[Infiniti.Rahul]

Guys,
I have a strange predicament and thought will discuss this with others and see what popular opinion is.

I booked a W8 a day prior to bookings getting closed and over the period of time, I have slowly drifted towards W6, primarily on account of immense changes I can do to the automobile and still save money.

I thought things like GPS, leather sets, DVD player etc will hold a lot of value but off late, I am inclined to think that i would rather go for modifications of personal choice than go with stock fittings and hence the confusion. eg, I can choose 100 times better alloys than what are stock on W8. I can choose Stanley leather covers of a color of personal choice than go with stock black thats there with moondust silver W8. I can get GPS installed from outside or maybe the dealer and I can easily do without DVD player as well. In my opinion, the monochrome display looked much better than the red colored display of W8. Tyretronics is also something that looks more of a fad than real utility thing especially if one gets the air pressure checked regularly. A great set of amp, subwoofer and the likes will also do wonders to the staid stock ICE which XUV W8/ W6 will have.


Now I asked the dealer on the way to change the model from W8 to W6n and also asked the Mahindra folks at the call center but the stock reply is the loss of 1000 bucks (which Im ok with) as a result of cancellation which is a must and then I have to rebook the W6 when bookings reopen.

Need a fair bit of advice. Since I have presented my thoughts above and I am also ruling out the fact that the stock leather seats and alloys can be resold, and above all I dont wanna wait for too long for XUVs arrival (current date given by dealer is February 28th, 2012), should I cancel this booking, be among the first ones to rebook so I can get quick deliveries or do I stick to W8? One confusing point is when the bookings will reopen, and when will the second round of deliveries take place post those bookings. if this goes on till April/ May, I would rather stick to W8 but if we may have a scenario of bookings opening towards year end and the deliveries happening around March next year, its still an option to be pondered upon.

Any suggestions are most welcome and requested for

[tachobells]

Originally Posted by Infiniti.Rahul

Guys,
I have a strange predicament and thought will discuss this with others and see what popular opinion is.

I booked a W8 a day prior to bookings getting closed and over the period of time, I have slowly drifted towards W6, primarily on account of immense changes I can do to the automobile and still save money.

I thought things like GPS, leather sets, DVD player etc will hold a lot of value but off late, I am inclined to think that i would rather go for modifications of personal choice than go with stock fittings and hence the confusion. eg, I can choose 100 times better alloys than what are stock on W8. I can choose Stanley leather covers of a color of personal choice than go with stock black thats there with moondust silver W8. I can get GPS installed from outside or maybe the dealer and I can easily do without DVD player as well. In my opinion, the monochrome display looked much better than the red colored display of W8. Tyretronics is also something that looks more of a fad than real utility thing especially if one gets the air pressure checked regularly. A great set of amp, subwoofer and the likes will also do wonders to the staid stock ICE which XUV W8/ W6 will have.


Now I asked the dealer on the way to change the model from W8 to W6n and also asked the Mahindra folks at the call center but the stock reply is the loss of 1000 bucks (which Im ok with) as a result of cancellation which is a must and then I have to rebook the W6 when bookings reopen.

Need a fair bit of advice. Since I have presented my thoughts above and I am also ruling out the fact that the stock leather seats and alloys can be resold, and above all I dont wanna wait for too long for XUVs arrival (current date given by dealer is February 28th, 2012), should I cancel this booking, be among the first ones to rebook so I can get quick deliveries or do I stick to W8? One confusing point is when the bookings will reopen, and when will the second round of deliveries take place post those bookings. if this goes on till April/ May, I would rather stick to W8 but if we may have a scenario of bookings opening towards year end and the deliveries happening around March next year, its still an option to be pondered upon.

Any suggestions are most welcome and requested for

Stick to your W8 booking, mate. The alloys will cost you 35K and Stanley leather seats may cost easily more than 50-60K. The price difference between W6 and W8 is only around a Lakh. Then you've navigation, ESP etc.

