[yogishkamath]

Originally Posted by caffeineAM

Not many will buy the AX7L to just be a mall crawler

I hear you but we don't have cars with decent ground clearance and space at this price point. So, the people who want to 'crawl malls' with their family and don't want an Innova because of its lack of features and/or image are also forced to go for an SUV.

The top 5 selling vehicles in the D1 segment (Innova, Alcazar, Hector, Harrier and Safari) will sell about 200K units per year between them and none have AWD.

[Pulse500]

Originally Posted by nasir88

Okay so I have started exploring the Hector now that the XUV700 AX5 has turned out a dud, and I only want a mid spec 5 seater AT.

For me too, AX5 was a major disappointment on included features. The only value offering seems to be the MX variant. I was hoping XUV700 mid variants to be better equipped than XUV500, and offer better value compared to the most popular 4+ mtr 5 seaters (Korean siblings) to make any dent into their market with these introductory prices. Maybe lost opportunity.

Missing key features in mid variants at these introductory prices, bad history of niggles in freshly launched products, inconsistent after sales service, too much impact prone vulnerable area with plastics (rear bumper/boot), excessive electronics (unreliable) in highest variants and lack on clarity / conflicting inputs on website has really made me nervous.

I think it might make better sense to keep my 10 year old XUV500 for another 2-3 years and directly jump to electric vehicle afterwards. Anyways, many are claiming waiting period to be long. Or buy the MX variant or another vehicle from another brand in the interim (will be the last purchase of any fossil fuel based vehicle) if EV infra is more than 4 years away. Recent EV infra announcements by all PSU fuel marketing companies in fact are very encouraging. I am sure, running costs with the EV would be far lower than IC engine vehicles.

Does anyone have any information or comparison on the following?

1. Warranty and what is covered
2. Optional extended warranty and costs
3. Service / oil change intervals
4. Whether paid service costs are same for MX/AX3/5/7/optional packs for same fuel variant?
5. Mileage for the MX vs AX, P&D
6. Any update on crash ratings

[nasir88]

Originally Posted by APB98

So even AX5 AT (the costliest AX5) is not as bad as we think in this segment, or am I again trying to justify things ?

Please check my post above regarding hector shine variant, which is 1 lac cheaper in AT, and offers many more features. Thanks.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

Well, even if it is the dumbest AWD out there, it should still be better than an FWD car. .....

Originally Posted by piyush1.a

...Can we enable AWD manually on the XUV?
What's the power distribution between front and rear?

Originally Posted by pkk077

Why? The added weight of AWD will make the car drink more fuel in regular day-to-day operations and may make it a worse handler .... one needs to be sure how capable and how reliable it is....

...... but I am sure not everyone here who is showing excitement about AWD really is an experienced off-roader.

Originally Posted by yogishkamath

....The top 5 selling vehicles in the D1 segment (Innova, Alcazar, Hector, Harrier and Safari) will sell about 200K units per year between them and none have AWD...

The AWD on the XUV700 is certainly not going to be a dumb one It should be the Borg-Warner Torque on demand AWD system with 60:40 torque split between the front and rear. This is a clutch-based system.

By default, the XUV700 AWD would be in auto-AWD mode where it is front wheel driven in all normal instances except when the speed sensors at the front detect any wheel slippage and will automatically engage AWD and direct some of the torque to the rear wheels.

Engaging the AWD-Lock button would cause it to keep the torque distributed between the front and rear wheels similar to a 4H in 4WD. On detecting a transmission windup, it has the ability to disengage and prevent any damage.

Having an AWD is not expected to significantly reduce the mileage as it would drive like a typical FWD vehicle under normal use. Infact the handling will be considerably better than a regular FWD-XUV700 by preventing torque-steer and under-steer and better grip during cornering, this will greatly enhance its use as a touring vehicle. Having an AWD will increase its ability to take up steep inclines in hilly areas where FWD vehicles would typically struggle for traction.

One important note is that an AWD vehicle is not mean't for offroading use but for better vehicle handling and traction on regular roads, while climbing on ghat roads and inclines and loose surfaces such as gravel roads and snow-ice covered roads.

So it makes good sense to have the AWD option, wish M&M provided the AWD option in the AX5 (ML and AT) variant as well along with the 360 degree camera that would certainly compliment the AWD.
In the true spirit of XUV700 being marketed as an SUV and not an MUV, AWD option should be provided across all AX variants (The engine is in a low state of tune/power in the MX variant, so AWD option can be omitted for MX)

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by pkk077

Why? The added weight of AWD will make the car drink more fuel in regular day-to-day operations and may make it a worse handler besides impacting shockers, brakes, tyre-wear etc. So if one is carrying around this extra hardware, one needs to be sure how capable and how reliable it is.

I am also asking because I remember reading a thread which had a video on 'XUV500 AWD fail' where it failed to climb on a gravelled slope out of a river. A not-so-good AWD will lead to owners trying things in overconfidence which they should not. Of course one way is to drive and found out but I am sure not everyone here who is showing excitement about AWD really is an experienced off-roader.

