[Vasuki]

OT : Debuda, A query. How do feel about the handling of XUV wrt your Maruti Swift beyond speed of 100. A friend who owns swift said, it is really scary & hair raising beyond 100. I feel he is just exaggerating.


I have not felt such experience in last 7000 kms of driving XUV.


So just want to ask all XUV owners about their opinion of handling beyond 100.


Whether :: Steering light / Very light / hair raising/ very scary etc?


Any other opinions truly welcome. Thanks

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

OT : Debuda, A query. How do feel about the handling of XUV wrt your Maruti Swift beyond speed of 100. A friend who owns swift said, it is really scary & hair raising beyond 100. I feel he is just exaggerating.


I have not felt such experience in last 7000 kms of driving XUV.


So just want to ask all XUV owners about their opinion of handling beyond 100.


Whether :: Steering light / Very light / hair raising/ very scary etc?


Any other opinions truly welcome. Thanks

May I?

I drive a Figo, a Yeti, a Pajero & a Bolero on regular basis.

The XUV being a monocoque, is stable than your other SUV, MUV priced similarly. The steering isn't bristling with feel, but isn't as bad as a Scorpio or a Safari.

For some, it shall require more miles to be logged to be comfortable with a Car with high GC and COG. It rolls a bit.

As an avid biker myself, I absolutely detest cornering a Bullet, but few friends scrape its footpegs off. It depends & is relative. Varies from one person to another.

And yes, he is exaggerating.

[TaureanBull]

Originally Posted by Sheel

You really don't need to. Locales always drive in their side of the road (corners included) come what may. Don't over-take in the curves.

I too was under the impression of sounding the horn, but with 20 corners in a kilometer, how much would you honk & I frankly feel it wasn't required in & around Sikkim. The driving is so much stress-free. Everyone keeps to his/her side & don't use horn. I particularly like this aspect.

Yes, it does take some time to get used to this.

+1 to that. I can vouch for the traffic sense in Sikkim. One must visit Gangtok to see the patience of the drivers and self discipline. However, its not same in all the high altitude places.

In Manipur, its very rash driving and honking does not help. The way drivers overtake or move on outer lanes is scary and reason for lots of accidents.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

OT : Debuda, A query. How do feel about the handling of XUV wrt your Maruti Swift beyond speed of 100. A friend who owns swift said, it is really scary & hair raising beyond 100. I feel he is just exaggerating.

He is certainly exaggerating. Having driven the XUV at speeds that cannot be mentioned here, if there is one thing that I simply love about it, it is the high speed confidence and handling that it offers for being an SUV/crossover.

Nuff said.

[debuda]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

OT : Debuda, A query. How do feel about the handling of XUV wrt your Maruti Swift beyond speed of 100. A friend who owns swift said, it is really scary & hair raising beyond 100. I feel he is just exaggerating.

Whether :: Steering light / Very light / hair raising/ very scary etc?

I find the handling of my XUV very good at higher speeds, certainly better than my Swift. Actually, it is not fair to compare a SUV with a hatchback -- they are two different animals.

I have absolutely no complaints with the steering of my XUV at all speeds.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by Sheel

May I?

I drive a Figo, a Yeti, a Pajero & a Bolero on regular basis.

The XUV being a monocoque, is stable than your other SUV, MUV priced similarly. The steering isn't bristling with feel, but isn't as bad as a Scorpio or a Safari.

For some, it shall require more miles to be logged to be comfortable with a Car with high GC and COG. It rolls a bit.

As an avid biker myself, I absolutely detest cornering a Bullet, but few friends scrape its footpegs off. It depends & is relative. Varies from one person to another.

And yes, he is exaggerating.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

He is certainly exaggerating. Having driven the XUV at speeds that cannot be mentioned here, if there is one thing that I simply love about it, it is the high speed confidence and handling that it offers for being an SUV/crossover.

Nuff said.

Originally Posted by debuda

I find the handling of my XUV very good at higher speeds, certainly better than my Swift. Actually, it is not fair to compare a SUV with a hatchback -- they are two different animals.

I have absolutely no complaints with the steering of my XUV at all speeds.

Thanks All. I knew he was exaggerating. I have found that even @140+ it is not scary. Although I strongly advise against such speeds in our roads.

But @ Debuda, you have exceeded my expected answer, by saying it is better handler than swift at higher speeds.

