Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
366,784 views
Old 3rd April 2022, 10:29   #196
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 1,767
Thanked: 7,226 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti View Post
...
Update on the EVAP Issue...
...
...
This was an interesting trip, in more than one way. Pushed the vehicle beyond it's normal operating range and what a response from the vehicle. This spirited run needs a separate post and will try to post one longish update sooner than later.
Great to hear that car is back home - please keep an eye on things again. I wish M&M fixes the issue once and for all. See if you can follow the earlier routine of filling, parking overnight, driving around on a similar route etc.

The car is a different animal in the city and on the highway. I too recently finished a longish trip, just crossed over 5500 km on odo. It's so much fun driving this car!
abirnale is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 4th April 2022, 10:29   #197
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: KA03/KL09/MH12
Posts: 294
Thanked: 426 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti View Post


Update on the EVAP Issue
After 3 days at the service centre, the XUV is now back and has a new/updated fuel tank, new charcoal canister. I took it out on a 500km run today and the vehicle is running just fine. I'm not going to pass the verdict anytime soon and will observe the vehicle for a few more weeks.
Good to hear that they replaced both the fuel tank and the Canister. This should work fine now.
callmeneo is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 8th April 2022, 23:05   #198
BHPian
 
impala's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 268
Thanked: 518 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti View Post
After 3 days at the service centre, the XUV is now back and has a new/updated fuel tank, new charcoal canister.
After seeing this update and the advice from @callmeneo that the canister is shot after petrol gets inside the canister, I wrote to Mahindra; and they got me in touch through the customer care manager for Bangalore. He advised the service centre to fill the tank full and observe the vehicle. Last Monday, filled full-tank in front of the service manager, and the ASC attempted to reproduce the issue on Tuesday. Unfortunately the issue was not reproduced. Mahindra did not recommend the ASC for a canister or fuel tank replacement but the ASC followed up and got a canister replacement approved after I insisted on a canister replacement. But there is a wait of 5-8 working days to get the canister shipped from Pune.

Issue is back

I took the car out for a dinner today evening, did not face any issues and parked the car at a restaurant's basement parking going down a steep incline. After an hour, came back and press the start button - engine kept cranking for 5-6 seconds. As this is not the first time I am facing the issue, I took my leg off the brake to stop cranking (it is an AT) and squeeze the accelerator, engine sputters to life. Luckily I had said 'no' to valet when he asked whether he should fetch the vehicle; I had parked it myself!

Car struggled a bit to come up the incline from the basement; lose of power was very visible. As I try to enter the highway, car get switched off again with couple of cars behind me. Vehicle did not start in the first attempt; it started in the second as I quickly moved my leg from brake to accelerator. Please note, unlike many ATs, you cannot start the engine of XUV700 from Neutral; you need to stop the car and shift it to Park! Maruti suggests starting in Neutral as the recommended maneuver if the vehicle gets switched off while moving; it saves time and avoids stopping the car if you stall on an highway!Got off the highway as early as I can and took pocket roads as I felt it is dangerous to drive on highways with my family! While the engine almost switched off a few times when I slowed down for oncoming vehicles and speed breakers, I could keep it alive by slightly squeezing the accelerator. The car was doing 55kmph at 2K RPM on flat roads; that much is the lose of power. Chose to park in a place that is easy to take the car out; last time it switched off thrice while I was attempting to take the car out. Squeezing the accelerator to keep it alive with pillars all around in a basement parking is no fun!

Please note, there is no check engine light - EVAP issues are expected to trigger CEL and OBD error codes. Also, even last time, the issue happened immediately after I drove on a downslope. At least this time, Mahindra cannot say I overfilled as I filled in front of the service manager and he was recording a video of filling.

Fingers crossed to get the car in roadworthy condition before an upcoming trip on Wednesday morning. I need to drive through highways, forests and ghat roads!

@Mudhalaipatti, if you do not mind, can you please share some contacts of yours in Mahindra? Trying to get some attention to this issue. I want to attempt getting the tank replaced hoping that is a permanent fix! Thanks!

Last edited by impala : 8th April 2022 at 23:18.
impala is offline   (8) Thanks
Old 9th April 2022, 07:09   #199
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chennai
Posts: 332
Thanked: 1,375 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by impala View Post
Mahindra did not recommend the ASC for a canister or fuel tank replacement but the ASC followed up and got a canister replacement approved after I insisted on a canister replacement. But there is a wait of 5-8 working days to get the canister shipped from Pune.

....


@Mudhalaipatti, if you do not mind, can you please share some contacts of yours in Mahindra? Trying to get some attention to this issue. I want to attempt getting the tank replaced hoping that is a permanent fix! Thanks!
This is unacceptable, especially after what you have gone through. I can't imagine having to park the car in the middle of the highway to restart the engine in the AT. PMed you some contact details. Hopefully that helps.
Mudhalaipatti is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 9th April 2022, 12:23   #200
BHPian
 
impala's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 268
Thanked: 518 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by impala View Post
Issue is back
Talked to the customer care manager for Bangalore and also took the car to service centre. The car got switched off twice on the way. I think I am going to call RSA next time if the issue happens again on road as I am realizing even more that it is not safe to drive that car with the issue. Fuel came out of the vapour line from the tank when they opened it.

