[Vijin]

Introduction:

My XUV300 is now 8 months old and has done 4200 Kms (Oh, for the pre-covid days!). I could not find any XUV300 AMT initial ownership threads on Team-bhp and I know how helpful these reports can be for the potential buyers. Hoping this thread helps folks who are interested.



Photo courtesy: Telangana State Police

Previous rides:

My introduction to four wheelers were through MSIL cars. My father had a red Zen MH410, first generation, petrol 5 speed manual, in the late nineties. This was one of the early batches of Zen, which was having most of the parts imported from Japan. I learned driving on this. We had her till the late 2000s. Later my father moved to a Wagon R (first generation second facelift), a no frills, low maintenance, point to point people carrier. We still have her in our hometown.

Afterwards I moved out of town in pursuit of a career. I managed with two wheelers until I got married. Then the need for a car arose and the subsequent quest lead to a brand new Grand i10 sportz variant, 1.2 L NA petrol, with 5 speed manual transmission (First generation, pre facelift) in 2014 and we continue to depend on her for short city rides. We have clocked 32,000 km till now.


New Requirement:

Upgrade bug bit me towards the second half of 2019. Our initial idea was to get a small automatic hatchback which my wife can use for her daily commute. But then it developed into a subcompact crossover SUV which is safer and can be occasionally used for our highway trips (mostly temple visits). Any kind of automatic was ok, I did not have any prior experience with automatics to be honest.

My usual travel arrangement has my kid sitting in rear seat in his child car seat (diagonally opposite to drivers) and an adult accompanying him in the rear seat, just behind the driver. Me being 5’11" and wife 5’6’’, rear passenger knee room and seat width was our first priority. Grand i10 had the best in class rear seat real estate, we wanted to emulate that in the compact SUV segment as well. Second priority was safety. I wanted to get a monocoque vehicle which shared its underpinnings with a current generation counterpart from a developed country (wanted to avoid an old generation or a low-cost India specific platform).

With these in mind and budget of 12 L, we started our search among the usual suspects in the segment. As with other vehicles in our family, we prefer to keep cars for as long as we can. Hence, the value depreciation was not an important factor. We planned to target the year end sale and the general slump in car sales that was ongoing.


Cars I considered:

This is not a car comparison. I believe every car is good for its target customers. Based on my preferences, I dug into details to find which car checks maximum boxes and below were the main candidates:

Ecosport:
I had this family trip (4 adults and a kid) planned to Mangalore-Udupi-Kollur area, last year October. I used this opportunity to book an Ecosport TDCI MT variant from Revv. The vehicle I got had clocked near to 1 lakh kms but was maintained well. I drove in the city and the ghat sections for 2 days. However, except me, who was driving, other family members were not that much enthusiastic about the vehicle. Post this trip I took a colleague's 1.5L petrol Dragon Automatic for a spin as well, in the city. The steering with its sharpness and the feedback felt great. It would have been the top contender, but for the rear seat real estate.

Tata Nexon:
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, somehow, Nexon did not work for me at all. I only used this car for price comparison and did not do any test drives. I have observed people get emotional or sometimes irritated when I pick this car for discussion.

Duster:
I love the road presence the Duster has. Multiple facelifts came, some I liked and some I didnot. Even in the latest version, interiors were not to my taste, moreover my wifey felt it was tad bit bigger for her to drive. Also, the dealers did not offer any decent discounts despite various price cut news coming on media. Hence, I decided to drop Duster from the list.

Venue:
Coming from a Hyundai background I tended to follow the same path. I had confidence on the fit and finish and ASS part of this Korean giant. Furthermore, I loved the interior design and the feature list the Venue was offering.

However, rear seat space was not agreeable for me. Sitting there I felt like inside a compact hatchback and the dark shade interiors did not help the cause either. There were further confusions for me at that time regarding India variant of Venue sharing Santro’s chassis. Finally, decided to skip it.

Brezza:
The next was the ubiquitous choice among subcompact SUVs - Vittara Brezza. We scouted the ZDI+ variant. I felt that the rear seat space was second only to XUV300. The other 2 Maruthi cars we had were low maintenance and never broke down on road, hence I had a natural affection to the brand.

However, on test drive I felt the AMT was way jerkier than XUV300, maybe with my driving style. I retried multiple demo vehicles from different dealers and felt the same. Somehow, I did not feel any connect with the car. The dealership experiences were also not that great. Similar pattern in multiple dealerships. As soon as I enquire about Brezza, the immediate question is when I can confirm the booking. Not much enthusiasm in helping with any other technical queries. Furthermore, we felt paying a lakh more and getting Xuv300 W8 was more value for money.

Creta / Seltos:
Unfortunately, automatics with a decent number of features were way over my budget.


The chosen one:

Details:

Car name: Mahindra Xuv300




Variant & Colour: W8 / Aquagreen
Engine & Transmission: Diesel 1498 cc (BS4) / AMT



Make Month & Year: December 2019
Car Delivery Month & Year: 01/01/2020
ODO reading: 4200 kms (1500 km in city, 2700 km on Highway)


Boxes it checked:

• Best in class rear seat leg room and width, proper 5 adult seater

• Based on solid Ssangyong Tivoli platform

• Good ride quality and decent drivability

• Butch looks

• Loaded to the gills (front/rear parking sensors, android auto/carplay, cruise control, auto headlamps & wipers, dual zone AC etc.)

• Torquey engine

• Refinement and NVH levels

• All wheel disc brakes.

Compromises:

• Rear end looks, it has been 8 months, still hasn’t fully grown on me.

• Missing Rear AC vent and power socket/USB ports

• Outdated MID (compared to other vehicles in class)

• Central console buttons also feels like from 90s.

• Hatchback equivalent boot space

• Front armrest is non adjustable and beige in colour

• Presence of few awkward panel gaps in the exterior

• Only AMT automatic transmission available, this car deserves a proper Torque convertor.

Dealer experience:
I approached two Mahindra dealers from Hyderabad in parallel - VNC motors, Kondapur and Automotive Mahindra, Jubilee hills. I found Automotive Mahindra's service pleasant and more professional. Our SA, Mr. Hafeez, was very patient and tried to explain most of our queries. We had multiple test drive sessions with him on different variants of XUV300. He brought few demo vehicles to my office as well for me to try.

Once we finalised on the variant and discounts, I paid Rs. 20K booking amount on December first week. It took 3 weeks for the vehicle to arrive at the dealership yard. I requested Hafeez to bring the vehicle to the showroom for PDI. One of my colleagues and I went to check the car during an afternoon. We were able to look into most of the things documented in our team-bhp checklist. Tried starting and kept the car idling for a few seconds as well, the car had around 100 kms on ODO. Verified manufacturing date with VIN and checked tyre manufacture dates as well. I finally gave the go ahead. We worked on the payment and billing same day. Overall buying experience was positive, especially the timely follow ups done by Hafeez and team manager Raghuveer. I am also happy with the post-sale experience from Mahindra, with the dealership team being regularly in touch with us for feedbacks and sending occasional seasons greeting.

Only annoyance I felt in the entire part was a mix up of VIN number in the initial voucher. On the day our payment got reflected in dealers account, SA sent me the billing voucher for acknowledgement. As I went through the fine prints, I saw the VIN number in the voucher did not match the vehicle we verified in PD. Not sure if it was intentional or a genuine mistake. Did a soft escalation to higher management and got it changed to the exact VIN I gave a green signal.

Finance:
I didn't go for any hypothecation options. I have been doing some research on part payment of cars with the credit cards and the small tenure EMIs turned out to be a good deal. Mahindra had some offers going on, plus we bargained a little.

Ex-showroom price came down by 40k (35.5K Retail discount + 4.5K Corporate discount) and this reduction got reflected in the Road tax and TCS as well (had to point my SA to recent court ruling regarding road tax to be paid on invoice price and not on ex-showroom price). Insurance quotation from dealer also came down from Rs. 65k to Rs. 40.5k. Final overall reduction on the OTR price was around Rs. 76k (compared to the CarDekho price for that month). Took extended 3 years (total 5 years) shield warranty via the Mahindra 'WithYouHamesha' app, this turned out to be the cheaper than quotation from the dealer.

After discount numbers:
Ex-showroom - Rs. 11,10,800/-
TCS- Rs. 11,108/-
Insurance - Rs. 40,512/-
Road tax - Rs. 1,57,155 /-
On Road: Rs. 13,19,575
Additional 3 year warranty - Rs 14,285/-

Got call on December 31st that vehicle was ready with temporary registration done. We got her delivered on new year day 2020.

[Vijin]

My take

The Official Review thread for XUV300 has detailed almost every aspect of the vehicle, so I will limit this to what works for me and what does not, also bring into focus few behavior patterns I have observed. Please also keep in mind that coming from a hatchback only reference point, many things are new to me.


Exteriors:

Heaviest monocoque subcompact SUV in India and still has the highest torque-to-weight ratio in the segment. The car feels well-built throughout. Doors, tailgate, hood, etc. are heavy and barely any flexing observed. I like its broad shoulders, face with imposing stance and its long bonnet with some creasing done to create a muscular look. Prominent air dam, sweptback headlamps, LED DRLs and its beefed-up wheel arches adds to the aggressive look and road presence. At the rear, I felt the design is a bit more dramatized than the front and opinions about its design might be divided. With more than 4,00,000 units of Tivoli+Xuv300 sold all over the world, I am reasonably confident that it will perform as a workhorse.

• The view
  
  
  Front view:
  
  
  
  
  Rear view
  
  
  
  
  The mini range rover angle:
  
  
  
  
  Side profile:
  
  
  
  
  Love those beefed up wheel arches and broad shoulder lines
  
  
  
  Headlamp cluster
  

The DRLs are bright and prominent even during day. The low beam halogen projector headlamps have good throw; however, I felt the high beam throw could have been better. I have used front fog lamps only once (along with headlamps), in heavy rain on a straight narrow road with no streetlights, to get some view of the road edges. It surely helped me to some extent.

The doors open wide and ingress/egress is easy both at back and front. I have noticed that she collects less dirt on surface on long drives, especially when I compare with my Grand i10. Better quality paint, better aerodynamics or may be just placebo. Driving with driver's window half open, airflow coming inside is very less compared to other cars I have driven. Even in the immediate area outside the window, there seems no impact of airflow. Coming to the rear windows, wind buffeting is felt if one is open, even slightly. No issues if both sides are open.

Speaking of streamlines, let me tell one recent funny experience related to this. One time a mosquito somehow entered our vehicle. In our other hatchbacks, I have found it is difficult to push lightweight objects out of running car through open window, but not in xuv300. What was funnier was that, post pushing the mosquito out and closing the driver window, I saw it was able to remain outside the window, flying in air and sometimes sitting on window, all while car was travelling at 60 kmph. Some kind of wind shadow area outside the window to reduce drag maybe. Anyways, I had to slow down for it to fly away. Must have been one hell of a ride!

I have felt the panel gaps are consistent & narrow except for few fiddly ones on the exterior (I have been told by many that this is still the best from Mahindra). I felt the paint job is at par with any OEM paint job in this segment. This W8 variant comes with 17-inch silver alloy wheels.

• An awkward panel gap
  

Interior:

Slide inside the XUV300 and you will immediately notice the bright premium ambience and airy feel inside. You will see a lot of shiny piano black and silver inserts used in the interior. Initially I had some inhibition regarding maintenance of beige interiors, however I have no upkeep issues to report till now. There are also no niggles or squeaks to report till now, unlike Mahindra, I guess. Plastic quality is good for the most part, though you don't get soft touch plastics. In terms of ergonomics, all controls are within reach and easy to find.

Fit and finish across the cabin are neat. Storage areas are generous. All doors can accommodate a 1 litre bottle and additionally front two doors can hold half litre bottles as well. Extended storage spaces are also present in each door. Smartphone storage space is available below central console. The center armrest and glove box have deep storages (neither of them is cooled though). I like how every part is well illuminated - be it the switches, engine start/off button, USB/Aux ports, glovebox, boot, or the storage spaces in each door.

• Interior view
  
  
  Area below central console
  
  
  
  
  Cabin lights:
  
  
  

Two sets of cabin lamps also available - one for each row. Additionally, illuminated vanity mirrors with a lid is present on both sunvisors. Arm rest is positioned conveniently, not adjustable though. However, I am not a fan of arm rest being in beige colour. Dark shade would have been better.


Squab, cushion and headrest
I found the front seats very supportive and offer decent lateral support. Don't expect rib-hugging wings, on fast turns you will feel some sliding. The front seats are wide enough with decent under thigh support. Headroom isn't a cause for concern either. You get adjustable seat height for driver which I keep in a fairly high position for the feel.
However, the seats doesn't have adjustable lumbar support.

The Xuv300 offers arguably the best rear seat knee room in its segment and knee angle and the seats are comfortable. There is no slouching or bending required. While most of the compact SUVs offer enough space for 4+1 seating the XUV300 might just be the most comfortable of the lot. In W8 variant, rear seat middle passenger has only two-point seat belt (W8(O) variant has three point seat belt for all 5 passengers). Taller people might feel a want for little more under thigh support in the rear seat. I haven't heard any complaints from my wife (5' 6'') or mother (5' 2'') though, who accompanied me in long trips. The rear seat center armrest is positioned comfortably with 2 cup holders.

• Seats
  
  Front seats.
  
  
  
  
  Unlike W8(O) variant, which has some straps for holding magazines in seat back, there is pockets present in this variant.
  
  
  
  
  Driver seat set to my sitting position, front passenger seat moved back to maximum.
  
  
  
  
  3 proper adults can fit in here; everyone gets whiplash protection with headrests.
  

Boot :
Ignoring the elephant in the room is pointless. Boot space is smallest in the segment, no two ways about it. However, for my usage pattern this is not a priority. Basically, it has boot space similar to my Grand i10, which I have rarely filled up in 6 years of usage. There is a 60:40 rear seat split as a consolation. Loading lip is little on the higher side, 2 level adjustable boot floor is present. Spare wheels are same size, however not alloy but steel rims. The other hatchbacks, we have owned, had spare wheel kept with rim facing upwards in the boot, hence they were easier to refill. In XUV300, as you can see, the rim faces down and I must lift the heavy wheel to refill, need to find some smarter way.

• Spare wheel
  

Steering and pedals:
There are 3 driving modes available. I haven't used ‘comfort’ steering mode much and steering feels the lightest in this mode. In the city I use ‘normal’ mode and on highways the heavier ‘sports’ mode. You can't compare to the Fords, not much feedback. However, it is pretty composed and I feel confident even at triple digit speeds. The steering only offers tilt adjustment. Reach adjustment would have been nice to have. Steering mount button ergonomics are not optimal, but I got around after a few weeks. I regularly use voice commands to dial folks in my contact list and haven't faced any issue.

Dead pedal is available in AMT variants and I have found it large enough for my usage. I would have preferred accelerator pedal on a little lower level than current setting, not a major challenge though. I have felt the brake pedals travel a lot before the actual bite starts (probably everything happens in the last 25%) and it took some time and a few panic breaks for me to adjust. Not sure if it is specific to my vehicle, I will request MASS folks to take look in my next service.

• Pedals
  

AC:
The cooling is decent (better than my Hyundai grand i10, which even has rear AC vents). The air-con vents distribute a fair amount of air throughout the cabin. If rear passengers are present, I do put the fan in medium or above. Fans at high speeds are noisy like most other cars in this segment. Dual zone climate control is effective, but I haven't used it for long durations yet.


MID:
All basic information you need is presented in a tidy way - odometer, dual trip meters, real-time & average fuel economy, distance to empty counter, temperature & time, selected gear display, average speed and driving time, etc. It also throws warnings related to service reminder, seat belt reminder, open door/hood/tailgate warning, reverse parking sensor warning, etc. However, the button to toggle the MID contents are on the central console. Compared to the competition, I felt the display a little outdated though. I have observed deviations in average fuel efficiency upto around 1 kmpl compared to the full tank to full tank fuel efficiency method.

• Display
  

Automotive head unit:
The response from the touchscreen is prompt. I generally keep it in Android auto mode for accessing maps and playing music online. You need to connect your smartphone via a USB cable and keep bluetooth paired, to integrate it with the Android auto. It has an SMS readout function as well. Sound quality is decent, good for melodies and classics, not sure which brand this is (SA also had no idea). Low pitch/low frequency sounds are not that great though. Ecosense widget is absent in AMT variant. Location tracking and TPMS are available only in W8(O) variant. Reverse camera with dynamic grid line display is available and I have felt video resolution to be on satisfactory side. The reversing camera display is on the touchscreen while the reverse parking sensor display is on the MID. The average fuel efficiency display is present in the infotainment system as well.

• Central console
  
  
  
  
  Android auto display
  
  
  
  
  MapmyIndia offline maps are present.
  
  
  
  
  Reverse camera view
  

Sensors and accessories:

I always keep headlight and wiper in auto mode and the sensors works seamlessly. This variant has follow-me-home headlamps as well. The auto wipers work as expected, the wiper speed keeps varying based on rain intensity. Keyless entry request sensors are available for both driver and front passenger doors. No auto dimming IRVM available in this variant, we can adjust manually. Reverse parking sensors comes by default.

I have added few accessories. Front parking sensors were installed from the dealership itself. There are switches provided to adjust volume and turn on/off the audible warning. I usually keep only the display readouts. Additionally, I have added a TPMS unit bought from Alibaba. The TPMS sensors are fitted on tyre valves and via bluetooth, a solar/USB powered display unit will show pressure and temperature. Furthermore, I have added a Honeywell air purifier, which seems to improve the quality of air. Other items like mats, blind spot mirrors, window sunshade, velcros meshes for storage and few emergency tools were purchased online.

• Parking sensors
  
  Front parking sensors display unit
  
  
  
  Standard Reverse parking display
  
  
  
  
• TPMS unit from Alibaba
  
  TPMS Display unit
  
  
  
  
• Honeywell air purifier from Amazon.
  
  Does its job silently
  
  
  
  
• Standard keyless entry sensor
  
  Request button
  
  
  

Safety:

GNCAP results were not available when I was looking for this car, but all feedbacks were on the similar line that Mahindra is leveraging the current generation Ssangyong Tivoli chassis that is used by in South Korea, UK and Australia. That did give me some conviction (along with Marazzo's results and Anand Mahindra's tweets about Tata's car safety). Now I see what Mahindra did, mostly, with the Tivoli platform was rebadge and chop. Three months after my purchase the crash results came, quoting "the highest combined result in Global NCAP’s #SaferCarsForIndia crash tests to date with the highest score in both the adult and child protection categories. The XUV300 has also shown the lowest level of intrusion and best side impact crashworthiness performance of any model tested so far."

This gives me a lot of confidence while driving on our highways. It was W8 model which was chosen for this crash test (I think they chose the entry-level version of highest selling variant - W8/W8(O)). This variant has 2 frontal airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP, ISOFIX child seat mounts, impact-sensitive door locks, hill start assist (I think this is the creep function itself), traction control and all-round disc brakes. Height-adjustable seat belt with pretensioners and seat belt reminder is available for 2 front seats. It is equipped with audible high-speed warning which is intermittent at 80 kmph and continuous above 120 kmph. Red warning lights are present on both front doors. Pair of fog lamps are present in both front and rear sides. The disc brakes on all wheels give me some more assurance and stopping power is good. The front passenger airbag was disabled when I got it from showroom, but for the vehicle manual book, I wouldn't have noticed the knob to enable/disable this airbag.

• Knob to enable/disable front passenger side airbag
  

The drive:


Engine:
This 1.5L, 4-cylinder, turbo diesel engine is very punchy, super refined, nicely insulated and very torquey. Once the turbo starts spooling above 1500 rpm, we feel the super surge. However, the powerband is not that wide. Basically, the grunt is focused on the mid-range. At the lower end there is lag, but decently contained, and towards higher end, it feels done around 4200 rpm. Engine becomes vocal around 3000 rpm when run in manual mode. I have read about GTO and Aditya stalling the vehicle at low revvs during official review, thanks to the AMT, I am unable to reproduce that.


AMT:
I am wary of the most common question from enthusiasts-” What is AMT doing in such a premium car?”
This 6 speed Marelli AMT, I felt, is the best AMT in the Indian market, especially on sedate or half throttle drive. In normal drives, the gear shifts are noticeable in lower gears (up to 3rd) but doesn't have annoying pause or head nods. On higher gears it is butter smooth and the shifting is very difficult to track.

During the first 10 minutes after a cold start, I try to maintain low rpm to make the engine-turbo warm-up as gradual as possible. The AMT upshift, by default, happens around 2200 rpm and this causes some uneasiness while I limber up the engine. Hence, I prefer to put the transmission in manual mode at least till I feel the engine has reached optimum temperature.

The shifting on lower gears does get better post warming up. I have also observed that the shift pattern changes as you drive (Eg: rpm at which upshift happens). I am guessing, as vehicle runs, more parameters becomes available for the TCU and hence more alternate conditions to check and perform shifts. I am also thinking the TCU parameters might be getting reset when I turn ignition off because when I switch off in a traffic signal and restart, I immediately feel the difference.

I don't feel any jerkiness on long highway trips. I am familiar how she performs now and able to plan the lifting of foot accordingly to make shift smoother. On steep uphill, I put her in Manual mode, otherwise I have seen the tendency to hold on to 2nd gear a little longer. Downhill I don't do anything, hill descent control seems to be working well. Do note that putting AMT in manual mode simply means moving upshifts to higher rpm. It will still upshift when we hit some thresholds (mostly around 4000 rpm) and downshift in designed rpm.

