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-   -   Mahindra XUV300 : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/208487-mahindra-xuv300-official-review-13.html)

Posting an update below:
A vehicle got allocated to me within a few days of the booking. The planned shipment date from the factory was 28th July, with 5-7 additional days for transit, 3 days for PDI and registration.

However, I got a call from the dealer stating that due to heavy rains, the shipments from the factory have been delayed and hence delivery may be delayed by a week or two.

The OTR of Rs 15.39 lakhs included accessories worth 12500 odd rupees which I have declined preferring to get them online from M2ALL. There seems to be a mark up of 15-20% at the dealer when compared to what is available at M2ALL.

I've almost finalized my decision to buy the XUV300 but the only 'fly in the ointment' is the long clutch travel that forces you to sit close to the steering wheel. And that needlessly tall gear lever.
Both of these factors dilute the experience of driving that phenomenal Diesel engine although one may get used to it over time.

My question is - Can we find anything in the aftermarket to resolve these two issues/ problems.?

Thats Mahindra for you. I suspect some astrologer has told them that making short gear levers will result in downturn in sales numbers. Not a single M&M car has a nice short stick & I don't know why!

No not really. Its in fact better not to modify these aspects of a car as much as possible IMHO. An aftermarket fitment will also technically void your warranty if the dealer / A-S-S is not kind. Secondly, some issue with them during run-cycle can cause severe issues - even on safety front. Best left untouched.

Generally the first thing that bothers buyers is the boot space rather than these 2 you mentioned. I guess you have clear requirements from the car & the boot isn't a priority?

The XUV would be my second car (also own a Honda City) and so the lack of a large boot space doesn't really bother me, can live with that constraint.
Don't care too much about touchscreen, or other fancy gadgets as well.

The car should be fast fun to drive and of course handle well. The XUV300 is almost there and though it's not without flaws, I think I can live with it.

I finally took delivery of my xuv300 W8(0) AMT on 28th August and have driven 150 kms so far. Not sure if this the first AMT on this forum.

The official review is spot on. Superb refinements, lovely engines, decent ride quality and neutral handling. The car is loaded with features except for rear ac vents. The AC unit is pretty good as I drove in Chennai heat at 36 degrees and it cooled the cabin quick after putting it in low modes with fans at full blast. Not bad as I feared. Did not see much negative feedback on ac from other owners in the owners group as well. May be they have tuned it a bit post the official review.

AMT is decent but the car deserves a proper AT. The AMT does ok on inclines and is decent if you feather the throttle or if you put the foot down on the throttle for which you need good open roads. If you want to drive spiritedly on moderate traffic, there is no option but use the manual mode. If you want to have a head start at the signal, then you will be disappointed as it takes it own sweet time from 1st to 3rd post which is pretty good. Perhaps a sports mode like nexon is needed.

The gear shifts are felt at the lower gears only. 1st to 2nd happens at 2500 rpms, second at 2200 rpms and subsequent shifts at 1750 rpms.

The vehicle moves quickly down hill in the spiral ramp at my office and brakes needs to be applied even if I take my foot off the throttle. Shifting to 1st gear on manual mode also yielded the same result. In my swift, I used to do downhill in 1st gear with mild accelerator and without brakes. Perhaps taller first gear and heavier body could be the reason. It climbed the ramp with 5 people effortlessly.

I swapped my stock tyres (MRF wanderer eco tread) to Michelin 4ST for 15k more
The upgrade was very much worth it for a much superior grip, better steering feedback and nil running noice. If it had been the alnac, I would have kept the stock.

The other little disappointing thing is that the ecosense is not available in the AMT version.

I considered the additional 2 lakhs over Nexon XZA worth it with additional airbags, TPMS, better ride quality, auto dimming day night mirrors, dual zone climate control, ESP, hill hold, front parking sensors, a more roomier cabin, less funky rear, heated ORVMs, lesser cabin noise. Will share more after I spend a bit more time with the car.

Congratulations! Nice colour. W8(0) is really loaded to the brim with gizmos & I just love that Mahindra 1.5 CRD. New pocket rocket! Wishing you unlimited safe & happy miles with the mini cheetah!

Yeah AMT is a bit of a bummer and takes away some of the fun from what is otherwise an awesome powertrain without many matches.

Actually the Nexon's multi drive modes are more of a mileage improving mapping rather than spirited driving aides. In the Eco & City modes, the engine's power is capped at around 70 and 90 PS. In the Sport mode, it simply maps it to the actual "standard" map of the engine to release its rated 110PS/260Nm output. In case of the XUV300, the engine is always "open" with full range available all the time. So it wouldn't make much of a difference to have a "sport mode" if the requirement is spirited driving.