Few disheartening observations.
  • While the customer care manager was assuring that they would try their best they do not yet have a clue on the root cause and fix. He did not believe that replacing tank would solve the issue! I sincerely hope it is a gap in communication within Mahindra and they are not flying blind and trying out probable fixes!
  • They wanted to diagnose further and was confident that the vehicle will not be ready by Wednesday. Their tech team is not available on weekends and the spare parts take 5-8 working days to come! I had contacted them on March 31st to avoid the car being not roadworthy during my upcoming trip on 13th. A little bit of pro-activeness from their part would have avoided this. I also learned that the ASC had not contacted the technical team when I faced the issue last month; neither they had contacted the the customer care manager to follow up when I gave the car to the ASC earlier this week. They raised a technical assistance report only when I insisted on a canister replacement.
  • The ASC need to talk to the technical team of Mahindra for any non-trivial diagnosis or fixes. The technical team is not available on weekends. It is surprising; at least in the org that I work for, there are 'on-calls' to help in such scenarios.
All that I hope now is they diagnose and fix this properly! Having to spend 25K on taxi after spending 24L on a car is disheartening.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti View Post
PMed you some contact details. Hopefully that helps.
Thank you for the prompt response! I talked to the contact you gave; he assured that he will follow up with his Karnataka counter part. Hoping it will help bring the right focus to the issue. I have also written to Mr. Abdul Hanif Syed and planning to ping their QA head on linkedin.

Last edited by impala : 9th April 2022 at 12:25.
impala is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 10th April 2022, 13:03   #201
BANNED
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: hump city
Posts: 1,293
Thanked: 5,860 Times
Infractions: 0/1 (7)
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by impala View Post
Mahindra did not recommend the ASC for a canister or fuel tank replacement but the ASC followed up and got a canister replacement approved after I insisted on a canister replacement. But there is a wait of 5-8 working days to get the canister shipped from Pune.
Issue is back
Quote:
Originally Posted by callmeneo View Post
Good to hear that they replaced both the fuel tank and the Canister. This should work fine now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by venkyhere View Post
raise and stink and ask to be connected to some technical person at M&M (not the dealership). This is some basic issue, and the usual 'replace under warranty' of the charcoal canister is not going to solve it, unless the issue is root caused first. The charcoal canister is not the issue, something else is. I hope GTO and other moderators keep a separate thread for this topic (because the A.S.S has not 'fixed' anything with their 'fix') and raise media attention. THIS HAS TO GET INVESTIGATED BY FACTORY ENGINEERS, and not by a service technician who knows how to operate the OBD port and take the car apart.

Unless proven otherwise, I will stick to my theory of poor quality 'vent valve' that is stuck closed and not getting opened once vehicle is switched off. Probably some relay or solenoid that refuses to return to mean position after it's power is cut off.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, replacing the canister is like putting band aid on an infected wound. It's just postponing the inevitable, by simply covering up the symptom, without bothering about the root cause. The issue has to be root caused. Otherwise it will be an endless cycle. I can't believe for the life of me, why Mahindra is sticking to 'customer overfilled' theory and not taking the issue seriously. If I was the guy in charge, I would immediately send my best engineers to site inorder to understand the issue. Mahindra are delving into petrol powertrains with the 700, this has to be a severe red flag bug for them. I am staggered that the response from Mahindra is lukewarm (or cold, even).

Last edited by venkyhere : 10th April 2022 at 13:05.
venkyhere is offline   (7) Thanks
Old 10th April 2022, 15:11   #202
BHPian
 
impala's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 268
Thanked: 518 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by venkyhere View Post
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, replacing the canister is like putting band aid on an infected wound. It's just postponing the inevitable, by simply covering up the symptom, without bothering about the root cause.
While I am also unhappy about the tardiness they showed at least in my case, I would like to clarify a few points to be fair on Mahindra.
  • When I faced the issue first time, I think the responsibility of not getting Mahindra tech involved is solely with the ASC; they did not file a technical assistance report. The Customer Care Manager did want to involve their tech team when I reached out on March 31st, but again, the ASC did not let the CCM know that the car is with the ASC. - Negative
  • The CCM was talking to me as if they have to diagnose the issue afresh. Probably this is a communication gap they have within. His responses where also not empathetic towards the customer nor apolegetic. After all, the car ran into issue again as they wanted to fill full tank which I was avoiding; even if it was delaying the inevitable. Lack of commitments from his side to expedite resolution (which was later proven to be feasible) and the nature in which he suggested me to change my travel plan left a bad taste. - Negative
  • Same time, the senior leaders of Mahindra are very responsive! I got a response from their Customer Care Head within 2.5hrs. He added the regional head to the thread too. While the response was brief, it did sound customer obsessed and gave confidence. - Positive
  • OP helped me to get in touch the regional CCM of Tamilnadu. Despite I being from Bangalore, he talked to me and understood the issue; and collected the details to share with his counter part in Karnataka. - Positive
  • As suggested by OP, I checked with the work manager about a loaner vehicle. The work manager could offer an XUV300 Petrol MT in about 2hrs. I politely refused as I haven't driven MT on highways for more than 20km in 4+ yrs now. Whenever I drive, I occasionally forget that I am driving an MT and stall the vehicle; and my drive this time involves going uphill on bad ghat roads! Luggage space was insufficient too. They had no other options. - Neutral.
  • Some of the follow-ups helped. While both Work Manager and the CCM did not believe any progress will be there during weekend; Mahindra's tech team reviewed the case and recommended replacing both tank and canister by 4PM. At least they are following the same resolution and hopefully the new tank, apparently redesigned, should fix the issue! Certainly the work manager who ensured that the technical assistance report is filed on time and few folks from Mahindra moved fast here - Positive.
Also, I think they are not mentioning about overfilling any more. The guidance to not overfill is still valid as that can increase the risk. I faced the issue both times immediately after going down a steep incline with near-full tank (40-50km after full tank). This time, the fuel was seen in the inlet of the canister too while the other lines were empty. So my current hypothesis is that the angle while going downhill is raising the petrol level at the front side of the tank, causing petrol to flow down the vapour line. Probably someone can test the hypothesis by driving the car down a 20% slope with full-tank .