Also note the news in TOI today about the imminent duty hike on diesel cars (~80K) and the imminent price hike from Mahindra (rumored to be around a Lakh).

[Infiniti.Rahul]

Originally Posted by tachobells

Stick to your W8 booking, mate. The alloys will cost you 35K and Stanley leather seats may cost easily more than 50-60K. The price difference between W6 and W8 is only around a Lakh. Then you've navigation, ESP etc.

Also note the news in TOI today about the imminent duty hike on diesel cars (~80K) and the imminent price hike from Mahindra (rumored to be around a Lakh).

Thanks Buddy,
Where is this news on Mahindra raising the price by a lac of Rupees and the tentative timeline for the same? This is pure speculation as of now, right?

[tachobells]

Originally Posted by Infiniti.Rahul

Thanks Buddy,
Where is this news on Mahindra raising the price by a lac of Rupees and the tentative timeline for the same? This is pure speculation as of now, right?

Yes, the 1 Lakh hike is speculation. But XUV500 prices are introductory as per official communication from Mahindra. If you go back a few pages in this thread, there is a long discussion about this topic.

[LastActionHero]

Originally Posted by tachobells

Stick to your W8 booking, mate. The alloys will cost you 35K and Stanley leather seats may cost easily more than 50-60K. The price difference between W6 and W8 is only around a Lakh. Then you've navigation, ESP etc.

Also note the news in TOI today about the imminent duty hike on diesel cars (~80K) and the imminent price hike from Mahindra (rumored to be around a Lakh).

AFAIK you cannot change the W8 seats because of side airbags. There is an explicit warning label on the seats as well to not change the seat cover.

[SDP]

Manson & GTO, great review! Two weeks back, I had skimmed through the review and mostly ogled at the pictures. To be very frank, I had almost finalized Vento TDi HL and was planning to time the booking so that I get a 2012 manufactured vehicle. So going through the XUV review was more for knowledge sake

Originally Posted by manson

There is a sizable chunk of buyers in the 12 – 15 lakh bracket looking out for an SUV. One half of these potential buyers end up buying the top trim Vento, Honda City, Verna, Scorpio or Safari and save a fair fraction for the next upgrade. The second half stretches their budget and snaps up the Laura, Cruze or Altis with trim levels suiting their respective pockets. Enter the Mahindra XUV5OO.

The above describes my dillema perfectly. Wonderfully put!

The TD of Vento was long overdue. On Sunday, 30th Oct, I had some work in Thane and took the family along. Decided to visit VW on Ghodbunder road and get a TD if possible. Also decided to 'show' the XUV5OO to the wifey as the Mahindra showroom is also on the same route. A TD of XUV was not on the cards as I was not willing to wait in line for my turn.

Reached VW Thane and after 3-4 minutes got into a silver colored TDi. The SA who accompanied us apologized for the stench of diesel inside the car and explained that a couple of days back, the car was used to transport 2 huge cans of diesel used for the generator in the dealership and there was some spillage inside. What a start for a TD! The first thing I noticed was the car felt sluggish in low rpm. The last diesel I had driven was my friend's Octavia a few months back and there was an inevitable comparison. Vento did not feel 'eager' in low rpm as compared to Octavia. The pulsating sensation on the clutch was also more pronounced. I asked the SA about it and he mentioned it is because of ABS . I asked him what does the clutch has got to do with the ABS and he gave me some weird explanation. From the 3rd gear onwards, the car pulled well, but nothing in the "whoa" league. I really started having doubts at this point of time. After a thorough look at the display car and a brief discussion about what color, we left. I asked my wife and she said, the car is OK, a bit boring, the seating is low, the hump in the floor is awkward etc.