Its the AMT that is the root cause. However - get used to the manual mode & have fun! I always use manual mode in my other car & boy does that K10 revv like a rocket :D. Its quite addictive once you get the hang of manual mode in AMT. Pretty fun to (just that shifts are slower than DCTs. Still no rubber banding like CVTs and can be lived with.).

Its best to do those descents in 2nd gear without throttle. Perfect engine braking and sufficient speed to ensure those behind aren't caught off guard in case they aren't experienced enough (which often is the case on our roads!).
Use the manual mode always on those slopes. Otherwise the AMT quickly upshifts and car suddenly picks up speed! Don't rely totally on brakes, they'll wear out prematurely. Remember to use manual mode in slopes of ghat sections also. In D mode you'll overheat brake disks and pads if the slopes are long enough.

Yes what you get over the Nexon for the 2 Lakhs is worth it. Except for the dual zone AC. I feel its more of a gimmick. I'd rather have a rear cooled AC vent over dual zone AC. Rest are very useful indeed. No doubt.

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this page!

I have driven my W8 (O) autoshift for around 650 Kms so far. The test drive to booking to delivery experience was very good from Zulaikha motors.

Modifications Done So Far
1 )Tyres: MRF Wanderer Ecopia (not listed in MRF website) to Michelin Primacy 4ST. Got a good deal with Lal and Sons. The difference in road grip and comfort is very much noticeable
2) Replaced the cabin lamps with white LEDs and horns with Bosch Symphony
3) Installed Side skid plate extenders, front and rear bumper kit (seen in my previous post)
4) Wrapped the carpet with OE PVC full carpet mat
5) 3D matt for XUV 300 from M2all. The driver side mat fits perfectly for the manual version, it does not cover the dead pedal in the autoshift
6) Wrapped the A pillars and C pillars in 3M carbon black vinyl
7) Magnetic window shades from M2ALL
8) Anti-skid lining for cubby holes from M2ALL
9) PPF for door edges, door handles and corners of front bumper
10) Under chassis painting at 3M.

Planned Mods
a) Speaker upgrades
b) Roof wrap (Black or grey)

Sharing my feedback on the hits and misses.
XUV 300 Hits:

• Premium interiors

• Loaded with features

• Refined and powerful engine

• Ride quality

• Decent handling

• Best of interior space

• Airy Cabin

• Nice stance

• Neutral looks

• AC has been a surprise package considering tbhp review. Despite lack of rear vents and a large cabin, the A/C has been effective in Chennai weather (38 degrees max). Haven't read much of ac issues from the owner groups in social media. Perhaps Mahindra made some updates in production cars post tbhp review

• Mileage for the manual version seems to be very good based on feedback from the owner groups on social media

• Infotainment system provides a lot of good info and is loaded with features

• Noise insulation is top notch and one can hardly hear the engine inside the cabin

• Disc brakes are very effective in spite of its over servoed nature and sponginess and

• All other things listed in the tbhp review.

• The AMT is able to handle even steep ramps well so far. However it is better to drive on the inclines in Manual mode.

Misses

• The boot space is less but not bad as I had thought. It has been sufficient for my use so far. It is less than competition though

• Difficult to maintain white interiors which otherwise add the much needed "premium" feel and airiness to the car

• Official number plates rattle since they are thin and are directly mounted on the car unlike Marutis who have them mounted on black plastic holders. The quality of the plates could have been better

• Some Iffy Plastics: The black rubber/PVC door trims on the A pillar looks a bit cheap with the matte finish and not well finished. The glossy plastic covers of the A-Pillars and C - pillars are prone to scratches and has created enough swirl marks already. I have wrapped them with vinyl (mock carbon fiber) to prevent further swirl marks. The A pillar ones does not fit snugly.

• Poor stock horns from hella. Upgraded them to Bosch Symphony

• Low beam is pretty good and high beam not so great. The difference is only visible on dark roads

• Rear view is a bit poor considering the height and the narrow rear glass

• Absence of seat pockets on the rear of the front seat makes it inconvenient.

• There is no way to kill the engine with the ignition on.

