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-   -   Mahindra XUV300 : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/208487-mahindra-xuv300-official-review-7.html)

Evo India reports that Mahindra will be using the XUV300 for rallying from this year and it will be piloted by Gaurav Gill. Bijoy Kumar (ex BSM editor and now head of Mahindra Adventure) confirms the same in his writeup as well and calls it the Super XUV300. I certainly didnt expect this!

Perfect observations...

Power is definitely more than adequate but most of it starts off after 1500 rpm

Clutch is light but as you said had both clutch and gear have long play.

That feeling of sinking in the seat at 2k rpm gives a nice kick.

Ride quality, in my opinion, left me desiring for more.

Did you notice the rattling noise in front or back.

XUV 3OO - W8 Napoli Black. It has been 30 days to the date with about 2100 on the odo.
Got my 1st service done on 18th April and have a few answers/observations.

However, before I get to my observations, the important point first. Got a RECALL (that's how they termed it) on 23rd April.
The rattling noise that most fellow BHPians are talking about is from an 8" bolt (think I got the size right) in the front suspension set up - noise that is intermittent, yet loud enough to irk (to put it mildly). Got them to tell me it was a needed replacement of the bolt - an answer from the Mahindra R&D team to the myriad complaints raised across the country. Did ask them if it was specific to the infamous K2A series (mine is) and got a resounding NO - almost like they were tired of answering questions about the K2A series. With the change done, I have zero noise generated from the set up, with a keen ear for the next 300 kms now.

As for the observations and remediation sought -

1. Noise from the LHS C pillar that houses the seat belt - the black bracket that dispenses the belt from the C pillar to be specific. Figured this noise was prominent when the car wobbled from left to right over undulations. The bracket seems to have a hard finish and not a soft(ish) one. Got them to fix it by sticking a single side of a double sided tape on the back of the bracket so it isn't visible to the eye. Got this done for both, LHS and RHS.

2. Likewise, the hood stay under the bonnet needed a bit of looking into. Got them to tighten the side that helps with the ply of the stay.

3. A surprising creaking sound from the driver's seat that is heard only after about 30 minutes into the drive. Almost like some joint wasn't greased. Not sure if was from the fore and aft operation or the seat height adjustment operation. Fixed for now.

4. The rear number-plate needs some padding.

5. The IRVM is a faulty piece in mine - definitely needs replacement as it rattles over broken tarmac, something that is available in abundance over Bangalore's roads :)
The ASS said they fixed it with some adjustment - twice over! (1st service & then the recall) Going in on Monday next, to seek some heads - really!

In what is otherwise a silent and well put-together vehicle (me pacifying myself :/ ), these few concerns left me somewhat unhappy. Had been with Honda for 9 years, which are built-to-last vehicles IMO. My other current car is a Hyundai i10 Grand which is a well put-together vehicle too.

I got a chance to do a test drive in the diesel variant of XUV 300 w8(o). it was a silver coloured 2k clocked TD vehicle. listing out a few of my observations with the car.

• Got into the driver seat and getting into a comfortable driving posture was an easy job with height adjustable driver seat and tilt-steering.
• Crispy gear slotting, light clutch for the diesel variant.
• More refined diesel motor, NVH levels are high.
• Mild-hybrid engine, first in the segment. which turns off and on quietly.
• The doors don't close easily and need to be pushed hard at times.
• Seat-belt warning is commands instead of chimes.
• Infortainment system is responsive, quick and has got all essentials, even smartwatch connectivity.
• 2k clocked car had some rattling noise from dashboard and sunroof during my test drive. have to think twice regarding its long term reliability.
• feather light steering wheel wrapped in perforated leather, can adjust the lightness with different steering modes, which is first in its segment.
• doors and plastics feels good in quality, but not solid as EcoSport's.
• rear seats lack under-thigh support.
• boot space is low in volume compared to rivals. and the lid is placed too high.
• Sharp looking from front and side's and I feel its more curvey when it comes to the rear end.
• Some basic features such as Dead-pedal, rear parcel tray are missing.
• I feel that W8 variant is more VFM.

Moreover, the car is well equipped to stand against its rivals and it has got many first in class features like front parking sensors, smartwatch connectivity, etc.

SA stated that diesel motor returns 20 km/pl and petrol motor it's 16 km/pl. but the interesting fact is that the price difference between both is around 55k. and it will take up to 20 days to deliver the car from the day of booking. downpayment required is 50k for the dealer I visited.

Sharing some photos of the car during my test drive and showroom visit.

Thanks,
Joseph.

Mahindra's CUV takes the 2nd spot in April sales, but cannibalizes its TUV and shows a dip in sales too?

Will be interesting to see this chart in the next few months when Hyundai Venue will make its debut.

This just in from Mahindra:

My feelings are reflected in the booking numbers.

XUV300 makes sense with top end features since below that Nexon or EcoSport feels better value for money.

Off topic,

By the way, overall picture too showing off late, Indian market seems to be choosing higher end of a specific segment compare to going for lower end of a segment above. Slowly market is enjoying the comfort of those features.

I am not surprised since even statistically speaking, most of the new car sales are towards a family or individual who already own a car or upgrading/changing their previous one. So car owning experience gives the market ability to appreciate the feature list & comfort of the higher variants.

Thanks

So true...

I used to own an S-Cross which got totaled in a road accident (4 adults and 2 kids came out safe). My only issue with it was its build quality and an underpowered engine.

XUV3OO offered me better build quality with more features and same wheelbase as S-Cross and I could not reject it.

Although had to go for the top trim to get all features.

The only thing I resent probably is the smaller boot space and white interiors but that is manageable and is compensated well with other additional features like 17" wheels, dual zone cooling, great cabin space,7 airbags, auto folding OVRMS, DRLs, 3-point seatbelt for rear middle passenger, more zippy engine, FE@ 15Kmpl, etc.

Thing I miss is the smoother suspension from S-Cross and its ride quality.

Safety first.

Mahindra XUV300 sales cross 13k, another 13k orders pending – W8 gets 70% bookings.

Mahindra XUV300 has become the 2nd highest selling sub 4 meter SUV in April 2019. Its sales has allowed the XUV300 to beat Tata Nexon in sales in April, making it the first time that sales of XUV300 are higher than sales of Tata Nexon.

This will soon change, thanks to Venue. It will have a direct impact on Brezza and XUV 300. If Venue is priced correctly, then it will be a deadly blow to Mahindra.

Mahindra might offer discounts and extended warranty to counter Venue. If Mahindra and Hyundai can both share crash test ratings, then it would be easier for safety centric users.

Also Mahindra may soon launch EV version of XUV 300 and Hyundai is already planning for EV Kona india release. The fight is on.

Thanks to Niraj Singh for sending this image in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

These are test drive cars registered with Mahindra and Mahindra. Most of the test drive cars by Mahindra have commercial plate these days.
Even the Marazzo and Alturas demo cars are MH registered and owned by Mahindra. This has been the norm since past year.

I have been seeing this car in Noida since the last 2 months (when XUV was launched). This one can be frequently seen at the Koncept Mahindra dealership in Noida. A quick search on the RTO app says that it is registered with Primemover mobility technologies which is nothing but self-drive rental company Revv.

+1.

Mahindra test drive cars now sport commercial (self-drive) plates and are partnered through Revv. This has been seen earlier during the launch of the Marazzo as well.

I had booked XUV 300 W6 Diesel in Bangalore- India Garage Palace cross road but booking on hold due to HDFC

Bad experience with HDFC bank-

Our loan was approved and I was about to sign the papers today. But I didnot go ahead as there were lot of hidden charges which were informed right before signing the loan papers and I felt cheated as a customer.

The 2 products. GPS and suraksha insurance was forced to us saying it is mandatory at the beginning. And the final loan amount was inflated to 5.26 lacs instead of 5 lacs as agreed per approval letter.

After a lot of discussion with the loan manager, he agreed to remove the “mandatory” GPS and wanted us to pay 6,700 by cheque. Later on, the executive said 5,500 will be deducted from the final loan amount and we will have to pay the balance to the dealer. But the EMI will be considered for full 5 lacs amount.

I dont mind paying processing charges separately but deducting the same from final amount is incorrect. And, forcing the other insurance products by calling it mandatory is nothing less than cheating the customer.

Needless to say, I’m not going ahead with HDFC.

Did anyone else have a similar experience?