Last edited by impala : 10th April 2022 at 15:16.
impala is offline   (5) Thanks
Old 10th April 2022, 20:36   #203
BHPian
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 39
Thanked: 203 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by impala View Post
. So my current hypothesis is that the angle while going downhill is raising the petrol level at the front side of the tank, causing petrol to flow down the vapour line. Probably someone can test the hypothesis by driving the car down a 20% slope with full-tank .
Really sorry to see the difficult experience you are having.
I have an AX7 P AT, and have been following this thread since this problem is quite serious.
It is quite unnerving that the problem has not been diagnosed until now.
Regarding the hypothesis of driving down a slope, I had parked in a basement with a pretty steep slope, the tank was also recently topped up to the max.
I did not face any issue after that.
My guess is rather than the tank, it is the valves or their control system that needs to be checked & replaced/corrected.
I will certainly be a nervous person every time I will fill petrol until this issue is resolved by Mahindra as this is certainly NOT a small glitch. Fuel leakage is a major safety hazard.
Please do keep this thread posted on your experience.
nickelniks is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 11th April 2022, 11:55   #204
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: KA03/KL09/MH12
Posts: 294
Thanked: 426 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by venkyhere View Post
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, replacing the canister is like putting band aid on an infected wound. It's just postponing the inevitable, by simply covering up the symptom, without bothering about the root cause. The issue has to be root caused.
The tank will not and should not let the fuel out of the vent lines and into the canister in any of the sloshing or uphill/downhill conditions. This is the role of the valves on the tank and if the fuel is leaking out then there might be a failure on the valves. And if its occurring to many customers then there might be a bad batch of valves responsible for this.

Also another reason might be the location of the canister which is usually kept at a higher location to avoid such failures ie even if the fuel leaks from the tank ,it would not have entered the canister if it was at a higher location.

Hope am clear now.
callmeneo is offline  
Old 11th April 2022, 19:54   #205
BANNED
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: hump city
Posts: 1,293
Thanked: 5,860 Times
Infractions: 0/1 (7)
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by callmeneo View Post
The tank will not and should not let the fuel out of the vent lines and into the canister in any of the sloshing or uphill/downhill conditions. This is the role of the valves on the tank and if the fuel is leaking out then there might be a failure on the valves. And if its occurring to many customers then there might be a bad batch of valves responsible for this.

Also another reason might be the location of the canister which is usually kept at a higher location to avoid such failures ie even if the fuel leaks from the tank ,it would not have entered the canister if it was at a higher location.

Hope am clear now.
Did you mean to tag some other post ? I never mentioned anything about sloshing, tank valves or anything.
So, no, it's not clear to me what your intended, by replying to my post.

w.r.t sloshing etc, there has to be a set of baffles in the fuel tank to dampen sloshing quickly. I don't think (blind guess) this issue has anything to do with fuel tank valves or sloshing or vehicle inclined on slope or anything like that.

Remember, Mahindra are relatively new when it comes to petrol engined vehicles, this may be some basic design bug in terms of geometrical positioning of vent valves on top of the canister or the canister itself (which you have covered in your post) , since the primary consideration behind the architecture of locating various components related to fuel tank, fuel lines etc maybe only w.r.t the diesel variant, and the additional apparatus necessary for a petrol fuel system might have been accommodated only as an afterthought, with some jugaad/adjustment at the design stage itself.

However, hoping that such a massive blunder is unlikely, I am leaning more towards a faulty batch of vent valves which are not responding/reverting to open position, once the vehicle has been switched off.

In summer time, it's very easy (need not be parked under blazing sun) for fuel to vapourize and vapour pressure to build up if there is no atmospheric breathing - the moment the car is switched on again, the purge valve which gets opened, immediately sucks in massive amounts of fuel vapour (or even fuel, as it happened in @Mudhalaipatti's case) since the pressure gradient will be massive between built up vapour pressure and the intake manifold vacuum. The ability for atmospheric pressure to intervene and even out such a pressure differential is lost, if the vent valve never opens.

Last edited by venkyhere : 11th April 2022 at 19:55.
venkyhere is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 12th April 2022, 16:52   #206
BHPian
 
impala's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 268
Thanked: 518 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by venkyhere View Post
I am leaning more towards a faulty batch of vent valves which are not responding/reverting to open position, once the vehicle has been switched off.
In my case, at least during the second instance, fuel was seen only in the inlet vapour line to the canister. There's no fuel coming out of vent line, the line to the fuel intake or the canister itself. Is it possible that there was no trace of fuel in vent line if the fuel was indeed coming in through vent line?

