[Wheels]

I strongly feel that Mahindra should ramp up their teasers/marketing materials, not just relying on sales executives alone, given that customers do homework on the pros and cons before doing test drive or booking. Hyundai had done great by revealing details every week in the run up to Alcazar launch which was appreciated by our community too. It's OK to set right expectations if it is going to be 3 months wait time even from the launch date but let the detail reach the customers who needs time to get convinced beyond all the hype and anxiety.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by APB98

Found this in this video in Youtube :

Screengrab at 9:55. Apparently this was caused by a bike colliding. Don't know how far it is true. On any other car, you need a hammer to cause this kind of damage on a bumper. Bumpers are also designed to flex and don't shear very easily. I am not jumping in to any conclusion but this is slightly concerning.

[rpmmachine]

Originally Posted by Wheels

Hyundai had done great by revealing details every week in the run up to Alcazar launch which was appreciated by our community too. It's OK to set right expectations if it is going to be 3 months wait time even from the launch date but let the detail reach the customers who needs time to get convinced beyond all the hype and anxiety.

I do Agree with this one, Customers shall know what is there on the table so that we don't waste time for XUV700 and we can go for other good options like Safari.

Originally Posted by Guna

Screengrab at 9:55. Apparently this was caused by a bike colliding. Don't know how far it is true. On any other car, you need a hammer to cause this kind of damage on a bumper. Bumpers are also designed to flex and don't shear very easily. I am not jumping in to any conclusion but this is slightly concerning.

Attachment 2210024

Originally Posted by Sebring

So what does this say? Did it take the hit well? If the impact was slightly higher we would know how the plastic hatch holds up. This is one aspect I'm slightly wary of, before purchase

I am too worried about these 2 photos. This makes me think again regarding my decision for the XUV700.
I have dropped booking of Safari for XUV700 and now I am a little worried about the build quality of XUV700, was hoping same quality as XUV300.
My friend just bought the AMT W8(o) and I am very impressed.
NCAP 4-5 star ratings will not make it a stronger car(Cosmetic body looks fragile).
I am not an expert here but looks like XUV700 is much fragile than other cars in the same segment (kind of Maruti cars nowadays), whereas XUV500 was as good as XUV300(subjective).
Anyone who has seen the car in person, please enlighten us about their thoughts on the car. Which one is more solid between the two and will last longer?

I don't want any Hifi Tech or a lot of features. I need a solid Long lasting Car with fewer electronics and I was looking here for the AX5 version or AX7 without ADAS.

Someone have previously posted the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin "The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long After the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten"

PS: My i20 and Xuv500 got hit a lot of times on bumpers but never cracked like this. Overloaded auto came opposite side and hit my Teana, bumper got few dents but didn't crack.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Yes, but please be aware that there is no 'rear crash test'. Also, the way my dad slams the door down with full force, I wonder how long it will last

The company seems to have taken care of that bit very well.

This is an aspect we have seen earlier as explained by their engineers, a few pages ago in this thread. I`ll put it up here for reference.

Watch from minute 7 onwards if its specifically about rear crash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQsnaA07xnw

[IamNikhil]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Also, the way my dad slams the door down with full force, I wonder how long it will last

I think this is a typical Dad thing. Literally the same with my Dad. Even after a hundred fights, he'll just do the same every time.

Originally Posted by APB98

Regarding online booking vs dealership booking, the official did say to me that online booking is literally an extra step, and that coming to the dealership directly would be better and faster.

Booking directly with the dealer is always better and faster. The online booking ultimately allots a dealer itself who will then coordinate with you for amy necessary documentation etc, which adds to the time.

Originally Posted by Wheels

I strongly feel that Mahindra should ramp up their teasers/marketing materials, not just relying on sales executives alone, given that customers do homework on the pros and cons before doing test drive or booking. It's OK to set right expectations if it is going to be 3 months wait time even from the launch date but let the detail reach the customers who needs time to get convinced beyond all the hype and anxiety.

Totally agree with you. There shouldn't be such a long wait for details; just makes customers restless. Don't know what the folks at Mahindra are thinking really. Least they could have done is put in a process for releasing few details from time to time.

Originally Posted by Guna

Apparently this was caused by a bike colliding. Don't know how far it is true. On any other car, you need a hammer to cause this kind of damage on a bumper. Bumpers are also designed to flex and don't shear very easily. I am not jumping in to any conclusion but this is slightly concerning.

Originally Posted by rpmmachine

I am too worried about these 2 photos. This makes me think again regarding my decision for the XUV700.
I have dropped booking of Safari for XUV700 and now I am a little worried about the build quality of XUV700, was hoping same quality as XUV300. NCAP 4-5 star ratings will not make it a stronger car(Cosmetic body looks fragile).
I am not an expert here but looks like XUV700 is much fragile than other cars in the same segment (kind of Maruti cars nowadays)

This is really really scary. All the videos on YouTube and even the interactions with Velusamy have gone into great detail about how Mahindra has paid extra attention to sturdiness and safety with XUV 700; but if the real-world scenario is completely different than the big claims, it will be a travesty! In a city like Mumbai, I am used to bikers colliding with my cars, rickshaw and tempos grazing against the car with just few scratches/dents etc, never any major damage. If the XUV 700 body starts getting deformed in this fashion, it will prove to be a costly and unsavoury affair for sure!