[debuda]

My horn problem properly rectified

During the recent drive to Sikkim, the LHS horn of my 2 month old XUV stopped working and I got it going through a temporary quick-fix. After returning home to Jamshedpur, I rectified the defect properly (I prefer not to go the A.S.S. for such minor things).



A panel above the bumper has to be removed to get access to the two horns.




The wire to one of the horn terminals had broken off. The question is : Why should this happen in a brand new car?




A close-up of the connector.




First, I peeled off the insulation at the end of the broken wire.




Then I joined a new connector and insulated the joint nicely.

[Heavy Horse]

Originally Posted by debuda

My horn problem properly rectified

The wire to one of the horn terminals had broken off. The question is : Why should this happen in a brand new car?

Debuda, very valid question. My experience of living in Mumbai is that this is typically rodents at work. SDP I think had a pic on his thread where rubber padding has been eaten away from under the hood. What's your take on this? Poor manufacturing or rodents or something else ?

[debuda]

Originally Posted by Heavy Horse

Debuda, very valid question. My experience of living in Mumbai is that this is typically rodents at work. SDP I think had a pic on his thread where rubber padding has been eaten away from under the hood. What's your take on this? Poor manufacturing or rodents or something else ?

I don't think it's a rodent problem. The wire was found broken from the crimping point of the connector (as you can see in the pictures). This point would be under the highest shear stress if the wire is of sub-optimal length leading to a sharp bend in the wire.

[debuda]

ODO : 9700 KM; Drive to Chilka Lake, Vizag, Araku Valley and Gopalpur-on-sea.


During early Feb 2013 the old girl and I, accompanied by some relatives, drove from Jamshedpur to Vizag (Visakhapatnam) and back. On the way to Vizag we spent 2 nights at Chilka in Orissa. After spending 3 days in Vizag we drove up to Araku Valley and spent a night there. Thereafter we descended via Vizianagaram and spent a night at Gopalpur-on-sea in Orissa. I have already posted a picture-travelogue at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...my-xuv500.html. Now here’s the tech report :

Overall : For the first time since buying the XUV, I find myself at a loss for words while trying to write a technical report after a long drive. The reason? There’s almost nothing new to write! Everything is working as expected. There are no new developments. Not even a niggle. Still, let me try to share how the XUV performed over this 2050 KM long drive.

Suspension : Though most of the way I drove on very good road surfaces, my XUV’s suspension was put to test on two stretches during this long drive. The first was a 80 KM stretch on NH33 between Jamshedpur and Bahragora. This stretch has some huge (both in width and depth) craters and the suspension performed quite well with 5 adults and baggage. The last time I drove on this stretch was on my Swift VDi and with the XUV the experience was far superior. I could maintain a bit higher speed and the ride and handling felt better. In the Swift, I had to frequently slow down to crawling speeds in 1st gear while entering / exiting deep craters. The confidence level in the XUV was much higher, especially after my XUV experience on the roads to Nathu La and North Sikkim. Though I maintained a reasonably gentle driving style on this stretch, there were a couple of occasions when the car bottom kissed the ground. Subsequently, I noticed that one of my rear mud flaps had got partially yanked off and was hanging from just one fastener. Fortunately, I was able to fix it back myself before it could fall off.

The second bad stretch was a short (15 KM or so) one leading to a waterfall near Borra Caves. This stretch was unpaved and very uneven with large boulders and loose gravel strewn all over. While going down this road I came across a very steep downward incline with a thick layer of dust in addition to loose boulders and I made a mental note to disembark my passengers (to make the car lighter) on my way back from the waterfall when I would be driving up this incline. But during the drive back I took a spot decision to carry on regardless (without disembarking passengers) and gunned the engine in 1st gear to climb up this steep incline and though my front Bridgestones slipped and skidded merrily in the loose gravel and dust, there was enough traction and power to pull us up that incline. The 200 mm ground clearance was enough to clear the boulders. All my 4 passengers (who all had their hearts in their mouths during this manoeuvre) spontaneously clapped after the XUV climbed this incline. Needless to say, I felt on top of the world.

Ideally, I should have been driving a 4x4 while executing the above manoeuvre. But the fact that even the FWD XUV can take on such terrain gives me a lot of confidence in my machine. And how many times during my XUV ownership will I come across such hurdles?



A relatively better part of the road to the waterfall near Borra Caves.


Niggles : Niggles have been conspicuous by their absence in my XUV right from the beginning (though I’m still keeping my fingers tightly crossed as I write this). This long drive too was niggle free like the earlier ones. As I reported earlier, there are a couple of minor body squeaks, could be from the dashboard or doors, haven’t been able to pinpoint it.

Mileage : I reset the DIS average before starting from Jamshedpur. At the end of the 2050 KM trip, the DIS reported average was 17 KMPL. With 5 passengers plus luggage with AC on about 60% of the time and the ghat stretches of Araku Valley included, this is pretty good.



Near Borra Caves.





Near Gosthani Reservoir.





At Ramakrishna Beach, Vizag.

[Heavy Horse]

Originally Posted by debuda

Suspension : Though most of the way I drove on very good road surfaces, my XUV’s suspension was put to test on two stretches during this long drive. The first was a 80 KM stretch on NH33 between Jamshedpur and Bahragora. This stretch has some huge (both in width and depth) craters and the suspension performed quite well with 5 adults and baggage. The last time I drove on this stretch was on my Swift VDi and with the XUV the experience was far superior. I could maintain a bit higher speed and the ride and handling felt better. In the Swift, I had to frequently slow down to crawling speeds in 1st gear while entering / exiting deep craters. The confidence level in the XUV was much higher, especially after my XUV experience on the roads to Nathu La and North Sikkim. Though I maintained a reasonably gentle driving style on this stretch, there were a couple of occasions when the car bottom kissed the ground. Subsequently, I noticed that one of my rear mud flaps had got partially yanked off and was hanging from just one fastener. Fortunately, I was able to fix it back myself before it could fall off.

Debuda, thanks for your usual insightful report. As you say, nothing exceptional happened. However, I want your comments on my suspension which I feel is pretty hard. I'm inching towards the 2500Km mark, and I find that on bad patched up roads, not even potholed mind you, the vehicle is bouncy and tends to jump up and down. I find this quite disconcerting. Appreciate your comments on this issue.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

OT : Debuda, A query. How do feel about the handling of XUV wrt your Maruti Swift beyond speed of 100. A friend who owns swift said, it is really scary & hair raising beyond 100. I feel he is just exaggerating.

He is not exaggerating. But he is guilty of comparing an apple to an orange.

Swift being low-slung (Low CoG) and relatively stiffly sprung as well is bound to inspire more confidence on triple digit speeds on the expressway. (But the XUV is going to make it up to you by giving a panoramic view giving you more time to react to emergencies. )

Ask him to try out a similar vehicle (to XUV) and then base his perceptions about the XUV.

Originally Posted by debuda

[u][b]
Ideally, I should have been driving a 4x4 while executing the above manoeuvre. But the fact that even the FWD XUV can take on such terrain gives me a lot of confidence in my machine. And how many times during my XUV ownership will I come across such hurdles?

The only collaterals are

1> Higher momentum required, necessitating higher speeds and subjecting the suspension tyres (and in some cases the underbody - if there is bottom scraping, since you had quite a load, your GC would have been reduced as well) to higher speed on rocky terrain.

2> Tyre slipping - apart from 1 above you would require the front wheels to claw, slip against rocks to gain traction. On an up slope you would have less reaction on the front tyres anyway (with respect to the rears). In that way a 2WD being rear driven would have been at an advantage.

3> Clutch slipping - to counter 1 and 2 above , you would need to keep the engine revved right up, to prevent stalling, speed control through clutch.

In comparison, on a 4WD, simply switch onto 4WD-Low and just stroll slowly a little off the idle rpm, as if nothing happened!!

Originally Posted by Heavy Horse

Debuda, thanks for your usual insightful report. As you say, nothing exceptional happened. However, I want your comments on my suspension which I feel is pretty hard. I'm inching towards the 2500Km mark, and I find that on bad patched up roads, not even potholed mind you, the vehicle is bouncy and tends to jump up and down. I find this quite disconcerting. Appreciate your comments on this issue.

What is the load factor? I have a bouncy SUV which settles down when I have passengers and luggage. In case of Debuda, he too had quite a few passengers. Thats what the suspension is designed for.

[debuda]

Originally Posted by Heavy Horse

Debuda, thanks for your usual insightful report. As you say, nothing exceptional happened. However, I want your comments on my suspension which I feel is pretty hard. I'm inching towards the 2500Km mark, and I find that on bad patched up roads, not even potholed mind you, the vehicle is bouncy and tends to jump up and down. I find this quite disconcerting. Appreciate your comments on this issue.

Many XUV owners have reported that the suspension is on the stiffer side and after driving my XUV over 9700 KM I too feel that it is so. Having said that, let us bear in mind the following :

1. Design and tuning of a car's suspension is a very complicated process and while a softer suspension provides better passenger comfort, it adversely affects handling, cornering, body roll, etc. So design of a suspension is always a matter of compromise. I understand that the XUV's suspension has been tuned in collaboration with Lotus Engineering, a world renowned suspension expert. I'm not implying that just because Lotus Engg has worked on it, the XUV's suspension design has necessarily hit the sweetest spot technically possible. But it cannot be denied that a lot of specialized effort has gone into optimizing the XUV's suspension, both by Lotus and M&M who have considerable experience in designing SUV's.
   
2. The design of a sedan or hatchback's suspension is quite different from that of a SUV because they are required to play different roles. So it may not be fair to expect a SUV's suspension to be as magic-carpet-like as a premium sedan's.
   
3. Any car's suspension behaves optimally when it is loaded optimally. This is even more applicable to bigger SUV's which have greater load carrying capacity. I have driven my XUV in both light load (1 or 2 persons with minimal luggage on board) and higher load (6 persons with good amount of luggage) conditions and found that the suspension definitely feels better in the latter condition. 1100D has made the same point.
   
4. IMHO, there is such a thing as 'bedding-in' of the suspension. This bedding-in is dependent not only on the kilometers driven but also the stresses & strains the suspension has been subjected to. I find my suspension better now (after long drives in North Sikkim, etc.) as compared to when my XUV was virginal.
   
5. You have reported that you found your XUV bouncy on patch-repaired roads. May I suggest that the next time you find yourself on such roads, simply increase the speed by 20-30 KMPH and see if that makes any difference to the bounciness.

Though I have never even test driven a Duster, I have heard that its suspension is more 'comfortable'. I would appreciate if someone who has extensively driven both cars (Duster and XUV) presents a comparative study between their suspensions.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by debuda

I would appreciate if someone who has extensively driven both cars (Duster and XUV) presents a comparative study between their suspensions.

To add to that, driven on the same set of roads and at (more or less) the same time of the year!!

[debuda]

Second Free Service (10,000 KM) and proactive replacement of Intrusion Alarm Siren

With my ODO at 10,150 KM I took the XUV for the Second Free Service. Following important routines were carried out :

1. Tyre rotation.
2. Inspection / tightening of underbody fasteners.
3. Front and rear brake pads / caliper inspection.
4. HVAC air filter cleaning.

This service was completely free as no parts or fluids needed to be changed.

Additionally, Siren of the Intrusion Alarm System was replaced proactively (I had discussed this with my R.M. at the time of taking the service appointment and he had confirmed that new design sirens had been sent by M&M with instructions to replace the old ones proactively). This was done free of cost under warranty.



Front brake pads. All my brake pads are original and have not worn out much as I don’t use the brakes too much.




Rear Brake pads.




Engine bottom guard was removed to inspect engine bottom. Note the scratches.




One securing bolt of the engine bottom guard was found sheared. This had happened once earlier. The broken piece was taken out and new bolt (with a bigger washer) fitted.




HVAC air filters. They were not very dirty. Still, cleaned with water and air.




Mechanic Abhay struggling to take out the Siren which is rather inaccessible. The intercooler outlet rubber hose in the foreground also had to be removed subsequently while fitting the new siren.




The old siren.




Note the Achilles’ Heel of the old siren – the protrusion (integral with the plastic body) which is hinged to the metallic bracket tends to break off and the siren comes loose and starts dangling from the electric cable, often touching the alternator drive belt and causing complications. I was informed that 5-6 cases of broken sirens had been attended to by the A.S.S. and mine was the first proactive replacement.




Label of the old siren.




Another view of the hinge.




Label of the new siren.




The new siren. I found it completely identical to the old one. Apparently, stronger material has been used.




It seems that the improved siren was introduced just a month after my XUV was manufactured.




A view of the siren after installation. Prior to this work, I had tried my best to locate the siren but in vain. The siren is just behind the RHS headlight assembly and diagonally below the power steering fluid bottle. Being black in colour, it is difficult to see. Please note that this picture was taken with the intercooler outlet rubber hose removed.




I noticed that the intercooler outlet hose had a coat of engine oil inside it. As a matter of fact, when I tilted it a few drops of oil fell out. You will note in this picture that some oil is visible at the intercooler outlet. I was informed by the mechanic that this is ‘normal’. I was not unduly alarmed as I had observed some oil collecting inside the intercooler of my Swift VDi too.