[raj_5004]

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...

[raj_5004]

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS ABOUT THE CAR :-

Equipment levels :

The XUV is equipped with almost everything you get in a 50 Lac sedan, except maybe a dual zone AC. Some likes and dislikes -

+ Well, everyone knows this, the XUV is fully loaded.
+ The touch screen interface is good and easy to master.
+ Hill hold is a boon in our traffic conditions.
+ The AC is a chiller, even the third row ones.
+ Auto wipers works as intended and is a boon.
+ The GPS works very very well. Plus it is heavily loaded with many fascinating info available such as trip information in the form of saved logs and places of interests like restaurants, hotels, gas stations and even M&M service centres.
+ The cabin lights are very very bright. And there is a light for every passenger!
+ The approach lights on the ORVMs and on the doors are again cool.

- The GPS interface could have been easier to understand.
- I dint like the positioning of the Auto headlight switch.
- I was excited about lounge lighting, but it turned out to be a dud!

Exterior styling & design :

The design is a bit overdone, I agree. But I feel it slowly grows on you. I personally feel the vehicle should have been a bit longer, like the Aria. That would have given this tremendous street presence. Right now, it looks compact, maybe even smaller than the Innova.

Overall build quality and fit & finish :

The THUD of the doors? YEA!!! The doors close with a reassuring thud that was absent in the Innova. It feels much more solid than the Scorpio and even the Punto. Infact, the doors itself are heavy, so kids may need some help. I am not too finicky about fit and finish, but it does not seem as bad as projected. Yes, I could hear a light creaking noise in my brand new car! But that apart, everything is screwed tightly.

Interior design & quality :

Simply superb! I love the cabin. The way the dash is designed and the way the controls are available at your fingertips. It gives a very modern and plush feel to the interiors. Even the door handles have a nice rubberized effect on the insides. The armrests and door pads are soft touch. The glove box and grab handles has a slow release mechanism, which adds to the premium feel. There is an emergency escape provision too.

Interior space and comfort :

Space is abundance in the front two rows but at a premium in the third row. I feel Innova has slightly more legroom in the middle row but its just by a small margin. Most importantly, Innova's middle row is on rails, so it can slide forward to generate more legroom for the third row, if necessary. This convenient feature is absent in the XUV as it's middle row is fixed. It can be reclined though. I must add that the seats are the best I have seen in any SUV/MUV after the Aria. The Innova does not come close. It offers great support and has lumbar support adjustment as well.

Air conditioner :

Chiller. I had Auto AC in my Punto as well and Punto's AC is known to be great. I used to keep the temperature as 20 in it. In the XUV, I cant go below 23, it will freeze you below that!

Engine performance & driveability in the city :

I personally feel, the engine is the primary reason why XUV sells like hot cakes. It is a great performer. It picks up speed so effortlessly that you are conned into thinking that you are doing lesser speeds that what you actually are. Drivability is awesome too. It picks up speed at lower RPMs without any knocking or effort. Turbo lag is missing! At 100 kmph, it is cruising lazily at 1800 rpm in 6th gear, this would make an awesome highway car.

Gearshift :

XUV has a 6 speed gearbox, but I felt that the gearshift is a bit hard, especially the 1st and 2nd gear. Maybe because it is a new car or maybe because my car needs synthetic gear oil which M&M changed in all XUVs to smoothen the gearshift.

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.

Handling & on-road behavior :

Neutral. I have not tried any high speed corners but the vehicle feels planted at high speeds and does not have the top heavy scary feeling of the other SUVs. Wind noise and road noise is absent atleast till 100 kmph, I have not gone above that.

Steering & braking :

It has disc brakes all around. But initially, the brakes took me by surprise. It needs you to push the pedal a lot more for the car to slow down. But slowly, I got accustomed to it. Still, I am not very happy with the braking setup.

Particular likes :

The inbuilt GPS, the space on offer, the cubby holes to keep your knick knacks, charging point on all 3 rows, auto fold mirrors, puddle lamps on ORVMs and doors, USB/Aux/Bluetooth capability for music system, ability to pair your phone to make and receive calls and the other fine details incorporated to pamper the occupants.

Particular dislikes :

Rear visibility through inner RVM is pathetic, the centre headrest of the middle row seat is the reason. Clutch seems a bit hard and projector headlamps dont illuminate the roads as expected. The LED parking lights look cheap.

Overall practicality :

Luggage room is non existent with all rows up. Also, the seat backs and boot floor has a beige carpet. How can you keep your baggage in there? Ingress and Egress is similar to Innova... read easy. The cabin is the most pampering and practical one I have seen in this segment. Middle row has a 60:40 split and third row has a 50:50 split. Ingress to the third row is only from the left side of the car, the right side middle row does not double fold. Both rows do fold flat on the floor which liberates generous boot space. Every passenger gets his own AC vent, reading light and charging point, even the 3rd row passengers.

Niggle :

The driver's window squeaks when I operate it.

Summary :

+ Engine performance
+ Space in the front 2 rows
+ Safety equipment
+ The feature list
+ The build quality, the THUD of the doors
+ The plush cabin
+ The NVH inside the cabin

- Space in 3rd row
- Front styling is overdone, LEDs look cheap

[raj_5004]

Some un-edited pics of Xoovy (please excuse the dirty car, its the (in)famous Mumbai rain!) -

[raj_5004]

This foot step is an accessory and costs 11k -



A bolt protruding out of the front wheel arch, on both sides -



The front suspension -



Rear disc brakes -



Rear Camera -



Rear camera in the screen -




The GPS -



The centre display is a warehouse of information, it is difficult to capture a screenshot of everything. Alerts on the screen, it shows which door was open and when -



The needles doing the full sweep on startup -

[S2!!!]

Let me be the first one in congratulating you for your new ride. I remember you going ga-ga over the XUV500 before its launch but were not as enthusiastic after you had seen it in person initially. Nevertheless, the XUV is a great car/suv and hope it serves you well. Congratulations!

When am I getting a drive in your new Xoovy.

[Zappo]

Two things took me by surprise here.
1. That footstep costed you only 11k? Really? That's way better. Out here it's 15k. I know it comes with an MRP of 8400 on the box but such is life...
2. You managed to get that reverse cam fitted in the black portion of the bumper! That's great. I had a big debate for 30 mins with dealer accessory person but finally gave up. He just refused to budge and gave 1001 reasons on why he won't or can't...

[coolboy007]

Congrats Raj, loved the part of your review comparing other cars especially the nicknames given to a few
Whatever niggles the car may have, the consistent sales figure of 4k + show that its still a hit and people love the overall package.

Wish you all the best for your UK trip as well and hope the Xoovy remains niggle free.

[kedarwalke]

Congrats Raj!I have clocked 25k kms and totally happy with my decision.
Wish you happy motoring with xoovy! You have made a wise choice !!

[n.devdath]

Congrats on the purchase bud.

Scorpio-Punto-XUV. You are back home.

A friend of mine and a doctor from Pune bought an XUV a week ago after selling his 2004 Scorpio and he already has another Scorpio at home. When I asked him "Why the XUV?"

He said "It is familiar territory, so I can handle whatever it throws at me." Made perfect sense to me.


Enjoy your ride for the next 10 days and Bon Voyage to the UK..!!

[shashank.nk]

Loved reading through your review, very detailed yet not too long to make it boring. Wish you many happy miles in your Xoovy!

[abhinavinc]

Congrats Raj, now this is the review i wanted to read seeing ur previous Innova bashing vis-a-vis the XUV. I hope your car is going to be niggle free. The creaky sounds that you heard in the new car weren't exactly in mine when it was new, but now that i have driven it 3.5k kms i can hear all types of creaky sounds -from the last seat, front passenger seat,the console, MID & front windows. This really hurted me in the beginning but i am learning to live with then now and whenever i drive, all these creaky sounds go out the backdoor ! But i won't call any of the above sounds as niggles, more as minor irritants.
And a thing i need to ask you, what software version of the ICE do u have, because whenever i click on ALERTS, i have never seen the Door Ajar warning as seen by you in one of your pics.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

Let me be the first one in congratulating you for your new ride. I remember you going ga-ga over the XUV500 before its launch but were not as enthusiastic after you had seen it in person initially. Nevertheless, the XUV is a great car/suv and hope it serves you well. Congratulations!

When am I getting a drive in your new Xoovy.

Thank you bro.

For the ride, you are free to come home, I cant come all the way to SoBo!

Originally Posted by Zappo

Two things took me by surprise here.
1. That footstep costed you only 11k? Really? That's way better. Out here it's 15k. I know it comes with an MRP of 8400 on the box but such is life...
2. You managed to get that reverse cam fitted in the black portion of the bumper! That's great. I had a big debate for 30 mins with dealer accessory person but finally gave up. He just refused to budge and gave 1001 reasons on why he won't or can't...

1) M&M has recently reduced the prices of all the accessories.

2) I insisted that the cam be fitted there and they obliged. I would like to know the reasons your guy gave.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Congrats Raj, loved the part of your review comparing other cars especially the nicknames given to a few
Whatever niggles the car may have, the consistent sales figure of 4k + show that its still a hit and people love the overall package.

Wish you all the best for your UK trip as well and hope the Xoovy remains niggle free.

Thank you buddy.

Originally Posted by kedarwalke

Congrats Raj!I have clocked 25k kms and totally happy with my decision.
Wish you happy motoring with xoovy! You have made a wise choice !!

Thanks for all your help over the phone.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Congrats on the purchase bud.

Scorpio-Punto-XUV. You are back home.

A friend of mine and a doctor from Pune bought an XUV a week ago after selling his 2004 Scorpio and he already has another Scorpio at home. When I asked him "Why the XUV?"

He said "It is familiar territory, so I can handle whatever it throws at me." Made perfect sense to me.

Enjoy your ride for the next 10 days and Bon Voyage to the UK..!!

Thank you.

That said, the XUV feels leagues apart from all the generations of the Scorpio.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Loved reading through your review, very detailed yet not too long to make it boring. Wish you many happy miles in your Xoovy!

Thank you buddy.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Congrats Raj, a wonderful 'beast'. What's with the w8 badge ? Is it a W8 ? No, it is not even a 8. Right ?

I am sorry... I dint get your question.

Originally Posted by abhinavinc

Congrats Raj, now this is the review i wanted to read seeing ur previous Innova bashing vis-a-vis the XUV. I hope your car is going to be niggle free. The creaky sounds that you heard in the new car weren't exactly in mine when it was new, but now that i have driven it 3.5k kms i can hear all types of creaky sounds -from the last seat, front passenger seat,the console, MID & front windows. This really hurted me in the beginning but i am learning to live with then now and whenever i drive, all these creaky sounds go out the backdoor ! But i won't call any of the above sounds as niggles, more as minor irritants.

Ahh, that means I can expect many more rattles and creaks in the days to come!

And a thing i need to ask you, what software version of the ICE do u have, because whenever i click on ALERTS, i have never seen the Door Ajar warning as seen by you in one of your pics.

I will need to check the software version.

I guess the alerts screen I showed is temporary. I had left the door open to check and this blue door open warning flashed for 2 seconds on the display, indicating which door is open. Then this yellow warning triangle started flashing, when I pressed that 'Alert' button, it showed me the above display.

[ninjatalli]

Morning person, aren't you one! Review at 9 a.m, and replies again today at 7.30 a.m!

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

Excellent review, love the christening of the cars with the human profiles. Might have helped if you gave actual characters, lol. What an excellent car to get over the punto-blues.

Happy kms! And do call me if you plan to do the "test".

[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.

[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.

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

Enjoy the rid, happy mile crunching and drive safely. Also have a fanastic trip to UK, we will expect a lot more posts from you about the trip.