[Twiny]

I got to test drive an XUV-W8 (2012, 23k run) for the first time and my experience was,
Clutch and Gear shift was very smooth,
Steering felt very light (similar to my old Honda City) But since I drive a Punto now, it was not to my liking.
Need to extend the thumb to press the Horn, in the middle of steering.

Now I need to find out whether, Fabric Seat in W6 offers more ride comfort than the Leather seats in W8.

Does the W6 front seats got same kind of bolstering as that of W8 ?
Please let me know, if anybody has first hand experience on the above aspects .

Thanks

[Sisu]

Hi Folks,

Just came across this news article.

Brand new XUV caught fire in New Delhi. Though the article mentions it was probably due to an external source, but still would want to know the result of the detailed investigation.

Cheeerzzz

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/38344581.cms

[manipal]

It has been an eventful one year. I got MY XUV W8 AWD on July 14th 2013 after selling my old trusted companion to (Tata Indica Turbo, DLX, Jan 26, 2006) my friend, clocking 92000kms. It was my first car; here it is after 7.5 years (Picture inserted).

My relation with the new XUV was a bit bitter initially as it started leaking oil from the power transfer unit (PTU). As usual in most of our dealership it was scheduled for first appointment where nothing was done and in return I had to settle with a big scratch on my front RHS door. The ordeal (6-7 visits to the Service Center) continued with replacement of the oil seal (twice) which failed. My demand was replacement of the front RHS drive shaft and the PTU, since the oil seal failed on the first attempt. Finally when everyone realized, my demands were met and was reimbursed Rs 4000 as fuel charges by M&M. I appreciate and place my gratitude for the effort M&M put in, however it could have done a few visits earlier. Since then the car has not let me down but for the squeals and rattles. The ride quality is a bit shaky but acceptable.

Today it stands at 19624kms and has given me immense joy and satisfaction of buying. It has delivered an average of 13.9 kms per litre (tankful to tankful method with 40ml packet of IOC ADDON additive on every tank fill).

I know I cannot offer any cake to my car on this day, but have brought a gift which I am sure it would relish (CJ-4 synthetic oil).

I have scheduled an appointment for my 20000kms service on the 22nd of this month and would update on it later.

Thanks to fellow Team BHPians, for advice and support.

Note from Support - Smiley usage is restricted to only 2 per post. Please avoid using more than 2 smileys in a single post.

[Seran Manian]

Originally Posted by manipal

It has been an eventful one year. I got MY XUV W8 AWD on July 14th 2013 after selling my old trusted companion to (Tata Indica Turbo, DLX, Jan 26, 2006) my friend, clocking 92000kms. It was my first car; here it is after 7.5 years (Picture inserted).

My relation with the new XUV was a bit bitter initially as it started leaking oil from the power transfer unit (PTU). As usual in most of our dealership it was scheduled for first appointment where nothing was done and in return I had to settle with a big scratch on my front RHS door. The ordeal (6-7 visits to the Service Center) continued with replacement of the oil seal (twice) which failed. My demand was replacement of the front RHS drive shaft and the PTU, since the oil seal failed on the first attempt. Finally when everyone realized, my demands were met and was reimbursed Rs 4000 as fuel charges by M&M. I appreciate and place my gratitude for the effort M&M put in, however it could have done a few visits earlier. Since then the car has not let me down but for the squeals and rattles. The ride quality is a bit shaky but acceptable.

Today it stands at 19624kms and has given me immense joy and satisfaction of buying. It has delivered an average of 13.9 kms per litre (tankful to tankful method with 40ml packet of IOC ADDON additive on every tank fill).

I know I cannot offer any cake to my car on this day, but have brought a gift which I am sure it would relish (CJ-4 synthetic oil).

I have scheduled an appointment for my 20000kms service on the 22nd of this month and would update on it later.

Thanks to fellow Team BHPians, for advice and support.

Keep revving! All the best. I too had plans for W6/W4, but I cannot visit ASC often and hence may go for City V/SV.

