[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Guys, did a mod about which I am super happy and proud at the same time.

Awesome mod Leoshashi, only you can think of & execute something like this . I am personally a big fan of engine guard, believe it should be made standard on every car. Our ex Punto had a strong metal engine guard, the guard got many hits over the years, but nothing ever happened to the internal parts. Our Ecosport didn't get an engine guard from factory, so we fitted the engine guard as an accessory (around 4k). The engine guard of Ecosport is made of plastic (unlike the Punto's metal engine guard), though it should be able to provide protection from flying stones/debris. The one you have fitted looks to be similar to the one we have on our Ecosport.

This post will be of immense help to owners of Swift/Dzire/Ertiga/XL6. Will it be a direct fit in the Baleno as well? A good friend of mine has recently bought a Baleno, so I was thinking of doing this mod in his car.

[Leoshashi]

The HeadUnit is developed by Harman, chaps who love more pics, here are some :

Regards,
Shashi

[Prodigy07]

Hearty Congratulations Shashi

We are all waiting to read the 'n' number of DIYs that you are planning to carry out on your XL6.

Also any specific reason for not choosing 205 profile?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Hearty Congratulations Shashi

We are all waiting to read the 'n' number of DIYs that you are planning to carry out on your XL6.

Thanks a lot for your wishes.

Also any specific reason for not choosing 205 profile?

Yes, there are many.

-Alloys are weedy 5.5J, anything more than 195 looks like a baloon.

-195 section is good enough for the power this engine makes.

-The XL7 gets 195/60R16s. I have tried to keep the same dia with 195/65R15. It was a trusted size since the same car with similar mechanicals is running that size abroad.

Regards,
Shashi

[lionell]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

The HeadUnit is developed by Harman

Looking forward to the DIY resolution of that creaking sound. By the looks of the pics it seems to be coming soon

[dadu]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Thanks a lot for your wishes.

-The XL7 gets 195/60R16s. I have tried to keep the same dia with 195/65R15. It was a trusted size since the same car with similar mechanicals is running that size abroad.

Regards,
Shashi

Well let me congratulate you on writing a very passionate and written with your "heart wrapped around it" ownership report.

On the topic of XL7's wheel, its diameter is 25.21"

Whereas XL6's stock wheel diameter is 24.47", so there is a tolerance of 0.74" in the arches as the body frame is the same for XL7

When you put a 195/65 on a XL6 R15, the diameter increases to 24.98" which is 2.09% more than stock

When you put a 195/60 on a XL6 R15, the diameter reduces to 24.21" which is -1.05% less than stock

Now if you put 205/60 on a XL6 R15, the diameter increases to 24.69" which is 0.88% more than stock, there might be a bulge (which IMO looks fuller) but an ideal fit

Since today's cars are all equipped with ABS and ESP, the closer you remain to stock, the better its stability electronics will perform. They are tuned to stock wheels, but 2% is within acceptable limit as tyres also wear out over time.

@leoshashi, you would have also heard a thud sound from the back if you go over the bumps, this is due to the boot floor covers being loose enough to rock up/down. Not sure if you have fixed it, but two small strips of thick rubber spaced equally and stuck to the back inside walls of the storage will make them stay put.

Keep your updates flowing its quite interesting

[Hayek]

Even after nearly 10 years on this forum, one occasionally comes across a review which makes one stop and think, and appreciate the knowledge, attention to detail, and love for cars that forum members have. And this review is right up there with the very best of them.

Congrats Shashi, both on the new acquisition and on the stupendous review which clearly deserves a 5 star rating. After a long time, I read a Initial Ownership review end to end, and have been captivated at the kind of things you noticed. I must say, I am at the opposite end of the spectrum, not mechanical inclined and would not know who makes what in any of my cars. The idea that someone would notice the fact that one car has lamps made by India Japan Lighting, and another by Lumax - and have an informed view on what is better is stunning.