[APB98]

Originally Posted by Guna

Screengrab at 9:55. Apparently this was caused by a bike colliding. Don't know how far it is true. On any other car, you need a hammer to cause this kind of damage on a bumper. Bumpers are also designed to flex and don't shear very easily. I am not jumping in to any conclusion but this is slightly concerning.

Attachment 2210024

I don't want to add more negativity to it, but I did come across this video in Youtube by a person who claims to have seen this accident for real :

https://youtu.be/FV688KQx9aQ

What's concerning is that he says it was only a light accident, and the bike which had hit the car wasn't really speeding. It was okay if the bumper had a dent and the reflector got damaged a bit, but that tear which has gone to the top of the bumper looks very strange. I haven't seen any bumper (fibre or metal) just tear after a hit. This doesn't look good. I hope there's more to this than what these details reveal.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by APB98

What's concerning is that he says it was only a light accident, and the bike which had hit the car wasn't really speeding. It was okay if the bumper had a dent and the reflector got damaged a bit, but that tear which has gone to the top of the bumper looks very strange. I haven't seen any bumper (fibre or metal) just tear after a hit.

I saw that video too but the damage doesn't look like it has been caused by a bike unless the bike has some special crash guard. Other possibility is, something from the bike (ex: footrest) poking right in to the reflector housing and getting stuck, bumper shearing while crudely pulling it out.
I also won't rule out a 'sabotage' attempt

[anantpoddar]

Aren't bumpers for all cars anyway made of fibre/plastic now?

This incident looks like a case of an over-enthusiastic biker trying to enter the convoy of freedom drive vehicles to get pictures/videos and being unable to control the bike when the vehicle in front applied their brake.
Since there are hardly any scratches on the paint I'm assuming the impact was from the front tyre of the bike.

For all those worried about such rear ending and scratches by small vehicles, we might have rear bumper guards as official accessories from Mahindra.
It's a personal choice, but the ones for XUV300 look neat and mine has repaid it's cost several times over by now.

[Moto_Bear]

Originally Posted by rpmmachine

NCAP 4-5 star ratings will not make it a stronger car(Cosmetic body looks fragile).
I am not an expert here but looks like XUV700 is much fragile than other cars in the same segment (kind of Maruti cars nowadays)

Hey @rpmmachine. NCAP, whether it's Euro, ASEAN or Global are aimed at testing the safety of the car. Sure any NCAP rating won't make any car stronger than it is but it gives an indicator of how safe it is. Similar to your case, I would also prefer a safer car anyday over the bling but sad thing is, and no offense to any Tata Safari owners, Tata hasn't sent either Harrier or Safari for any crash tests however the cars costing half of them have been tested in the Tata stable such as Nexon and Altroz. Why Harrier/Safari hasn't been tested is somewhat of a peculiar case to me

Coming to the main issue, I believe comparing MS and Mahindra in terms of body strength and build quality is not correct. Owning a S-cross, Baleno and my recently sold XUV5OO, I can very well say that Mahindra won't ever fall to such depths in any case including cost cutting as MS does. Mahindra has a different market value than MS and believe me, it shows in the product.

Originally Posted by IamNikhil

I think this is a typical Dad thing. Literally the same with my Dad. Even after a hundred fights, he'll just do the same every time.

Seems like a Universal Phenomenon, huh! Fortunately, my dad had to let go of his habit once he got introduced to the electric tailgate and I convinced him that doing it manually would harm the electronics

Totally agree with you. There shouldn't be such a long wait for details; just makes customers restless. Don't know what the folks at Mahindra are thinking really. Least they could have done is put in a process for releasing few details from time to time.

Mahindra has left out so many details that are needed to form an educated decision on the variant one needs to buy. These include:

1. The Optional Packs
2. AX7 Lineup and associated details
3. Transmission options and Seating options in variants
4. Most importantly, the prices of the remaining variants

Mahindra had more than a month, that is 4 weeks and they could deliver information weekly to the customers to keep them engaged with a full on launch on the 2nd October. Mahindra Marketing team needs to take a page from Hyundai in how to market a car.

For all of us worrying about the safety ratings or the strength of the car, I would again suggest as I always do to not jump the gun on any of the rumored information. Let's all wait for the GNCAP crash results as they'll be a good indicator of what Mahindra has to offer on safety aspect of XUV7OO.

The reason I say this is because Mahindra has an image to protect here. Mahindra has become a brand synonymous with safety in their updated vehicle portfolio starting with XUV3OO scoring 5 stars, followed by Marazzo and Thar with 4 stars each. Mahindra cannot go below 4 stars as safety is one of its USPs and to fall below 4 stars would be catastrophic for Mahindra and Mahindra knows it.

