[dhanushmenon]

Grrrr....!!!!

This is not the way it is supposed to be. I don't even have a name yet!!!
Mahindra calls me XUV 5 oh oh
(I do not know from which corner of the world did he get this fetish for things ending in "O"s. For all the menacing looks and muscular frame, Mahindra circled me up with an 'O' at the end)

I will still forgive him.
He gave me a name atleast.
Not my owner, Mr D the moron, who haven't cared enough yet to put a name tag to me.
There are many in the forum who calls my brothers so lovingly a "Beast".
People have put names for my siblings athwart and across the spectrum....

Mamba, Duma, Xoovy, the HAWK, pet purple cheetah and even Sita!!!
I respect them all.
But not my master. He is outrageously LAZY.

If it hadn't been for laziness, how would he have left aside an ownership thread for so long a while? It's been five months and counting that I have come to his garage. Still he is least bothered.
He claims that he has huge work pending in his office.
His two naughty kids trotting around isn't helping either.

So, finally, I decided "Enough is enough..."
I need recognition and so, I stole his TBhp credentials and am penning this ownership report.
(Ok, you can say: "on his behalf!")

[dhanushmenon]

A little bit of background

History...
Oh! The necessary evil.
My master hated it during school days.
However, a tad bit is required here as to how I came into his garage.

First for the basic fact: I share the garage with a Figo.
A red devil he is!!!



And I have all reasons to believe that my master loves the red devil more than me. (Though he staunchly opposes that)
He says that the little Figo is much more convenient to park and toss around in the city. Moreover, he calls the Figo a drivers car and me an agile elephant. (well, that doesn't count to a name)
And that is the reason he did not sell off his Figo when I were to join his garage. He simply couldn't let go off his first car and he loved the drive feel of Figo.





He really loves the red devil. Within three and half years of his stint with the figo, he has done 80000 Kms on it and that itself is testimony to how close that car is to his heart. (I have clocked only 6000 in these five months!!! Shame on him)



The ownership report of the Figo:
(See, he had time to pen in a report for the Figo and not me!!!)

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ling-love.html

He has gone on many long drives in it, the details of which you might find on these links:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ur-mysore.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ry-recall.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...it-munnar.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ochi-ooty.html



Don't talk to me about that car, I am really very jealous

Then, why did he need a second car if he loved his red devil so much?

Because he needed more space. PERIOD.
See, that's where I trump the Figo to splits.

Well as already stated, my master has two kids. (not me and figo... I am speaking of the actual kids)
Initially, the kids were happy toppling around on the rear seat of Figo.
However, as time passed, they couldn't contain themselves during those frequent long drives.
Eventually, rear seat scenario percolated to one kid slowly moving to the lap of mommy and within few minutes, the other followed!!
(Well, thinking of that, an Ambassador would've solved the problem )

My owner, Mr D and his darling wife are of the "travel freak" variety (Good for me).
They always believed that:
"You can always make money... But you cannot always make memories"
(Well, they stole that quote. Courtesy facebook)
And like SDP SAYS: "What the heck, You live only once!!"
True to the hilt,
Life is short, Make the most of it for as long as you are alive

The waypoint of a second car was anyway about to seek them someday, sooner or later.
The difference was that they chose "S O O N E R"

[dhanushmenon]

Preparations and the road to purchase

My owner, Mr D did thorough preparations before he finalised his decision to get me home.
Not that he was in slightest of doubt as to "Which car" to buy.
He only did a customary cursory glance to other options. He knew exactly what he wanted.
But all the preparations were for timing the purchase correctly.

