[mi2n]

Thank you for the in-depth analysis. This has got to be the most detailed report on a "Facelift", even paralleling the original review of XUV500. Few very considerable and welcome changes incorporated by Mahindra. Apart from others, the marginal gains on the brakes and clutch stand out. This suggests that Mahindra is constantly reviewing it's own products and not merely adding gizmos and re-fabricating plastic panels.

That said though, in my humble opinion, the front fascia still needs a lot of work. I'll take the old Cheeta whiskers please. The new bumper reminds me of this :

[dreamliner17]

Brilliant review Tushar and SDP. A job extremely well done guys

I won't hesitate in calling the XUV5oo as the best all round package around the 15 lakh price range! It's torque will make you fall in love with it instantly. The composed ride and fabulous interior space (1st and 2nd row) combined with the high stance makes you feel that you are sitting in a 'premium' SUV. The front face now looks butch with the removed whiskers and the new position of the fog lamps, make it a 'nicer' looking SUV. The XUV5oo will always be on my wish list for my first SUV, whenever i have the money to buy one

[prakhar1998]

Excellent Review!
The XUV seems to have improved considerably. Mahindra truly is working hard to update its cars. The Scorpio was well updated, and so is the XUV. The Bolero update is upcoming as well.

But well, other than these three cars, Mahindra isn't doing too well. The Xylo and Quanto aren't doing wonders. And the its better to simply not talk about the Verito.

I believe, to get a greater chunk of the pie, Mahindra need to bring in new models, and venture into new territories such as hatchbacks and sedans.

All in all, Mahindra has understood the Indian market rather well.

[abirnale]

Awesome Review Sanjay and Tushar!

Since I do not have experience with older XUV driving, I looked at the drive from a fresh perspective. Looks are of course subjective but technically I hated the start stop button being placed at its current location! The stupidest thing may be - costed the DVD drive, smaller storage compartment and of course I *perceive* it as great risk if touched while in motion. I don't know for sure and neither could be answered properly by salesperson - will the car stop or stuck or knock if the stop button is pressed while in motion!

I also did not notice the steering rack touching the left foot on tight turns. Apart from that, I think I am not scared of any of the review findings - because I booked W10 FWD variant and waiting for delivery!

Of course there are still many small things that could have been better, but do we have any competent options?

[Zinda]

Sometimes I really wonder why almost all the facelifts of Mahindra vehicles are limited to front! Or is it their resources / time almost ends till they reach rear.

Thanks for a wonderful review/comparo though. Very informative and up to the high standards of the forum.

[razor4077]

Great review and compare guys! Rated 5 stars!

As a current XUV user, my 2 cents based on Tushar and SDP's thoughts and the pictures:
- I prefer the aggressive front looks of the older version (sans the whiskers) and the bonnet design. New one looks a little bulbous.
- improved fog lamps are welcome
- new interior colour scheme will be very hard to maintain. Dual tone black+beige seats similar to the older version (as in the black and white cars) plus using black plastics around the feet, like the scuff plate area, would have been better
- the matte black centre console finish looks to be prone to oily fingerprints and dust. Prefer the older faux wood
- removing the shiny bits from the top of the dash and integrating the instrument console cowl with the dash are positive and required changes
- would have wished for more improvement in the quality of plastics and fit & finish
- I think that start/stop button is taking up too much space. That covered cubby hole, which has been halved, is very useful. Would be less useful in its smaller avatar
- keyless entry and reversing cameras are useful
- good to know that the ride over broken roads has improved. This is one of my pet peeves with the older version
- great that the brakes have better bite now
- surprised they haven't introduced an "Eco" mode for better FE
- hope an automatic transmission is introduced soon. Was hoping to see this option with the facelift
- new infotainment unit looks great. But dumbfounded why they still couldn't program the steering buttons to change channels rather than seek! Even the new Scorp has this logical feature. Wonder if they'll introduce some firmware upgrades down the line to tackle this and some of the other issues
- that xuv logo puddle lamp looks tacky :P
- sunroof is fairly pointless in India most of the time, but it's one of those features required to justify introducing a higher variant I guess

Bottom line, if I had to choose new/improved features from the facelift for our XUV, these would be it:
- upgraded brakes
- upgraded suspension
- new infotainment unit
- auto "up" function for driver window (old one had only auto down)
- revised central dash cowl and integrated pod cowl designs

And these remain on the wish list:
- auto transmission option
- less dive on braking
- better interior quality, fit and finish
- less garish front design
- logical audio button functions on steering

[Tushar]

Originally Posted by SX4LOVER

i guess a few features such as improved ESP etc were left out. any way you guys could have tested these?

I am now in two minds if to go for the xuv after so many troubles and niggles have been pointed out, which seems to be the forte of this vehicle, or to go for the time tested safari.

any help guys?

The new ESP has been mentioned in the review:

Given that this is only a facelift, don't expect any major mechanical changes. Under the bonnet, you get the same 2.2L, mHawk diesel engine that makes 140 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 330 Nm of torque @ 1,600-2,800 rpm. However, Mahindra has made a few tweaks to improve driveability. The suspension has been optimized as well and you get an updated electronic stability program (ESP 9).

This is a real world road test and features like the ESP can / should only be tested in a controlled environment. Mumbai's roads would be too unsafe to test the ESP's capabilities. This is why we can't test the top speed either, unless it's within a place like Mahindra's test track.

