Team-BHP - Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23 (Post 5171394)

Cons:

1. Plastics at certain areas don't feel premium enough, especially for the price tag the higher variants command. The piano black door handles (scratch magnet) and the wooden applique on door pads looks cheap.

5. I had very high expectations from FSD damping with multilink rear but the experience was underwhelming to be honest. Merely implementing something for marketing and actually integrating it properly are two very separate things.
A VAG crossover or a compass with a multilink rides far better and flatter than the Mahindra. Actually it didn't feel much different from the 500. The rear felt a bit skittish when taking corners on rough patches.

Cheers!
Lowflyer

I am literally test driving Compass S Auto AWD and XUV700 Diesel & Petrol Auto back to back for the past 2 days on the same stretch of the road having moderately varied road conditions.
I find Compass extremely stiff at low speeds and find the ride quality of Xuv700 much better than Compass. It is especially true on small continuous speed breakers as well as on potholes.

I find steering on the XUV700 lighter than Compass and more direct/light than my 2013 Elantra. I actually prefered the steering of XUV700 over unnecessarily hard/kickback in the rough prone system in Compass (for me- I hate talkative steerings).

Also, I guess the car you drove was a pre-production one (they have wood panels in doors). These models I saw had visible quality issues in the interior along with laggy screens. Production models that I drove, all had very slick screens and well-built interiors. The quality of seatbelts along with piano black in central tunnel seemed pretty average in production models too. Exterior panel gaps in few areas along with overall paint quality could have been better too but not a deal-breaker I feel. Power, ride-steering-handling, the auto box I felt very competent and first-rate.

I am more of a features guy but the ride-handling & engine gearbox tuning of XUV700 has caught my attention. I love it.

Example of the diversity of our feelings- I actually found XUV700 connecting with my and families' heart more than our own fluidic Elantra or the cars we test drove- and they included Audi A4 2.0 too (getting a good deal but just didn't connect to us the way XUV does)

Finally, we are waiting at least 6 months before booking in anticipation of more features being added (ventilated seats, power boot and passenger seat, ambient lighting, etc) and to see the reliability of initial batches. I am interested in top-end auto AWD as of now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProModder (Post 5171074)

If anyone is interested in the MX variant, they can checkout this video - https://youtu.be/tDud-qCvO4k

That is awesome ! However, can we expect a TC AT itself or something lower grade to keep the costs in check ?

Even if they do bring a TC, a 1.6L difference in price might still be worth it. Most of the customers don't want tech over space, ride and handling, power and comfort, which would make MX AT the most VFM product in the 15L range for sure. I believe the screen although smaller is as good a display as the larger ones, but the instrument cluster looks too basic (thank God for the screen in the middle however) but it really isn't a deal breaker.
This variant plus accessories like LED lights, fog lamps, alloy wheels etc is really worth it. The only compromises would be 2 airbags and the daytime running LED headlamp strips

Quote:

Originally Posted by APB98 (Post 5171447)

Yes, it seems like a great deal. IMO the only variants that make sense are the MX and the AX7 L. The other variants are too expensive and lack many basic features for their asking price. SVP seems to suggest an MX TC AT is in the making but I believe they will launch it once the initial hype dies down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMG1 (Post 5171405)

Example of the diversity of our feelings- I actually found XUV700 connecting with my and families' heart more than our own fluidic Elantra or the cars we test drove- and they included Audi A4 2.0 too (getting a good deal but just didn't connect to us the way XUV does)

Same here. In fact, a lot of people told me that they connected with the XUV7OO much more than the Safari, mainly because it reminds them of the XUV5OO with the way it looks. For them, while the Safari name does invoke memories of its predecessor, it is still "an extended Harrier".

The pros of maintaining a design language.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMG1 (Post 5171405)

I am literally test driving[b] Compass S Auto AWD and XUV700 Diesel
.
.
.
I am interested in top-end auto AWD as of now.

Sure mate, fair enough. As I already mentioned, these were my views and a lot of people might have had different experiences. But I genuinely think that you should test drive another compass and take the final call. As far as I remember the suspension setup of the compass is not very stiff and rather compliant and that car rides F-L-A-T, especially at speeds. What you experienced could have been specific to that particular TD vehicle.

The steering of the XUV700 as you mentioned is definitely very light and easy to use and I mentioned the same under the positives in my short review. On high speeds though, I still believe the steering of compass is in a different league altogether in terms of weight variation, accurate feedback and pull drift compensation.

Coming to the interiors, I don't think Mahindra has changed the fake wooden applique on the later versions. Saying this because I seriously doubt why would any dealership keep 4 pre-production models and none from the later batch. At 28 big ones, I'd have preferred soft touch materials (the compass has them) and consistent and small panel gaps. The ambience of XUV700 IMO just doesn't feel very special overall (especially the climate control panel borrowed from the Thar).

Of course no car is perfect and all do have their shortcomings. Even the compass has them, it falls short in space, the auto box is slow to react (if it's a compass, it has to be the diesel manual). It's also overpriced by a couple of lacs, but I guess going by Jeep's market strategy, they are not in the numbers game.

What the XUV700 has going for it is that it covers a very wide spectrum of customers. It is a far superior and safer alternative for the mid and top models of the Korean twins and would also annihilate the harrier twins. Tata is half responsible for this as they kept increasing the prices steadily while offering poor reliability and customer service and support.