[RajivNarvekar]

I have always had a car in the family since my childhood. I remember our first car, it was a Fiat Premier Padmini; MRZ 4009 which was bought in the year 1976. The first vehicle I bought was the 5-speed Yamaha – 135 in 1998 which I still own. I bought my first car in 2005 and it was an Indica DLX. It met with an accident and I bought another Tata Indica DLG in 2007 which I have been using since and will continue to use. This car has completed 10500 km and is in mint condition. In the next few paragraphs I will describe the run up to how we bought our new vehicle in Pune.

I love driving around and in a recent trip from Pune to Mangalore I realized that the car was in good condition but my neck and back were not! That’s when I decided that I had to buy a new car now. The first choice was the Tata Safari Storme. This car is awesome and I had been wanting to buy it for several years but just could not afford it. Now that we (wife and me) had some money I wanted to buy it but my wife was against buying such a huge SUV. She presented the usual arguments: where will you park it, how will you maneuver it in Pune traffic, we can’t afford it, let’s pay-off a portion of the home loan etc etc… She preferred the Vento or the City. I liked the Rapid Ultima. Our budget was around 12 Lakh.

We had a long serious discussion on this and I told her “Look, I am in my forties, and we can afford a bigger vehicle, we intend to drive around (Pune – Mumbai, Pune- Goa, Pune – Bangalore) regularly and in a couple of years we may have the money to buy even an Audi / BMW, but what if I don’t have the enthusiasm and the energy to drive around?” This clinched the deal. She said, “Ja, jeeley apni jindagi” (Go live your life) just like Om Puri tells Kajol in the Dilwale Dulhaniya hindi movie. I did not even consider any of the sedans and directly zoomed on my dream Tata Safari Storme. I fleetingly considered buying a pre-owned Safari but my wife said nothing doing, no second hand vehicles.

So I called up 2 Tata Motors dealers. I just could not get through the National Motors, Pune number, the phone just kept ringing. I tried again after 30 minutes, same result. The dealership is 10 minutes away from my house so I drove down but the dealership was closed for a religious procession (There is a procession of two saints from Pune to Pandharpur and it is called palkhi , people from Pune will know it). I left my number with the security and a sales guy from National called me in flat 10 minutes. I was thrilled. He wanted to come immediately but I had some work to attend so I asked him to call me the next day.

The next day I called Concorde Motors in the morning. The receptionist quickly gave the line to a sales consultant and he was on his way to office immediately. I took the test drive and he explained all the features. I wanted to buy the 4x2 VX because it had airbags. I also choose the bronze color, finalized the accessories etc and told him to come tomorrow to my residence so that my wife could also experience the test drive.

Meanwhile, I also started reading about the XUV5OO and the Nissan Terrano on Team BHP owner review pages. I then called the Nissan dealer. He said the XVD is available for about 14L and he was offering a discount of Rs 10000 and he also sent me an email quote. I then called up the M&M Silver Jubilee dealership. Nobody picked the phone. I then called up Sahyadri Motors who were super quick to offer a test drive. They came to office in a silver W8 in less than an hour and explained all the features. The sales associate offered Rs 30000 discount. I liked the feel of the test drive and very gingerly, mentally prepared myself to continue considering the W6. The National Motors sales guy did not call nor did he come to offer the Storme test drive.

Next day was Saturday and I was at home. I wore a causal T shirt, jeans, floaters and took my Indica to Silver Jubilee, another M&M dealer. The experience there was horrible. Nobody bothered to ask me why I was there. I asked one of the staff members to connect me to a XUV sales associate and I was made to wait for 10 minutes. On display was a red w8 and silver w8. The red w8 looked amazing. I explored the red w8, opened the doors, boot etc waiting for somebody to attend me. Nobody spoke to me for about 15 minute. I walked to the receptionist who called up somebody and called that person to the reception. Again waiting, nobody turns up. Finally a tired looking, uninterested associate comes up and gives me a look which could be translated into “Can you even afford a XUV’. When I asked him to explain the features he was sketchy and disinterested. I had done a lot of reading on Team BHP and internet on the XUV and asked him specific questions on the XUV recalls, the variants and niggles of the XUV when he realized that I was through with my knowledge. He then invited me to a discussion kiosk and we starting talking about the pricing. He offered 25000 discount on the w6 and we were talking about the accessories pricing. Again the accessories manager gave me a feeling that I cannot buy the XUV and would go away from the kiosk. Every 30 seconds the sales guy would shout at him and ask the price and the accessories manager would shout back. I did not like the experience. I think the Silver Jubilee team was not responsive enough and I was kind of losing interest. I thanked the associate and went home.

From Monday onwards, there was a flurry of phone calls from dealers. Two from Tata Motors (National and Concorde), Sahyadri for the XUV and the Nissan dealer. The National Motors dealer just did not follow-up for his Storme; he just made a couple of calls. I ruled out the Terrano based on the space, power and price equation. Now it was only the Storme and XUV. I invited the Concorde sales associate home and took my son and wife for a test drive. The test drive vehicle had about 20000 km on it. The clutch and the gear were hard but I was expecting that. The sales guy then asked my wife to drive it and she did take up the offer. We drove through a crowded street where she goes to buy vegetables and then also on an open wide road where she could feel the power and speed. We did u-turns in crowded streets, reversed parked the vehicle and drove around on potholed roads. We did the most common things we would do on a normal day. We thanked the sales associate and went back home. After the sales guy left, my wife said “The Strome is good, go for it. The view from the driver’s seat is too good”! I was thrilled and elated. I was finally going to live my dream. If only I knew what was in store for me!

30 minutes later the Silver Jubilee guy called. I told him that we are finalizing the Storme and my wife had liked it. He offered to get the XUV for my wife to test drive and asked me my address. We live in a “poshish” kind of place in Pune. When he came to our house he was surprised that I lived in such a locality and was all sugar sweet and honey. He said “why did you not tell me you stay here before”. I simply smiled. My wife took the test drive of the purple XUV w8 and we took the exactly same route we had done with the Storme. This purple W8 had done about 16000 km. The sales guy went overboard explaining the features to my wife. She patiently asked him questions on ESP, HDC, and all the tech stuff (my wife is an embedded firmware engineer (techie), worked with Intel and Sony) and he answered her queries to her satisfaction. We returned home and the moment we were alone she said “Forget the Storme, I want the XUV”, all the tech features (ESP, 2-din infotainment, tyretronics, HDC, micro-hybrid, 6 airbags, lounge lighting etc had floored her). My heart sank. I wanted the Storme so badly and she said “nothing doing”. I told her that we were buying the w6 and not the w8 she said it did not matter and I could buy the w6; but she wanted the XUV and not the Storme. My 6 year old kid was also sold on the Storme. He also wanted the Tata SUV. Gingerly we were getting warmed up to the XUV.

I then again read the Team BHP pages. I called a friend who works in M&M who gave good feedback and assured me of all help in case anything goes wrong. So I called the Sahyadri Motors sales associate for a price negotiation. He offered 35000 off on the vehicle. I again told him I will consider and let him know. I then stumbled down upon a XUV5OO review on the web and found a third dealer in Pune, Kundan Motors. He straight gave me 45000 off on the W6 and was keen to come to office and offer a test drive. I told him I know the vehicle pretty well and you can come only to give me a last price. He came over and gave me a final 50000 discount. I told him that I will consider and revert. I then called up a dealer in Thane (my parents live there) and I wanted to explore if a Thane dealer would give me a better offer. This would mean I would have a MH04 registration instead of MH12 or MH 14 which are for Pune and surrounding areas. The prices were similar but discounts were higher in Pune. The sales associate wanted to pressurize me saying “excise duty exemption will go away please book right now”. I said I am sure given the economic condition of the industry this will not happen. My call was right. Excise duty exemption was extended.

Armed with 3 written quotations for the w6 my wife and I started seriously considering buying the w6. We had to choose between grey, read and silver. I preferred the red and my wife preferred the grey. We had not seen the grey w6 so I called the Sahyadri guy and he invited us the showroom. My wife, my kid and me went to the showroom. We were very nicely welcomed, offered tea and my son could play with some toys in the kids section. A grey w6 was not available in the showroom, the sales associate offered the panels but I insisted on seeing the full car so we went to a nearby service center where we saw white, black, silver, green (discontinued), purple and grey. On a way back from the service center we saw an arctic blue being delivered to a customer. My wife enquired about this color and was informed that the blue was available only in the w8.

We discussed the pricing and the accessories costing for a w6 (alloys, rear camera and screen etc) and realized that we will pay around 60k more on the w6. At that point, my wife said there is only 1 lakh difference between the w6 we wanted (with alloys etc) and the w8. She said let us go for the w8 and then she could get the blue color she wanted. She commented on the smart exclusive pricing of the blue / purple w8 by M&M. We all went back to the discussion table. She took over the negotiation and started talking to the sales associates on the discounts on the w8. We spent a lot of time discussing / negotiating with the sales associate and within ourselves. We excused ourselves from the sales associate and I hissed at her of the additional 2 lakh that we might need. Her answer was, I will give you the money. The sales associate meanwhile tried to chip in by saying “madam, this color may be slightly feminine for the XUV”. To which she replied the car is so masculine, the color will balance it and I can also drive it. We all laughed.

After spending 3 hours in the showroom we booked the arctic blue w8 on 28th June. The vehicle was to be delivered 3rd July. I checked the VIN number using the Team BHP decoding key. The vehicle was a June 2014 make. Here are my highlights of how we choose the XUV over the Storme and others:

1. I wanted the SUV and not a sedan. So we had Storme, XUV, Duster and Terrano
2. The price, space, power equation filtered out the Duster and Terrano
3. The features of the XUV blew my wife off and she insisted on the XUV. The poor condition of the Storme test drive was a small influencer
4. The poor experience of the Silver Jubilee sales associate left us with buying the w6 from the Sahyadri. The pleasant, punctual, honest and courteous sales associate was a strong influencer
5. The upgrade from w6 to w8 was strongly influenced by the exclusive color of the vehicle with some influence of the 6 airbags and integrated infotainment. The newfangled tyretronics, lounge lighting, HDC and ESP were welcome features.
6. No financing, self-funded. I don’t believe in taking a loan for a deprecating asset.

I would like to thank the XUV 5OO community on Team BHP for all the detailed inputs of the XUV 5OO. My apologies for the delay in sharing this write up. I will also share my experiences of what happened with the following:

• My Purple Club Membership
• Mats / Side Molding accessory
• My registration number

Thank you again Team BHP!

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by Sisu

Hi Folks,

Just came across this news article.

Brand new XUV caught fire in New Delhi. Though the article mentions it was probably due to an external source, but still would want to know the result of the detailed investigation.

Cheeerzzz

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/38344581.cms

That wasn't an Xuv but a scorpio. Newspaper said a brand new Suv got burnt and if you look at the pics you can clearly see its a scorpio. Just wanted to clarify.

[MaxTorque]

Originally Posted by Seran Manian

Keep revving! All the best. I too had plans for W6/W4, but I cannot visit ASC often and hence may go for City V/SV.

Well I respect your choice. But I am unable to understand how a sedan will replace a proper SUV?

[Seran Manian]

Originally Posted by MaxTorque

Well I respect your choice. But I am unable to understand how a sedan will replace a proper SUV?

You are right they are different. I am a sedate driver with 80 city drive and 20% highway drive (reasonably good roads). My demand was good leg room and first and second rows, twin head lights (Rather more light), ABS, Airbags, Height Adjustable Driver Seat, Good ACC. Minimum 5 seater. Budget of about 12 L.

