Recently bought a Mahindra XUV 700 Diesel; Need advice regarding DPF

Would love to hear from those who’ve figured out the best way to manage avoiding DPF issues, especially in city driving. Any tips or habits that have worked for you?

BHPian naru80 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hi everyone,

I bought the XUV700 Diesel AT recently and have clocked 1,000 km in two weeks—mostly city driving. Fuel efficiency so far is 12.7 km/l, but I’ve been noticing a few things and wanted to get some insights from fellow owners.

DPF concerns – Given my driving is mostly in the city (highway run on weekends), what’s the best way to avoid DPF clogging and related issues? Any smart ways to manage this?

AT holding 2nd gear – I’ve noticed that the transmission holds onto 2nd gear longer than expected. Is this intentional to keep RPMs high and prevent DPF clogging, or is it just how the gearbox is tuned?

Mileage – In bumper-to-bumper traffic, fuel efficiency drops drastically, which makes me wonder: Can it be inferred that as long as mileage stays above 12.5 km/l, the engine is running at a pace that helps burn off DPF buildup more efficiently?

Average Speed – My MID shows an average speed of 29 km/h. Is that a factor to keep in mind—like a threshold below which DEF consumption or DPF clogging might become a concern?

(And yeah, I know diesel + city driving isn’t the ideal combo, and DPF concerns come with the territory. Just trying to be smart about managing it better!)

Appreciate the advice! 

Here's what BHPian supertinu added to the discussion:

Bangalore is much worse than NCR in terms of avg speeds. I do get 10-12kmph during rush hour commute and I am in similar situation as you with D AT. Some things that I am doing are, once a month weekend run as much as possible. Also in some stretches of commute i switch to manual mode and keep 2nd gear driving at about 2500 rpm. The soot should burn beyond 2K RPM when engine is hot. Gearbox does hold 2nd gear bit more in AT by default. Could be regen but i was similar thing on XUV500 also.

Fuel efficiency is about 10kmpl for me in BLR city. It drops more in bumper to bumper traffic cause car is always in coast mode and being constantly braked. You can try switching to N when idling in traffic. This will help a bit.

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