I found your upgrades interesting - would love more colour on why a Michelin XM2 is materially better than a Bridgestone, and what model of Bridgestones the car came with originally (did I miss that?). Interesting to see how alloy wheel prices have fallen - I last evaluated an upgrade to alloys about 15 years ago - and at that time, 4 alloys cost almost a lakh. I do agree that an engine protector is a must have for any car - somehow, manufacturers seem to think that is needed only for diesels and not for petrols. Wonder why Maruti does not offer this as an official add on - suspect they may get inspired to do that after reading this thread.

I also get stunned by the kind of mileage you manage to get from this car - wonder if Bombay owners of the XL6 can achieve such mileage. The best mileage from any of my cars was 13 kmpl that I got from my second generation Honda City.

Do keep posting regular updates - and wish you many many miles of happy motoring with this car.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by lionell

Looking forward to the DIY resolution of that creaking sound. By the looks of the pics it seems to be coming soon

Yes I have managed to solve the issue. I'm currently collecting pics so that the description of process becomes easy. The noise is from the "Head-unit Bezel". Try to place your hand over the bezel(top part of HU) when going through bad roads and see if the creaking sound vanishes.

Originally Posted by dadu

Well let me congratulate you on writing a very passionate and written with your "heart wrapped around it" ownership report.

On the topic of XL7's wheel, its diameter is 25.21"

Whereas XL6's stock wheel diameter is 24.47", so there is a tolerance of 0.74" in the arches as the body frame is the same for XL7

When you put a 195/65 on a XL6 R15, the diameter increases to 24.98" which is 2.09% more than stock

When you put a 195/60 on a XL6 R15, the diameter reduces to 24.21" which is -1.05% less than stock

Now if you put 205/60 on a XL6 R15, the diameter increases to 24.69" which is 0.88% more than stock, there might be a bulge (which IMO looks fuller) but an ideal fit

Since today's cars are all equipped with ABS and ESP, the closer you remain to stock, the better its stability electronics will perform. They are tuned to stock wheels, but 2% is within acceptable limit as tyres also wear out over time.

Yes sir, I had considered all these points and 195/65R15 felt like the best bet to me. 195/60R15 was a bit smaller in dia, so it kind of defeated the whole purpose of upgrade. 205/60R15 is surely the ideal upgrade, but not so on the stock rims. For 5.5J alloys, 195 section is the maximum one should go for.

Additionally, I was not comfortable with the bulge(balloon effect) 205 gives on stock rims. Given the bad roads I travel on, and the bad name Michelin has for softer sidewall, this is a risk I was willing to avoid TBH.

195/65R15 are shade above the 2% range, plus with some extra sidewall, they feel like the best upgrade to me for XL6.

@leoshashi, you would have also heard a thud sound from the back if you go over the bumps, this is due to the boot floor covers being loose enough to rock up/down. Not sure if you have fixed it, but two small strips of thick rubber spaced equally and stuck to the back inside walls of the storage will make them stay put.

Please post a pic of how you have put the rubber. The tray surely bounces if I cross a hump at higher speeds. I have started driving as one should drive an empty VAN.

BTW I hope you have seen the floor mat hook related pic on page 1. During delivery, your query was very prominent in my mind!

Originally Posted by Hayek

Even after nearly 10 years on this forum, one occasionally comes across a review which makes one stop and think, and appreciate the knowledge, attention to detail, and love for cars that forum members have. And this review is right up there with the very best of them.

Thanks Sir. Such appreciation coming from someone like you, means a lot to me.

I found your upgrades interesting - would love more colour on why a Michelin XM2 is materially better than a Bridgestone, and what model of Bridgestones the car came with originally (did I miss that?).

The car originally came with Bridgestone Ecopia tyres. They can be best explained as hard compound, budget grade offering from Bridgestone. Michelin XM2 is on another level altogether. Tyre noise, ride quality, grip-there is simply no match. After my purchase, few colleagues in my office have purchased XL6, and I get to experience their cars on stock rubber often. After getting the superb buyback for Bridgestones, Michelins were a no brainer for me. I paid ~1300 extra per tyre.

