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BHPian GPJ_23 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Long post alert but I wanted to share my experiences after a week of ownership, 1000 kms of driving and my first service.
Any number of superlatives would not do justice to the sheer power of this engine. If you want to push and zip past people, whether from a standstill at a signal, or driving on a highway, this one will leave everyone behind. Noise and vibration are very well contained. If I may level any criticism, it would only be that paddle shifter and slightly better gear ratios would have made this even better. Coming to the proportions of the car, navigating through the narrow lanes (for Bangaloreans' attention - I am talking about Hoskerehalli and Koramangala by lanes) was largely fine. I cannot stress enough the assistance of the 360-degree camera here. For those who are considering between AX7 and AX7L, this feature alone is worth the extra money and wait, especially if you are upgrading from a smaller car. On the highway, of course, its size doesn't come in the way of enjoying the drive.
Best - 14 km/l, Worst - 5.6 km/l. On average, with a mix of highway and city, it's around 11 km/l. Purely city yielded between 7-8 km/l. The reason for getting these varied figures was that I kept fiddling around with the infotainment system and resetting every now and then. For context, the best figure was achieved with cruise control set to 80 km/h without many interruptions for about a distance of 30-40 kms. The worst figure was in the interior roads with constant stop-start and requiring quick accelerations. Not the kind of driving one would usually do for long periods of time.
Happy to report that there are no unwanted sounds at any point and at any speed - broken road, sharp potholes, scientific and un-scientific speed bumps, etc. But in terms of its performance, I was disillusioned to a large extent. For context, my previous car was a Duster. The suspension on that was amazing and XUV 700 at best was on par only, whereas, for some reason, I was expecting something better. In any case, no real negatives.
Did not use any of the native apps really so not much to comment on. Tried to use the map and the use of the display port to the instrument cluster. It looks fab but its performance in terms of suggested routes is limited. I am more than happy to rely on Google. I had a stable android auto connection throughout so nothing to complain about. Google assist works like a charm (Alexa was not used at all, except any time anyone said anything that sounded like Alexa and it kicked in). One thing that should be addressed is the WhatsApp call. There is not even an alert on the screen for the call and has to be operated through the phone only. Messages though can be heard and responded to using a voice assistant. The touch response is not super slick, but not bad either. I am yet to use intelli-control effectively. The speakers sound fabulous, although none of us is a real audiophile!
Overall, I am very happy. It might not be turning heads any more as the novel factor is gone, but I am enjoying it. The kids absolutely love the sunroof. The lack of boot space with all rows is a bother, but a workaround solution is to carry soft duffle bags as opposed to suitcases. Long trips will have to be with at least one seat on the last row being folded. My friends absolutely love the exterior colour. The interior will be tough to maintain, I figure that either Mahindra or an after-market solution without compromise on the airbag will come around eventually and we will go for it when it does!
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