Update on the issue - while Mahindra could expedite the spare parts, they couldn't get it in time to return the car today. Their tech team also advised against driving the vehicle till the replacements are done. They gave me options to rent a self-drive car or use taxi, both they would reimburse. Chose taxi, which will be around ₹30K, as there were absolutely no AT cars available to rent. My last few conversations with the CCM were very positive too.
impala is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 12th April 2022, 17:02   #207
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: KA03/KL09/MH12
Posts: 294
Thanked: 426 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by venkyhere View Post
Did you mean to tag some other post ? I never mentioned anything about sloshing, tank valves or anything.
So, no, it's not clear to me what your intended, by replying to my post.

.
Hi I quoted your post to give my root cause analysis/ take on this incident.

Added the sloshing data as a general information to everyone.

Yes there are baffles inside the tank but if the tank is half or 3/4th empty and you are driving on a very bad road with loads of lateral movement then the baffles can only compensate to an extent.

With respect to the vapour built up during hot summer, its evened out by the breathing from the vent valves.

Also the suction from the purge valve isnt so strong that they can suck the fuel from the fuel tank as well. The valves would lock out if such a pressure comes to the tank.

Also i thought Mahindra would have learnt a thing or 2 from their collaboration with Ssangyong with the XUV 300 petrols.

PS: will try not to quote the reply to a main post henceforth.
callmeneo is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 20th April 2022, 11:25   #208
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chennai
Posts: 332
Thanked: 1,375 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

It's been a busy few weeks and I haven't been able to update my ownership, as much as I would have liked. Red Rage has been scorching the roads offlate and I am one super happy guy these days, especially after the almighty whispers "You look sexy, when you drive this XUV". I don't know if she's complimenting the Machine or the Man.

From time immemorible, we have been driving with the extra luggage a.k.a kids and it's always been a sedate, often cautious ride all along. In the meantime the Almighty has been hearing horror stories, from my friends, about me driving or rather on suicide missions on my RX100 during my younger days and she couldn't possibly fit me(who right after marriage, shifted to a Boxer CT100) in to this crazy-rider image. I think she took those, as friends-trying-to-ruin-your-marriage tactics.

For the first time, in a very long time, we had to dash off to a place, with out the luggage (read kids). And be back before nightfall, which meant covering 600 odd km in under 6 hours (excluding the quick business at hand)

I don't know if it was the dormant energy, or the "couples time", or the pleasant roads or a combination of all, the journey along this route brought out the "Driver". While driving in Trichy (mostly pick and drop duties) I'm super focused, cautious and of course cursing all the way. But not this time. I got to tease other drivers, pass comments on anything that moved, push the XUV to it's limits. Felt pure pleasure driving a car.

I still wonder, how Mahindra pulled off this beast of a Petrol engine. The acceleration is mind-blowing, braking is precise and above all the suspension is heavenly. I'll elaborate on the suspension in a little while, but the brakes need a special mention. One more than one occasion, I had to hard brake, break so hard that the hazard lights came off automatically. This partly owing to poorly placed barricades and partly to my "enthusiastic" driving. If it had been another 2 tonne vehicle, I'm not sure if it would have stopped to avoid a crash.

This is clearly a vehicle built for the highways. We both didn't feel any fatigue after driving these 600km. Such is the front row seat comfort.

Dashcam Setup

After deliberating for almost 6 months, bought the 70mai Pro Plus+ A500S Dual Channel Car Dash Cam. I wanted to film the installation to show you guys and was hoping I can complete in 30 mins. Uh ! No. It took me under 10 minutes !! I setup the Timelapse for every 30 seconds and here is the video output. Feels like a lightening setup. Eh ?



The real cam cable was more than enough to cover the full length of the XUV.
It was pretty easy doing it myself with the prying tool. Here are some photos illustrating the wiring path for rear camera.


Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rvwiretuckedin.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rvwire1.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rcwiring2.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rvwiring3.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rvwiringfull.jpeg

And the view of the rear camera profile from inside and outside.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rearview.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rvfromoutside.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rvfrombottom.jpeg

The dangling loose wire is an eye sore. But then if I had to make this vanish, I had to taken out the boot door trim, which I was not ready. Yet !.

Initially I had left the front camera wire dangling behind the mirror, to connect to the USB drive. However the Almighty was mighty displeased with the setup.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-fvconnected1stattempt.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-fvmessey1.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-fvmessy2.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-fvmessywiretuckedin.jpeg

I was sceptical of the length of the front camera cable reaching to the charging point through the passenger side, but it turned out just fine. Here are the photos of the front camera profile from outside and the the wiring path.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-fvfromouts.jpeg

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-frontdiagram.jpeg

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-leftwiring1.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-underglovebox1.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-undergb2.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-underglovebox3.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-leftwiring2.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-leftwiring3.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-leftwiring4.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-hiddenwire1.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-hiddenwire2.jpeg

You may notice a slight profusion on the left hand side, but barely noticeable. Picture of "wired" area and non wired area for comparison.
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-comp1.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-comp2.jpeg

I now have a thumbs from the Almighty on the neat setup. Even though I wanted a parking setup and is in fact what I bought, I have not got the confidence to mess with the fuses yet and may take a few more months to play around before installing the parking monitor.

The video/camera quality is satisfactory. While reading number plates is not straight forward and easy from the rear cam, it can be done.

The video quality around noon time, where there's dashboard reflection was minimal and so didn't invest in a CPL filter. Keeping it simple for now.