Wonder why Maruti does not offer this as an official add on - suspect they may get inspired to do that after reading this thread.

Hope so. It's very easy to design and implement as an accessory.

wish you many many miles of happy motoring with this car.

Thanks a lot!

Regards,
Shashi

PS: Posting pics post DIY ceramic coating(detailed post coming soon) and letting it cure for full 7 days:

[torquecurve]

Great review mate. Collinite with a sacrificial wax is excellent! Have used it successfully on most of our cars.
Been considering the XL6 for the family now. A couple of questions. How is it on the highway? I tend to do long drives - 600-700 kms at a stretch (Pune Nagpur for example) the roads are decent for most part with some broken bits. How’s it on those roads? How is the driving comfort. I am a ‘quick’ driver. I get up to a speed quickly as possible and then stick there 80-100 is typically my happy spot on our highways.

How is the body roll in ghats/ twisting roads and fast corners?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

Been considering the XL6 for the family now. A couple of questions. How is it on the highway? I tend to do long drives - 600-700 kms at a stretch (Pune Nagpur for example) the roads are decent for most part with some broken bits. How’s it on those roads? How is the driving comfort. I am a ‘quick’ driver. I get up to a speed quickly as possible and then stick there 80-100 is typically my happy spot on our highways.

How is the body roll in ghats/ twisting roads and fast corners?

My observations based on the experience I have till now:

-Driving comfort is excellent. On decent roads, you will not get any discomfort even after a long journey.

-Body roll is there. But also remember that I have driven small hatchbacks and sedans all my life. This is my first encounter with an MPV, and compared to likes of Innova, this one feels like a go kart! By MPV standards, it's excellent.

-Lack of "diesel like pull" is evident. You need to cane the engine to get fast progress(the way you like). And the engine loves to revv. At 100kmph, the engine is at 2800 rpm and feels very much relaxed.

Or I should better put it this way: The car and engine is quick if you are used to downshifting. If you are used to diesels, and want torque as soon as you put your foot down, you will be disappointed.

-One way of dealing with broken patches is having speeds higher than what you will carry in a hatchback. If you are too slow, you get rocked sideways uncomfortably. Learnt this the hard way. On same roads when I carried a bit more speed, the car was absolutely flat! Nothing was felt apart from some muted thuds.

-Suspension is slightly on the stiffer side.

Better take a longish TD. That will clear most of your doubts. My perspective may be different than yours. So don't make any decision based on someone's words alone.

Regards,
Shashi

[torquecurve]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

My observations based on the experience I have till now:

-Driving comfort is excellent. On decent roads, you will not get any discomfort even after a long journey.
Better take a longish TD. That will clear most of your doubts. My perspective may be different than yours. So don't make any decision based on someone's words alone.

Thanks for the response! Generally use the HEXA on these roads and yes - the faster you go on broken roads it somehow is better . Used to the torque from the 2.0 on the Skoda and also the 2.2 in the Hexa. But my first love was a sweet 1.2 FIRE in the Vista. For a heavy petrol hatchback it was a fun to drive car. The engine note was really nice. Raspy...would rev the nuts off it. So love petrols as well.

Good idea for a longish test drive. Will plan for it later once my business picks up Post covid :(

MOD NOTE - Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers. Thanks!

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

So love petrols as well.

Then you will surely love this K15 engine.

Good idea for a longish test drive. Will plan for it later once my business picks up Post covid

Regards,
Shashi

[2cents]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Guys, did a mod about which I am super happy and proud at the same time.....

Quick question: Does this offer any protection from rats!!

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by 2cents

Quick question: Does this offer any protection from rats!!

Quick answer-No!

Rats climb your wheels, make their way through the suspension components to the top of your apron/suspension tower. They then enter the cowl or have a feast in the engine bay. As you see, the path taken is completely different.

If they enter cowl through the drain holes, they can then enter the cabin through fresh air intake vent.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I'll post the vendor details here as soon as I get it. Give me a couple of days.

Thanks to BHPian Samaspire for pointing this out. There is a seller on our classifieds section: