Prelude :
Our Innova is 6 years old and has over a Lac kms on the odo. So it was time for replacement. So ideally the new car should replaced the Innova right. But it will be replacing the Punto. Well, I am moving to UK and there would be nobody to look after the Punto, so it has to go. And since it is going, we have the freedom to have another new car.
Our primary requirement for a new car was that it should be a 7 seater, has all the goodies and creature comforts, has to be spacious and above all, should cost less than 20 Lacs on road. So there goes the Fortuner and Captiva!
The decision :
So we were left with the following options -
1) Tingu Mingu - Skoda Yeti :
We dint even bother having a test drive. We just had a look at it. It was much more expensive than the XUV. The biggest disadvantage it had was the cramped rear seat (for us) and the lack of 3rd row. Plus, Skoda's A.S.S. would have been much more expensive.
No doubt, it is an EXCELLENT car, with the right mix of practicality and flexibility, but it was a bit too small for a family like our's where most of us are above 6 feet in height. Plus, the pricing was a bit on the higher side, which we dint feel is justified.
2) The flamboyant uncle - Tata Aria :
I dont know, whenever I see an Aria, it looks like a 40 year old uncle in a pink chiffon shirt, who has six pack abs and is smoking a cigar... Stylish, but OLD! I mean, look at the Aria from front 3 quarters - so mean and classy. Move to the rear -
Anyways, we did a test drive. Everyone in my family was impressed with the ride. For me, I was kind of okay with the performance of the engine, the turbo lag was a teeny weeny irritant, but not a big issue like in the Punto. Biggest dampener was that the top end Pride is not available in 4x2. We were not nuts to spend almost 19 Lacs on the Aria for the Pride 4x4. Plus, we did not need a 4x4. That means, we would have to opt for the Prestige 4x2 and miss features like side airbags, ESP, GPS, and Cruise Control, even after paying more than a Lac and a half over and above the XUV5OO. This is after discounts of close to a Lac on the Aria! Plus my father was not keen on buying a TATA again. I was not too keen either, as the Aria lacked a lot of gizmos...
But I have to admit, I love a white Aria Pride with black tints. It has SERIOUS road presence, much better than all the cars mentioned here. It looks classy, elegant and sophisticated, without trying too hard like the XUV!
3) The General - Safari Storme :
Safari Storme looks like an old 60 year old man with a B-I-G mustache. Hence - the General. I guess even TATA did not know when it will be launched. Plus it looked too similar to the older Safari for comfort. Plus it was rumoured to be priced closer to the XUV. Plus it had jump seats in the boot. Plus it was a TATA again. There maybe a lot of improvement, but this time, we wanted something new and fresh... So bye bye General.
4) Cheetah bhi Peeta hain - XUV5OO :
To be honest, my first choice was always the XUV. I have been following the XUV threads and ownership reports since the day of it's launch. I believe I know the in and out of it now. I am also aware of the serious issues and niggles associated with it.
So, took everyone for a test drive. When I entered the M&M showroom, the sales executives looked more like my brothers who bichdofied in Kumbh ka Mela. I was so "at home" in the sea of Scorpios and Boleros (because of our history of buying Mahindras).
My brother and my mom felt that the Innova's second row was slightly more spacious but overall they liked the XUV. Shocking part was that, since the day of it's launch, the price has increased by 2 Lacs - some part by Mahindra and some because of the increase in tax for diesel vehicles. So there it was, XUV5OO will be our next car.
Anyways, there was close to no debate on the colour - I wanted Opulent Purple, Black or else Silver. Rest of the family wanted Satin white.
The Story : Scene 1 : The day was 21st August 2012. I was about to fly to UK on the 15th of September 2012. I wanted to drive the car before going, so we wanted the car within a month. We had to make a few compromises for early delivery, but anyways, we booked a
Satin White XUV5OO W8. Booking amount was a Lac. Since there was a bank strike for the next 2 days, we could not do anything else. On road price is close to 16 Lacs. Delivery was promised by 10th September.
Scene 2 : The day was 23rd August 2012. Took the VIN number from the dealer and verified that it was an August 2012 manufactured car!
Headed straight to the stockyard and did a small PDI. The in-charge of the stockyard was a very welcoming gentleman and stayed with me throughout the PDI and was an extremely supportive. The car had landed in the stockyard just 3 days ago. The first thing I checked was - whether we got Bridgestones or crappy JK tyres... Our car had Bridgestones. Good! Was satisfied with the car.
Scene 3 : 24th August 2012. Bank strike ends. We made an RTGS payment of the balance. Car was allotted to us.
Scene 4 : 27th August 2012. Dealership gets the release order and proceeds for registration. However, there is some confusion in the RTGS amount and they waste 2 more days. Whole point of doing an RTGS payment instead of a cheque was nullified.
Scene 5 : Finally, on 29th August 2012, our papers were sent for registration. We had requested for a number preference. The SE calls the next day and we block a good number (more on that later). The payment for the number is made the following day. I was told that I would get the car on 31st, that is, on Friday. But again, due to some confusion, the delivery date got postponed to September 3rd.
The Climax : The D-day : The delivery experience was just about ordinary, nothing too exciting or pampering. There was some confusion in the papers, the accessories and even the location from where the car would be delivered. But all in all, I got my XUV in just 10 days from the day of payment and 4 days before their commitment. So, I was happy.
The drive back home was very stressful. Due to heavy rains, roads were jam packed and maneuvering a new vehicle at night with heavy rains turned out to be scary.
Other details :
* The final on road price was Rs. 15.8 Lacs. No discounts or freebies (actually I dint ask any).
* Accessories chosen were Door visors, Reverse Camera and Foot step.
* I got 3D Maxpider mats for the XUV from Autosmart Agencies, Charni Road, Mumbai.
* Tinted the glasses with V Kool K37 from the authorized dealer at Prabhadevi.
Coming to the Reg. number, it was chosen in loving memory of my Fiat Punto (Pintu) which I had to sell -
P.S.: My sincere apologies to member 'Kedar Walke' for adapting a name similar to his Xuvi, but I just could not think of anything else for the Xoovy. So Xuvi-Xoovy bhai bhai...