As for whether or not you should go for it, I can only offer my personal opinion. The XUV500 is a great, well rounded and VFM package for the money, and I found that the pros easily outnumber the cons.

[ankit_chd]

I had a test drive yesterday as I was waiting for the newer model from almost 2 months.
I had very high hopes as I was in no mood to wait for ix25. But after the test drive I had mixed feelings. Somehow I found the gears to be to notchy, may be I drive sedan so I felt it too much. The plastic buttons for adjusting side mirrors made a tick sound and coming from Toyota I felt them to be very cheap.

Front seats were very generous. The new Entertainment system is a big thumps up.

Interiors are improved but still I got a feeling it wont last 7-8 years without niggles. For instance, the plastic cover on the gear has sharp edges which could be felt while changing gears.

No doubt its featured packed and a same kinda car from a international maker would have cost 4-5L more but still I came out disappointed.

My 6 year old Corolla Altis still seems to be better build compared to xuv.

Jist of the story is to wait for Creta now which I never wanted.

[Eddy]

Fantastic review guys. Almost makes you want to buy one !

I will go and check out the W4 model @ ~ 13L OTR/

[carfreak]

The XUV i saw in the Mangalore show room had Apollo tires instead of the Bridgestones. I cannot comment on the road noise as it was the first time i had driven this beast.

Overall i too came out with mixed feelings. The gear box felt too notchy for comfort and the interior quality, especially in certain areas remind you that you have bought a budget SUV.

It would have been much better had an automatic transmission been there. Any idea when this will see the light of the day?

Finally i have decided to wait for the Creta. It will come with an automatic and i am sure it will have much better interiors.

[sumithb]

I might be minority here, but I do like the new front design over the previous generation. My observations from the test drive can be found here.

Couple of other observations:

• I test drove at two different dealership and each car had nice gearbox, found it much better than my colleague's 2014 XUV. Sloted beautifully into 1st and reverse. There's was a touch of notchiness though.
• The dealers do a bad job of polishing the dashboard. The uneven polish makes the dashboard look tacky and center console a fingerprint magnet. Just clean the polish off and the dashboard and center console would look much better and resist finger prints.

I have booked a white W10 AWD, should get it in couple of weeks.

[miharbe]

Excellent report Tushar and SDP Sir!

Gotta admit even ~4 years down the line the XUV 5OO still looks quite good and in some sense doesn't have competition. Almost bought one when it was launched but for the lack of space in the last row seats.

The new one builds on the strengths and adds some cool features such as the sunroof. Would have bought the new one if only it came with 2 things:

1. An automatic transmission. Why Mahindra couldnt get it ready in 4 years time is beyond me!
2. Sliding middle row (though i wonder if the rear airbags have something to do with this?)

Mahindra if you are reading this please launch the W10 and W10 AWD in AT form!

[RavenAvi]

Lovely, lovely review, guys! Take a bow, both of you.

The attention to the minutest of details is simply mind-blowing! All through the review, I felt as if I was standing right there with both of you, checking out both versions of the mighty XUV in person.

The front looks garish with all those dollops of chrome (never seen a more in-your-face designed foglamp-enclosure before), and like you both rightly mentioned, the XUV has lost a bit of it's butch, masculine look. It's like the Cheetah has mellowed down and is taking a steadier stance.

Coming to the interiors, the beige-black theme makes the cabin look wider and more bright, but maintaining those beige seats would be a real pain in the long-term - judging by the dirtiness which was already evident in a 1,000-km run car.

The infotainment system seems fantastic to operate now, in it's all-new avatar. Good to see Mahindra taking customers' feedback seriously and tweaking the two important weak points of the XUV - the infotainment system & related electronics, and the brakes.

The blue lounge lighting looks slightly tacky and cheap, compared to the red ambience of the older one - maybe because most pics were taken during the day. How did it feel inside the new XUV at night? Is the ambience better in blue, or in the earlier red?

Yes, at the 13 lac OTR mark, the XUV makes a strong case for itself, specially when priced in the ballpark of sedans/crossovers from a segment lower. Going through this wonderful review has made me think about it seriously again (I was contemplating for a pre-facelift W4/W6 earlier but went ahead and booked the Hyundai Creta), and I am now really tempted to go and give the Cheetah another Test Drive at my nearest dealership. Let's see if I change my mind (yet again!).

Once again, superb job. Rating this very delectable review a thoroughly deserving 5 FULL stars!

[Zahoor23]

It was hard to wait for the XUV facelift, it was harder to wait for the Team-BHP review of it. Tushar and SDP, you guys are just AWESOME!! Excellent Review. Hats-off to the amount of effort & dedication you have put into to make it such a splendid review. One-stop destination for the confused mind. Read every word of DUMA's ownership thread by SDP and the sheer amount of dedication towards the DUMA is reflected in this review. Great pics of DUMA & the young girl !!Excellent in-detail review, a well deserved 5 stars, Definitely worth the wait

[Tanveer_2558]

Awesome review there guys and fortunately i got the delivery of my xuv W10 AWD today itself and i was already reading this lovely review from the showroom.
After driving the new age xuv for a couple of hours i can easily say the review is just spot on! Also if anyone has any update on the wifi symbol it would be great, though ill look for it in the car manual tonight.