[Mr.Beat]

Glad to inform you that I have booked my Midnight Black AX7 L Diesel AT 2WD on 31st March.

The car is in stock and expecting delivery in a week.

1. My question is regarding the tyres, I see that mostly the car will come with MRF tyres. Is there a better alternative available to improve the ride quality? Or should we keep it stock for the first 3-4 years?


2. The car comes with inbuilt constant video recording. Does that mean we don't need a separate dashcam for front and rear?

3. I have mostly decided against PPF after reading and watching a lot of videos. Slightly tempted to go the ceramic coating route, especially since these guys have a yearly or every 6-month service package included in the price.

4. I have heard some issues with the infotainment system malfunctioning and screen going kaput. How do I ensure we are on the latest software at the time of delivery?

[StepUP!]

XUV AX7 variant's spare wheel is so horrible! While stock runs on 235/60 R18; spare wheel is puny 155/90 R18
Has anyone replaced spare with the full size wheel? I am going to do the same. I just hope the full sie spare can be accommodated at the underbody.

[B747fan]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

XUV AX7 variant's spare wheel is so horrible! While stock runs on 235/60 R18; spare wheel is puny 155/90 R18
Has anyone replaced spare with the full size wheel? I am going to do the same. I just hope the full sie spare can be accommodated at the underbody.

I believe @NaveenKD had done it. So, it should definately fit.

Originally Posted by NaveenKD

Accessories : 32 GB SD Card for Video recording available with ADAS system, Full Size Alloy spare wheel, New tire for spare wheel, TPMS

The tire arrived only by 6 pm, so while the spare wheel with tire and TPMS was replaced, it was very late and COTEC person was not available to configure the system for 5 TPMS sensors and allow learning (Need to make a visit again next week during day time).

[rAijin_]

Originally Posted by Sommos

In the L version the ACC does not engage below a threshold speed limit; maybe 30 KMPH or 40KMPH - I am not sure what it is exactly. But once engaged, it does the job it is supposed to do and even comes to a dead stop if the vehicle ahead stops.

Personally I do not understand the logic of M&M engineers to not provide the same facility to the non-luxury variant also. I don't think there is any difference in the hardware here; and that be the case, why not let everyone enjoy the full facility specially when no extra cost is involved.

I've done a lot of tinkering with the ACC on L variants. Below are my observations:

• As in most new vehicles, the ACC can be set only above speeds of 30kmph. i.e. you cannot set ACC for 20kmph speed.
• However, even if you are at speed above 5kmph (I couldn't try for speeds below that), you can initiate the ACC by pressing the up-key while cruise is active.
• Once the ACC is set, it does the job and reduce the speed till 0kmph. Once the vehicle in front starts moving, XUV also starts moving.
• However, if the stop is for more than few seconds (not sure exactly how much) or if auto hold is enabled, the vehicle requires you to press accelerator or press resume button (on steering) to move the car. It then again does the job as expected.
• If you press the brake pedal, the ACC gets disengaged.
• You can re-engage ACC by pressing the resume button (on steering). Interesting part here is that you can resume the ACC even if your speed is 5kmph (I couldn't try for speeds below that) and accelerating. If you are decelerating below the set speed, then the ACC will not re-engage.
• One can also set the distance and speed with which driver wants to accelerate or decelerate while using ACC. My favourite is timing at 1 bar and speed at normal for both City and Highway.
• The only thing I miss is that we can disengage ACC by pressing he resume button (on steering). Usually, in most vehicles, the resume button can toggle between engaging and disengaging cruise.

Regarding your second part, I believe ACC stop and go is not provided in non-L variants because of EPB. I'm not sure how it impacts the stop and go.

[northstar*]

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

Glad to inform you that I have booked my Midnight Black AX7 L Diesel AT 2WD on 31st March.

The car is in stock and expecting delivery in a week.

Congrats on your 700. Wising you more smiles per miles

1. The brand of the tyres are unpredictable. Mine is Apollo and my friend who took delivery last week got Bridgestone. Most of the stock options are good to keep for 2-3 years unless you are so keen on it.

2. You need to insert a memory card from the ASS to enable recording from the 360 cam. But the resolution is horrible and it does have a fish eye effect on the visuals. You can make out the instances from it but if you are looking for the finer details like number board of the other car, you need to go for a decent dash cam.

3. Some sort of a protection is good if your car is openly parked and having good usage of the car. I have done graphene coating and is happy with zero swirl marks in the last 1.5 years.

4. There are issues with the infotainment and Mahindra is rolling out updates every now and then. The PDI team always ensures latest software on delivery and ASS checks and updates the system on every service mostly without asking.