But before we get there, you should know that he did his quota of weighing in other options too
1) Scorpio: One short drive and the Mr D himself was feeling dizzy. As if he was all of a sudden shifted to the middle of ocean. If that was the state of the driver, then he was sure that he will spend his better days cleaning his car interiors of grime and dirt; (You know what I mean, right?)
2) Xylo: Again it took him to mid oceans. The latest versions were better stabilised; but the taxi image was there to stay
3) Innova: Not a taxi again
4) Ertiga: Oh! He really liked the Ertiga. It behaved like a car. No rolling around. But then,

1. It had a sea of beige and that too non leather. It had beige on consoles, trims, seats, steering, roof and even the floor board.
   Given a choice, Maruti would've put beige even on the engine bay.
   With his two toppling kids, he knew for sure that the beige would soon turn to brown.
2. The plastics were cheap, lacked a lot of creature comfort, the music system was rock bottom basic and the speakers were mediocre at best.
   It didn't have Bluetooth connectivity.
   C'mon, even the figo launched four years back had that; and Mr D got very much used to that luxury.
   (Even my speakers are not great, but I make up in other departments)
3. It lacked the "punch" factor.
4. The second row in Ertiga wasn't as spacious as the XUV even though it had the flexibility of second row seat adjustment. However, with the third row down, the space in second row wasn't to the liking of Mr D and his good lady.
   Even the kids gave him a peculiar look which underlined the statement.
5. And most importantly, the good lady in the house, the Home Ministry, strongly opposed Ertiga. She said it was too common. Well, she had a point there.

(Yes, he did consider the Ecosport and the Duster too)

• The rear bench of Ecosport wasn't bigger than his Figo.
• He didn't like the shape, space, pricing and packaging of the Duster
  Err.. Did I miss anything there?
  Oh Yes!! How can I not mention the arrogant and couldn't-care-less attitude of the guys in the service centre?

He did not look further.
He had already decided what he wanted.



He wanted a big five seater with a huge boot.
He doesn't intend to use the third row much.
He is happy without enemies.
(Even today, the third row is used by the kids to play snake and ladder with the seats folded down!!)

He wasn't doubtful as to which variant to get home.
W8 it was. Six Airbags is always better than two.
You can't put a price to safety.
ESP and the infotainment system was another decision maker.
Yes, in his opinion, I too roll about a bit. But way lesser than my other counterparts of similar proportions. He hoped that the ESP will take care of whatever is left of the roll. On hindsight, he is happy for the decision.

I would say that the red devil spoiled him with its low slung comfort. Obviously, a high stanced SUV cannot measure to the road hugging features of a hatch back.
See buddy, I give you better Ground clearance and a smart overview of the road for that.

And, above all, I stand out from the crowd. Don't I?

[dhanushmenon]

The colour dilemma

Oh!! That's a long story.
Mr D did not want a car with beige interiors.
Okay... Mahindra calls it Walnut. But still beige it is, with some tweaks.



He wanted black interiors. That would be easier to maintain with the antics of kids.



However, the colour which he and his good lady wanted was White or Red.
But white came with beige interiors much to their dismay.
Next colour which was closest to white was Silver. And boy, didn't his wife hate that colour??!!

Then came Red to the foray.
But he already had a red devil in his Figo. And he knew from experience that red is difficult to maintain.

The discussion went livewire on to the whatsapp group of Kochi Bhpians.
Gulp!!!
He got all kinds of suggestions covering all the colour variants present with their justifications.
The yellow XUV with the Cheetah decal (which Mahindra showcased in one of the Auto Expo somewhere) was hot in discussions for its own reasons.
They even went forth to design a new custom colour with yellowish, greenish, greyish tint and a red streak

Within a couple of minutes of the discussion, Mr D was cursing his logic as to why he put forth that question at all in the group.
A huge quantum of brainstorming later, he returned none-the-more wiser than what he was ten minutes back. Well, no points for guessing the spiked hair strands on his head.

Atlast, with some weighed in considerations and a promise to keep the kids disciplined inside the car, they decided on white.





Though he wasn't confused about which car to buy, he was but extra cautious as to when to buy the car.
Thanks to the extra mileage of my niggles thread in the forum.
For a matter of fact, he and his wife returned pretty disappointed after the test drive of one of my elder brothers.
The one which they spun around was one from my previous gen family line, a Mar 2012 make vehicle.
I've heard Mr D explaining to his friends later : "The brakes did'nt have the bite. It felt as though I had to stand on the brakes and then wait for God Almighty to kick in the brake"
"That thing rolls a lot. However, not as much as Scorpio or the like"
"The vehicle kept on veering onto the curb. I will have good right shoulder muscles by the end of a long drive"


Forunately, at the right time, Mahindra came up with the renewed version in Mar 2013 and further bettered it in Oct 2013; improving upon the rattling, the infamous squeaks, the notorious veering, spongy brakes and noisy suspension.