Next stop - Mahindra showroom on Ghodbunder Road. Its on the right side while going towards Borivali and when we passed it, saw the shutters down, but 3 XUVs outside. Thought, the place is closed, but let's have a look at the XUV. Took a U-turn and parked. The shutter was half-down and I peeped inside and enquired. The guy said that the showroom is about to be closed for the day and there is no executive available for XUV. Since I had seen a few customers outside, I asked if a TD is possible and to my surprise he said yes. A grey XUV has just come back from TD and we were next. Got in and started driving. For Vento TD, I was prepared with what to observe. For XUV, I was completely unprepared. Because of the back to back TD, another inevitable apple-to-orange comparison between Vento and XUV happened. XUV - no sluggishness, quite eager to pounce. Picked up speed well, no bouncing like Scorpio/Safari, no nervouness on turns. The SA was pleasant and was interested in showing all the features. Checked Hill-ascent and hill-descent functions. The GPS map was showing nicely. The gear-lever throw especially from first to second was a bit too much and the arm-rest was coming in between. Mentioned that to the SA and he said, he has got the same feedback earlier and has been fed back to Mahindra. The reverse gear arrangement was something new to me, never seen anything similar. Surprisingly, the tbhp review also did not mention anything about the reverse-gear arrangement. There was a bike in the fast lane. I pressed the horn a bit, the biker checked his right mirror and moved to the second lane. Talk about road presence! Big smile on my face.

Although I always wanted to own a SUV, I understand that these are difficult beasts to live with because of nervous handling and their fuel efficiency. I never expected that I would like the ride and drivability of XUV better than Vento. Plus all the little gizmos, make the Vento look so vanilla. Wife and kido loved the rear seat and the flat floor. I was so SOLD on Vento for last 8-9 months and now I am seriously considering a XUV. What the heck, you live just once!

[nitinralli]

Here's the response form the area manger about my escalation:

Dear Mr Nitin ,

My apology for delay in response .

I had cross checked the amount charged by you for insurance ie Rs 42k is correct.

There are different companies available which may offer u some discount in order to promote there product & hence u are finding the difference in the prices.

Dealer will definitely like to do the insurance in house but if u feel its on a higher side there is always a scope of discussion between u & dealer.

I had copied our discussion to Mr Toophan Patnayak ( VP Koncept group) he will definitely help .

I don't feel my intervention will be required hereafter .

Still if required I am just a mail away.

Regards
Puneet sethi
Area Manager
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

[nikhileshgrover]

Folks,

Has anyone got a quote for the XUV 500 W8 x 2 with 0 depreciation? I spoke to Bajaj Allianz customer care and they said that they are not giving 0 dep policies for XUV. Found this pretty wired.

N

[sidwadia]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

Here's the response form the area manger about my escalation:

Dear Mr Nitin ,

My apology for delay in response .

I had cross checked the amount charged by you for insurance ie Rs 42k is correct.

There are different companies available which may offer u some discount in order to promote there product & hence u are finding the difference in the prices.

Dealer will definitely like to do the insurance in house but if u feel its on a higher side there is always a scope of discussion between u & dealer.

I had copied our discussion to Mr Toophan Patnayak ( VP Koncept group) he will definitely help .

I don't feel my intervention will be required hereafter .

Still if required I am just a mail away.

Regards
Puneet sethi
Area Manager
Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

Nitin,
I have been qouted a final figure of 37832/- for the zero depreciation on the XUV W8 FWD by ICICI Lombard.
Not sure if this is as competitive as other insurance providers in the market.
Friends, I believe the insurance quotes have been discussed somewhere on the thread (but I just can't seem to locate it), request members to share their info/advice on this quote pls !!!
I have to make the DD tomm for the final payment & would appreciate your views.
Thx in advance
Sid

[LastActionHero]

Just saw Anand Mahindra respond to the tweet about insurance and he asked someone called Arun to look into it. This means the dealer is not right.

[mkumar79]

Originally Posted by SDP

.. I was so SOLD on Vento for last 8-9 months and now I am seriously considering a XUV. What the heck, you live just once!

You may want to open a new What Car thread.