And the XUV is ready for the Mountains (coming soon)
Mudhalaipatti is offline   (14) Thanks
Old 20th April 2022, 13:02   #209
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chennai
Posts: 332
Thanked: 1,375 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

XUV In the Mountains

And for the first time, the XUV goes up the mountains. Here is the short video of the long weekend trip.



Note : Try changing YouTube video to 4K. The SD version looks blown out.

And now comes the detailed "Travelogue".

Ever since we returned to India, we wanted to go on a vacation (The proverbial itch). However Oct, Nov and Dec was a washout, as there was extended rains in this part of this world. (Did someone just say we carried the weather in our luggage !)

After the kids started going to school, the only options available were weekends, which of course were mostly take-up by visiting friends and family. Now that we are not exotic anymore, we got a few weekends to spend with ourselves.

14-Apr was Tamil New Year and 15-Apr was Good Friday. Both being public holidays, we got a 4 day long weekend. Couldn't ask for more.

And then the search for destinations started. Considering that it's peak summer season, beaches are out of question. I am tanned enough. Himalayas/NorthEast was too much of a journey and I couldn't part with the XUV. And so the only option was the Western Ghats and a new property in Kodaikanal caught my attention in Jan of this year. The property claimed to be the first Glamping in India and decided to book it 4 months in advance. (It still is booked 4 months ahead. Such is the demand for this place)

While the temperatures started souring in Mar/Apr, I was preparing for a sweaty vacation in the hills. Packed my beachwear. Lo and behold, the first week of Apr, saw some surprise UAC developing over South India and it started raining just a week before. Nice. This also meant the hills would be a little less crowded during the weekdays, even more so if it rains. (we are a breed that would get out of a indoor swimming pool, when it rains outside)

Next bridge to cross or rather road to cross - I dread the ghats road section. I can't be dodging death at every corner. I drives me nuts. I didn't want my curses to fly higher than the mountains. And in the search for an alternate route, thanks to BHpian @Stribog, got to know about a new route to Kodainakal that had opened late last year, barely known to anyone. When you are driving from Trichy/Madurai, you take the route, as shown on the first picture. This new route, is 7km further down the usual ghats junction, via Tandurpatti->Adukkam->PerumalMalai->Kodaikanal. Google maps will not show you this route and have to draw your own route by zooming in on these places.


Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-closerregularroute.jpgRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-new-route.jpg

Day 1

Spoke to a restaurant owner in Kodaikanal and he suggested we cross the Observatory road before 10 a.m to beat the tourist traffic. And so we started planning our travel, to the last minute, as if we were robbing a bank. Started sharp at 6 a.m on 14th from Trichy. As with Murphy's law, the older kid woke up with a headache. This could mean only on thing - Trouble. Lots of it. With the plan to climb up a curvy road, even more trouble. But then you develop a thick skin, before procreating or at least a few years later. We decided to chug along.

The roads were amazing all along, with disciplined drivers, especially two wheelers driving only the shoulder, which enabled the slower vehicles to occupy the left lane, leaving the right lane for faster vehicles. The vehicle was munching miles. The interesting part is, I had to call the attention of the Almighty to show her the speedo. She didn't realise that we were going at such speeds. Needless to say, that highpoint was short-lived, with strict orders to go under 120. Such was the cornering and suspension capabilities for XUV. Absolute pleasure.

Had our breakfast in A2B Dindugal at around 8 a.m. There was ample parking space inside and outside. They have covered car parking as well.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-a2b.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-a2binside.jpg

All tanks were full, except the older kids'. More trouble in the horizon. The cranky kid was becoming crankier by the passing minute and we wanted to get to Luxeglamp at the earliest. At this rate, we would reach Luxeglamp by 11 a.m, while our checkin time was 3 p.m. Plan was to take some nice photos/drone shots of us and the vehicle climbing up the road. But then the kid's energy(read crankiness) is so infectious, I didn't bother to stop the car. What was I going to shoot - sulking faces and beautiful XUV ?. And so guys that's the reason why we don't have any pictures or videos of the gorgeous route. However I do have some action camera converted to dash cam Timelapse photos in the video posted at the start.

This new route is just awesome. The road is well constructed with just 20 hair pin bends and is 45 km to Kodaikanal, which one can cover in just over an hour. This new route/road is so barely known and so less vehicles ply on this road that in the last 6 months since it's opened, shrubs and plants have crept in to the road, making it a effective one lane road. I came across just one car and a handful of bikes en route. Having said that, if you are taking this route, please drive cautiously, as 2 wheelers (not the locals, they drive cautiously. The bikers also know that this stretch is mostly unused and speed on this stretch). Also in some places rocks had filled off and you don't want to be rolling a rock uphill.

The rains had turned the mountains lush and green once again (pleasant surprise for this time of the year) and there were streams and tiny watersfalls all along. As you start to climb up the mountains, you pass through a large stretch of Mango farms/Coconut farms. While going up or coming down, try to get some mangoes ( this is the season) and coconut. If you are etching for a dip, ask around if you can swim in one of the farm wells. It's a blissful experience to dive in to a well with the mountains in the background. We couldn't do it, as the kids were not very well. But perhaps next time.

There's a forest Checkpost, where they note down your name, number, vehicle details and ask you not to take this road after nightfall. Just after this checkpoint, there's a small waterfalls. In google maps, it shows up as Kumbakarai Falls 2. When we went in, it poured so heavily the last night that the main Kumbakarai falls was closed. Having such flow in Apr is surreal.

All along this route, there are multiple organic farms and if you are game, just ask, you would get fresh bananas, spices right from the farm. There are no eateries or refreshments available on this route though. If you venture in to Adukkam village, you may find some, but there are lot more options available, once you reach PerumalMalai.

The video should show you some of these places. The whole ride was spectacular with bursts of rain here and there and clouds following us all along. I didn't expect such pleasant weather, atleast not in Apr.

We were able to beat the traffic and crossed Observatory road by 10.30 a.m. Our stay was a good 1 hour drive away from the Kodaikanal town, in Poomparai village. I had planned to have an early lunch at Woody's near Poomparai. But as we neared the place at around 11.30 a.m, there were so many cars and vehicles, it felt like a carnival crowd. The Almighty is like a radio active material. She has to be isolated. Not a living thing anywhere near 20 sqkm is appreciated. Woody's ambiance is great. However I can't imagine that tiny place being able to handle bus loads of tourists. It would be like housing an elephant in a dog house. There's a glass house being constructed and hopefully it should ease up some crowding. We decided to give it a miss.

Next stop was Passiflora Art Cafe, which is a just a km or so away from Woodys. By the time we walked in, the shop had just opened and the cook had not come in yet. We ordered a few items and decided to wait out. The Cafe had a gorgeous view, fantastic interiors and has a cool vibe to it. The balcony seating area was awesome, with some nice deco.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-paciflordeco.jpeg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-paciflordeco2.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-pacifloradeco3.jpeg

And that's were the good things come to an end. The food was sub par and didn't live up to the expectation. We ordered French fries which were undercooked. Pork chops, which again was undercooked and had one big piece. The Burgers Buns were not soft enough. The fried chicken should actually be called "burnt chicken". And above all the bill amount of Rs.2300 was outrageous. Not sure if it was that day or overall the food is this bad. We decided to give it a miss for all days. Once bitten, twice shy. The brief stop in this cafe helped calm down some nerves and empty the kids bowels. He was beginning to turn back human.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-paciflorafood1.jpg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-paciflorafood2.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-paciflorabill.jpeg

Now looking at the bill, don't ask if a village had food here. It's just 2 adults and 1 and half kid (Before you ask, no no-one ate one half of a kid. He was just not ready to regurgitate one more time and we discounted him, or atleast half of him). I wanted to give them the benefit of doubt and ordered one after the other. And after Rs.2300, my wallet was empty and my tummy full. A cat may have 9 lives, but a restaurant gets only one.

And then the adventure ride to LuxeGlamp started. You take the road or what- resembles-a-road to Poomparai village and further down on a martian surface, to this location. The road condition is horrible at best and low GC vehicle may find it challenging to navigate, especially after rains. This beast handled the what-once-was-a-road with so much ease. Amazed at the handling. Only on a few occasions while climbing up a steep incline, I had to switch to 1st gear. And then the final adventure - the driveway or the roller-coaster-way to the parking lot. This is so steep, I was surprised how smaller vehicles could get through. You have to see it to believe it. But apparently this is the road often taken and no vehicle has ever slipped back or fallen off the road. That's a consolation.

There are a total of 5 Glamps and each has it's unique view. However the one we booked "Moroccan" had the most uninterrupted view and unparalleled view of the raging waterfalls, right from our bedside. We were so fortunate to witness 3 waterfalls in this dry season. However it's quite a hike to the restaurant. Only breakfast and dinner is served. While these can be delivered, by the time the food is delivered, it's cold. We preferred to huff and puff to get warm food. And btw food tasted yummy.


Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-hikeup.jpg


This place is top notch and you should try it some day, if you are in this part of the world. The views were outwordly (if that's a word). None of the photos are edited. It's straight out without any enhancements. With the rains, each sunrise and sunset was magical. We were just lucky to be at the right time.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-ravishingview.jpg

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-viewfrombed.jpg

A thing to note is that the Glamp has no temperature control, which means in winter you need extra blankets and in the summer months, you better get out of this place. It may be too hot to stay inside during the summer months. We were just lucky to have milder weather for the 2N3D we stayed in.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rainbowview.jpg

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-viewfrominside1.jpg

Also the hot tub takes a good 5 hours to heat up. The kids were itching to get inside, but that had wait till the next day.

Day 2

We woke up to arguably the best sunrise we had ever seen. First some rain, then some fog and then a riot of colours.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-panoramashot.jpg

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rainyviewfrominside.jpg

The tub had heated up to a nice 40C and we all jumped in to have some great family time. The kids had recuperated well and we had a blast of a time in hot tub.

Breakfast starts at 9.30 a.m at this wonderful reception/dining area. But not the hike. You burn the food, before eating it. Also the sound travel in this dome is freakish. You can hear the person from the other table speak in DOLBY ATMOS audio.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-reception.jpg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-luxeglampfood.jpg

We wanted to go visit the Mannavanur Lake, which was around 20 km from Poomparai. Started at 9.30 a.m and reached the Sheep research centre around 10.30 a.m and we were the first few. We had the whole place to ourselves. Very well maintained place. Neat and clean. How could you not, with such innovative dust bins. I don't know, what was more valuable. The tree or the dustbin, as it was chained.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-dustbinmannavanur.jpg

Did a very short horse ride (costed Rs.200) and then setup our picnic at a strategic location, overlooking the lake.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-mannavanurlake1.jpg
Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-horseride.jpgRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-picnic.jpg

That photos above proves that I got "an eye for detail".

We didn't step foot inside the centre at all, as we spent our time outside. As noon approached, lot of footfall happened and every foot walked straight in to the centre to see the sheep and rabbits. We were left almost undisturbed for a few hours.

From the entrance, the tree and location is partly hidden. We then ordered food from the canteen, which is a little down to the right of the entrance and requested the food to be delivered to our picnic location. The folks were accommodative and we had our first picnic lunch in India with a nice view. Food tasted ok. Not great. Not bad either.

By the time, we were finishing our lunch, a couple along with their photographer stumbled on us (quite literally) and the location. From then on the tide turned. That was an indication from the radio active Almighty to say good bye to Mannavanur.

As others had remarked during their drive to Kodaikanal, driving and parking sense for us is slightly better than that of common fly. While coming in, we had just 3 cars and while going out, cars and vans had been parked on both sides of the road and one way traffic was also not possible. Took me a good 15 minutes just to get out of that place. I was glad we reached early and had time to enjoy the relative solitude.

By the time, we returned to Luxeglamp it was pouring cats and dogs. One could see the roads getting washing away, one stone at a time. But the good thing about the rains is - Yeah, more water in the waterfalls. Apparently on a serious downpour day, one could catch a glimpse of 4 waterfalls from the Glamp. We could see manage 3 and all were a sight to behold. Also it's a magical feeling to hear birds chirping and at the same time hear the roar of the falls, while the sky is changing costume every second.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-rainbow.jpg

The rest of evening was spent by us spending some time in the Hot Tub, sipping hot coffee and just lazying around.

Dinner starts at 8.30 p.m and the food was great once again. The place has a nice vibe during the night. There's a nice cozy fire pit, barbecue station and small auditorium to strum a few strings. As it was wet and swamping, the place was not ready. But do try it when it's a little less wet.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-nightview.jpg

And then a fabulous day 2 comes to an end. To be continued...

Last edited by Aditya : 20th April 2022 at 17:00. Reason: Mention of overspeeding
Mudhalaipatti is offline   (15) Thanks
Old 20th April 2022, 16:35   #210
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chennai
Posts: 332
Thanked: 1,375 Times
Re: Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review

Day 3

Luxeglamp has an interesting checkin/checkout time - Checkin at 3 p.m and Checkout at 10 p.m. Apparently they need this time to get the glamp ready, on this incline. While I was huffing and puffing like good old Shrek, the boys at the Glamp were ramp walking on this incline.

I had requested the property manager if they can get the Glamp ready early, as the kid was not in his best, he promotly got the Clamp ready at around 2 p.m. Special shout out to Roland and team. They are doing a fabulous job with what they have.

This place seems to be "developing". I could see a "pod" coming up right next to LuxeGlamp and another camping resort of sorts coming up as well. In a few years, there might be navigable roads to this place after all.

The Glamp is best suited for couples. The king bed is awesome. If you have kids and kids like mine, who would happily send you to the floor to sleep, you might have to be content with this.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-sofabed.jpg

Anyone taller than a minion, would find their feet dangling at the edge of the sofa bed. Also the fabric feels like sandpaper. I had trouble sleeping on this thing the first night and promptly got a bedsheet for the next night and I slept like a baby. (I had to fold in a foetal position to sleep)

If you are travelling as a couple, do try their candle light dinner one night and a barbecue/fire pit/musical session the other night. Most people stayed just a night there. Wonder why. At a minimum, 2 nights is what I found appealing. Also with the strange checking time, you pay the full fare for under 20 hours, if you are staying for a night. Not the best value for money.


On Day 3 as well, there was a light shower in the morning and we are went in to the hot tub, the first thing in the morning. By the time, we came out of the tub, we were already feeling hungry. Looking up the incline to climb to get food, we felt dizzy, or at least I did. I had to carry a lot loads of luggage uphill, back to the car. I managed to do it in two trips. On an earlier occasion I had asked the help of the boys over at LuxeGlamp. And so try to travel light.

XUV was loaded full, this time. I had camping chair, wagon etall and wanted to protect the interiors. And so got a pet cover. Held up nice and caught most of the debris, while protection the interiors, covering the full length and breath of the last row.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-petcover.jpg

And after having breakfast, decided to get in to town to get the awesome Ghats Honey and some Chocolates. Honey I can understand, is harvested in western ghats. Don't know how Kodaikanal is famous for Chocolates now. Didn't see any cocoa trees/plants anywhere in Kodaikanal. There is a disproportionate amount of chocolate shops in Kodaikanal. But before I rant about this business model, we had to get in to town.

This day being a Saturday, rain gods took a leave of absence, after the brief morning shower and the sun started beating down heavily even at 10 a.m. We were glad to be leaving that day. I had wanted to cross the Kodaikanal town before 11 a.m to avoid the tourist traffic. The reasoning was that Poomparai being a good 1 hour outside of Kodaikanal, the tourist crowd would descend sometime after 11 or 12 and I would be safe to cross town around 11 a.m. I couldn't be more wrong.

The road from Poomparai merges on to the road to Mannavanur to the right and to Kodaikanal to the left. I was stuck at this junction for a good 25 mins, as vehicles had been haphazardly parked all through out at this junction. If there was a tiny shop selling hot water, you could see a dozen cars/vans parked on both sides of the road. Every 1 km I drove, I had to wait for 5 mins for traffic to move. This was the race that the snail would have liked to participate in. I didn't even touch the typical tourist path of Moir Point, Pillar Rocks, Cockers Walk etc and still got stuck in mad traffic.

Finally after an agonising 2 hours, reached our first shopping point - Ghats Honey. I have been using their honey for the last 3 months and I must say they taste better than the Manukka Honey we were having back in the northern hemisphere.
But this was more expensive that the Honey that was imported half way around the globe. But then, all good things come at a price. They had this stingless bee honey which was a freaking Rs.6000 for a 350 ml. I have heard about these "Kosu Then", "Stingless Bee Honey", but never seen one in person. I knew it was rare, but costing more that what the XUV drinks in one go was not palatable. But gave in to the temptation and bought a tiny 100 ml bottle.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-ghatshoney.jpeg

The owner Stephen is an energetic chap and was enthusiastic in giving us a sample of almost a dozen honey varieties. But after the 3 round, everything tasted the same or at least we didn't feel the difference. I suspect my kids were bees in their previous incarnation. They gulp down honey like water and so I ended up spending the most on this trip on Honey. My questions like "Do you want some more honey, Honey ?" were met with point blank stare downs.

Our relatives, who fortunately don't find us exotic anymore, wanted us to buy them exotic Kodaikanal chocolates. uh !!! There were more chocolate shops than the standing trees in the Kodaikanal town. And everyone hung out "Authentic", "Home Made" boards lavishly. One had the audacity to hang "Kodaikanal Swiss Chocolates". I had to turn to Stephen for some help and he suggested we go to Lisk.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-xuvoutsidelisk.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-lisk.jpegRed Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-insidelisk.jpeg

Lisk is the kind of place, you go to when you have a million rupees in your wallet and a few million rupees left in your glove box as spare change. Chocolates are like wine for me. I can't differentiate between a $10 wine to a $1000 one. All taste the bloody same. Anyway bought some so called "exotic" dark chocolates and a hot chocolate drink. The drink tasted much nicer. But not so nice after they charged me Rs.25 to pour it in to a paper cup with a lid. I might have as well poured it in my rain jacket pocket and drank out of it. The Almighty, as expected was livid at my comment and marched us out of the shop.

Red Rage - Mahindra XUV7OO - Initial Ownership Review-hotchocolate.jpeg

As we are trying to catch the familiar observatory road/lake road, the road looks like a narrow parking lot. Nothing is moving and all I could see are vehicles parked everyone. Once again stuck behind traffic.

Fortunately or unfortunately, google maps came up with a detour which was a good 45 mins faster. A Hyundai Verna in front of me must have got this "google epiphany" at the same time as mine came up and the Verna takes the road less travelled. As we get deeper in town on these narrow lanes, the road becomes a real roller coaster with pretty steep incline. After half a km or so, the Verna gives up. It's wheels are spinning and it can only slide backwards.

I maintain a safe distance back. I can't see the road up ahead as it's so steep. The Verna calls it quits and decide to give this beast a chance at this steep incline. This is by far the steepest incline the XUV has ever encountered and I'm not quite sure if Red Rage has got enough to climb. Reading my mind, the Almighty chimes - "Don't even think about it. You are not getting the AXL, AWD, AT". And so it was left to the Man and the Machine to take us to the other side. The front wheels did spin a couple of times, but then once traction was available, we climbed the hill and crossed over.

Only to be stuck behind another convoy of vehicles. But fortunately cops on two wheelers hearded a rouge car who was blocking one side of the traffic out and we sailed out of town at around 2 p.m.

We were planning to have lunch by this time in A2B and we haven't crossed Perumalmalai yet. The chocolate tasting sessions had given us some vital sugar and none of us were feeling hungry. We took the same Perumalai->Adukkam- route back and this time, I got to use the awesome hill descent feature in the XUV. Takes so much stress out of the brakes and the "breaker". This gets activated at less than 40 kmph and so if you are planning to zip down at much higher speeds, it wouldn't get activated. The first time hill descent got activated, it was as if the engine is now powering 4 Acs together. But then you get used to it, as it's a feature. Much like a married man getting to know his spouse.

The ride down is uneventful. But this time, I have the AC on as the sun is beating down heavily. I wanted to take a dip in one of the nice large wells, but the kids were deep in sleep. Waking them up from their sleep, is like poking a skunk - "Naaridum". Give the Mangoes a pass, Give the bath a pass. Perhaps next time.

By the time we reach A2B, it's almost 3.30 p.m, but the lunch rush is at it's peak. There were two rows of cars parked outside, in the sun. I went in an parked in the covered parking garage in A2B. The whole lot was half empty. Back in the dining area, there were no empty seats and people in waiting were breathing down the "eaters" necks. I was not going to do it, nor endure it. Luckily there was KFC right next door and we decided to make the uncle from Kentucky richer by a few rupees.

After lunch, which was almost evening snack, we reached Trichy by 6 p.m. And the curtains drew down on our vacation.

The kids can't have enough of it. The almighty can't stop talking about the vacation. And we are already in planning phase for our next vacation. I would love to drive the XUV to the Himalayas, but the cross country time is daunting. Lets see, how things pan out in the next few months. All in all, a wonderful trip and a lot of memories to cherish.
Mudhalaipatti is offline   (23) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks