinued? I mean, do any current brochures mention Green?

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by SDP

^^ I would reserve my comment till I see in person this color on the XUV. But from the picture, does not seem to be too exciting.

On a separate note, has the green shade been formally discontinued? I mean, do any current brochures mention Green?

+1. We can NOT believe some colors on a print or even on web. Have to see it in flesh. My initial impression is nothing great. SUVs need dark hard colors to match the butch looks! This look so soft. I would any day prefer the green over this!

Edit:: The image gives a matt finish, doesn't it?

[Guna]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

: The image gives a matt finish, doesn't it?

Yes it does look matt. It must has been heavily airbrushed/photoshoped so that all the reflections have been removed (which is what would have given a glossy feel)

[fundagenie]

I remember some one posting the question if XUV owners would continue with the vehicle post the warranty period. And my reply was it would depend on how the vehicle was performing at the time and the support provided. However, the way things have been for the last few weeks, I have to say, keeping the vehicle post the warranty period could turn out to be a huge headache.

If someone asked me if I am happy driving the XUV, I would say YES most of the times. But am I happy owning this 15 lac car, I have to admit it is NO.
And there are quite a list of reasons for this. One thing I had noticed was that my XUV was OK when I got it new, except for the brakes and some common set of niggles, which everyone said would be sorted out after the 1st and 2nd services. And I was eager to get these done to have a fairly niggle free car. But in reality, the car started facing a new set of niggles after each service or the multiple running repair sessions. The major ones came up after the 2nd service when a lot of niggles were addressed. In the last 1 month, the car was at the service centre for almost a week plus I would have driven down in person atleast twice to get one thing or the other fixed as running repairs.

During the 5-6 months of ownership and approx 9000kms on the odo,
1. I had to replace the low beam bulbs (1000Rs)
2. Change the power window motors for both the front doors
3. Change the ignition system
4. Do multiple rounds of wheel alignment to finally make the vehicle go straight
5. And ofcourse change the brake pads

And there are still some niggles to be addressed like
1. The cruise control is not working. And after almost 5 days in the service centre on multiple occasions, the SC guys havent been able to figure out what the issue is. Which means another few days again.

2. The issue with the ignition system was all the electrical systems turning OFF when key was in ACC state. In this position, the infotainment system by default should display some "1 hour" message and remain ON. Today less than a month since I replaced with the new ignition system, I encountered the problem again with everything getting switched OFF in the ACC state. If it is an ignition system issue, it means I have to replace it again.

After noting down all the major niggles faced so far, I myself cant believe all these are for a 5 month old 15lac car. . How many other cars in this price range would face such issues in the first 2-3 years. Now Mahindra may not stand in comparison with an international car maker. But 15lacs is same for both, hence forced to compare.

Now XUV is a complicated car with lot of electrical gadgetry, but neither are the parts reliable nor are the service engineers trained well enough to handle this complicated systems though they are giving their best efforts. There could be dedicated RM's and very customer friendly service centres, but until the niggles get sorted out perfectly, none of these count.
And the way things are I am not sure how confident one can be post the warranty period. Some things may surely improve in the next 2-3 years, but it may not help the current XUV owners to a great extent.

FundaG

[rohitbagai]

Just saw this new TV Ad - Director's Uncut Version of XUV500 at youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxO8gMGer_w

Looks quite sober

[SDP]

Anybody confused between choosing between the Duster and the XUV5OO, here's a side-by-side comparison. Slightly dated link, but sharing because of relevance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woa_oo9-UEU

Good that Autocar picked up both SUVs in red. There are lots of photos and footage with the 2 vehicles side by side. Would help in comparison.

Their final conclusion - Duster is better than the XUV5OO. So those who are still sitting on the fence, go get a Duster!

[Heavy Horse]

The Big Cat made it’s longest journey in it’s short life of 2000 kms….. a 900 km long move from Mumbai to Manipal. My impressions:
Overall: Great vehicle, value for money with great sedan like qualities. Basically a highway hauler that can keep munching miles hour after hour after hour. I don’t quite fancy driving it in the city due to it’s size and weight, especially cities like Mumbai with heavy congestion. But on the highway, the sedan like qualities allow easy overtaking of traffic, changing of lanes and keeping ahead of the crowd. I am happy that this has justified my original purpose of buying the XUV for the highway trips that my wife and I like to make, and retain the Honda City for city driving that it is designed for.
Instead of making this report too wordy, let me resort to numbers and tell a simple story using a scale of 1 to 10.
Steering : 9.5
Brakes : 9.0
Clutch : 9.0
Accelerator : 9.0
Seating Comfort : 9.5
Ride Quality : 9.0
Suspension on black top : 9.5
Suspension on bad roads: 6.0
AC : 10.0
Tyres : 9.5 (Apollo Hawkz)
Power Windows: 10.0
ORVMs : 10.0
Infotainment System : 8.5
Cruise control : 10.0.
Turning Radius : 10.0
Fuel Efficiency : Here are the figures using the the full tank method: Mumbai – Belgaum : 14.1 vs DIS : 14.5, and Belgaum – Manipal : 13.7 vs DIS 15.5. At each re-fuelling DIS is reset to provide FE for the latest leg of the journey. FE will probably get better as I log more kms, but on re-visiting the XUV brochure I found that M & M have said mileage UPTO 15.1 kmpl. If that is the benchmark then I’m not too unhappy. If the benchmark is Debuda then ………..
Last Words: This day completes exactly one month and one day of ownership. So far so good….aaagey aagey dekho hota hai kya

[Enveee]

Originally Posted by Heavy Horse

The Big Cat made it’s longest journey in it’s short life of 2000 kms….. a 900 km long move from Mumbai to Manipal. My impressions:
Overall: Great vehicle, value for money with great sedan like qualities. Basically a highway hauler that can keep munching miles hour after hour after hour. I don’t quite fancy driving it in the city due to it’s size and weight, especially cities like Mumbai with heavy congestion. But on the highway, the sedan like qualities allow easy overtaking of traffic, changing of lanes and keeping ahead of the crowd. I am happy that this has justified my original purpose of buying the XUV for the highway trips that my wife and I like to make, and retain the Honda City for city driving that it is designed for.
Instead of making this report too wordy, let me resort to numbers and tell a simple story using a scale of 1 to 10.
Steering : 9.5
Brakes : 9.0
Clutch : 9.0
Accelerator : 9.0
Seating Comfort : 9.5
Ride Quality : 9.0
Suspension on black top : 9.5
Suspension on bad roads: 6.0
AC : 10.0
Tyres : 9.5 (Apollo Hawkz)
Power Windows: 10.0
ORVMs : 10.0
Infotainment System : 8.5
Cruise control : 10.0.
Turning Radius : 10.0
Fuel Efficiency : Here are the figures using the the full tank method: Mumbai – Belgaum : 14.1 vs DIS : 14.5, and Belgaum – Manipal : 13.7 vs DIS 15.5. At each re-fuelling DIS is reset to provide FE for the latest leg of the journey. FE will probably get better as I log more kms, but on re-visiting the XUV brochure I found that M & M have said mileage UPTO 15.1 kmpl. If that is the benchmark then I’m not too unhappy. If the benchmark is Debuda then ………..
Last Words: This day completes exactly one month and one day of ownership. So far so good….aaagey aagey dekho hota hai kya

Thanks HeavyHorse for that journey update...

Having done more than 15k in one year of ownership I simply couldn't resist giving my ratings on a scale of 1 to 10. Added a few more points which I thought were missing.

Steering : 10.0
Brakes : 8.0
Clutch : 9.5
Accelerator : 10
Seating Comfort : 10
Ride Quality : 9.0
Suspension on black top : 10
Suspension on bad roads: 7.5
AC : 10.0
Tyres : 10.0 (Bridgestone)
Power Windows: 10.0
ORVMs : 10.0
Infotainment System (would like to bifurcate into 4 categories)
a) Music system : 8.5
b) Bluetooth connectivity : 10.0
c) Navigator : 10.0
d) Car info, tyretronics & rear camera : 8.0
Cruise control : 10.0.
Turning Radius : 10.0
Fuel Efficiency : 10.0
Headlights illumination : 10.0 (great highway illumination + amazing cornering lamps)
Wiper system : 10.0
Boot space : 7.0 (when all seats in use)
Safety features : 9.5
Interiors : 9.5
Exteriors : 8.5 (slightly overdone IMO)
Mahindra ownership experience : 10.0
VFM : 15.0

Cheers!

Ar. Naved

[Enveee]

Originally Posted by SDP

Anybody confused between choosing between the Duster and the XUV5OO, here's a side-by-side comparison.

In the first place there would hardly be anybody confused between these two as they are as different as chalk and cheese. Belong to different segments altogether. A side by side look in person will make that absolutely clear.

Both the vehicles are great in their own right but comparing them is simply of no consequence.

My two cents....

Ar. Naved