Difference between Older XUVs and newer models (post Oct 2013)

There is a sea change in handling of the earlier XUV batches and the new ones.
I knew it from the factory itself. There was so much buzz about that.
Mahindra had incorporated two sets of changes:

First, was in the time period between Oct 2012 to Mar 2013.
The brake pads were changed and the suspension was tweaked.

Next, of Oct 2013 batch, were incorporated with new suspension, brake sets and have cleared the rattles and all existing niggles. (Or so they claim at least!!!)

So, the changes in a nutshell (The vehicles rolled out post Oct 2013)

1) No suspension noises
2) No veering to the left
3) Bite of the brake has definitely improved and is confidence inspiring now. Now it felt like a car with ABS
4) W8 badging on the rear hatch
5) Font of “Mahindra” changed from earlier
6) “:Live young , Live free” sticker on the rear wind shield

Mr D took a test drive on one of the latest batch XUVs and that day, there was no one flashing more teeth when he returned home!!
He was ready to take the plunge.

Paper work was processed in a whiff and within a few weeks, he was at the dealer to take me home.

[dhanushmenon]

So, coming to the most important part of my story:
How tall do I stand up to notice?

Whether the story is a success or not, is your part of the decision.
I am just a loudspeaker here you know.
I can just narrate what Mr D thinks of me, what he likes & dislikes in me and what he thinks should be definitely included in my future siblings.

Well, there are hundreds of questions which one can rake up when it comes to the performance of a car.
More often, most of them goes un answered.
'Cos, most of it is qualitative.
It changes from perception to perception.
Some one will like the handling of a sedan while the other guy will like the proud stance and road visibility I provide.
Ofcourse, apples are apples and oranges are oranges.

So, leaving the apples and oranges to where it belongs, lets take a look at which tree can I climb and which of my nuts will flow to the moon!

Likes

1) Ain't I a looker? Curve your brows, twitch your tongue and call me arrogant. But I do sure turn eyes.

2) Six Airbags- Some one taught me mathematics and said six is more than two and better too.
The same guy taught Mr D too; and he too concurred.
Though SRS Airbags are "Secondary Restraining Systems", the primary being the seat belt, Mr D believes that you really can't put a price to safety.
Deal breaker

3)ESP with roll over mitigation- much subdued rolling tendency than a W6. (Mr D ain't sure whether he was assuming that due to the pre conceived notion of the 'stability program'. But we can give that to him)

4) Hill hold and Hill assist- Awesome feature. Full points to Mahindra. Very helpful for start up on an ascend or a descend.

5) Integrated navigation unit. This was another deal breaker for Mr D between choosing W6 and W8. More so because, he likes to travel and he likes to do so with a GPS even if he is travelling to a known destination.
Yes... stupid he is.
Well, all of us are. On some point or the other.

6) Engine start stop- Good for traffic and city roads with traffic clogs. Mr D didn't understand why this was understated in the Official review on this forum.

7) Features- Truck loads of features which can't be thanked and quoted enough.
More importantly for Mr D, none misfiring till date. Happy happy.

8) Road presence Mr D believes in sharing the road. But on his figo, the others didn't seem to believe in that.
With my steering on his hands, he feels that the others have also started believing on sharing the road.
Once I start appearing on the ORVMs, the other vehicles do give way; including the trucks and rash red buses in kochi who otherwise whisks away the poor figo.
It's a nice feeling to see others showing respect.

9) Superfluent highway cruiser- Self explanatory. The use of cruise control is really a boon on highways where I get to stretch my legs and Mr D gets to relax his.
That percolates to the fact that the long drives are fatigueless. (Heard that right from the mouth of the good lady in the house. So you can take my word on it)

10) Effortless driving, irrespective of the humongous size. The turning radius at times surprises Mr D where he would've thought to struggle. But NO! I am reputed to handle that pretty well.