As recommended by SA, I move AMT to N when I need to stop the vehicle for more than few seconds. I have been advised about how braking for longer duration in creep mode causes overheating related issues. Creep function is available for reverse gear as well. During overtaking on highways, if you floor the pedal, AMT downshifts by 2 gears and I have felt minor wheel spins at times.

• Gear lever
  
  A little different shift pattern compared to usual
  

Daily Usage:
As I compile this the vehicle has covered only 4200 km in 8 months. The pandemic and subsequent WFH mode limited the overall usage.

The overall visibility from driver's cabin is good with even the character lines on the hood clearly visible. The ORVMs give decent visibility and neither the ORVMs nor the A-pillars are too big to create vehicle blind spots at the front. I have attached small convex mirrors to the ORVMs to help with rear blind spots. IRVM is alright, however the small rear windscreen restricts visibility. I also keep rear seat middle headrest at its lowest position for visibility. Front and reverse parking sensors are a boon especially due to the width of the vehicle and tight parking spaces.

Ride quality is awesome, felt more comfortable than competition I test drove, even with its 17-inch wheel. My XUV300 came with MRF Wanderer ecotread Street tyres which has 215/55 r17 94H profile. I maintain pressure levels of 32 psi for city drives and pump up to 34 psi on long drives. I have seen the pressure increases by up to 2 psi on long drives. Tyre grip is average, but car is composed on wet roads and fast turns, hence I plan to continue with these stock tyres for time being. I have travelled with 4 average size adults, a toddler and some luggage, no sag felt.

• View from driver seat in my position
  
  Notice how the hood contours are clearly visible.
  
  
  
  
  Tyre grip can be defined as satisfactory at the most
  
  
  

City driving:
My daily drive to office and return is around 30 Kms, in usual city traffic condition. I have felt XUV300 to be a easy to maneuver city vehicle, with good overall drivability. Creep mode helps in bumper to bumper traffic. You will get a plush ride in city roads with small potholes and speed breakers not felt much.

Highway driving:
The ride quality improves drastically when you hit highways, XUV300 glides through whatever you throw at it. The stability is also good at high speeds. You can easily cruise at 100 kmph at around 1800 rpm, which also means very low NVH levels.


Mileage:
I get 13+ kmpl in Hyderabad traffic. The best mileage I got was around 21.5kmpl in Bangalore-Coimbatore stretch (with speed at 80-90 kmph). I haven't felt any immediate difference running in BS4 and BS6 diesel.

• A recent reading
  

[Vijin]

First service:
I took an appointment via 'WithYouHamesha' app and took her to Automotive Mahindra service center for her first service. First service included inspect, check and adjust - all fluid levels, coolant, grease leak, exhaust pipe mounting, water drain pipe, etc. Finally, vehicle was cleaned, and service reminder indicator was reset. Billing was also very convenient as the same Mahindra app updated me with details. I wasn't charged anything for the first service.


Few notes:

• The Android auto disconnects from my phone generally on 2 occasions - when the vehicle goes into larger potholes /speed breakers or when the phone battery hits 100% the first time after connecting the USB cable.
  
  
• There is an option to switch off DRLs in the infotainment unit, however if the auto headlamps are set and the lights turn on as you enter a dark passage, DRLs will turn on as well. Now the headlamps will switch off once you enter daylight again, DRLs wont. The infotainment unit will show it as off, but DRLs will be on. Need to toggle ON/OFF again in the infotainment unit again to switch it off. Even Mahindra folks couldn't figure it out, may be a software update to fix someday.
  
  
• Cruise control on/off/resume function works very well. However, when AMT in auto mode, I have few corner cases in cruise-resumption which surprised me. I am not sure how this is supposed to work, but here are few things I observe:
  
  • Case 1: Say I am cruising at 85 kmph on highway, I see a U turn median gap and I slow down to 35 kmph and do coasting for some distance. The AMT shifts down to 3rd gear. Now if I press cruise resume, the vehicle behaves as if I have floored the accelerator pedal and the 35 to 85 kmph acceleration can be quite scary. I am used to this now and to avoid this, I manually try to throttle and reach the cruise set speed before resuming.
  
  
  • Case 2: Say I am travelling at 60 kmph, and the AMT auto mode has reached 5th gear. If I activate cruise control, the AMT limits the vehicle to 5th gear from this point onwards. Even if I deactivate the cruise control, AMT refuses to upshift to 6th gear. I must move to manual mode one time and upshift, post which AMT behaves normally. I am used to this now and don't activate cruise control unless the vehicle is already in 6th gear.
  