All the best to you for your future purchase bud:thumbs up. I again mean no offense to any XUV700 admirers or future owners, it's just that the vehicle didn't impress me for it's top end's price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark water (Post 5171374)

3. Can we assume that the production of vehicles has started at full capacity from September or does the production has to start only after the orders are received?
4. If the production of vehicles has started from September would it be likely that the delivery period will reduce by 3 months since Mahindra must be having around 10k vehicles ready by November end. That being said what is preventing Mahindra from delivering the vehicle right away 🤔.
5. I request experienced members to kindly enlighten on these aspects, as to what principle govern the production of vehicles.

Your speculation is spot on. As per an insider information from a friend of mine who works in the Chennai plant, 5k vehichles are already ready at the plant and the target before Dec end is the first 10k cars then the next batch of
15k.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23 (Post 5171479)

Of course no car is perfect and all do have their shortcomings. Even the compass has them, it falls short in space, the auto box is slow to react (if it's a compass, it has to be the diesel manual). It's also overpriced by a couple of lacs, but I guess going by Jeep's market strategy, they are not in the numbers game.

Fiat's 2 0 with MT can get tiring in traffic, you may as well get the automatic . At that price range automatic is preferred from a resale perspective as well. That engine is pretty noisy though can get tiring for passengers over long distances.

If you are spending north of 30L perhaps good to wait for the meridian, it would at least look like someone paid that much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23 (Post 5171479)

Coming to the interiors, I don't think Mahindra has changed the fake wooden applique on the later versions. Saying this because I seriously doubt why would any dealership keep 4 pre-production models and none from the later batch. At 28 big ones, I'd have preferred soft touch materials (the compass has them) and consistent and small panel gaps.
Of course no car is perfect and all do have their shortcomings. Even the compass has them, it falls short in space, the auto box is slow to react (if it's a compass, it has to be the diesel manual). It's also overpriced by a couple of lacs, but I guess going by Jeep's market strategy, they are not in the numbers game.

Mahindra has changed the fake wooden applique to soft touch material (ok type feel). I have seen this in Bangalore dealers showroom. I think they have dispatched all initial Freedom drive vehicles to dealers for test drives, maybe production constraint at the moment.

I agree with you on Compass, and I was seriously looking for it, but it doesn't have any 4x2 Diesel AT and 4x4 is out of budget and not my requirement. Also, the Diesel AT is not near to DSG in terms of gear shift and feels sluggish at times. At the end, a car has to tick many boxes considering overall family needs and this is where XUV700 comes close (may not be perfect at many places) and literally there are not many options to choose in this segment.
Definitely, there will be initial niggles, hope they are not serious and M&M addresses promptly :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kosfactor (Post 5171505)

Yes, the external refinement levels of Jeep definitely fall short as compared to the silent Mhawk. However, the 2.0 MJD isn't much audible inside the cabin (I guess good insulation at work here). My family would have booked the petrol XUV700 (low running + DPF issues of every othe brand) had the interiors and dynamics been slightly better.

But nevertheless I'm glad to see an Indian manufacturer delivering a very rounded product with majority of things upto global standards. We are still working on the Vitamin M aspect to go for a discounted VW Tiguan Allspace now :p. Maybe the next gen Mahindras would be truly at euro levels, but for now that finesse factor is what is missing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMG1 (Post 5171405)

I too observed the same issue, while driving Compass in low speeds it felt stiff but anything above 60kmph its on another level even the SA was asking me to test bumps and potholes on high speed (maybe he knew low speed ride is not supple). Fantastic feedback and gives confidence in twists and turns. I took a long test drive of Compass and I loved it, Fantastic control and stability at high speed, Luxurious interiors, Great performance but man its expensive!

19L ex showroom is the starting price of Jeep Compass Sport D MT and compare the same with 18.20L ex showroom of AX7 D MT;

Places where Jeep shines:
1. Interior quality, fit and finish no doubt its way better than AX7 in spite of being a base model and not having leather seats.
2. Better high speed stability and feedback
3. Feel of owning a semi luxury brand
4. Compact dimensions for city use
5. EPB

XUV pros over Jeep:
1. Better suspensions at low speed (my opinion and many might disagree)
2. Better engine (Noise and power)
3. Twin digital screen setup with connected car tech, Alexa, Apps bla bla
4. ADAS
5. 18" diamond cut alloys
6. more car for less money (7 seats or 2 folded seats with huge boot)
7. Sunroof
8. Foglamps with cornering assist
9. Cruise control
10. TPMS
11. Electric seat adjustment
12. Better spare availability and service touchpoints

IMHO XUV AX7 is still better value proposition when compared to similarly priced Jeep Sport or Harrier XZ or Safari XT. Even though my requirement was a 5 seater I booked AX7 due to the above reasons and I wish there was an option of 5 seater in AX7.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheProModder (Post 5171463)

SVP seems to suggest an MX TC AT is in the making but I believe they will launch it once the initial hype dies down.

I hope the AT version gets the green light soon, and does not receive a big price hike till that time. Also curious as to how/why only carandbike got an exclusive drive of the MX variant? Would it be because of some tie up between Mahindra and the portal, or was this portal the only one interested in TDing the MX variant? I think it might be the former, but would have been good to have some more perspectives.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23 (Post 5171570)

One more test drive beckons, probably when the petrol deliveries begin.

I got a chance to be driven around in a Compass for a couple of hundred kilometers in the back seat. Just the driver and I.

Found the rear setup to be sharp, more than stiff. It may have been high on tyre pressure. rl:

BTW, VAG quality on a future XUV7OO as you have wished would be wonderful and could soon be a reality.