Till XUV bookings reopen, you have time to tune in to Skoda Rapid Nov 16 launch. Test drive the top end and see for yourself if it ticks boxes that Vento does not.

If Rapid has a good diesel AT, I may even cancel my XUV booking!

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by sidwadia

Nitin,
I have been qouted a final figure of 37832/- for the zero depreciation on the XUV W8 FWD by ICICI Lombard.
Not sure if this is as competitive as other insurance providers in the market.
Friends, I believe the insurance quotes have been discussed somewhere on the thread (but I just can't seem to locate it), request members to share their info/advice on this quote pls !!!
I have to make the DD tomm for the final payment & would appreciate your views.
Thx in advance
Sid

So were you able to get the insurance from outside? How did you manage to get out of dealer's trick of getting into his deal? Please share.
One more thing, i still think that you are paying little more than what you can actually get from outside. For e.g. i was given a quote of 26K 0% depreciation from SBI for W6 so i guess for W8 it should be around 30K max. Do check it bro cause i still think that you can save more on this.

[sidwadia]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

So were you able to get the insurance from outside? How did you manage to get out of dealer's trick of getting into his deal? Please share.
One more thing, i still think that you are paying little more than what you can actually get from outside. For e.g. i was given a quote of 26K 0% depreciation from SBI for W6 so i guess for W8 it should be around 30K max. Do check it bro cause i still think that you can save more on this.

Hi Nitin,
This is the quote I have managed from the dealership itself (not from outside). However, the quote I got from my insurance agent is about 34k for the same. A difference of just 3k , which I don't think is too enticing.
However, will check for the SBI quote too.
Thx
Sid

[SDP]

TBHP members from Pune, Can one of you shade any light on the On-road price for "outside-PCMC" region?
For ANHC, I had compared the prices and there was almost a 65K difference (as compared to Mumbai) for VMT. So was wondering if there is a similar difference.

[sijesh]

Originally Posted by Infiniti.Rahul

Guys,
I have a strange predicament and thought will discuss this with others and see what popular opinion is.

I booked a W8 a day prior to bookings getting closed and over the period of time, I have slowly drifted towards W6, primarily on account of immense changes I can do to the automobile and still save money.

I thought things like GPS, leather sets, DVD player etc will hold a lot of ***********
***********
***********
Need a fair bit of advice. Since I have presented my thoughts above and I am also ruling out the fact that the stock leather seats and alloys can be resold, and above all I dont wanna wait for too long for XUVs arrival (current date given by dealer is February 28th, 2012), should I cancel this booking, be among the first ones to rebook so I can get quick deliveries or do I stick to W8? One confusing point is when the bookings will reopen, and when will the second round of deliveries take place post those bookings. if this goes on till April/ May, I would rather stick to W8 but if we may have a scenario of bookings opening towards year end and the deliveries happening around March next year, its still an option to be pondered upon.

Any suggestions are most welcome and requested for

IMHO You have made the right decision by going for W8.

Leave alone the alloys and other goodies like foldable mirrors that you get, but the 2 safety features sealed it for me:

ESP and airbags(6 of them)

Honetly I know more about ESP after booking the W8:

Without Stability Control - YouTube

With Stability Control - YouTube

In the Indian context the safety aspects always takes a backseat , while in the US it is mandatory to have airbags, ABS and ESP in any vehicle. Where as down here even when one buys a car with more than 10Lakhs you may not get any of them(ex. Only the Innova top end comes with dual airbags and ABS, which is so sad)

On the other hand manufacturers like skoda, volkswagen and ford etc. do get away with placing the turn indicator controls and wiper controls on the opposite sides. In europe there are strict laws and standards for car manufacturers.

From these point of view XUV is a fantastic product from Mahindra where the basic model comes atleast with ABS+airbags.

But things like ESP should also be made mandatory for India as you umpteen number of unexpected things or cows and dogs on the road.

If these do not convince you, having alloys and other things that you plan to fit after market may not be covered by the standard insurance.