My initial list had Terrano, Duster, XUV and City. Due to Second row space constraints my family was against Terrano and Duster. On weighing the reliability I thought better to go with City (As I have seen enough of small and not so small problems being reported about XUV and at 50+ I dont have time and inclination to frequent ASC ). It is a heart-mind war of course to choose between XUV and City.

Hope I have made my self clear.

Seran

[MaxTorque]

Originally Posted by Seran Manian

You are right they are different. I am a sedate driver with 80 city drive and 20% highway drive (reasonably good roads). My demand was good leg room and first.
Hope I have made my self clear.

Seran

Thanks for taking time to explain the reasons. Much appreciated. . No doubt Honda City is perfect fit for your selection criteria.

[nitinralli]

Guys can anyone tell me if the extended 4/5 year warranty is valid for first batch owners too? I think I saw someone commenting here that its valid for vehicles which are less than 2 years old. Is it true?

[fundagenie]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

Guys can anyone tell me if the extended 4/5 year warranty is valid for first batch owners too? I think I saw someone commenting here that its valid for vehicles which are less than 2 years old. Is it true?

Adding to that, by when is it required to buy it.

- Before completion of 2yrs by the vehicle OR
- Before the 3yr warranty runs out....

Cos my car would complete 2 yrs in august. If it is not required to purchase within this period, I was thinking of getting it next year sometime before the warranty runs out.

FundaG

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by fundagenie

I was thinking of getting it next year sometime before the warranty runs out.

Not sure how M&M handles it, however logically it does not make sense asking customers to take warranty if car is under standard warranty. For Maruti you have time till standard warranty runs out (2 years).

Also, anyone who has got reverse camera from dealer please confirm if you have a separate warranty card for the same. My dealer was bit reluctant in giving the invoice, on insisting for the same and warranty he has mailed me the invoice. They insist that there is no separate warranty card for camera and invoice is only that is required.

[falconion]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Also, anyone who has got reverse camera from dealer please confirm if you have a separate warranty card for the same. My dealer was bit reluctant in giving the invoice, on insisting for the same and warranty he has mailed me the invoice. They insist that there is no separate warranty card for camera and invoice is only that is required.

I was provided with a warranty card for the camera. I did not have to ask for it. But again it might depend on the manufacturer of the camera which was installed, if they provide a card or invoice is all that is needed. If you know the manufacturer of the camera you can contact them directly and verify.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

Guys can anyone tell me if the extended 4/5 year warranty is valid for first batch owners too? I think I saw someone commenting here that its valid for vehicles which are less than 2 years old. Is it true?

A friend had shared the one-pager about the pricing. Did not see any mention of first-batch or a particular month-year. So my take is, it should be available to first batch onwers as well. If M&M actually has a stupid policy against the first-batch onwers, you should escalate.

Originally Posted by fundagenie

Adding to that, by when is it required to buy the extended warranty

- Before completion of 2yrs by the vehicle OR
- Before the 3yr warranty runs out....

Cos my car would complete 2 yrs in this august. If it is not required to purchase within this period, I was thinking of getting it next year sometime before the warranty runs out.

FundaG

You can buy it any time you want. The price changes as per when you buy it (vehicle's age). The difference is not much, some 500 Rs or so. By buying it now, you can at least be sure that you get current prices. Who knows how the same thing would be priced one year from now?

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

...
Also, anyone who has got reverse camera from dealer please confirm if you have a separate warranty card for the same. My dealer was bit reluctant in giving the invoice, on insisting for the same and warranty he has mailed me the invoice. They insist that there is no separate warranty card for camera and invoice is only that is required.

The reverse-cam is a Genuine Mahindra Accessory and comes with a one year warranty. Pretty sure about it as my service center mentioned it when I got my reverse-camera replaced (and I paid as it was after a year). Not sure if I have the warranty-card though.

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

anyone who has got reverse camera from dealer please confirm if you have a separate warranty card for the same.

India Garage gave me the warranty card for the reverse camera along with the other documents.