Team-BHP - Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review

I also feel that the suspension setup of the XUV needs some deliberation from Mahindra since it is not a primarily Off road vehicle, the ride can be made more comfy & tuned to city & highway driving. Since most users feel the ride of cheetah is a little stiff has someone tried something to make it smoother.

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Originally Posted by o.D (Post 3626989)

Any recommendations for fully synthetic engine oils. Will be at the garage for the regular service and want to move to fully synthetic oil. Help please.

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Originally Posted by avimal (Post 3627747)

They have some hybrid oil prescribed by Mahindra ( not sure if it possible to have mixture of mineral and synthetic oil). Why to not follow what manufacturer suggests unless you have strong reason for not doing so.

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Originally Posted by Heavy Horse (Post 3628943)

Fellow BHPian Manipal has been using Shell Rotella T6 a fully synthetic oil.

He's extremely happy having purchased it from Amazon. Landed cost in India is around Rs 10K and should easily last 20K kms. I am seriously considering it.
Check this out for more information on Shell Rotella

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Originally Posted by o.D (Post 3629076)

5W-40, checking if its available in Mobil and also OWS. Any changes wrt the gear box oil.

Thanks a ton Heavy Horse.:)

Instead of Fully-Synthetic (and / or may be costlier) engine oil stretching to 20,000 kms change frequency, your car engine would love engine oil change more frequently, say 5-7K kms & it can even be simple mineral oil.

Mahindra "Maximile FEO" engine oil is quite good and is available at throw-away price. Instead of the stipulated 20K kms change frequency, I use the same oil at a frequency of 10K kms. Had it not been available at that lower rates, I would have gone for a simple mineral oil with a change-interval of 5-6K kms

I am looking for a good SUV to upgrade from sedan, having being driving this segment for over a decade. I go for long drives (4000+) couple of times in a year. There are some plans for Bhutan and Himalayan drive.

XUV 500, I think is better in stability, handling and features being offered compared to its competitors. Thanks to all contributors in this thread and other threads in TBHP, I have almost decided for XUV W8 Model... with or without AWD.

Is it worth spending additional 1.25L for AWD which is not a 4X4 technically? Considering I will not be taking car in extreme off-roading.. over rocks or boulders.. however, expect to drive through country roads.

Appreciate you thoughts please.

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Originally Posted by RajeVenu (Post 3638398)

Stiff? I don't own a XUV. But based on my 1500+ kms drive to Goa and then to Coimbatore, I felt the suspension is soft. While on highways, any small pothole or bump makes me jump inside. I feel the current suspension setup is good for city driving. But for highways, I felt it needs to be little more stiff to avoid bouncing.

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Originally Posted by rahul_kej (Post 3639176)

Trust me its the vice versa. This SUV is built to cruise on highways.

Oh.. my experience is totally different. Was there a change in suspension setup between launch model and 2013 model. I know my friend has a 2013 model. Somehow, i never got the feel of driving beyond 120 kmph due to its bouncing nature.

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Originally Posted by fiesta (Post 3639093)

I have almost decided for XUV W8 Model... with or without AWD.

The recently launched Scorpio S4+ 4WD is something you may want to consider.

It won't handle as good as the XUV, and the middle row on the XUV is probably more spacious, but it does have the basic safety features like ABS+Airbags, and the ex-showroom price is around 10.8 lacs.

That's quite a good price IMO for a 4WD vehicle.

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Originally Posted by sbala (Post 3639676)

I don't think there is any change done in suspension since the launch. Car is very planted at high speed on tar roads. It drives like a car on highways.

There might be some problem with bushes or something in your car. you should check with service advisor.

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Originally Posted by RajeVenu (Post 3638398)

I also feel that the suspension setup of the XUV needs some deliberation from Mahindra since it is not a primarily Off road vehicle, the ride can be made more comfy & tuned to city & highway driving. Since most users feel the ride of cheetah is a little stiff has someone tried something to make it smoother.

No offence meant but that is the USP of XUV500. I don't want a car like suspension in my vehicle.

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Originally Posted by avimal (Post 3639741)

Thanks.. Actually, Its my friend's car. Anyways - I will let him know about this. He also felt the same. May be i will drive it again to see if i had to change my perception :)

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Originally Posted by venuvedam (Post 3639762)

No offence meant but that is the USP of XUV500. I don't want a car like suspension in my vehicle.

what do you mean by car like suspension? There are cars with soft suspensions and hard as well.

and off-roading is != hard suspension

Has anyone done any kind of off-roading in xuv? will be good to share the experience.

XUV is best suited for tar roads/highways.

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Originally Posted by avimal (Post 3639914)

Exactly that's my point an enthusiastic off-roader will not Buy the cheetah to satisfy his desires. So since it is more suited for Tar roads/ Highways why don't you give it a smoother suspension to make the ride enjoyable, What's the point in the vehicle moving all over the place when it encounters rough patch of road. It is just my opinion no offense intended.
The feel of an SUV with the ride comfort of a sedan is a win win combination.