• There is already a whistling noise from the front brakes. Saw a similar issue in the XUV500 thread

AMT Related:

• AMT does not do justice to the engine at all. It up shifts a bit too early (i.e. the turbo lag band) and while my test drive cars were up shifting at a much later RPM (2200+). Other buyers in the owners whatsapp group state that it feels much better post the first service. Not sure if Mahindra makes any updates to the ECU as part of the first service. Up shifting in manual mode makes it much better but manual downshifts is a bit difficult since we have to ensure that our downshift does not coincide with the forced auto downshift by the AMT.

• My first tank to tank was 10 KMPL on bumper to bumper traffic, whilst the MID was showing 12 KMPL. This is despite the AMT up shifting early. To be fair, the average speed of the trip was 15 KMPH. Other users were citing 12 KMPL during the run in period and the mileage improving post first service

Infotainment System

• The Android auto keeps disconnecting the bluetooth many times. The auto connection on bluetooth to the phone is also not consistent especially if more than one phone are paired.

• The music system is average. The highs seems to be fine. Mids and bass are not so good. The speakers are from Nippon with paper cones and can't expect much out of them. Many in the owner groups have upgraded their speakers at a minimum.

• Blue Sense XUV300 app in the play store was not available for download stating (not available in your country). Had to download it from 3rd party sites.

• Ecosense is unavailable on the AMT version

• Steering controls don't have the feature to change folder in a media source

• There is no option to switch the radio off alone. If one is not playing any other media, the radio becomes on by default and sometimes picks up an un-tuned AM/FM frequency, creating a racket. Best is to have your USB/Blue tooth connected. Similarly, there is no option to

First oil change is slated at 10K Kms and subsequently every 20K. Not sure how Mahindra is able to get 20K Kms out of mineral oil and the engines still run for 2 lakh kilometers are so.

Please check your door frames, it may be already causing scratches. We apply these and leave it as it is for a long time. Once I had the brains to check the condition of door frames by removing those magnetic sun blinds, the surprise that awaited me was,

Mahindra launches a new entry variant of XUV300, the W6 AMT. Priced at Rs 9.99 lakh, the new entry-level diesel-automatic variant costs Rs 50,000 more than its manual counterpart, but is priced Rs 1.5 lakh less than the next variant in the AMT-equipped XUV300’s line-up, the W8 AMT (Rs 11.50 lakh).

Source: Autocar India

They should have launched a W7 Manual at 9.99 instead. With some of the crucial missing features like front & rear parking sensors, rear defogger/washer-wiper, cruise control, height adjustable driver seat, projector headlamps etc. Would have been a slam dunk buy. Alternatively, they could have dropped the price of W8 Diesel Manual from 10.95 to 9.99 much like what Nissan did with the Kicks price cut. Makes a huge difference in on-road price in some states considering the road tax brackets and TCS.

Took my car for a long drive of 1200 Kms - Chennai-Trichy-Palani- Karur- Namakal-Salem-Chennai.

The AMT does not feel as bad as before or perhaps I am learning the tricks of driving the AMT. The mileage has improved. With 5 people on board, AC at full blast, 80-120 KMPH speeds with 80% 4 lane roads, the mileage for the trip was 16 KMPLs. Really loved the ride and handling package considering the taller stance of the vehicle. Ride quality is better than Ecosport, Nexon and venue. Upgrade to Michelin Primacy 4 ST is really worth every penny as it takes the handling, road grip and comfort to a different level than the stock MRF Wanderer ecopias. NVH levels are very good though wind noise can be felt a bit at 100+ KMPH. Headlamps are pretty decent for driving on 4 lane roads. The best part i like about the vehicle is its engine.

The roomier cabin, light interiors add to passenger comfort. However rear a/c vents would have eased the load on the front blowers and could contribute to better fuel efficiency. Hope someone at Mahindra is listening.

The blue tooth disconnection with android auto did not occur on my new Nokia 8.1 but happens with Oppo Real Me and Samsung S9+. It is either due to the stock android on Nokia 8.1 or due to the fact that I did not manually pair the phone on bluetooth before connecting the android auto in the case of Nokia 8.1 unlike the other two ones. I will do some tests to confirm my hypothesis

Saw this test mule today on Hosur highway near Electronic city. Believe, BS6 engine equipped car. But didn’t notice any other changes to the front too. Couldn’t capture the front as it was at a traffic light and it went green when I took the rear portion.

Why do manufacturers camouflage vehicles when there is an internal change no nothing in the design? They could've just used a normal vehicle and nobody would've guessed that it's a test vehicle.

Most of the times these are the old prototypes vehicles only with the required changes under the hood.

Secondly, removing camouflage of existing vehicles is a huge task and adds no value also.