  
• AC still gives out a new car smell, which I don't like, had requested Mahindra folks clean the AC vents during first service, but not much difference.
  
  
• The AC vent clips from 2 of the vents came out after a month. Saw it had some gluing done inside, I am guessing this happened when the MASS engineers did the AC vent cleanup.

Final thoughts:
XUV300 might not be for everyone and by no means it is a perfect car but it has got a lot of things right. Apart from giving a sense of security, it gives a stable and comfortable ride. It is also smartly packaged and feature loaded and hence is a credible alternative in the segment. I also experienced the respect Mahindra has in the rural belts after getting her, lots of heads turning and curiosity. Drove from Hyderabad to Trivandrum during July end (single driver) and there was no fatigue or cramps to report . Overall, I would confidently recommend it to anyone looking for a rugged sub 4m SUV/Crossover.

Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts as well. I will keep updating this thread with my experiences as I munch more miles.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Your car is going to our homepage today

[anantpoddar]

Great thread, Vijin! I guess this is the first ownership review for the XUV300 on TeamBHP (mine has been lying in a word doc for the last one year; no more an 'initial' ownership review I guess).
That brake bite in the last 25% is not normal. Get it checked out.
That Android Auto disconnect: I too had that issue of disconnection during potholes. Buggered the MASS for months. Finally realized the problem was with my phone and cable.
Loved your front parking sensor display, will PM you for more details.

[The Rationalist]

Beautiful review! Wishing you long miles ahead. This one needs a proper automatic gearbox and sporty interiors. Front end styling was too overboard I feel. But the 5* safety it offers can compensate for all minor irritants.

[DevilzzzzOwn]

Awesome Thread Vij. Rated 5 Stars.

My Initial Ownership review has also been ripening in a Word Document. Guess the Initial Ownership will soon turn into Long Term Ownership Review. Mainly due to the lockdowns, I haven't taken out the XUV 3OO AMT W8(O) on any long drives so far and for another month or so, I suspect the only TLC it will be getting will be the weekly startups for 5 minutes and the customary drive around the society to keep the tyres in shape.

The Android Auto disconnecting happens for me as well. However, in my case, it happens even when the vehicle is in a standstill. Have changed the cable as well as the phone to no avail.

In my case, there was a problem with the rear passenger seatbelt warning lights not lighting up. Do check if those are working since in my case, the seats had to be completely removed and the sensors changed during the first service. Very time consuming, needless to say.

Interestingly, I too was clocked by Maharashtra Automated Number Plate Recognition Software overspeeding. Resulted in a fine of INR 1000. Beware of the Speed in this car. I had no clue I had crossed 90 in an 85 zone. That too with my ever cautious dad right besides me.

Keep Motoring!!

[Chrome6Boy]

Great review! Very informative and well written!

I couldn't agree with you more when you said there is no perfect car but rather "every car is good for its target customers".

We were in the market for a petrol CSUV last July for my wife and we had zeroed in on either the XUV300 or the Nexon. Like you prioritised the rear space, we prioritised the engine - gearbox combination.

Since the Venue came with the dual clutch we decided on the Venue. Also at that time the XUV300 was not offered in an AMT yet, but news everywhere confirmed that it would be an AMT.

Wish you many years of safety and happiness in this car!

[akshay_ritz]

Thank you for sharing this review. I bought an XUV300 W6 AMT a year ago and have been trying to pen down a review. However, I just do not have the vocabulary of the subject matter expertise on cars to do justice to it. I had the exact same requirements as you. I was upgrading from Maruti Ritz and was used to a wide cabin. The ritz was also an extremely fragile car. A slight touch leaves a big dent in that car, and hence I was looking for an extremely robust car. Finally, I wanted to buy either a Mahindra or a Tata to acknowledge the hard work these companies have put into designing some great cars. My friend forced me to test drive the AMT since I was inclined to go with a manual option. I could not wipe the grin off my face the first time I drove the AMT. The freedom you get by resting your left hand and leg cannot be explained in words.

I love the Perelli AMT. You definitely feel the shift when the car goes from first to second. Second to third is slightly noticeable, and after that, its butter smooth. The car is extremely planted on highways and inspires confidence. As I was looking at options, I realized that the number of airbags is definitely important, but the strength of the body is a much more critical factor. I drove the Ritz for ten years, and driving felt like a task. I would do it because no one else at home knew how to drive. That has completely changed with this car. I look for opportunities to take this car out. I also love the bucket seats for the driver and co-passenger. I can drive non-stop for a few hours without experience fatigue.