11) Airconditioner Superb A/c considering the "airspace" it has to manage. Yes AIRSPACE, thats what Mr D defines it as. The air traffic controllers would be petrified. (That's an over kill. But still)

12)Space- I provide loads and loads of space for Mr D and family as per their requirements.
Now, their requirement- a big five seater with a huge boot.



If you are looking for a spacious seven seater, stop reading right now.
Utilise your time for better things.
The picture below will tell you why.


Third row space. Image courtsey: www.hindustantimes.com

13) ABS + EBD and all-wheel disc brakes- Again safety is paramount for Mr D.

14) Static bending lamps- Aptly lights up the area onto which the vehicle is turning.

Dislikes

1) ICE- How can you do this Mahindra? All goody goody things in the car. The person who gets inside me is mighty impressed. The strong muscular design, impressive interiors and what not.
You would be basking on that royal and luxurious feeling when all of sudden you are jolted down to mother earth with a "CROAK".
Somewhere in the horizons in your mindframe, "phushh" goes the deflated balloon, with a background score!

Hello... meet the ICE of the mighty XUV, arguably the biggest spoil sport in the whole vehicle.
Adjective- Pathetic at best!!

2)Voice recognition- Or thats what Mahindra calls that lady who mumbles nothing other than:
"Voice Command not recognised. Please try again".
Mr D is yet to figure out the nuances of making her bide in.
I can only wish him good luck.

It was rumoured that Mr D was contemplating learning Chinese if she could understand that!!!
Good for nothing but snob value

3) Cabin isolation - Some outside odour still creeps in.
Yet to experience monsoons to see whether the odour will have company of dampness too.

4) Mahindra welcome screen
The welcome screen also takes a few seconds to go off. In my parking lot, I have to reverse before slotting in the gear to drive forth. The mahindra welcome anthem blocks out everything which is provided by my beloved rear view camera.

5) Maneuverability within city and small roads- This pertains to my size and not anyway how I handle.
I am pretty difficult to maneouvre within city- especially in cities like kochi with roads only as wide (if not lesser) as the gutter by the curb.

6) Rear visibility Even with so much of green house inside, the rear visibility is left to imagination. Dont even remind me the horror of Mr D with three rows up.


image courtesy:- www.gaadi.com

7)Boot (with three rows in place)- Mr D wouldn't even risk mentioning the term 'boot' and XUV in the same sentence for the fear of someone suing him for defamation.
He can put two laptop bags there. And then some lady fingers.
Period.


image courtesy: Tbhp Official review

8) Beige interiors on Satin White and Volcano Black.
The beige interiors was almost a deal breaker and Mr D almost went for Tuscan Red.
However, with some self promised discipline and the consideration of being leather upholstery (the hope that leather is easier to clean), Mr D finally decided to live with that Beige interiors.

9)Reflection on the windshield- Pretty glaring reflection of the interior shades and the vertical silver strip of the central console is evident on the windshield. It is more pronounced with the beige interiors as it adds ambience to it. The main culprit is the silver vertical strip though.



A polaroid glass solves the issue for Mr D. However, he intends to get CF stickering done as and when time permits.
The DIY expert Kochi Bhpian rajoy123 has already been roped in for this with sweet words and plentiful smiles.

Well... I would only say:
"May sanity prevail!!"

[dhanushmenon]

Sorely missed:
1) Engine Immobiliser
2) One touch lane change indicator
3) A good ICE. (I wouldn't beat that horse anymore)
4) Black interiors for Satin White and Volcano Black colours (atleast as an option)

Some general observations.

1) Build quality and finish though looks to be good, is not frankly confidence inspiring enough for Mr D.
Looks like I will have to book an appointment with the Design Engineers and metallurgists to convince them of the expectations of an Indian car buyer.
How can I say that "Itne paisa mein itna hi milega"?
I dare not!!.

