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A short introduction:

This is my first thread on Team BHP and I initially meant this to be about my XUV 7OO ownership experience. But as I started writing this thread, I began to think more deeply about my relationship with cars (and bikes) and the many reasons how I ended up with the XUV 7OO. As the wise Master Oogway (note the two Os, as in 7-O-O) said: there are no coincidences.

For many of us on this forum, our wheels are an extension of our personality, and we are deeply connected to them. Some of us christen our cars giving them names, some of us treat them as part of the family. Some of our most memorable experiences are on account of the cars we drive and the places these cars take us to.

Cars have always been special to me since I was a child. I attribute my love for cars and road-trips to my dad. Sadly, my dad passed away before he could see me drive the XUV 7OO and this thread is an ode to my dad and all things automobile and otherwise, that he taught me.


How it started

I was born in the 80s. Which basically means that I am a part of the last generation that remembers times of scarcity & limited choices: waiting times stretching into years for getting a scooter or a telephone line; watching TV at a neighbor’s house and a grand total of two channels; waiting one week to watch three songs on TV, listening to cricket matches on the radio.

But there is one thing which always made me feel special, even privileged. We had a car, an imported car at that. It was a silver Daihatsu Charade and it was just two months younger than me Being an only child, I always thought of the Charade like a brother, a partner in crime. And I was very proud of our Charade. It was a 3-cylinder diesel but way more silent than any other Indian diesel car. It had a small 1000 cc engine but left most other cars behind while climbing the ghats. I guess I am getting emotional about our Daihatsu and digressing a bit. Anyway, back to my story.


Road tripping

From the time I can recall, we were always a road trip family. My mum tells me that we did our first road trip in the Charade when I was 6 months old! We were based in Bombay and we drove all the way down to Kanyakumari and back. My dad was the only driver and as you can imagine, there weren’t any expressways back then in the 80s. It would have been one heck of an adventure and quite a daring one at that. In fact there was a particularly interesting instance of how my dad accidentally left the car key inside and locked the car. That wouldn’t have been so bad, except that I (6 month old me) was inside the car! Luckily my dad managed to jugaado a longish metal plate (like a ruler) and opened the car in a short time.

With a start like this in life, I guess road trips became the default mode for my vacations. We went to lots of places in our Charade – all the hill stations and beach towns around Bombay and Goa.

Partners-in-drive




Go, Goa, Gone

My earliest memory of a Goa road trip was one that we did in the early 90s. It was my summer vacation and my parents decided to do an impromptu drive to Goa. Yay!

There was no Mumbai-Pune expressway and the default way to get to Goa was via the two-lane NH17. We decided to leave really early to beat the traffic in Bombay and on the outskirts. We packed our bags the night before. I promised to get up at 4 AM and I was up and raring to go. My mum fixed sandwiches for the trip and we were off before sunrise.

My lasting memory from this trip is the conversations that I had with my dad. My job was to keep talking to my dad so that he doesn’t feel drowsy while driving. And we spoke about everything under the sun – how my dad learnt to drive, the road trips he had taken, geography, cars, science, politics et al.
Since this was an impromptu trip, we didn’t have any hotel bookings. But we landed up Calangute and found a small home – hotel which was a couple minutes’ walk from the beach. Calangute in those days was very different, there were hardly any tourists or shops – I wish I had some pictures! The next few days were spent chilling on the beach and, in general, having a gala time.

A couple of years later, we met with a horrible accident. One late night as we were driving back from a relative’s house, a truck which was exiting a fuel station rammed into our Charade from the left. The left door was shattered, glass shards all over us. Luckily, no one was hurt. No one except our Charade.

The major hit was taken by the front passenger door and the front tyres. An interesting aside: since the Charade had tubeless tyres which were a rarity in India in those days, most puncture shops couldn’t fix them. So my dad had his own puncture repair kit which he would get from abroad and fixed all punctures himself. Unfortunately, this time the tyres were beyond repair.

Since it was an imported car, parts were almost impossible to find. We had to depend on some local garages and jugaads to fix the door. The curved window glass was a big pain point and we had to go with a fiber-glass option. This was the beginning of the end of our beloved little car. My dad also had a company car by now, an M800 (which in my eyes could never be an upgrade from a Daihatsu, even a 12-year-old Daihatsu).

My dad was keen to sell the Charade. There were many buyers given that it was a Japanese diesel car. But I was firm that we can’t sell the Charade. Then while returning from one of our Goa trips, the Charade suddenly stalled near Pen (a town in Raigad district). We were in the middle of a traffic jam and had to push the car to the edge of the road. We waited for some time and finally my dad managed to start the car. We reached home but as it turns out the timing belt had gone for a toss. What followed was a series of trips to multiple local garages until we gave up and the Charade fell into a state of disuse.

My dad moved abroad on an office assignment, and I had just learnt to drive. So, it was up to me to start the car and drive it around a bit. It would heat up a lot within 15 mins and my joyride would come to an end. But my love affair with the Charade continues to this day…

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Those 90s cars

As 90s rolled into the noughties, my dad was moving up the corporate ladder. His first office car was a navy blue M800 and within a few years we got a white Maruti Zen. This was a gem of a vehicle. Nicely styled with interiors that were best in class (although one may argue that it was a very small class) at the time. Since I was too young to drive my favourite thing used to sit in the car and pretend that I am driving. For the first few weeks after we got the Zen, I did this every evening after my dad came home from work! And on that note, allow me to digress a little:

I was very good at this pretend-driving since my dad had taught me all the basics about driving – gears, clutch – brake – accelerator, handbrake, torque vs speed, how to change tyres, fix punctures, check the radiator water, engine oil etc. My dad lived abroad for some years in the 70s and 80s. He had driven cars in these countries and made it a point to pass on many of those good habits to me. This ranged from simple things like knowing the basics of your car, rotating tyres, using the handbrake every time you stop and not just on slopes to more evolved stuff like being able to fix punctures, etc. Other useful things which I practice even today and will hopefully pass onto my kids:

• Peripheral vision – be observant, look around you and not just at the car immediately in front. Is the bus which is three vehicles ahead of you slowing down? Is it going through a pothole? Is some jay walker running in from a side street?

• Listening – to the sounds of the engine and the car. According to my dad, you should be able to tell which gear you are by just listening to the sound of the engine. You should be able to tell if anything is amiss if you listen well. An added advantage is that this gets you really involved in the whole driving experience, you feel one with the vehicle & the road.

• Sense of direction – my dad had an amazing sense of direction. He could retrace routes he had been even after many years had gone by. I think lots of people in his generation could do that given that the only maps were paper based, and India hardly had any decent road maps. I am glad he passed some of that onto me.

• Safe distance – always keep safe distance with the vehicle in front of you. As a rule of thumb: mentally note a spot on the road and as the vehicle in front cross it, start counting – 1001, 1002 and 1003. If your vehicle crosses that same spot around 1003 or later, it is relatively safe distance.

• The journey is the fun part – most times it wasn’t about the destination but the path that got us there. Our most memorable drives happened because my dad randomly saw a lake / hill / viewpoint / dam etc. on the map and said, “let’s take this route”. Life is what happens enroute to the final destination.

Now, back to where we were.

We drove the Zen a lot but as time passed and newer car models were coming into India, we became aware of some of its shortcomings. It now felt a little underpowered, a little too cosy, especially as I was no longer a kid and three at the back was a squeeze.

The Zen was followed by the Indigo (Petrol) and that was a definite move-up. It was our first sedan and what a chiller the AC was! The suspension was amazing and could take on any bad roads. The Indigo was very comfortable and everyone in the family loved it. And sometimes when the Indigo went into the service station, we got a diesel Indica as a loaner car. Although based on the same platform, the two cars were very different. I just loved the torquey diesel mill on the Indica, it felt a lot more fun to drive. In fact I used wait for the Indigo to go in for a longer stay at the service station. I guess it was fate’s way of reminding me of my first love – our diesel Charade.

Anywho. Fast forward a few years, I was off at college and the bug to buy a motorcycle bit me. I didn’t want to spend too much money since I wasn’t earning. The obvious way was to buy a second hand motorcycle. To give you guys some more context, we are in the middle of the noughties. The rich kids in college are buying fancy Pulsars with alloy wheels and I definitely don’t want to buy a pre-owned Hero Honda Splendour or Passion. Solution: I bought an old RX135 for Rs. 16,000. Seemed like a good buy till I realized that the tank is rusted and it’s leaking petrol. This was just the start and there were a lot of minor issues. Lessons learnt! Eventually, I found a good mechanic near college and spent another 3 or 4 thousand to fix it all up. To conclude, it wasn’t the most reliable of purchases but was definitely the fastest 0 – 60 on campus and never failed to put a smile on my face.

My dad retired and we now had to think of what car to buy. We narrowed down to the Honda City, Ford Fiesta & Renault Logan. The City was a little more expensive than the other two. Between the Fiesta and the Logan, the latter was way, way more spacious with a suspension that could just gobble up bad roads. We ended up going with the Logan Petrol 1.4. In hindsight, we should’ve probably spent the extra money and gone for the City – it would have been well worth it. The Logan was a nice car, not exciting, not fast but definitely very comfortable. Like an old dog who could hug you and make you feel better.


History repeats itself

We went to Goa during the rains and decided to drive to Jog Falls in the Logan. This was the time when the mining industry in the state was in the news for the wrong reasons and I think the Courts had stopped or severely curtailed mining in the state. We saw hundreds of large trucks parked one after another on both sides of the road. While returning from Jog Falls, we were driving on a narrow stretch of the road with these heavy trucks on both sides. Suddenly one truck turned and rammed into us from the side. It was Daihatsu déjà vu. Again the front passenger door was smashed.

Anyway, long story short, we got back to Bombay and claimed insurance. If I recall correctly, the insurance was with ICICI Lombard. They directed us to one of the garages where they had a cashless tie-up but this was not a Renault / Mahindra authorized service station. The car got fixed but the door didn’t have the original thud anymore. Instead, it would close with a hollow ‘thang’ and it just didn’t feel like the original door. We had the Logan for a few years thereafter and the replaced door even began rusting. Lesson learnt!

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New Beginnings

I was working now, and it was time to marry my college sweetheart. We were getting married after dating for 10 years (almost all of which were long distance) and didn’t want to drive her back in the Logan which was already 5 years old and had the scratches to show for it. Since our wedding was planned a year in advance it gave me some time to think.

Since my college days, I always wanted to get a motorcycle and a new one. I thought – why not combine the two ideas? It would be brilliant to take the newly wed wife home on a motorcycle. I was already working for a few years and had saved some money but I was past the age where sports bikes were interesting. I wanted a bigger bike, preferably a cruiser.

Back in those days, Royal Enfield had just launched the Classic and second gen Thunderbird, and the waiting period was between 10 – 12 months. Went to check out the Thunderbird with my dad. We both loved it but RE was still sorting out multiple niggles and I was in two minds whether to take a punt on RE. And that is when I started reading TBHP forums and became a member!

After a long test ride on the Classic and Thunderbird, it was clear that for my height and requirements, the Thunderbird was perfect. We booked it roughly 11 months before the wedding with the hope that RE will deliver it before D Day. Luckily, they managed to set up a new plant and deliver the bike in 9 months, giving me enough time to run it in and get used it before the wedding.

After the wedding we rode out in style on our Royal steed. It was quite an experience. Sharing some pictures:







We were still in a long-distance relationship after marriage which meant frequent trips between Mumbai and Pune. My wife was driving an old, battered Zen and we decided it was time for an upgrade. We visited almost all major brand showrooms and test drove the Swift, i10, Brio, Eon, Indica Vista, Etios Liva and the Nano. The shortlist was down to Swift, Brio and Nano. Finally went with the Brio as it was the right mix of decent looks (except the rear which I must admit has grown on us over the years), good driving dynamics, small footprint and reliability.

One of our first and best road trips in the Brio was a South India road trip: Pune – Hampi – Bangalore – Pondicherry – Coimbatore – Kumarakom – Guruvayur – Manipal – Goa – Pune. We have since done many memorable road trips including Shirdi, Udaipur, Alibaug and so many times to Pune & Goa that I have lost count.

As my dad grew older, he was asked to stop driving for medical reasons. But he was always happy to be on a road trip. I guess it was like the old days, just that we had interchanged our positions. But then I had an opportunity to work in Singapore and that meant no more road trips for some time. A couple of years passed. I became a father. And then COVID hit. Eight months into the pandemic, tragedy struck: my dad passed away in Mumbai almost overnight. My mum was critical and in hospital.

I rushed back home but all that awaited me were my demons. I guess nothing can prepare you for losing a parent and one is never too old to lose a parent. Things got worse before they got better. It took a lot of hope and support from friends and folks through those dark hours. But little by little, we rebuilt our life. It’s been almost two years now. Baby number two is on the way. As is the new XUV 7OO – because we are a road tripping family.

Here's to you, dad. I know you’re watching, and you’ll be happy.

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XUV 7OO & other options

After I got back from Singapore and decided not to go back, I started seriously evaluating a new car in April 2021. The family had grown and travelling with our toddler was equivalent to packing half our house into the Brio. It also meant we couldn’t do road trips that were too long, or we had to split up and there was no fun in that.

My requirements were as follows:

• Capacity: Should be able to carry 6 people with luggage

• Safety: NCAP rated with at least 4 stars

• Fuel: This will likely be our last ICE car, and I really wanted a diesel for that torquey feeling which I remember from the Charade. Moreover, I wanted us to start doing a lot of road trips now that we were back in India. Also, I am the kind who looks at the mileage a lot.

• Creature comforts: I am not at all an after-market gizmo guy. I have neither the time nor the network for after-market fixes. I wanted as much as possible to be factory-fitted.

• New: Pre-owned doesn’t work for me, it has to be a new car.

• Reliable: Should be reasonably reliable. Can’t afford to get stuck in the middle of nowhere when travelling with kids.

• Automatic: This would be my wife’s 45 KM daily commute to work, a mix of highway and bumper to bumper traffic. My wife would thank me till the end of time. Or at least I believed so.

My ideal budget was INR 15 lacs, give or take. Before I left for Singapore, I remember I could get a well-spec’ed (if not the top end) Hexa for under INR 20 lacs. And the Hexa was huge! But I was in for a bad surprise. With the stupendous amount of price inflation, a top-end hot hatch or CSUV would just about fit into my budget.

I decided to keep the budget aside for some time and started evaluating options in the market. In hindsight, the evaluation phase is probably the most exciting part of the car buying journey! Here is what the options looked like:

1. Safari – It had just launched in Feb 2021. I had goosebumps looking at their ads. Like most 80s kids, I have some very fond memories of the original “Reclaim your life” ads. In fact, I was even a fan of the Storme. Quick aside: While evaluating cars in the Tata Motors showroom in 2014, I test drove the Storme (clearly told the SA that we are here for the Vista & Nano but I want to drive the Storme). I will never forget the king-of-the-world feeling on that test drive with high up seating position and auto rickshaws scrambling out of the way! So, the Safari was really pulling at the heart strings in 2021.
   
2. Ertiga / XL6 – Fit into the budget & extremely reliable but safety was a compromise. Also, lacked road presence.
   
3. Marazzo – Ticked almost all the boxes: reliable, safe, comfortable, in-budget. If buying a car was a financial decision, then this was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, we don’t buy cars because they make any financial sense. The wife just couldn’t digest the looks and also the rumours about Mahindra canning the product did not help.
   
4. Triber – another one that ticked all the boxes, and I could probably buy two of those in my budget! Absolutely good car and very well packaged by Renault. I read through the complete TBHP review thread but I just couldn’t fall in love with this baby.
   
5. Hector – Ticked many boxes although I had reservations about its looks and Chinese origins. And no diesel automatic.
   
6. Alcazar – This was launched in mid-2021 and I thought this might fit many of my asks.

So, those were my options. Since my heart was doing a lot of the thinking, it was obvious that the Safari finished at the top of the list! And my budget was getting stretched. A lot.

I devoured all the videos and read all the TBHP forums. But the more I read, the more scared I was. Maybe I could deal with the many niggles but what if I get a lemon? This was a very real possibility and Tata Motors Customer Service wasn’t really doing themselves any favours.

Nevertheless, I decided to go test drive the Safari. I dragged my wife on a weekend to Puneet Motors in Prabhadevi. We checked out the Safari on display and it was a little underwhelming. As sexy as it is on the outside, the interiors were just dull & drab. The space inside was really well-managed but it just didn’t feel worth INR 25 lacs. We had been at the showroom for close to 45 mins but we were nowhere close to getting a test drive of our preferred model – diesel automatic. Anyway, the SA took down my details and promised to set up a test drive.

Days turned to weeks, and I started the chasing the SA who essentially ghosted me! I went to the showroom again only to realize that the SA has quit. Obviously, being a Tata Motors dealership, they have no clue which customers were talking to the SA and there has been no handover. Anyway, I got connected with another SA but there was test drive vehicle. He promised to call me in a couple of days once a test drive vehicle was available.

And you can imagine how crazy I was about the Safari that I again went to the showroom for the third time to try and get a test drive. But sadly, no test drive vehicle again. In frustration, I walked across to the MG dealership across the street. I was simply blown away by the difference in the way the SA’s over here handled customer walk-ins, the look-and-feel of the dealership. I was almost immediately given a test drive of the diesel manual Hector. It was a boat on four wheels, trying very hard to be a car. It was a decent enough 5-seater but the last two seats were a joke.

After the Hector test-drive, I told the SA that this doesn’t work for me and how I landed up at the MG showroom. The SA from MG, to my surprise, said he can understand and spoke to a friend of his who works at the Tata Motors showroom and helped arrange a test drive for me at home! That is how I got my Safari test drive.

Now that I came through a reference, I got a long test drive. The Safari checked almost all the boxes except safety, which remains a question mark to this day. Other than safety, there were three major issues – dated looking interiors, buggy infotainment system and the ever-present threat of running into major niggles.

We were already in July 2021 and the XUV launch was around the corner. I was never a fan of the original XUV 5OO – I didn’t care for the over-the-top looks but I must admit that it was quite the package. I was in two minds, whether to wait for the new XUV or go ahead and book the Safari. As more information was leaked and M&M followed up with teasers I must say that it piqued my interest. Finally, I decided to hold off on the Safari and wait for the XUV launch. And the rest is history.

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XUV 7OO booking & waiting

The day the XUV was unveiled, I was at the nearest showroom to check it out. The only person who I managed to drag along with me to the showroom was my mother-in-law

Anyway, the car looked handsome in the flesh. It didn't have the sex appeal of the Safari but it was no pushover. Like it or not, you couldn't ignore it. It seemed a lot better proportioned and maturely styled compared to some other Mahindra's over the years. Yes, I could definitely live with it.

The moment of truth was when we stepped into the cabin. It was distinctly a couple of generations ahead of the Safari. Mahindra had clearly taken the game away. This felt like a car worth a couple of million bucks. The large, double 10" screens add a lot of oomph value. The quality of fit and finish wasn't perfect but these were pre-production vehicles so some leeway there.

We went for a short test drive and it was easy to maneouvre in Mumbai traffic. The 360 degree camera was a godsend for someone used to a hatchback. I got used to the auto-hold and EPB in no time - in fact, this was the feature I missed the most as I was driving back home through peak traffic at Saki Naka in my manual Brio! As we left the showroom, I could see a look of satisfaction on my mother-in-law's face. Decision made, XUV it is. AX7L Diesel Automatic.

Not writing too much about the booking process as my story is not too different from others. Had the vehicle in my cart and obviously couldn't book it on Day 1. I was quite disheartened that prices had increased for Day 2. Luckily, news trickled in that I could still book with Day 1 prices since I had it in the cart. Kudos to Mahindra for playing fair. I wasn't taking any chances on Day 2. Rushed to the nearest Mahindra dealer at 830 AM and paid the booking amount. Went for another test drive, this time with my mum. Even she felt this was much better than the Safari.

Now with all that done, came the long wait for delivery. I was not in a hurry. In fact, I was quite happy to wait for a few months as Mahindra ironed out the niggles. On that note, I must add that the feedback on TBHP was overwhelmingly in support of Mahindra - that they better manage niggles and proactively try resolving them; it was quite the opposite for Tata Motors (and I say this with a heavy heart - I have always rooted for Tata Motors and I am even a shareholder) who had a reputation of not doing enough to fix niggles.

After a long 10 month wait, we finally got delivery in Aug 2022. Since May 2022, I was in touch with the dealer. Largely uneventful, most times the SA / dealer weren't really interested. I guess I can't blame them. Given the order backlog that they're sitting on, they have probably met their targets for the next year as well. Once the vehicle reached the stockyard, I decided to change to a corporate lease instead of buying it outright in my name. My SA changed and the new SA was far more communicative and accommodative. For example, the insurance was quoted at INR 75K and they were OK to add all the riders I wanted. This was not too different from what other folks were getting it from outside. No pressure for buying accessories, no handling charges etc. I believe they have different rules of engagement for corporate customers. But it worked out well for me.

Cut to D-Day on 16th Aug and we brought the Big Guy home:

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Accessories and the PPF dilema

I am not much of an after market accessories / customizations guy. That was one of the major reasons for going for the top end AX7L version. Also, I have realized with past vehicle ownerships that any compromises on features tend to stand out a lot more as time passes. Often one tends to look back and think: "wish I went for the top end which had a few more features".

So I definitely wasn't going for too many accessories. Once the vehicle was dispatched from the factory, I started shortlisting accessories and doing my research around PPF. I went through all the PPF threads on this forum but more on PPF in some time. Coming back to accessories, this is what I went with:

Accessories

1. Mud flaps
2. Floor mats
3. Pedal covers
4. Scuff protectors

I got all these from Mahindra itself. Although everyone over here seems to recommend not buying the floor mats from Mahindra, I actually thought they were decent (the 3D mats). I tried looking for Kagu mats but those were not available yet. Also tried scouring Amazon but none of them looked like sure-shot buys. The good ones were equally if not more expensive. So I decided to save some time and buy the Mahindra floor mats. Another added advantage was that I got the boot mat as well with a nice mountain decal and XUV logo!

A picture of the boot mat:


While the decal looks good, this mat is made of a soft compound: notice the ripples on the surface. Also, it doesn't have velcro to stick to the base of the boot and tends to fall out of place quite often. Maybe that is going to be my DIY project.

And now for the elephant in the room:

PPF

I listened to the heart (and the wife) and booked a midnight black color. And I love the way it looks no doubt but as delivery day got closer, I began to get a little jittery about maintaining the color. So what does any self-respecting TBHPian do in such a situation? Well, he reads TBHP threads on PPF. And the more I read, the more I seemed to go down a rabbit hole. Armed with all the information, I made up my mind to bite the bullet and go for PPF.

Did some more research around the best films, brands and detailers in Mumbai. Spoke to a couple of them. Finally, narrowed down to one detailer and visited his workshop. Spent at least a couple of hours talking to him, meeting the team and discussing the commercials. All in, it was going to cost about INR 1.7 lacs and 5 days.

While the family was all supportive, there was this voice in my head (I call it the 80s-kid-perspective) that kept asking whether this makes any sense! Spoke to a few more folks and one more detailer to get more perspective. This new detailer essentially told me to get a ceramic coating done and not waste money on PPF. His logic was that this makes sense when the PPF cost is 1 or 2% of the value of the car. That voice in my head now grew louder and I decided to skip the PPF treatment for now.

I have decided to keep the car clean, follow simple best practices and wash it myself using the two bucket method and see how it goes. Wish me luck, guys!


And before I end this section, here's a note on the accessories that I considered but did not buy:

1. Car cover: I have covered parking at home and a mix of covered and open at work (wife's office, she takes the XUV to work everyday). I had three major issues with the car cover: (1) the cover tends to get dusty very quickly and is a pain to wash and even more painful to dry. (2) I was afraid of micro-scratches that removing and putting on the cover may cause. Not sure if this actually happens but didn't seem like a risk worth taking. (3) There was absolutely no way I could get my wife to put on / remove cover while she was wearing formal work clothes!
   
2. LED scuff plates: I was tempted but I wanted to avoid any messing with the wiring at the dealer level. Further, I am fairly sure if one of the LEDs goes kaput, I will be asked to change all four scuff plates.
   
3. Scuff plate for the boot: I would have liked it, but what me off was that the scuff plate on the boot has the old Mahindra font. Somehow it just doesn't jibe with the new butterfly logo everywhere else.
   
4. Bumper guard kit: Tempting but the design just wasn't working with the rest of the car.
   
5. Sidestep: This was an interesting one. Initially I thought this may be needed for the older folks in the family. But high initial cost and lowered ground clearance were factors against the side step. I haven't got the sidesteps and the older folks seem to be doing OK. I think the vehicle height is just about OK for them to step in. This is not as high as the new Scorpio-N or Fortuner - another advantage of a monocoque!
   

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Overall experience, likes and dislikes

This section covers the following:
1. Summary
2. Exterior
3. Interior
4. Drive Experience

Summary:

Mechanically, the car is simply brilliant. I think Mahindra make some of the best engines in India (within their category) - more on this in the "Likes" section. The car is nicely put together, no uneven panel gaps or rattles so far. The Achilles heel for this car is the electronics, it is a hit or miss. But even with all the bugs, this car is a such a pleasure to drive. I am also surprised by how easy it is to maneuver. At the same time it gives you a proper big-car-feel. The interiors are nicely laid out and most parts are of a high quality, though if you look closely you will see a few compromises. The boot is conspicuous by it's absence. All in all, it's a brilliant package for a family of 5 or 6 that likes to travel together. Listing down a summary of my likes / dislikes. As you will observe, I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel of get 5 bullets on the dislike section!


Likes

1. Powerful and refined engine which is mated well with a reliable Aisin TC autobox
2. 5-star rated GNCAP with the highest scores in India. Period.
3. Loaded with creature comforts
4. Sound insulation inside the cabin is very good
5. Audio system is top notch in the L version

Dislikes

1. No three point seat belt or head restraint in the middle row, not cool for a car that claims to be India's safest
2. Poor space management - boot space is non existent and middle row doesn't slide
3. Compromises on quality for a few interior panels and elements, ergonomics aren't up there with the Japanese or Germans
4. Loaded with electronics which are probably going to be in beta for another 5 years
5. No full size spare wheel

Exterior:

The best way that I can describe the XUV 7OO is that it is an evolution of the XUV 5OO. It retains many of the 5OO's styling cues - the curved shoulder line over the rear wheel, the headlights with the sabre tooth type extensions. Honestly, I have never been a fan of Mahindra's styling and the XUV 5OO didn't rank very high on the looks front for me. The XUV 7OO looks a lot better than the 5OO and I think it is growing on me as time passes.

The sabre tooth-esque front:


The sabre tooth type front DRLs don't have the finesse of the Safari's angry brow style DRLs but they sure are attention grabbers. In my view, the DRLs look best when the headlight is off which is mostly during the day. At the rear, the light assembly is styled well but I feel it is a size too large. The current trend seems to be towards smaller, sharper tail lamps which give the car a "tight butt" - good examples are the Tata Punch, Jeep Meridian, Tata Safari & Harrier. The XUV 7OO may have looked a lot better with a sharper rear.

The not-so-flattering rear as below. Also, from this angle, the curves on the rear tailgate seem a little overdone (in a hark back to Mahindra designs from the KUV era ):


Mahindra has done well to make the XUV really well proportioned. It is a wide car and not too tall and this is where I feel the overall stance has changed for the better over the 5OO. Presumably this also aids the overall handling characteristics of the car.

Here's a picture comparing the XUV with a neighbour's Compass. The XUV is clearly a size bigger but equally well proportioned (PS: My two bucket washing method on display in the background):


The paint, fit and finish of exterior panels is good. Probably not up there with the Germans but I felt it was definitely better than Safari. I haven't observed any inconsistent panel gaps like the way I had seen on the Safari that I test drove - hopefully, Tata has fixed those by now. Also, the finish was far better than the XUV I test drove in Oct 2021.

And this paragraph on the Exteriors would be incomplete without a note on the color. I have opted for the Midnight Black color. I think hands down the XUV looks best in this color although it is going to be quite a task to maintain it. My personal opinion is that this shade of blue is the best in market on this side of INR 30 lacs. I think having a couple of more color options - gunmetal grey and a matt shade (olive green?) - would have been perfect.


Interiors:

Step into the cabin and at once you realize that this is where Mahindra has taken things to a whole new level. The Safari is simply no match for the XUV 7OO on this front. The dual 10-inch displays, soft touch dash, door pads, nice-to-hold flat-bottom steering wheel, the 12-speaker Sony sound system - all of these elements come together to a give an air of luxury and comfort. Something I found sorely missing in the Safari. The Hector with it's 10-inch vertical tablet also doesn't quite hold a candle to the XUV.

Personally, this was an important criteria for me when buying the most expensive automobile of my life. The interior should feel like a place where you want to be, rather than something that you just put up with. And I am totally loving it. As I have upgraded from a 2014 Brio to the XUV, what I can't get enough of is the "Automatic Everything" - head lights, wipers, climate control, TPMS, driver seat adjustment with memory function, Auto Hold, auto folding ORVM, emergency braking etc. Amidst all this magic there is one manual thing that sticks out like a sore thumb - manual IRVM. I never felt this in my Brio because I had to do everything manually. But now my expectations have changed completely with the XUV 7OO, which makes this seem like an even bigger fail.

As I spend more time in the XUV, I am beginning to notice some of the areas where Mahindra has cut some corners - either for lack of attention or for cost cutting purposes. A few examples:

• The sun-glass holder is very flimsy. What is even more irritating is that it has lousy tactile feel. I can see a similar issue with the button to open the glove compartment. I wish these closed with a firm, precise click - it just feels so much better!
  
• The plastics on the B pillar, especially that which has the adjustable position of the seat belt, is a definitely a step down from what you see on the dash.
  
  
  So also the plastic on the A pillar. Even the finish isn't great where the plastic meets the lining.
  
  
• The AC vents were disappointing. They feel a little flimsy. These definitely do not share the same tactile feel and sturdiness which seen on the wiper & light stalks. Hope these don't give way any time soon.
  
• Overall ergonomics - this is the most difficult to express but let me try. The XUV has all the bells and whistles, electrically adjustable drivers seat, lumbar support, a steering that can be adjusted for tilt and reach, adjustable seat belt fasteners. But despite this, it has taken me a while to find a driving position that is comfortable on longish, traffic infested drives. One challenge is that I find it difficult to rest my right elbow on door sill or the door pad (see images below). Another one, is the angle that my right foot makes with the A/B pedals is not comfortable. I never really had this issue in my Brio. I have experienced this sort of "ergonomics being off" whenever I drove my in-laws' first gen i20 and also our first gen Indigo. While the XUV is vastly improved over these earlier gen cars, I believe this is also where the Germans and Japanese are still some way ahead. I recently sat in a colleague's 2018 Volvo XC40 and it just felt so much more comfortable (I understand it's not an apple-to-apple comparison).
  
  Elbow on door pad - a little too low and doesn't give a good grip on the steering wheel:
  
  
  Elbow on door sill - a little too high and not comfortable.
  
  

Of course, there is just so much to love about the interiors that these things don't bother me so much. The most used buttons and surfaces - the gear lever, control stalks on the steering, physical buttons under large 10" display, the power windows and other switches on the door - are good to touch and seem well put together. The sun roof is large and lets in a lot of light. There is enough and more storage space all around for all kinds of knick-knacks and fairly easy to reach into the door pockets. The first two rows of seats are very comfortable, especially the first row. The third row, well, let's just say it's not meant for friends.

I think it would have been great if Mahindra had offered at least one more color option for the interiors. While the all white seats coupled with the light beige of dash looks great, I am not sure how well it will age. I suspect a lot of folks with kids will be buying the 7 seater versions and the white seats are going to be a maintenance nightmare. I would have loved to have a coffee / tan color at least as an option on the top variant.

Observations on space utilization: For the kind of external dimensions that the XUV boasts, the interior space doesn't quite match up. Three medium sized adults can sit abreast in the second row but it isn't exactly roomy. I was wondering where all that width went to and one of the things that stood out was how chunky the doors were. The width of the door sill is probably double what I have seen on my Brio. Clearly, Mahindra doesn't quite follow the "Man Maximum, Machine Minimum" design philosophy like Honda. No value judgement here, just an observation.

Very thick doors, it can almost be an arm rest!


Space in the rear is just about enough for two medium adults with a car seat:


Don't get me wrong, the interior is still best-in-class, but yeh dil maange more!

[charade]

Drive Experience:

It has been a little over a month and we are close to ~1100 KMs on the odo. This is roughly equally split between my spouse and myself. Most of this has been in and around Mumbai with a mix of peak hour bumper to bumper traffic and some late night highway drives within Mumbai.

For both of us, this was a major life upgrade - from a 8.5 year Honda Brio (65K on the odo). So a lot of the comparisons are with the Brio since that is what we have driven extensively. I think there are a lot of folks like us, upgrading from a small hatch to a big SUV so hopefully, this is helpful to some of these folks out there.

Initial drive experience (first ~200 KMs):

Let's start with getting into the car: one of the reasons why we picked the XUV 7OO was that it gave a proper "big car" feel. For example, the Hector and the Alcazar definitely felt one full size smaller. The joy of getting into a "big car" after having driven a simple Brio for 8+ years can be summarized well by an advertising tag line: "Bada Hai To Behtar Hai" (Bigger is Better). Folks in my age group will hopefully remember these ads! What helps is that space is no longer a constraint, you can stretch your arms and legs and be comfortable. Another added advantage of the size of the vehicle is the respect that you get on the road, whether real or imagined!

For the first couple of hundred kilometers, we were extra cautious given the dimensions of the vehicle. This means we stuck to lower speeds and kept a good safe distance from all vehicles around us. Not at all a bad thing, actually. The steering wheel is a size bigger than what we were used to. Although it is very light at slow speeds, it does weigh up a fair bit. It took us a while to get used to the gizmos, electronics and "Automatic Everything" controls for everything. There were new kinds of sensations & sounds - for not wearing co-passenger seat belt, when changing lanes without an indicator, steering vibrations etc. The NVH levels are very well controlled. For the first few drives (with the music playing at a low volume), it was difficult to tell whether the car is actually on or not!

Subsequent drive experience (after 200 KMs):

As we started getting used to the dimensions of the car, the feel of the A / B pedals and transmission, we have been willing to push the car along a little harder. While it makes commuting to work a little easier, it really comes into it's own on the highway. Although we are yet to do a proper road trip, we have enjoyed driving around Eastern Express Highway & Eastern Freeway in the off peak hours.

The car is such a joy to drive. I have settled into a nice, little drive ritual:

1. Walk up to the car with the key in the pocket. Press the driver side handle and all four handles gently pop out. I have covered more than 1,500 KMs and the novelty is not wearing off. Simultaneously, the lights come on. That's one way to make your presence felt!

2. Open the door and the driver seat slides back with the welcome feature. This is nice though I must admit, it worries me a bit whether this will have any impact on the battery in the long run. I guess I could disable it, but hey, what's the fun in that?

3. Step in and the seat slides back into position. Press the memory seat icon to get to my preferred driving seat configuration. Such joy in small things that work as per plan. Now if only the AC vents and the IRVM would auto adjust to my preferred position, I would have attained nirvana.

4. Press the start button once. The odo needles do a clean sweep and various check lights go on / off. It's like as if someone has placed a fresh canvas onto an easel and now I can paint. As if on cue, Android Auto has connected wirelessly and the scene is filled with music.

5. Put on the seat belt. Press the brake pedal once, the start button pilot lamp turns green (I love these small things!). Press the start button and the engine purrs to life. With the music playing softly and the windows rolled up, you can hardly tell that the engine is purring.

6. Slot the gear in to D, gently tap the accelerator and we are off. Smooth!


Driving the XUV & Drive Modes

The car is more than adequately powered. I am yet to come across a situation where the power felt insufficient. The gear changes are quite smooth, except for the change from 2 to 3 where it can get a little audible. For someone who has driven a manual transmission for almost two decades, this is a different feeling. A manual stick shift gives you a lot more options, in terms of how you wish to drive. Since I have been driving 100% in the city, I have not missed the manual transmission so far but I definitely end up making a mental comparison of where I would change the gear vs the auto tranny.

The drive modes do their bit. While I mostly drive in Zap (normal) mode, I have tried the Zoom (sport) mode on a couple of Eastern Freeway runs. There is noticeable difference as the gear shifts tend to hold to a higher RPM. Equally, the steering wheel weighs up a lot more and gives a reasonable amount of feedback. The Zip (city) mode I reserve for bumper to bumper traffic. The XUV feels decidedly sluggish in Zip mode and is best for rolling or ambling along. I am planning to set up a custom drive mode and see how that pans out.

One more observation was that the fuel economy as displayed on the MID seemed to be at par or better while using the Zoom mode. This is rather counter-intuitive. I am not sure if it's my driving style (I am usually a sedate driver) or whether the MID read out is buggy. I suspect it's the latter but will try and collect some data on this before confirming.


Brakes

The brakes are confidence inspiring and there is more than adequate power even for a vehicle of this size and weight. Though I am not very happy with the progressive nature of the brakes, I think they are too abrupt. When you press the B pedal, initially there is very mild stopping force and then suddenly the brakes bite very hard. This can make the drive jerky, especially in traffic. I would have preferred a more progressive braking action.

The EPB, Auto Hold, Hill Hold Assist and Hill Descent Control are all nifty features. They definitely make life easier in peak traffic conditions. I dread driving a manual in bumper to bumper traffic now!


Suspension, Ride Quality & Handling

This was an important factor in our consideration. Both the spouse and I really like the way the Brio handles, it is great around curves, always feels planted even on three-digit highway speeds. The suspension though is hard and you can feel every little crack and pothole in the cabin. The worst is the rear seat, we have lost many friends after we offered to drop them home! In this aspect, I really missed the Logan - lookswise it was an eyesore but I never heard anyone complain about its suspension.

My expectation from the XUV was already very high given the hype around the FSD suspension. I was a little disappointed initialy given the low speed handling of bumps. But either my expectations have been tempered or the suspension seems to have gotten a bit better with distance on the odo. At really low speeds, you can feel bumps in the cabin although they are fairly damped. What really puts the XUV off is if the two tyres don't go over the bump in parallel, for example: while taking a small speed breaker on a turn (as is typical in a parking lot). The XUV tends to shake from side to side and this is not something I enjoy. Same speed breaker if taken in parallel, the experience is totally different. I am not sure if this is to do with the way FSD works / is tuned. But if there is one thing I want improved on the suspension, it is the low speed handling.

On the other hand, the XUV practically sails through any kind of potholes or bumps at moderate speeds (say 30 KMPH). I have seen Innovas going through rough patches with some difficulty while our XUV just saunters along like it's a smooth road. I guess part of the reason is that the XUV is a monocoque but it sure does put a smile on my face! Very briefly, I did consider the new Scorpio-N but finally dropped that thought as handling / suspension was a very important factor.

Handling is quite car like so long as you respect that this is a ~2 tonne vehicle. Can't really go cornering around hairpin bends but for the most part this is as close to car-like as you can get in a 7 seater SUV.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Blue Vitriol]

Originally Posted by charade

Those 90s childhood:
I was very good at this pretend-driving since my dad had taught me all the basics about driving – gears, clutch – brake – accelerator, handbrake, torque vs speed, how to change tyres, fix punctures, check the radiator water, engine oil etc.

Dude! I love your dad; salute! I am writing this without reading the whole thing, it just evoked something in me and I need to get this off my chest asap! This is what has made up my childhood around my old man and this is the only time we would connect (awkward dad-son relationship thingy ). I so much would love my kid to do the same when he is riding shotgun but given that we are moving towards big time autonomous and silent EVs with lesser and lesser moving-mechanical parts, this is only going to be a dreamy thing to wish for. We certainly had 'that kind' of upbringing and bond with our vehicles, them being lot organic and engaging (yeah, even while breaking down: you get a sense of taking care of your belonging, the more you take care of them, the more they become closer to you, you know!)

[Anandg]

Very nice and detailed writeup! Not sure but in one of your images your car appears to be a left-hand drive ! Am I the only one or I am missing something? Image flip maybe?

[Aluminium]

Wow. Just wow. Your dad literally brought me to tears. It was as if I was living your life. Don't think I've read a novel recently that evoked this much emotion in me. Made my day.
Regarding the car though, Congratulations. The respect you get is not imaginary. Sure, the back is a lil overdone. But if you're driving it infront of a perverse car enthusiast like yours truly, be aware that I'm ogling at that curvy 'butt' and the shiny suspension thingies underneath. (The perks of being in a low slung sedan.) And the way it takes corners is, for the lack of a better word, majestic. Your review is making me doubt our decision for buying a Honda City. Especially and weirdly, that part about the door being as wide as an armrest. I assume I unlocked a new kink.
Safe to say that many emotions were evoked inside me. Wonderful write up. All the very best on your relationship with your car. And, happy travels.

[Gennex]

Congratulations and happy revving for the kilometers to come. Sorry for your dad - hard times. Who's better teacher than dad - you are lucky to have such great dad.
Very beautiful writeup.

[Randamoozham]

Man, you made me emotional!! I was more interested in the story you wrote than the details of the Car. :-) Congratulations and as Gennex said you are lucky to have a such a wonderful dad.

Did you finally do the Ceramic Coating for the car?

[forty6]

Hey, lovely thread.

Your article is an ode to your father with the car thrown in.

This is what automotive writing ought to be. To me this is the best I have read on this site.

Also, peace to your dad.

A very good ode to him. And I am sure you will one day have yours.

Thanks. For writing this.