[HSR21]

Hello Team-Bhp Family! Glad to inform that we brought home our new family member, the Dark Knight (AX7L P AT), on 28th March.

This isn't a review post because the car has already received a lot of written and shared attention on the site, and I haven't had much opportunity to drive it. But I'd love to walk everyone through the considerations that went into buying this mammoth.

Background

We had our beloved 2014 Fluidic Verna ( only driven 42k at the time of selling ) and a city beater, 2013 WagonR ( also driven around 40k ) in our garage. The new car was going to be the replacement of our Verna ( big shoes to fill, both emotionally and in reality ).

Our decision to buy a new car began back in March 2021, when we were on the verge of making a booking for the Tata Harrier XT+ Dark Edition. However, we ultimately decided against it after learning that diesel was a major no-no for our use-case. The choice was then postponed due to the second COVID wave, and many other financial priorities in our lives naturally took precedence.

The discussions again creeped up late 2022/early 2023. Had even made a post on the forum regarding the same.Link to the thread (Looking for an upgrade from Tata Hexa XTA | Tucson, Innova Hycross, Meridian, Others?)

Mom loved Skoda Superb and Dad wanted a SUV this time. Tucson was considered but the Petrol variants felt overpriced for what it was offering. XUV was never in discussion from my end due to the early horror stories people had faced, the infamous service quality and also due to unsatisfactory TD experience the first time around. The purchase was, at the very least, going to be made in FY 23-24 and due to discontinuation of Superb due to incompatibility with BS 6.2 norms, that decision went out of the window as well.

Now, fast forward to February 2024, My father couldn't resist his itch for a new car and that's when he decided that we'll be going for a new one now. With the introduction of 2024 XUV7OO with few additional features in menacing Napoli Black shade, it was an instant hit in our family ( also given the fact that most of the niggles have been ironed out as well ). Parents took the test drive and loved it and the car was finally booked!

Our Verna was finally put up on sale with a heavy heart. It was the car in which I had learnt driving as a 19 year old during COVID times and loved the vehicle to the core, taking it to short, yet memorable and serene drives. The car was dear to all of us but due to impracticality of it being a beater car and no point of having a 3-car garage ( we are a 3 people family with me working and living in different city now), we had to move on from it.

Below are some shots after it's last detailing session.

The Dark Knight Rises

Now after booking, came the waiting part, but to our surprise, the wait wasn't long! Car was allotted and arrived in the 2nd week of March. The PDI was completed successfully, however the delivery was delayed until after Holi because of "Muhurat" complications. This turned into a fantastic opportunity for me, as I quickly purchased my tickets back home for the Holi, requested my leaves, and boarded the plane to back home to surprise my parents, who had wished for me to be the one receiving the new car's keys.

Keeping every God happy and going through all the muhurats and our payment procedures, 28th March was the finalized date. We informed our SA of the delivery in advance, gave the list of accessories we were going for and made the full payment accordingly. For reference, the accessories we went for were:

• 3D Mats
• Screen Guard
• Illuminated Scuff Plates ( yet to be fitted )
• Mud Flaps ( yet to be fitted )
• Sporty Pedals

The D-Day finally arrived. Coincidentally, it being an auspicious day, our Verna was bid adieu the same day, in the showroom itself, to it's new family. Sweets were distributed, gifts were exchanged and the car was finally ours!

A small highway drive back home was enough for me to not stop drooling over this beauty ( it was my first time ever driving the XUV ). The instant power delivery from that mammoth 2.0L M-Stallion powertrain was addictive!

The car was sent for Ceramic Coating this week to our trusted local Detailer. Cost was 25k for 9H Ceramic Coating with 3 years warranty and every 6 month maintenance/top-up coat.

Below is our Dark Knight basking under some sweet sunshine after the detailing session.

[MathanK]

Friends, currently I’m driving Elite i20 CRDi with Wolfmoto stage 1+ remap, I’m extremely happy with its performance and efficiency even after 8+ years of usage. But I have decided to upgrade to an automatic considering the chaotic traffic condition at Bangalore since I use my car regularly for office commute. And, I have narrowed down between XUV700 Diesel AT & new Seltos GTX+ after the test drive of Creta/N-line 2024, German Twins & Tata Safari.

My monthly city run would be around 350-400KM in peak Bangalore traffic & yearly highway run would be around 3500KM that includes few hill station drives with 4-5 people onboard. Considering the above usage can some of you help me to pickup the right model.

I have below questions to the existing owners, your inputs will really help.

1. How much mileage I can expect from XUV700 Diesel AT in peak Bangalore traffic?
2. Will it be a challenge to get in & out of XUV for elderly people?
3. Do I need to worry about DPF clogging issues for continuous city usage of Diesel AT?
4. How is the diesel AT performance with full load on highways, inclines & hilly roads?
5. How is the ride comfort of 18” wheel? It is really bothersome?
6. Is it really worth spending 7L extra for XUV700 L Diesel AT over Seltos GTX+ since both got almost same level of futures?
7. How is the reliability of XUV700 in long term?
8. How is Mahindra service Center experience in Bangalore?

[vijay.s]

Originally Posted by MathanK

Friends, currently I’m driving Elite i20 CRDi with Wolfmoto stage 1+ remap, I’m extremely happy with its performance and efficiency even after 8+ years of usage. But I have decided to upgrade to an automatic considering the chaotic traffic condition at Bangalore since I use my car regularly for office commute. And, I have narrowed down between XUV700 Diesel AT & new Seltos GTX+ after the test drive of Creta/N-line 2024, German Twins & Tata Safari.

My monthly city run would be around 350-400KM in peak Bangalore traffic & yearly highway run would be around 3500KM that includes few hill station drives with 4-5 people onboard. Considering the above usage can some of you help me to pickup the right model.

I have below questions to the existing owners, your inputs will really help.

1. How much mileage I can expect from XUV700 Diesel AT in peak Bangalore traffic?
2. Will it be a challenge to get in & out of XUV for elderly people?
3. Do I need to worry about DPF clogging issues for continuous city usage of Diesel AT?
4. How is the diesel AT performance with full load on highways, inclines & hilly roads?
5. How is the ride comfort of 18” wheel? It is really bothersome?
6. Is it really worth spending 7L extra for XUV700 L Diesel AT over Seltos GTX+ since both got almost same level of futures?
7. How is the reliability of XUV700 in long term?
8. How is Mahindra service Center experience in Bangalore?

Exactly in the same boat and conundrum! would be keen to know what you eventually ended up buying. I was really keen on XUV but seeing the number of issues that people have reported on the car, I am anxious. Even the owners who purchased this car as recent as in the last few months are still seeing reporting issues. Some of the most common ones include

1. Android auto/Apple car play doesn't seem to be working well. Multiple people have reported that the connectivity is lost and user has to reconnect
2. Football in the boot sound still doesn't seem to have any solution
3. Infotainment systems seems to go blank/unresponsive while you are driving. This to me on a 30L car seems completely unacceptable!
4. Power window switches loosing the motor functions within a couple of years
5. AC effectivity not being great for folks in the second row and requiring a filter change
6. Random squeaking noises from the A/B pillar of the car
7. Lastly, considering the overall run per year doesn't cross 10K Km (atleast for me), I was considering petrol. The mileage on the petrol variant seems to vary from as low as 5 kmpl to 9 kmpl. Even If I take an avg of say 7 kmpl, that would mean a monthly spend of about 10K considering the current fuel prices besides the EMI. This is huge. The difference between petrol and diesel variants is not too high and I am inclined to take the diesel as well but worried on the DPF issues.

On the whole, car selection seems to be a toss of a coin these days. You need to go with a blind leap of faith assuming you don't get a lemon!

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

XUV AX7 variant's spare wheel is so horrible! While stock runs on 235/60 R18; spare wheel is puny 155/90 R18
Has anyone replaced spare with the full size wheel? I am going to do the same. I just hope the full sie spare can be accommodated at the underbody.

Many owners have replaced the Space Saver spare with a proper size one and yes it can fit into the underbody and no issues with that. But you need to keep in mind that the departure angle will be lesser due to the increased width of the full size tyre. This does not have any impact in your day to day usage though until you live in the hills.

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

Glad to inform you that I have booked my Midnight Black AX7 L Diesel AT 2WD on 31st March.

The car is in stock and expecting delivery in a week.

1. My question is regarding the tyres, I see that mostly the car will come with MRF tyres. Is there a better alternative available to improve the ride quality? Or should we keep it stock for the first 3-4 years?


2. The car comes with inbuilt constant video recording. Does that mean we don't need a separate dashcam for front and rear?

3. I have mostly decided against PPF after reading and watching a lot of videos. Slightly tempted to go the ceramic coating route, especially since these guys have a yearly or every 6-month service package included in the price.

4. I have heard some issues with the infotainment system malfunctioning and screen going kaput. How do I ensure we are on the latest software at the time of delivery?

1. The OEM suppliers are MRF, Apollo and Bridgestone. You can never be sure what brand of shoes your car would be wearing, but majorly L brands come with Bridgestone. Also there are not many options available in the market for this size, the most common being the Yokohama RV II.

2. The inbuilt video can't be extracted on your mobile and retriving the SD card is also difficult. So it is better to have a seperate dashcam.

4. This is one grey area in the whole package and most people have learnt to live with it. Things are definitely better now than what they were initially but still be mentally prepared for random issues to crop up now and then. The software is still unstable and I'll request you to keep your expectations limited. Ask the co-tek to show you the version of the software loaded in the car and you'll learn how to check the software version in the future.

Originally Posted by rAijin_

I've done a lot of tinkering with the ACC on L variants. Below are my observations:

Regarding your second part, I believe ACC stop and go is not provided in non-L variants because of EPB. I'm not sure how it impacts the stop and go.

Thanks for the detail explanation. I have the AX7L D AT AWD verion and have driven 35K KM in 1.5 years of ownership. I use the ACC extensively on the highways.

[SamDiablo]

Originally Posted by MathanK

I have below questions to the existing owners, your inputs will really help.

1. How much mileage I can expect from XUV700 Diesel AT in peak Bangalore traffic?
2. Will it be a challenge to get in & out of XUV for elderly people?
3. Do I need to worry about DPF clogging issues for continuous city usage of Diesel AT?
4. How is the diesel AT performance with full load on highways, inclines & hilly roads?
5. How is the ride comfort of 18” wheel? It is really bothersome?
6. Is it really worth spending 7L extra for XUV700 L Diesel AT over Seltos GTX+ since both got almost same level of futures?
7. How is the reliability of XUV700 in long term?
8. How is Mahindra service Center experience in Bangalore?

I'm driving AX7L D AT for 6 months now and have clocked 18k with a equal share of highway and city driving within Bangalore. Here are my thoughts on your questions.

1. 9/10. This is only for city. I drive daily from e-city to Bannerghatta road and whenever I get chance I will use the full power and torque available.

2. A bit, but nothing that will make them curse you or vehicle.

3. Yes, if you are not mixing it with highway drive. 50/60 km drive above 70km/h in 2 weeks will be sufficient to avoid any def clogging issue.

4. Absolutely amazing. I have gone to Ooty, Wellington, Augumbe ghat, Chikmagalur and few others. With even 5 adults on board and 1 week of holiday luggage, power on any kind of terrain has never been a problem.

5. Ride quality is very comfortable in almost all scenarios. Only when less than on and very sharp speed breakers you feel little horizontal as well as lateral movement for driver and passengers. I've test driven seltos, creta, Safari, Harrier, Alcazar and Carens and my concluaion was that ride comfort in 700 is best.

6. That's a decision you'll have to make. It depends on various things, including but not limited to budget range etc. Mind you, 700 has less features now as compared to Seltos and others.

7. We still have to wait another 2/3 years. In my 18k I haven't faced any mechanical or fitment issue. Occasional software glitches do occur. I think vehicles getting delivered post mid last year have been as reliable as most of the other machines.

8. Very good for me. I have used Sireesh Auto service centers.

One more thing I want ro add is that driving this vehicle even in Bangalore city traffic has been much easier and in fact a pleasure than what I initially thought. Hope this helps.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

XUV AX7 variant's spare wheel is so horrible! While stock runs on 235/60 R18; spare wheel is puny 155/90 R18
Has anyone replaced spare with the full size wheel? I am going to do the same. I just hope the full sie spare can be accommodated at the underbody.

Yes a full size spare wheel will fit. I have upgraded my steel wheels [MX] to 17" alloys. I plan on using one of the steel wheels to replace the spare.

[hamster_huey]

Originally Posted by vijay.s

1. Android auto/Apple car play doesn't seem to be working well. Multiple people have reported that the connectivity is lost and user has to reconnect
3. Infotainment systems seems to go blank/unresponsive while you are driving. This to me on a 30L car seems completely unacceptable!
7. Lastly, considering the overall run per year doesn't cross 10K Km (atleast for me), I was considering petrol. The mileage on the petrol variant seems to vary from as low as 5 kmpl to 9 kmpl.

On the whole, car selection seems to be a toss of a coin these days. You need to go with a blind leap of faith assuming you don't get a lemon!

On the infotainment and CarPlay niggles, I bought my car being fully aware that the software side has a lot of catching up to do. I've not driven much, just been a week, and some 1000 odd kms, and I've already seen a few random ones thrown at me.

Today it was one peculiar issue, where the volume did not go beyond 3!. I mean how random can this be. I had to disconnect and reconnect and it started working.

Having said all of this, the mechanical side of the car just blows all of these issues away. When you hit the pedal, comfort just oozes through both in the power and comfort. It delivers on its primary expectation of a car really well.

So much that, call me a psycho, but I've started enjoying some of these niggles because they are just downright funny.

Lastly, I'm able to extract 16-17 kmpl on highways and 12-13 in the city on Diesel. You might actually cover up for the extra cost on Diesel v Petrol quite soon.

[IamNikhil]

Originally Posted by hamster_huey

On the infotainment and CarPlay niggles, I bought my car being fully aware that the software side has a lot of catching up to do.

Today it was one peculiar issue, where the volume did not go beyond 3!. I mean how random can this be. I had to disconnect and reconnect and it started working.

The volume getting frozen at 3 is a persistent niggle while using Carplay. In reality, the volume does go up when you increase with the steering controls or the rotary knob, but the volume pane on the screen stays frozen at 3. No software update till date has managed to resolve this. Also, Carplay getting disconnected when the car is slotted in R gear is also very common, happens 8/10 times!

[wooka]

Originally Posted by LJN

Can anybody suggest a good electrician who does Mirror Cam/Dash cam installation in Dehradun..TIA

Hi! Doonite here. On EC road there's an autoform showroom. Can't miss it. Between Nany's and the Indian oil petrol pump. Went there for my granny's punch last weekend. Will be going there to get my sunfilm in a couple of weeks.

Originally Posted by B747fan

I believe @NaveenKD had done it. So, it should definately fit.

1. I've changed the tyre on the SN since it comes with full size on the Z8 4x4. The wheel was also sufficiently wide 7j or 7.5J. This is an exception to the rule with other SN models that come with smaller spare tyres.
2. However, I've eaten into my ground clearance a bit. If it's not a concern for you, consider changing your wheel and tyre both. If I were you, I'd jack up the car and try to fit a regular wheel / tyre there (rotate one temporarily).
3. Since I went up to 265 from 255, I noticed slight rubbing issues against my bumper plastic 'skid plate' which I took off and trimmed myself. I can to confirm how this will transpire for the 700.

[mukaan]

Originally Posted by Mogs

Hi,

I have a 5 seater AX5 and went for an audio upgrade. With the DSP, component speakers and dedicated sub, it sounds much clearer and provides a great soundstage which can be personalized through multiple settings. Significantly, I also get to use 3.5mm and Optical outputs from my Hi-res players, which make the BIGGEST difference in sound quality. No original wires were cut, so hopefully shouldn't impact the warranty.

There is a wired remote commander to handle amp/sub/source levels and select inputs. Vehicle alerts are not played if you select any source other than the head unit. I am a sedate driver and don't need it though, but know many friends who have spent 10's of thousands to just disable alerts in cars.

I got a 8 channel signal processor, Helix DSP.3s installed tapping the speaker out through a Mahindra specific ISO wiring harness. The DSP has 8 channel outputs, which can be individually configured.

I have used 4 channels powering one pair of Morel virtus 602 components for the front door in an active setup without using crossovers. A 4-channel Brazzo PA690 Amp power the 2 midranges and 2 tweeters independently.

2 channels are used for rear door Morel virtus 602 components. I reused the crossover from front components for a biamped setup with independent crossover for tweeters and midrange, using another 4 channel Brazzo PA660 amp.

Currently, I am using 2 channels for the subwoofer, connected to a Sony bass tube through a Class D micro amplifier Vibe 400.1

I plan to replace the Sony with dual Alpine subs moulded in the boot, in the near future.

The panels below the dash needs to be plied open for accessing the speaker wire harness and is not for the faint hearted. Component speakers with subwoofer powered through speaker level inputs should be a good enough upgrade compared to the default sound.

Apologies, couldnt post any photos am I am attending to someone in hospital. The overall cost with damping, moderate amps and speakers was close to 2 lakhs, no regrets! A bit of solace was that I had price protection for first day booking of XUV.

If you think this was expensive, please checkout the inspiring Baleno RS audio upgrade thread by ROG_AK.

My setup was very professionally done to my satisfaction over 3 days by Sukumar, Karthik and team at Autoplanet, Koramangala. Very friendly, knowledgeable and professional installers. I am yet the get the final tuning done due to other priorities.

Congratulations on your upgrade. It was very exciting to read about your upgrade. I have a AX7L and the audio with the stock speaker set up is not as hyped to be by the company. I am looking at upgrading the set up . May I request you to please let me know where can one source a Mahindra specific ISO wiring harness?

Thanks in advance