[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Xoovy/Xuvi sab bhai-bhai, bhai! Do we get to do the Igatpuri test on this vehicle too?

I would love to take it to the Kasara ghats, but I dont think it will happen soon.

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Congratulations on owning Xuvi. May you enjoy many happy miles with it. BTW is the XUV available off the shelf. Because here we are getting a reply of delay for 16 to 20 weeks.

No. XUV does have a waiting period, especially a white W8. I have heard waiting period of 2 months to 4 months from various dealers. You can say I was lucky! I got a brand new Aug 2012 manufactured car... None of my friends believed me when I booked a car saying that I will get it in 10 days...!

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Congratulations Raj on the addition of the cheetah in the family. I am sure it will hold the fort while you are away. This by far is the best XUV review I read on the forum, very detailed and thanks for the huge number of pics. Would love to see the cheetah in the flesh sometime during one of the BHP meets.

Thank you very much.

The protuding bolt is an eyesore, any ideas whether you will be replacing or cutting it to size.

I wont be doing that, as it is out of sight (inside the wheel well).

Also I felt the rear view camera was at a very low level, could easily get covered in muck/water splashes esp during the monsoons.

Yes, that does happen and will happen irrespective of the position, as the entire rear gets covered in muck because of the splash from the rear tyres (typical of all SUVs, MUVs and hatchbacks).

Hows the audio quality in the XUV, would you be modding it the same way you did for your Punto. BTW what happened to the Punto?

It is about average, cant compare it with the setup I had in my Punto. I wont be modding this one anytime soon.

[parsh]

Congrats man. Superb review. With both Innova and XUV500 under your wings now, you can become the best source for people comparing the two and looking out for the best for their need.

[arup.misra]

Congrats raj. You got lucky indeed to get an XUV in 10 days. Bet you're gonna miss the Xoovy in UK. Hope it doesn't stay idle for long.

Wish you a hassle free ownership.

[himadrimondal]

Lovely write up. The white beauty looks so cool and composed.
Wishing you some safe and peaceful miles ahead, how many heads have you turned lately?

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS ABOUT THE CAR :-

Suspension & ride quality :

I feel the ride is a bit stiff. I am not saying the ride is uncomfortable, but the Innova is more softly sprung and thus rides better. Overall, this has a comfortable ride which wont disturb the occupants.

Congrats on the new ride and wish you lots of happy miles!

I guess you were the person I was looking for , the ideal guy to do a comparo between Innova & XUV in terms of the ride quality & interiors.

I had my first look + TD of XUV today. Me & my better half felt that the interiors does not do justice to the exteriors. Somehow the plastics left a lot to be desired. Your take on the same vis-a-vis the Innova would be helpful.

[raj_5004]

Did a nice Mumbai-Pune drive today. Left by afternoon and reached home a while back. Halt in Pune was only for 30 minutes and I was driving all the while. Heavy rains and night driving did add some stress, yet I am feeling fresh now, ready for another drive! I have been to Pune and back in my Punto and Innova as well, but I can say that XUV proved to be a much better long distance car.

Some points -

* Got a FE of 13.5 kmpl.
* Since the engine is not run in, I did not cross 2500 rpm on the express highway, still managed to touch 130 kmph effortlessly.
* Set the cruise control to 120 kmph and the express highway drive was a breeze. The Auto wipers was doing it's job and all I had to do was control the steering.
* I can now confidently say that the ride is a bit harsh. It handles bumps very well, but on large potholes, the suspension thuds into it and shakes the car. Innova is way better. Another XUV owner told me that this is common in new cars and the ride will improve after 5000 kms.
* Stability at express highway speeds is fantastic.
* Acceleration is superb.
* High beam is simply amazing, low beam is average.
* Steering feel is as good as the Innova.
* Body roll is well controlled and is similar to the Innova's. This is the first Mahindra which can carry decent speeds on corners.
* GPS does have some error.


Niggles :

1) Rear right hand side door does not unlock and hence cannot be opened.

2) Driver side window still squeaks. An XUV owner told me that it must be the water which must have entered inside while installing the tints, will go off soon.

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Lovely write up. The white beauty looks so cool and composed.
Wishing you some safe and peaceful miles ahead, how many heads have you turned lately?

Ahhh, the XUV does not turn any heads. Atleast I have not noticed any! There are plenty of XUVs around, especially in white.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

I guess you were the person I was looking for , the ideal guy to do a comparo between Innova & XUV in terms of the ride quality & interiors.

Ride quality of the Innova is better than the XUV's. I like the interiors of the XUV more. After sitting in the XUV, the Innova's interiors feel too plane jane and featureless.

I had my first look + TD of XUV today. Me & my better half felt that the interiors does not do justice to the exteriors. Somehow the plastics left a lot to be desired. Your take on the same vis-a-vis the Innova would be helpful.

Frankly, I am not too finicky about plastics. Everyone in my family is okay with the plastic quality. Infact, some are even impressed with the attention to detail in the XUV's cabin and say that this feels much more luxurious.

[parsh]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Did a nice Mumbai-Pune drive today...

Those are some pretty good observations, notes.

About Right Side Rear door, by any chance is it child locked? Generally the right side doors are kept like that by default to avoid opening from inside in traffic for safety sake, but can be opened from outside. You may just need to turn the child lock to off position.

[el lobo 6061]

Raj congrats on your Xoovy. Nice upgrade to an Innova and sad to hear that your Punto 90HP is going. You did some really good mods and pampered it a lot too.

We need a Igatpuri drive in your XUV with a small new car party.

Wishing you have a niggle free ownership with your XUV and keep us updated as Xoovy clocks more miles on the odo.

[sameerg001]

Congratulations for your new acquisition, Great choice, I must say and Lovely write up

BTW Punto is sold or not ?

Wish you wonderful miles ahead with her, Drive safe.

Cheers,
Sameer

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by parsh

Those are some pretty good observations, notes.

About Right Side Rear door, by any chance is it child locked? Generally the right side doors are kept like that by default to avoid opening from inside in traffic for safety sake, but can be opened from outside. You may just need to turn the child lock to off position.

The door is not child locked, infact it is locked from inside and would not unlock, hence would not open from outside or inside.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Raj congrats on your Xoovy. Nice upgrade to an Innova and sad to hear that your Punto 90HP is going. You did some really good mods and pampered it a lot too.

Originally Posted by sameerg001

Congratulations for your new acquisition, Great choice, I must say and Lovely write up

BTW Punto is sold or not ?

Wish you wonderful miles ahead with her, Drive safe.

Cheers,
Sameer

Thank you friends. The Punto is already gone.

[SDP]

Congratulations raj_5004!
Never thought you would have enough time to put up a detailed ownership log.

Very well written first impressions and I resonate with them to a large extent. The ride is indeed stiff. If FE is not too big a concern, try lower pressure in the tyres. I was driving with ~25psi for close to a month and the ride was noticeably better.

Good snaps, a quick shower might have helped though!

Don't let the niggles get to you. Just maintain a list and visit the service center once in a month or two.

Get the reverse horn enabled. Somehow, its not enabled in the factory.

Enjoy the ride while you are still here!

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

* Body roll is well controlled and is similar to the Innova's. This is the first Mahindra which can carry decent speeds on corners.

Tell me about it Raj.
I ve driven it on the BIRC as a part of the M&M initiative and the kind of speeds it could carry on corners was a revelation.

In fact, it is precisely because of this reason that I find it so tough to take it off my tentative list of upgrades.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by SDP

Very well written first impressions and I resonate with them to a large extent. The ride is indeed stiff. If FE is not too big a concern, try lower pressure in the tyres. I was driving with ~25psi for close to a month and the ride was noticeably better.

Well, I wont mind the lower FE but wont reducing the pressure by so much cause the tyre to wear out faster?

Good snaps, a quick shower might have helped though!

A dirty SUV looks better than a clean one, no?

Don't let the niggles get to you. Just maintain a list and visit the service center once in a month or two.

Yes, that is what I was planning. But now I am stuck with a 3 door SUV! Other smaller niggles wont bother me, but I will have to get the door checked atleast.

Get the reverse horn enabled. Somehow, its not enabled in the factory.

Reverse horn? Is it something like the reverse siren which hoots when you engage reverse gear?

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Tell me about it Raj.
I ve driven it on the BIRC as a part of the M&M initiative and the kind of speeds it could carry on corners was a revelation.

In fact, it is precisely because of this reason that I find it so tough to take it off my tentative list of upgrades.

BUT I guess, in the quest of improving handling, they stiffened the suspension so much, that it annoyingly crashes into potholes. Yes, the upside is that it does not bounce around like the Scorpio and lesser body roll.

I guess Innova has a perfect ride and handling setup... but then that's an MUV with lower centre of gravity, so it helps!

[SDP]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

...
Reverse horn? Is it something like the reverse siren which hoots when you engage reverse gear?
...

Yes, exactly. XUV uses the security-alarm siren for reverse indication as well. Till recent batches, it needed to be enabled by software upgrade. Is it factory-enabled in your case?

[Ketan]

Many Congratulations Raj_5004.

Liked the way you retained some memories of 'Pintu' I'm too finding it bit emotional to part from my Palio now.
Nice images and a very informative and crisp review. I can relate to most of those experiences. Glad to see that you have almost none (except those door unlock issue). I had similar experience where only a thing or two need attention and should be something that I can get them fixed easily.
About the stiff ride, I agree, my parents felt a complete different car in the middle row, I was like, this is supposed to be more comfortable in the middle row but it was very bumpy. ASC guy adjusted the air to compensate the bumpiness, but later I got the nitrogen filled within a few days and decided to remain it bumpy for sometime rather than wearing tires off at low pressure. Do you think the new suspension may take a while to settle! The bumpiness feels lesser or we just got used to it these days.
Overall, its a wise decission and I'm sure you are going to enjoy your new ride.
Wish you many more happy miles with your 'Xoovy'
Drive safe!