Another reason would be, Mahindra being so upfront about the chassis structure and the type of steel that they've used in production of the vehicle. I believe, till date, most of the brands do not disclose the type of steels that they use and eventually the customer finds it the hard way. So to everyone being worried about the safety aspect, as a former Mahindra XUV5OO owner for more than 8 years, all I can say is Mahindra makes one of the strongest vehicles in the market today along with Tata. The After Sales might not be good for some but their products do not fail in terms of safety and reliability(after the initial niggles are sorted).

[Dark water]

Originally Posted by Wheels

I strongly feel that Mahindra should ramp up their teasers/marketing materials, not just relying on sales executives alone, given that customers do homework on the pros and cons before doing test drive or booking. Hyundai had done great by revealing details every week in the run up to Alcazar launch which was appreciated by our community too. It's OK to set right expectations if it is going to be 3 months wait time even from the launch date but let the detail reach the customers who needs time to get convinced beyond all the hype and anxiety.

Couldn't agree more,
This marketing strategy of Mahindra might work against them. The only source of info for us is some youtubers who have access to the showrooms and workshops and they sound heavily biased in their reviews/Vlogs. It feels even bad when you know that Mahindra is more focused on knowing our preferences and wants to hold all their cards. It even forces us to think whether those calls from Mahindra were to price the most preferred variants higher? Seriously hope that is not the case.
The idea of freedom drive was innovative but it hardly serves any purpose, one can't even sit inside the vehicle leave alone a TD. Looks like Mahindra wanted to buy some time and since the freedom drive is scheduled to end on 25th if I am not wrong, we can expect some official update from Mahindra after that.

Eagerly waiting to take the xuv7oo for a spin, the waiting period for some of us has already started on 15th August I guess 🤔😅

[GRAND23]

Last week, few people from Mahindra sales team were in Pune plant for training on new XUV7OO.

From what I understand from them is stock of around 1000 new XUV7OO are available in plant, mostly seven seater.
The color of the cars were either electric blue or midnight black.

The training was more on adaptive cruise control and other segment first features. The existing features which already existed in XUV5OO or already team is aware of were not discussed.

It also looks like there is chance Mahindra might further delay the launch. One of my friend who was part of this training says this. I would recommend you all to take this as "pinch of salt". It seems like Mahindra didn't provide much information on launch or variants or prices to sales team.
Not sure what is cooking inside board room.

Let's wait for official communication from Mahindra very soon.

[Vivek Menon]

Originally Posted by GRAND23

It also looks like there is chance Mahindra might further delay the launch. One of my friend who was part of this training says this. I would recommend you all to take this as "pinch of salt". It seems like Mahindra didn't provide much information on launch or variants or prices to sales team.
Not sure what is cooking inside board room.

Let's wait for official communication from Mahindra very soon.

That is bad news. I was expecting more information after the training sessions, at least on the variants or optional packs. Guess the wait till extend now.

[Pulse500]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Finally, the XUV5OO AWD may not be mud-plougher, but it is good enough on icy surfaces, and dirt tracks where an FWD could get bogged down due to the engine weight on the driving wheels.

Now, I'm talking about a 155BHP XUV5OO with 360Nm torque. The XUV7OO is much more potent.

Saying an AWD is not needed is almost similar to Maruti honchos saying airbags are not needed for everyone - you won't need it until you need it. Period.

And comparing it with off-road oriented vehicles is completely missing the point - an AWD like the XUV or, heck, even the Quattros or 4matics or xDrive are not meant for giving you confidence off the road. They are meant to give you leech-like grip on the tarmac first!

I agree.

To add, XUV700 has a long wheelbase and lower ground clearance compared to vehicles designed specifically for true off-roading, which mostly come with ladder chassis, strong underbody protection, steeper approach and departure angles.

XUV700 AWD will work better on good and broken roads, and will most likely have limited water wading capability (under 30-40 cm). There are too many sensors or open (from behind) electrical connectors which could result in malfunction or errors if driven in deeper waters. And then the lower mounted filters and electro-mechanicals parts too would reduce water wading depth.

[Pulse500]

Originally Posted by Guna

On any other car, you need a hammer to cause this kind of damage on a bumper. Bumpers are also designed to flex and don't shear very easily. I am not jumping in to any conclusion but this is slightly concerning.

This is definitely of concern to me as well. My XUV500/2011 was hit at the rear many times by autos, bikers (who fail to control their vehicles, especially during monsoons, at a traffic junction at the end of a steep downslope) and even by a speeding Bolero once. Nothing major happened to my XUV other than minor scratches on the rear bumper and occasionally malfunctioning reversing sensor.

On XUV700, Plastic tailgate which is aligned with such a large bumper is a bigger worry. I would not mind a plastic tailgate on the old design of XUV500 where the bumper has adequate projection to protect the vehicle and there is enough metal behind the plastic bumper surface. It protected both, other road users and my vehicle from injury and damages, even if the heights / bumpers of other vehicles did not match that of my car.

However on XUV700, I am sure many people will end up spending huge on replacement of both bumper and tailgate together. Usually insurance covers only 50% costs of plastic parts as I understand (barring "zero-dep" cover for first few years).

[Moto_Bear]

This just in!! According to the Automotive portal MotorOctane, the bookings of the XUV7OO are scheduled to start from 7th October. Posting a screenshot for reference: