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Old 9th January 2024, 21:06   #9571
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Long Post Alert!!!

Finally got down to pen my experience of getting my own XUV 7OO! I had moved to an XL6 from a Honda City in Aug 2021 after driving the latter for only 8 months as I hated the behaviour of the CVT. The deceleration, especially, was extremely unpredictable and I just could not get used to the weird behaviour. When I moved to the XL6, it was because I wanted a large car as we planned to undertake many family trips and I was adamant that I wanted a TC/DCT transmission. Although Suzuki’s 4 speed ancient auto box is much maligned, it was very very predictable and I was able to extract some decent pace from it. The 1.5 engine was also pre-facelift, so it was quite peppy and not the humdrum K15C mill we now get in the facelifted XL6. The noise it made when pushed also sounded good to my ears. Anyway, although I was happy with the XL6, the itch to have something more powerful was making itself known. After all, I had downgraded from 355 hp in the BMW X3 M40i I had in the US to the 105 bhp in the XL6. I had also followed the XUV 7OO release and was eagerly awaiting the new Scorpio. I was working on convincing the home ministry about the benefits of a bigger vehicle and finally, she agreed to “see” potential candidates.

THE HUNT

Tata – The first car we checked out was the Safari. It was very good looking from the outside and had excellent road presence. I just didn’t like the dorky looking headlights, but hey, you can’t have everything, I told myself! The Heritage Motors showroom in Thane was very responsive which was a refreshing change from the horror stories I had read. The salesman eagerly showed us the features of the car, explained the different variants and was absolutely fine when I said that I wasn’t necessarily booking immediately. A TD vehicle was arranged quickly. The first thing that I noticed was the centre console intruding into the driver’s area and hitting my knee. Come what may, I could not get into a comfortable position. The screen looked 5 years old and the horn pad looked like it was made of papier-mâché! The drive was very good, though. The driving position was commanding and the power was more than adequate. Sport mode was a hoot and a half and I managed to make the front wheel lose traction at 65 kmph! That was some serious torque going to the drive wheels, I thought. Suspension was firm, but I like it that way since I like to not slow down for the minor bumps. The steering felt fine to me; my first car was a Punto, so for me, all steerings after that have been disappointments – only the Mazda CX-5 came close to being called good in my book; even the BMW felt artificial and was a disappointment! Anyway, we also checked out the second and third rows – second row could shift fore and aft, so that was a plus. Third row was expectedly cramped but should be ok for sub-5’5” folks. The pricing was a tad bit on the higher side, I felt, for what the vehicle was. He even offered a decent initial trade in price for my XL6 and I could have easily gotten him to give me more had we gone ahead with the Safari. Problem was, the wife hated it – she didn’t know why, but she didn’t like it at all and my knee was aching from hitting the hard plastic of the centre console. The Safari was a hard pass.

Cars like MG Hector, Hyundai Alcazar were discussed but immediately vetoed by both of us as we felt they were too wimpy looking.
Toyota – With the announcement of the new Innova Hycross, we called the nearest Toyota showroom (can’t remember their name) and asked for a TD. They sounded supremely disinterested and said we could come and check out the car but they couldn’t guarantee a drive. Overall, the whole attitude was very snooty, so I immediately dropped the Hycross as a contender. I didn’t want to deal with a company that charged a few lakhs just for the name! Looking at the Hycross on reviews solidified my decision as the puny wheels on the car reminded me of those big Uncles on tiny Chetak Scooters from the 90s!

Mahindra – The only real contender left after all this was Mahindra. The Suzuki versions of the Toyota cars didn’t interest us. We visited Salasar Autocrafts in Thane. The immediate attitude was lackadaisical, and I had to raise my voice after 15 min before someone even bothered to attend to us and no, the showroom wasn’t crowded! Guess they still haven’t quite calibrated away from the jeep/pickup mindset! I was really interested in the Big Daddy, but my wife insisted we check out the XUV 7OO as well. Sure, I thought, more driving for me! The salesman was smart – he got the 7OO for the TD first. The moment we stepped in, we got a luxurious feeling. It matched the Mazda CX-5 I had in the US and we immediately felt at home with the layout of the centre console – the joystick-like controller, the physical buttons, the dual zone ACC. The screen was a clear copy of the Merc GLC’s, but the first impression was they have done it really well! All this was before I had even started the car! When we started the drive, I asked the salesman if he got us the petrol version to drive and he replied in the negative! Wow, the insulation on this car was good! I could hear the engine only when I pushed it. The power delivery was also very good and in-gear acceleration was brilliant. The Aisin box was also quite good and Mahindra’s programming was making it hold gears rather than look to upshift at the first opportunity. Potholes on Ghodbunder Road were dispatched with ease and the car did not lose composure at all. Going faster simply made the ride better. This was going super well. TD done, we checked out the back seats. It was disappointing to discover that the second row could only recline. That was a minus point. No sunshades either, but the Safari didn’t have them too! Third row wasn’t much different from the Safari. Boot space with the third row up was pathetic, but it was slightly better than Safari. Mentally made a note that this would strictly be a 6 seater for long drives with luggage (one third row seat would have to be collapsed).

Next, we test drove the Scorpio-N diesel. The seating was even higher than the XUV and they had grab handles on the A pillar to help you climb in! This was a proper ladder on chassis SUV! Engine response was quite similar to the XUV – the 10 fewer horses were not noticeable during the TD. The road presence was a lot more imposing, and the pesky autos easily scrambled out of the way. The suspension had a hard edge to it at low speeds but going faster made it a lot better. However, the interior was a definite downgrade from the luxurious feel of the XUV. Body roll was more pronounced than the XUV, but that was to be expected. I didn’t plan on taking any corners at high speeds in this vehicle anyway, so I was not too concerned about this. When we checked out the back, the middle row was definitely not as comfy as the XUV’s and the third row was worse! Mahindra has certainly missed a trick there with the weird packaging of the third row. The side opening back door was also a concern w.r.t. tight spaces.

THE DECISION

Predictably, the HM insisted we go with the XUV. No amount of arguments on the “respect” the Scorpio-N would get on the roads would make her budge. I was also secretly impressed by the XUV interiors. My only hesitation was due to the retractable handles which did not feel as solid as the conventional ones on the Scorpio-N. Finally, the HM convinced me (I like to think that!), and on Sep 3rd, we went ahead and booked an AX-7L D AT in Electric Blue. Wait time was quoted as 32-40 weeks. I was fine with that as the XL6 was driving well and I was perfectly ok extending my time with it. Our wait had begun!

In a month’s time, when I was definitely not expecting it, the salesman called and said that my car was allotted. I was very surprised since I hadn’t even started following up with him – I planned to do that after the new year started. Seems there was a cancellation as the original customer didn’t have their finances in place and the colour being a not so popular one with this showroom at least, I was the next in line! Hey, I certainly wasn’t going to turn down this opportunity and quickly started getting my finances in order. A loan was secured smoothly from Mahindra finance as they beat out all other banks by a good margin. Salasar have a tie-up with Spinny and while they initially appraised my car low, I told them that I wasn’t going ahead with the deal unless they gave me a better price for the XL6. Some back and forth later, I had an excellent trade-in value for the XL6. The pending loan on the XL6 was cleared and the balance went as downpayment on the new car. I asked them to bring the car down to the showroom from their Panvel yard for PDI and they were happy to oblige. I did the PDI as per the usual team-bhp guidelines. Odo was at 58 km which was acceptable. Didn’t find anything wrong with the car except for some minor swirl marks on the piano finish on the B, C, and D pillars.

I gave them the go ahead and submitted the documents for BH registration. They explained that it would take time for it as the RTO officers were very reluctant to give approvals for this registration. I provided the Form 60 letter from my company in the exact format provided. After 3 days, the salesman called to inform me that the RTO officer had put in a request for the GST certificates of all the branches mentioned in the Form 60. My company HR refused to provide this and I was seriously considering gathering more funds to go with conventional registration when help came out of the blue. I had posted about my issue on a FB forum and one of the members turned out to be working in the GST dept. He provided me with the GST certificates of the company branches which I then turned over to the showroom’s registration guy. The number was issued that evening. This whole process took 1 week unfortunately, and I was sitting at home without a car, having withdrawal symptoms from the lack of driving! Finally, once the number was issued, I insisted to the salesman that I wanted delivery the next day and he agreed to try his best to make it happen.

THE DELIVERY EXPERIENCE

Finally, the day dawned and the salesman contacted me in the morning to confirm that he could deliver by late afternoon. I was fine with that as it was Navratri time and my wife had no qualms about auspicious times during this period. I had already ordered a small gift for the salesman and we got some sweets for the staff at the showroom and went there by Uber. There she was, kept hidden under a red velvet cloth in the delivery bay! We completed all the delivery formalities and excitedly went for the actual delivery. The showroom team made a nice fuss with the unveiling, music et al and we enjoyed basking in the moment. My wife did a quick pooja of the car. Their service guy explained the basic functions to me, and paired Alexa with my login via my phone. The customary photos and videos were duly taken and the keys formally handed over. A 10 litre diesel coupon was given for the bunk opposite and soon, we were ready to roll.

EXPERIENCE SO FAR

I have been loving the time spent with the car so far. She is effortless to drive and only after I started using her did I realize how much I had to work to keep the XL6 going in a sprightly manner. I am definitely a lot fresher after a long commute in the Mumbai traffic from Thane to Sakinaka and that’s saying something! I have done around 6500 km so far and here are my observations.

Pros:
• Commanding driving position
• Respect on the road given to Mahindra vehicles
• Excellent high beam headlight and the assist light at >80 kmph is a boon on highways
• Cornering light feature is actually useful in dark unlit or poorly lit lanes
• Auto Hold – major relief for my right leg at lights
• 450 Nm of torque – she pulls like a locomotive when in the meat of the powerband; leaves the pesky Cretas behind!
• Sky roof – it is really quite huge and easily a talking point when showing off the car to relatives and strangers, alike
• Overall solid feel
• Boot door has nice thunk when closing even though it’s made of fibre
• Niche to keep phone above the wireless charger is useful

Cons
• Unsure if the retractable handles will last for years
• No light in the boot
• Sound system sounds very average when playing from CarPlay – no such issues when playing music directly from Amazon Music
• Bluetooth mic volume seems to be set too low
• The auto stop/start system can’t be permanently turned off
• Memory seat button needs to be pressed continuously until the seat has finished adjusting – most cars require you to push once
• Zip Zap Zoom mode resets to Zap every time you start the car – should remember the last used mode
• Need to slam the last door to be closed very firmly else it won’t close fully – showroom said it’s to do with air pressure inside the cabin which makes sense, but I feel it’s a problem they could have solved for
• Low beam headlights are pathetic
• Wireless charger heats up the phone very fast; would have been fine if it wasn’t provided
• Wireless CarPlay seems to drop for a second or two sometimes; it can get irritating in the middle of a good song
• On those new-age rumbler strips which seem to be omnipresent at junctions these days, the rear end can lose a bit of composure, especially if you are on a curve

ACCESSORIES
I opted for a few accessories at the showroom itself. I went for
• Mudflaps
• Screen protector
• Rear ABS guard
• Pedal covers

The day after I got the car, I went and got some more accessories from my usual shop in Vashi.
• 7D mats
• Ambient lighting via spare fuse slot
• Dashcam hardwiring via spare fuse slot
• Side steps (M-Tek brand)
• Sun film (Garware Ice Cool)

I considered getting the side steps from the showroom itself, but the cost difference was too much (OEM was more than double!) to ignore. Since mine is the AX-7L model, there’s not much missing, so I didn’t have to do much. The downside is that the bracket underside sometimes brushes against very tall speedbreakers if I take them at speed or if the car is fully loaded. Solution is to take it easy and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I also changed the tyres. The stock tyres I got were Bridgestone Ecopias in 235/60 R18. I went to my usual guy at Super Tyres in Nahur and got Yokohama RV02s in the same size. There is a noticeable difference in the ride comfort and braking. Since the monsoon is over, I cannot comment much on the wet grip.

The boot light issue was fixed with a simple 200 bucks battery operated led lamp from Ikea affixed with double sided tape to one side of the boot wall. The light can be unscrewed from the base, so it serves as a de facto portable lamp within the boot as well.

Around a fortnight after delivery, I also got a graphene coating put on by Maxshine in Thane. The owner, Mangesh Kalzunkar comes highly recommended by our local t-bhpians and his team did a fantastic job.

Here are some pics I took during the PDI:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206

My MIL posing with the freshly delivered car:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206

During tyre replacement:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206

After Ceramic coating:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1704814206
Attached Thumbnails
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Old 10th January 2024, 12:55   #9572
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by sumobom4 View Post
Long Post Alert!!!

Finally got down to pen my experience of getting my own XUV 7OO!
Congratulations on the new car!!

Quote:
Cons
• Memory seat button needs to be pressed continuously until the seat has finished adjusting – most cars require you to push once
You can double press it instead of pressing continuously

Last edited by amahale : 10th January 2024 at 13:01.
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Old 10th January 2024, 21:32   #9573
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by wadewilson View Post
I would be happy to know if the noises can be resolved by retorquing the suspension and steering joints.
Quote:
Originally Posted by impala View Post
Then I tried driving through some bad patches too to realize that the suspension noises are gone fully!
Having driven around 100 km since then, I can confirm that suspension noise is mostly disappeared. I drove a few times through a real bad patch of gravel road in my locality where the suspension sound used to be very distinct. The suspension sound is minimal now to notice unless you are listening for it.

By the way, I had to change the front brake pads too as they had almost worn down. The new brake pads haven't made the notorious braking noise of the initial batches of XUV700 yet. Yet to check in different inclines. Somehow, the braking feels a bit different now; but do not really know what is different! .
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Old 10th January 2024, 21:35   #9574
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by impala View Post
By the way, I had to change the front brake pads too as they had almost worn down. The new brake pads haven't made the notorious braking noise of the initial batches of XUV700 yet. Yet to check in different inclines. Somehow, the braking feels a bit different now; but do not really know what is different! .
Good different or bad different?
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Old 10th January 2024, 21:47   #9575
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

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Originally Posted by sumobom4 View Post
Good different or bad different?
I have been thinking the same; should I call it good or bad! I really do not know.

I think, earlier, the braking use to be less aggressive as one start depressing the pedal but a strong bite comes towards the end aggressively. There was probably a bit of feedback felt as vibration or so. Now I do not seem to get that 'feel' but the vehicle is stopping very well as much I can recognize. Probably the braking is a bit more gradual. Today, couple of times, I felt that the brake didn't engage due to the different feel (or the lack of a feel) but the car was stopping just fine. I just can't put my finger on it! Will observe more.
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Old 11th January 2024, 08:22   #9576
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by impala View Post
I have been thinking the same; should I call it good or bad! I really do not know.

I think, earlier, the braking use to be less aggressive as one start depressing the pedal but a strong bite comes towards the end aggressively. There was probably a bit of feedback felt as vibration or so. Now I do not seem to get that 'feel' but the vehicle is stopping very well as much I can recognize. Probably the braking is a bit more gradual. Today, couple of times, I felt that the brake didn't engage due to the different feel (or the lack of a feel) but the car was stopping just fine. I just can't put my finger on it! Will observe more.
Interesting! I have found the brake bite to be too aggressive. I have been putting it down to the all 4 disc setup and the upright driving position. Need to see the change once I have to change my front pads.
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Old 11th January 2024, 11:36   #9577
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by sumobom4 View Post
Long Post Alert!!!


Cons

• Memory seat button needs to be pressed continuously until the seat has finished adjusting – most cars require you to push once
Before the car is switched on, i.e. acc mode, the seat will adjust if you push once. Once the engine is running, you need to keep it pressed or based on the response above, you can make it happen with 2 pushes.

Cheers
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Old 11th January 2024, 23:07   #9578
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Congratulations on your new purchase. In my opinion the colour looks vibrant and matches the character of the car.
One question - How do you find the rear seat comfort (2nd row). Can 3 people travel long distances comfortably ?
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Old 12th January 2024, 13:59   #9579
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by kedar_GT View Post
Before the car is switched on, i.e. acc mode, the seat will adjust if you push once. Once the engine is running, you need to keep it pressed or based on the response above, you can make it happen with 2 pushes.
Thanks for this note - I didn’t know that it behaves differently when the engine is running or not. In my case, I never used such features without engine running. My habits are built to always keep engine running before I do anything like heavy power activities - sunroof operation, seat adjustments, etc.

To store the seat position in memory:
- first adjust the seat to your liking
- then press M for a second
- then press numeral to which you want to store the memory position and hold for 3 seconds. For example if you need to store this position for 1, press and hold 1 for 3 seconds. And then leave.
- you will hear a chime as confirmation of memory store of the current seat position to the selected numeral.

To recall your desired position, all you need to do is single press the numeral on door pad relevant to your desired pre-stored memory setting! That’s it.

This is how it works on my car - will try to get you a video of this soon.

Last edited by Aditya : 12th January 2024 at 19:23. Reason: As requested
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Old 12th January 2024, 15:00   #9580
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Hello everyone,

I am facing an issue with my XUV which I purchased in March 2022. So the TPMS showed low pressure in the back left and front right tyre a few weeks back and I got it filled. A few weeks later when the issue popped up again I got it checked for puncture and apparently both the tyres had nails punctured. However the back left tyre had 3 such punctures and when I got it inspected the guy told us that since the tyre was running with such punctures it had developed several small punctures across the tyre joints/treads. He fixed them up but when the issue popped up again a week later the guy recommended me to get the tyre changed since the joints weren’t healing. He also mentioned that this is a regular issue with MRF tyres across cars. I have the stock MRF Wandered Ecotred(235/R18)

So has anyone faced a similar issue? I will anyways have to get it changed because I don’t see any other way but any other solutions are welcome.
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Old 12th January 2024, 16:43   #9581
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by sumobom4 View Post
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by abirnale View Post
Thanks for this note - I didn’t know that it behaves differently when the engine is running or not..
Quote:
Originally Posted by amahale View Post
Congratulations on the new car!!



You can double press it instead of pressing continuously

I “re tried” this on my car today. When the car is on, I need to keep the button depressed to make it reach the desired position. The 2-press method listed above does not work.

When the car is in acc mode, as mentioned above, a single press is enough to make it go to the set position.

Cheers
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Old 12th January 2024, 19:06   #9582
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Motorhead007 View Post
Congratulations on your new purchase. In my opinion the colour looks vibrant and matches the character of the car.
One question - How do you find the rear seat comfort (2nd row). Can 3 people travel long distances comfortably ?
I just did a family trip to Solapur in the car. We were 6 people and luggage. The middle row easily accommodates 3 regular sized people (not slim). 3 large people might be a squeeze, but that will be the case in anything but an HM Ambassador!
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Old 13th January 2024, 05:37   #9583
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Look what I found!

Mahindra XUV700 Review-img_0937.jpeg

Mahindra XUV700 Review-img_0938.jpeg

According to a screen grab from an Android user, if the fastag is linked, you will get the alert on low balance on car ICE too!
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Old 13th January 2024, 10:28   #9584
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by amahale View Post
I went in the evening to pick up the car and the SM said: "There was just one wire which was cut so I am not charging you anything"
I had a million questions for this but did not know what to ask and I knew the SM would give some weird answers. I was just glad that the issue was fixed and drove home.
This is the classic example how these ASC work. Even before inspecting properly they will confirm what is the issue. Hope they have fixed the exact issue.
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Old 13th January 2024, 11:36   #9585
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Re: Mahindra XUV700 Review

Seems there is an undercurrent of disappointment with Mahindra for not making XUV 700 and Scorpio-N available for the armed forces through CSD. Many personnel are voicing criticism on social media.
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