There is absolutely no need to be an experienced off-roader to make use of AWD.
I have an AWD CRV and two 4WD's, though off roading and to decide where to use 4WD, does require some planning, however on demand AWD systems do not need any extra skill set.

In CRV, it behaves as a FWD, till front wheels start to lose traction, I have driven it in snow many times, and all I had to do was to drive normally.
I am not sure if XUV700 has a Manual AWD or an On Demand one.

Also, the extra hardware, does not cause any extra wear and tear, as long as you treat like an AWD and not a 4WD.

[josephilip]

Originally Posted by APB98

Phew, the thread seems to have literally exploded with contradictory views !

Actually i think the blacked out AX5 looks super cool. I was not a big fan of that chrome vertical slats on the grill. It's a good car for that price. Normal AX7 has everything my family wants, except for the wireless charger. Which is something that can be done easily in the aftermarket.

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[The Alchemist]

Not sure if the below images were uploaded earlier. I'm posting since I noticed some posts asking about chrome garnished grills & alloy wheels in AX5. This gives a good idea about variant-wise grill & wheel design.

[Geta]

"In the battlefield, it is the enemy who decides your weapon" ---Mao Zedong.
Mahindra has armed the XUV700 variants based on the features the competitors offer at that price point.

I am very very surprised by the reactions after the price reveal yesterday. I personally believe that Mahindra has carefully pitted every variant against the popular variants ot its competitors in the 10-20 lacs ex-showroom bracket and have done a fabulous job of outsmarting the competitors.

The negative reactions in the last 10 odd pages have been mainly of three types:

1) "Petrol makes no sense as petrol prices are high": If so VAG should stop selling their cars altogether in India. nobody makes these sweeping statements in the Tiguan Allspace, Skoda Superb threads or in Petrol Innova/Fortuner reviews. There are even takers for MG Hector/Hector plus with that uninspiring petrol engine. I dont see a reason why only XUV700 should be bashed for its drinking habits as if the others in the segments are saints from the sky.

2) "Luxury pack is not available with AWD": Honestly, the AX7 variant itself is loaded with more features compared with the competition while offering better engines simultaneously undercutting the competition and none of the competitors even offer an AWD in this segment. So I dont see this as a serious problem. If someone needs a 7 seater diesel AT AWD, this is the only choice by a huge margin.

3) "The variant distribution is not good, particularly AX5": The AX5 (5 seater) gets 4 airbags and a pano sunroof with a 200PS petrol engine at Rs 14.99 lacs or with a 185PS BS6 compliant diesel engine for Rs 15.59 lacs! Killer pricing even for the diesel with just a Rs 60K premium over the petrol engine, phenomenal, I would say. Heck, BS4 compliant diesel engines making about 180 PS were sold upwards of Rs 30 lacs ex showroom till a year back.

If we look at the competition, MG Hector Shine variant (5 seater) comes with a diesel MT with 2 airbags, pano sunroof and a 170PS engine, and costs Rs 16.49 lacs ex shoroom. Undercutting Hector by Rs 90,000 while giving more airbags and a more powerful engine is no mean achievement, IMHO.

Hyundai Creta SX Diesel comes with a 115 PS engine, pano sunroof and 2 airbags for Rs 15.09 lacs ex showroom. But for its city friendly dimensions, I dont think anyone will have a reason to select a Creta over the 7OO.

Tata Harrier XTPlus comes with a pano sunroof with only 2 airbags and a 170 PS engine for Rs 17.84 lacs ex showroom. Just to compare, at just Rs 18.19 lacs, one can have AX7 XUV700 with six airbags and a truckload of more features and seven seats. 'mid variant to mid variant' comparison doesnt work here because Mahindra has priced the top variants of XUV700 close to the mid variants of its competitors.

The fact is that Mahindra, with XUV700 has more than matched all its competitors, variant for variant, while offering more and simultaneously undercutting them.

[yogishkamath]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

Infact the handling will be considerably better than a regular FWD-XUV700 by preventing torque-steer and under-steer and better grip during cornering

Will this be mitigated to some extent by ESP (which is only there in AX7) ?

[The Alchemist]

Originally Posted by Geta

2) "Luxury pack is not available with AWD": Honestly, the AX7 variant itself is loaded with more features compared with the competition while offering better engines simultaneously undercutting the competition and none of the competitors even offer an AWD in this segment. So I dont see this as a serious problem. If someone needs a 7 seater diesel AT AWD, this is the only choice by a huge margin.

While I agree with most points in your post, I don't think the disappointment is about the price itself for most serious people. It is mostly about the feature spread and unavailability of some variants. For example, I would have liked automatic climate control, normal cruise control or basic keyless entry in AX5 instead of a panoramic sunroof. Maybe there could have been a variant between AX5 and AX7 for better feature spread.

Specific to AWD, nobody is saying it is poorly equipped. But for people like me, we wish to have features such as a 360-degree camera in a vehicle with such a big footprint. You see, for many, there won't be a second car for that tight city-run or cramped parking. Our main highway ride itself would take on the secondary role of those short drives as well. The technology is there, we are willing to pay, just give us that additional option.

Having said all this, I think the variant lineup is restricted due to chip shortage and some marketing studies. I'm pretty sure Mahindra would revisit the variant line-up in one/one and a half years, and more options would be added. They would definitely introduce option packs for lower variants. I think that was the original plan anyway. Remember the Comfort and Tech options packs?

There will be a huge demand for this product, and people who are comfortable with the current variant lineup will grab the available stocks anyway. And I think that is much deserved for this well-engineered product.

I was casually browsing for options to upgrade my 6-year-old Vento to the SUV segment. Honestly, I couldn't find anything that suit my requirements. Seltos disappointed me big time with its 2-star GNCAP rating (Yes, I consider it as 2 stars). It is evident that they have downgraded the chassis for India. It is only fair to expect the same from Creta. I was really hopeful about the European cousins. Needless to say, the stories of breakdowns and quality control issues (or rather quality downgrade for a European car?) eliminated those two. While Harrier and Safari trump the looks department, they don't score well in their driving dynamics. And if I'm paying around 25 Lakhs, I would rather have all boxes ticked especially from an enthusiast standpoint. Also, my recent experience with Tata was pathetic. (On the contrary, my Volkswagen experience in the last 6 years was awesome, just saying)

And then came XUV700 reviews. What interested me more than the features was those sweet engine gearbox combinations and chassis. A car-like SUV with equal importance on performance and safety? Take my money!

Of course, I'm going to wait. Not because I don't like the car or pricing, but because I can afford to. My Vento is still doing fine and I can wait and watch for the initial minor niggles to be sorted. And of course, I can be hopeful about any variant-wise additions/changes. My pick would be a Diesel AT AWD with the luxury pack if that becomes available.

[ashua]

Originally Posted by Geta

The fact is that Mahindra, with XUV700 has more than matched all its competitors, variant for variant, while offering more and simultaneously undercutting them.

Though this is true, the irony is that there will be a waiting period of months and by that time the 25K unit introductory pricing would have gone. When its time to take the delivery, the pricing would be more and we don't know by how much.

So all this is a part of getting the eyeballs and the mindshare and create that buzz. They have invested so much into the product that they want to make sure it takes off from the ground and if it does they will have a chance to make their money later in the game.

[nazeer_ahamed]

After a long thought, I decided to go ahead and pre-book AX7 Diesel AT AWD. I need to upgrade from my existing Duster AWD.

The only option I will be sorely missing from the Luxury Pack is 360 degree camera. I checked with the dealer if the cameras can be fixed OEM at a later stage for which his reply was 'No'. As per him, Mahindra will not bring changes to the variants for the next two years. I hope the after market will come out with a solution that is compatible with Adrenox shortly.

A booking amount of Rs. 21,000 was transferred to the dealer's account. They already have my KYC that I gave for booking the Thar. He assured my details will be punched into Mahindra's system as soon as the booking starts on 7th Oct.

[rpmmachine]

Originally Posted by ashua

Though this is true, the irony is that there will be a waiting period of months and by that time the 25K unit introductory pricing would have gone. When its time to take the delivery, the pricing would be more and we don't know by how much.

Want to share that Thar was launched 9.80 Lakhs for the Base variant and now its 12.78 Lakhs for the base variant

Thar top model Lx was launched at 13.75 Lakhs for 4WD Diesel Automatic Hardtop Ex-showroom which is now 15 Lakhs.

Let's not assume anything till we actually drive the car and check it personally.
Waiting for valuable feedback from all of you guys, especially on the build quality.



Attachment 2213923

[Guna]

Originally Posted by BharathXUV700

I am attaching the official accessories list for your reference. The brochure allows reverse parking camera to be added from the dealer’s end. If so, I don’t see why the dealer cannot add the 360 cameras as well. Also, if 360 camera setup is allowed and done, it is only a small software update that will need to be done to get the blind-view monitoring feature to be enabled.

Today I was at the dealership and asked them the possibility of retrofitting 360 camera, blind spot monitoring etc but apparently they asked the same to the Mahindra representative who categorically said NO. But that is understandable as Mahindra can't take the risk of dealers handling these things and messing up in the process. I am still contemplating to go with the AX7 AWD with a hope that once the settle down, there may be a way to get these retrofitted.

They had a silver AX7 L on display and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the interior door trim did not have the fake wood finish.

[TSEA]

Just saw the vehicle in flesh for the first time. It is indeed a very handsome vehicle. It does feel similar to the XUV 500 from the outside.

While the middle row is not a sliding one, the last row does have a decent leg room for kids.

Middle row seem to be narrower than Hector or Safari. Also I noticed that the under thigh support is shorter. And one has to sit slightly with knees up in the middle row.