Please get the break tested out. My car comes to a jerky stop if I push it too hard. It starts slowing down even if I am gentle on the break.

XUV 300 has fallen out of the radar because Hyundai and Kia offer more bling but I love the solidness and the practicality offered by the car.

[nimishlalwani]

Hi Vijin,
Great review of the diesel AMT. When I was in the market, I struggled to find one. Thanks for penning this down.

I was looking at the location of the air purifier but I couldn't figure out its position. I hope it's not on the airbag, as it could be very risky.

Wish you many happy miles with the XUV!

[ChiragM]

Hello Vijin,

Excellent review. I drove the XUV petrol nad I really liked that car, save for the boot space. The quality is right up there for a Mahindra. The car I drove faced suspension damping issues which resulted in some close calls so this will be etched into my memory for a long time (link).

Originally Posted by Vijin

• Only AMT automatic transmission available, this car deserves a proper Torque convertor.

Yes agreed. With the Thar getting a Aisin gearbox, hope Mahindra adds the same to the XUV.

Originally Posted by anantpoddar

Great thread, Vijin! I guess this is the first ownership review for the XUV300 on TeamBHP (mine has been lying in a word doc for the last one year; no more an 'initial' ownership review I guess).

Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn

My Initial Ownership review has also been ripening in a Word Document. Guess the Initial Ownership will soon turn into Long Term Ownership Review.

Do finish up the reviews of your car. Looking forward to reading them.

[Vijin]

Wow, thanks for the response guys!

Originally Posted by anantpoddar

That Android Auto disconnect: I too had that issue of disconnection during potholes.

Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn

The Android Auto disconnecting happens for me as well.

I see Android auto disconnect is pretty common then. Will try out few more device/cable combinations then.

Originally Posted by anantpoddar

That brake bite in the last 25% is not normal. Get it checked out.

Originally Posted by akshay_ritz

Please get the break tested out. My car comes to a jerky stop if I push it too hard. It starts slowing down even if I am gentle on the break.

Thanks, this is action item #1 for me.

Originally Posted by anantpoddar

Loved your front parking sensor display, will PM you for more details.

Sure, happy to help.

Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn

In my case, there was a problem with the rear passenger seatbelt warning lights not lighting up.

I see, in W8 variant, only front passengers gets seatbelt warning (one of the reasons, apparently, xuv300 scored only 4 stars for rear seat passengers in GNCAP), hence didnot come across this.

Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn

Interestingly, I too was clocked by Maharashtra Automated Number Plate Recognition Software overspeeding. Resulted in a fine of INR 1000. Beware of the Speed in this car.

Velocitization- I was victim of this. I saw the speed limit sign and slowed down. However, I was still faster than the limit.

[Vijin]

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Do finish up the reviews of your car. Looking forward to reading them.

Can't agree more on this, please do post them.

[ramnaresh_2000]

Congratulations on your car. The colour looks stunning. Picture credit has cracked me open. It is good to see dead peddle on AMT. I own TUV 300 AMT and I dearly miss this creature comfort.

My AMT has been a nightmare experience. Little caution of advise, whenever you see AMT light flashing, visit MASS immediately. I found VVC kondapur AMT tuning better than Automotive MASS tuning. My vehicle had multiple breakdown issues due to AMT, so please do be careful.

I used to park my vehicle in A1 mode with breaks applied during red lights. This will impact AMT software and will send error codes. So please do make sure to park in N during red lights and stops.

Also please do not use manual mode, it will damage the clutch plates. I had mine replaced in just 25k kms. My verna had clutch plates replaced after 60k. It costed me 5k and after some nasty email exchanges between M&M customer service, the amount was reduced from my next service.

Happy miles.

[vivek_lm]

Thanks a lot Vijin for this ownership review! Well written and thoroughly useful, particularly being the first such one on our forum.

I'm considering an upgrade later this year and XUV300 AMT is right up there on my shortlist. Therefore, I've been scouting for credible ownership reviews, particularly of the AMT, to no avail until now. Can't thank you enough!

When I test drove the car last December, even I had found the AMT to be reasonably good. Of course, the TC box on Ecosport was better, but still I felt it wasn't much of a compromise here. The other two limitations- lower under-thigh support and tiny boot- weren't concerns for us since we are all below 5' 5'' and usually pack light for long trips.

Wish you many more miles with your rock solid steed!