2) Interior design and quality- The design is a fore runner for an exhibition of Indian design developments.
Each and everything is exactly where you want them to be. Nothing is out of reach and at the same time, nothing comes in the way too.
(Pat my back, I am already two inches taller for all the praises)
Mahindra Designers deserve to get a holiday at Hawaii for that.
However, they make amends on quality, fit and finish, qualifying to reconsider the holiday destination relegated to Mauritius.
Yes, we can still give them an overseas trip (sans the spice at Hawaii) for the work on interior and exterior design.

3) Seats and ergonomics- Full marks there again.
Ample thigh support and the curvature of the seat comfortably positions the occupant in a very comfortable zone.
Most important on long drives which effectively induces very less fatigue.
It's for no reason that Mr D's mischievous kids have bluntly refused to travel in the Figo anymore.
Well, no offense to Ford in any way.
Both cars are in two different leagues.
And as I mentioned earlier, I still detest the fact that Mr D is biased towards figo for daily runs.

4) Other tit bits which Mr D says is worth mentioning:

• The centre glove box- has two compartments.
  The top one with the purse and coin holder is very useful. Mr D regularly uses it to keep his purse.
  However, for the coin holder, he says that the Government of India has to introduce new coins which will fit in the slots.
• Lots of storage spaces in cubby holes, small pockets and sachets. It gets two bottle holders for even the third row.
• Conversation mirror- Mr D's kids love it
• Sunglass holder- pretty nice innovation.
• Rear A/C- a laudable addition. The Innova suddenly seems a generation behind.
• Auto headlamp and Auto rain wiper- Mr D has never used it. Good for snob value.
  But not much of a use 'cos the lights come on much before you want it to and goes off much later than you wish it to.
  Similarly, the windshield wiper starts when you really do not need it to function.
  However, automatic speed adjustment of the wipers is useful on a varying intenstity down pour.
• Take me home headlamps- Lovely feature.
  Not that it serves much of its purpose of taking Mr D home; but it renders style.
  Consider this. Very often as Mr D walks out from the car at night, he gets a nod from someone with a pointed finger:
  "Sir, you left the light on!"
  Mr D says: "Oh Sorry" and presses a switch on the remote.
  Off goes the light and Mr D walks away in style leaving the guy gaping. Yeah Boys will be Boys. I am tired of telling him.

5) The engine is a 2.2 Litre mHawk which churns my belly.
The refinement and performance is much par the expectations of Mr D.
And that too with no turbo lag.
He tries his bit in panting me out on some lonely long stretches.
Though I haven't actually run out of power yet, I let him win then.
I like to see that sheepish grin spreading across his stupid face.
But back in my garage as I rest, I have a hearty laugh to myself as to what a Jackass I made out of him.
C'mon D, you can't puff out my 140 Bhps within any stretches in that heartland of mallu land where you drive me around.
Try me out on a highway on a long drive for a change, where I could stretch my legs too.
(Well to be fair on his side, he hasn't yet got the opprotunity nor time to stretch me out. A drive to Coorg is planned in June. Let's see how that flashes out)

6) Gear shift quality- Mr D reserves his comments on this. He still feels that the figo shifts better.

7) Fuel efficiency- city - 12 Kmpl, Highway- 17 Kmpl

8) Peculiar dislike- The USB console does not close fully with a normal USB plugged in. Mr D bought a micro sized thumb USB to solve the purpose

Summary of experience
*6750 Kms completed as on 28 Apr 14, a little more than five months from purchase. Slow, I know.
*mainly used for relatively longer drives than inside city commute
*no major niggles faced so far.
*The limited experience with the A.S.S at TVS, Kochi was very good, though the accessories are priced at a higher tag than the SCs in Chennai and Bangalore.
*No, I don't suffer from suspension noises, veering or spongy brakes.

[dhanushmenon]

Delivery Day

He was still very careful.
I still remember him approaching for my PDI.
He had his eyes peeled out and popping for defects or misfits.

He had himself armed with this:
XUV500-W8-Checklist-v1.00.xlsx

Nothing was found which did not please his eye nor instinct.
He then spun me around on the busy streets, narrow lanes and a highway sprint.
I squeaked a bit initially, then obliged so obediently.
Mr D was happy.
So was I, having found my pair of safe hands.

He also had with him these for reference.

XUV500_quick_start_guide.pdf

XUV500_infotainment_system.pdf

Accessory Brochure_new.pdf

Prior delivery, my body was decorated with body strips and side step from the showroom.



Half way through



I am done!!



I also was bestowed an eye behind me with the reverse camera.
They had a little difficulty in fixing the camera at the first go.
On first attempt, the display was upside down
In the second, the display chose to freeze in half frame
In the third, it showed the lower part on top and vice versa.

A few trial and error methods, alignment adjustments and camera replacements later, I had a proper rear vision.
I was ready for delivery.

The delivery ceremony followed.
Happy faces and smiles all around.



"Time for some grooving before we drive off"



I 'Got Bhp' even before I got my number



The rear row: Favourite spot for Mr D's daughter

[dhanushmenon]

Things are beautiful and happy as of now.
Mr D is happy that I ain't giving him any trouble as yet.
A niggle popped up in between of the Infotainment switching off inadvertent and un alerted.
Then it went off by itself the way it came.
Happened only once and never visited again.

He soon gave me Maxspider Kagu 3D mats.
I needed that.



And the 3D Kagu mats are very easy and convenient to clean too.





See how neatly it fits.

[dhanushmenon]

I like my new garage.
Except for the fact that I am sharing it with a red hot hatch.
That's Ok, they love me and the hatch alike.
Only that they use us for different scenarios.
Figo goes to the office and city. And I travel to far off places.

I like that.
I like to see places... far off and far flung



Green...



and Brown...



the lakes...



and backwaters



the Chinese nets



or the edge of sea



and even to the tip of a cliff...



Cos I am ... What I am.



I REST MY CASE...

[differential]

fantastic write up.
Loved the style of writing
nice pictures. Keep your updates going as u spend more time with your 'agile elephant'

[dZired]

Congratulations on the purchase mate. Loved your style of writing. This might be the first autobiography on TBHP.
Though we all treat our vehicles much like our family members, but writing an autobiography is something no BHP-ian had yet considered, AFAIK.

Anyways, my message to your XUV is, take care of your owner and his family and avoid your mention on the niggles thread.

Take Care and Drive Safe!

[Speed.Demon]

Fantastic write up, mate!!

When you said your ownership review was up, I certainly wasn't expecting this!

I must say, the XUV is very loaded isn't it? It even talks!

Jokes aside, its a fantastic car, and a very good choice for those road trips you do ever so frequently.

Wishing you many millions of happy miles!!

[Alive2Drive]

Many Congratulations on your new ride ! Happy Mile crunching !

A quick question - Don't you think the ground clearance of the XUV 500 is low compared to its counter parts Duster/Terrano ? Mahindra claims a GC of 165 MM as compared to 205MM by the Duster/Terrano. Did you face any under-scraping issues while driving ? Do you think this car is fine for mild/occasional off-roading ?

Regards

[voyageur]

Hey Dhanush,

I have never seen such a different style in writing an ownership review. Congrats on your new car. I rated this thread 5 star for I loved your idea of making this look like an autobiography.

I couldn't laugh more when you mentioned about Whatsapp. I had my fun confusing you, and I know you had your turn too.

Jokes apart, the car looks too good in that colour. I hope your wifey and kids are as happy as you are with the XUV. Wishing you many more miles of happy rides. Your garage is something to be envied upon. for it has silver, red and white in it.

May be you can have a better name than Oh Oh also.

Cheers

[Sree_hari82]

Excellent write up Dhanush. Could not control my laughter when you mentioned about Whatsapp.
Quick question - Your drive bears a PY registration number isn't that not a problem driving in Kerala. In Chennai the RTO Cracks all the PY registered cars in last couple of months.

Btw i am also in the process of booking the cheetah in W6 form.

All the best