Power/pickup continues to be as good as when it was new. After all these years, it still packs a punch

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A little (non-technical) ownership review of my Creta SX(O) Diesel MT 1.6. Manufacturing date of Dec 2015, delivered to me in Feb 2016. The car completed 1 lakh kilometers in Feb 2024, after exactly 8 years. While 1 lakh doesn't sound an enormous number for 8 years, we had our second child during the course of the ownership of the creta and also the 2.5 year covid period where the car rarely left the parking and finally in the last year and half, the Creta has had to share it's space in our lives with the Mahindra Thar, which has done 21000 kms itself over the 1.5 years. Given all this, I would say that it did a good 20-22000 kms each "normal" year.

No accidents, but two minor incidents where it had to visit the body shop and a third where a minor ding on the boot door ( which still remains uncorrected ).

Servicewise, Trident Hyundai Mahadevapura has been excellent. The inputs over the years have been very specific and accurate. Other than the clutch assy replacement at 90k ( also due to my own proactive effort as opposed to a problem ) and a recent brake disc replacement, no major replacements. About 30% of it's total odo is my office commute. In the notorious Whitefield-ORR traffic, never have I regretted having a manual transmission car.

FE has been consistently in the 15-17 range on highways, 12-13 on pure nasty ORR traffic and 14-15 in mixed mode. Doing a Bangalore-Chennai-Bangalore on a single tank, with enough left for a week's commute to work after the trip is pretty normal.

Power/pickup continues to be as good as when it was new. After all these years, it still packs a punch, just like it did as a new car in 2016. Nobody tries to mess up cutting across etc as the car is able to close gaps in start-stop traffic without any inertia. It's the old 1582 cc (1.6), which no longer is available on a Creta. Drives on the highway are a bliss. While not sedan-like in it's fetish for corners, it still does way better than, say, my Mahindra thar (obviously!)

The gear shifts still happen with a delicious click though slotting reverse, sometimes, is not as pleasant an experience. This has been there since start and every advisor has said that it's normal for all Cretas.
The interiors are impeccable and durable. No coming off of the faux leather covers etc. After a car wash, it's not uncommon for family/friends/aquaintances that don't see the car often to ask if it's a new car/congratulating me on a great car

The good GC keeps the vehicle in good stead. I have thrown everything at it - city roads, bad rural roads, highways and it's taken everything well. I don't remember scraping the bottom even once, even when fully loaded and on the worst of roads.

The comfort levels for passengers, the fatigue-less driving experience even on really long drives ( we do a lot of blr-chennai-blr same day return trip that mixes highways and city traffic ), the no-nonsense setup ( never have I had to call an RSA ), excellent service network, good peppy performant innards, lower NVH all have made it an excellent workhorse in the last 8 years. It's time to perhaps replace it, mostly because I want to experience newer cars, the itch to buy a new car ( more on that on a different post in a few days ). But the creta itself is showing no signs of ageing, still going very strong. It's been a stellar choice and I would take a moment to thank @condor and @ampere for the sensible inputs in 2016. The sales numbers of the Creta speaks for itself over the years. For those familiar with the book "The wisdom of crowds", the Creta's sales should be no surprise. And finally, the interesting thing is that in the 2016 post, I said that I fancy a thar and that post has aged well, I have a Thar too in the garage today . Signing off with some pictures of the car from over the years:

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I have started feeling vibrations at the pedal when braking from 80kph and above.

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The car continues to maintain its annual average running of around 5,000km, with the odo finally hitting the 20,000km mark on January 11 - almost four years into the ownership.

The sixth servicing was due, and sent the car to the erstwhile Maruti Service Masters, now managed by DD-Prem Motors, in Jehangirpuri, Delhi. Since this was as major service, the following things were changed:

• Engine Oil - 0W16 Shell
• Oil Filter - ending in K00 part number
• Air Filter
• Fuel Filter
• Spark plugs
• Brake Fluid
• Coolant
• PM2.5 AC cabin filter - cleaned
• Wheel balancing, Five-tyre rotation, and Wheel alignment - FOC
• Exterior buffing and polishing - FOC

The total bill came up to Rs 5,513, with the last two items offered free of cost by the service centre. The car was picked up and delivered as per committed time, and the work was done to satisfaction.

Some pictures below:

New air filter ready to be installed

Spark plug replacement in action

Fuel filter replaced:

 Battery terminals cleaned, and distilled water topped up:

Battery health report:

Rear drum brakes cleaned:

Front disc brakes nearing end of life:

Pad thickness left around 4mm, good until the next service.

However, I have started feeling vibrations at the pedal when braking from 80kph and above. Might need to get the disc skimmed or replaced at the next interval. Must alter the driving style as well!

At the wheel balancing-alignment bay. Five-tyre rotation meticulously followed so far

Total spend 5,513/-

Some of the old parts duly returned by keeping in the boot

Some shots of the car after the service and detailing:

Geared up for the next milestone:

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The rattling sound was as if something was hitting a plastic part on the front lower right side.

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Steering rack replacement:

Over the last month, another issue developed with the steering/suspension that was bothering me. The car will be completing four years in February 2024 and has far clocked 55,000 odd kms on the speedometer.

While going over rough roads or even concrete roads, a minor rattling sound was being heard which seemed to be coming from the front right side. The rattling sound was as if something was hitting a plastic part on the front lower right side.

The car was sent to United Toyota workshop, Mangalore. Initially they said it might be an issue with the suspension and it will have to be opened and checked. As the car is under extended warranty till Feb 2025, they will have to consult with Toyota for solutions/approvals and it might take 3-4 days subject to parts availability. Next day, they tried replacing the suspension on Toyota's suggestion, but the sound was still there. I was informed that they have been advised by Toyota to replace the steering rack to see if it eliminates sound.

The steering rack was replaced and did the trick. The sound is no longer there. It took 6 days to get the car back(including two days holidays in between).

This again shows the importance of taking maximum available extended warranty while buying a car. It not only saves you money but gives you great peace of mind in the warranty period. Toyota has been great so far for expeditiously honoring warranty claims.

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Initially the engine oil component was a major part of the cost. With time, the labour charges started competing with it.

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XUV300: A Long-term Review:

Introducing Neptune:

Before I begin this review, I salute those reviewers and admins here in the forum who are patient enough to write their reviews down on time with no delays, especially when everyone has other main jobs to do! I wanted to post every possible update from my side, as and when I do them – but I couldn’t write even a short review ever since I took home this car in January 2021. Though the issues related to this car are being discussed already in the review thread, I am trying to add more numbers related to maintenance and running costs based on my records (Yes, even though there was no review, I kept records hoping that I would write a report one day – this day!). I wanted this to be a 50k km/2.5-year ownership report – but here I am dragging myself to write this 60k km/3-year review. Considering that the facelift is around the corner for the first time in 5 years, I am trying to quickly post this one. I call my car – Neptune, based on an artist’s imaginative painting of the planet in a similar dark teal color in an ‘Our Universe’ book that I saw some 30 years back. Considering that XUV300 has been selling a constant ~4000 cars every month on an average, I believe this report would be useful for some existing and many recent owners.

Here's the summary of my XUV300 - Neptune.

The Purchase Decision:

I spent quite a lot of my time with an acquaintance for their car purchase in mid-2019 when we test drove various cars ranging from hatchbacks like Figo and Tiago to the C2-SUV like Nissan Kicks. Just after Covid lockdown in 2020, another colleague of mine wanted me to join the hunt for their first ever car – and we looked mainly at c-SUVs like Nexon, Sonet and XUV300. During this time, my family front was going through changes, and it was time for us to get one as well. My earlier family car being a Nissan Micra diesel (currently at ~2,50,000 kms in 12 years and still running sweet with its K9K engine), I was leaning towards a diesel car since my mileage might justify it down the line. I was also not a big fan of turbo petrol 3-cylinders - which made me look only at diesels. I probably missed the opportunity of exploring BS4 diesel cars a year earlier. So, manufacturers with only petrol offerings didn't make it to my list. And for me, a solid build was on my mind – and XUV and Nexon had just started focusing on marketing in terms of safety at that point of time, when they both scored 5-star safety ratings in GNCAP. Though the Kia Sonet looked attractive in its own way, I felt cramped with 3 passengers behind and dropped it from my list as it would be tight with a baby seat behind (good decision then, as there are 2 baby seats to manage now!). During the test drive of a Nexon, I did not like the sight of the "floating" infotainment system and its digital MID console, and the black interior made me feel a bit claustrophobic, not to mention the fit and finish in certain interiors. And to top that the Tata showrooms in Goa were not following up keenly like the rest. Ultimately, I decided to stick with the XUV300 W8 Optional Diesel - deciding factors being the solid build, safety features like ESP, 7 airbags, the engine and its torque and the looks and more importantly the relatively quick delivery time of about a month and a half.

The Nexon's instrument cluster (left, source: google images) felt distasteful for me, reason being the toyish cluster with calculator like MID. The XUV300's cluster was looking much better with no clutter for my eyes.

Found this scribbling related to the pricing and wanted to post it! The ex-showroom price of the diesel Nexon XZ+(O) was a 15k higher than the XUV W8(O) at that point of time (2020, Oct-Nov). The Ex-showroom price for the same variant of XUV300 was selling at 13.93 Lakhs and with many features removed - almost tallying my invoice price!

Booking and delivery:

Meanwhile, we went to the only showroom in Goa to look at the XUV300 in flesh and it was a sort of an instant hit with me – 7 airbags, 3-point seat belts (which later turned into a lap-belt during cost cut), the beige interiors, the classic MID unit with analogue dials, the Sabretooth-like DRLs. Unfortunately, there was neither a Diesel variant (even a low end) nor an aquamarine color car in their lot which I planned to book. I don’t think there’s anyone here that would’ve test driven a petrol variant to get a diesel one! I just did it due to lack of options within Goa and I had no time then to go to Belgaum or Mangalore to do this.

This was an instant hit - and the W8O's safety features at that time were unique for the segment like all 4-disc brakes (still exists) and 7 airbags including one for the driver knee (now removed).

Online booking: After inputs from a couple of friends and my brother in different cities, I ended up ordering an Aquamarine Diesel W8O MT on the 16 Nov 2020 – online with a booking amount of Rs. 5000. Even though I booked online, I had to contact the local dealer (Naik motors, Verna) and provide them with the order ID. After a year and a half in mid-2022, there was still no diesel XUV300 to test drive in Goa. The reason they gave was that people mostly preferred only petrol there. I received a call from Naik Motors in mid-2022 with a request to connect with a customer who was interested in getting a diesel variant!

The booking did not have any specific details included except the booking ID. There was no update on this page even when the car was delivered to me. There was no coordination between the production and the back-end team. I don’t know if any other manufacturers have this co-ordination though but things like this might bring a negative image to the company!

Follow-ups/Escalation: I was promised that the car would be delivered in 30-40 days by the sales exec at the time of booking. However, after 40 days I had to call the sales team constantly for updates. And I ultimately had to convey that I’m contemplating on cancelling the booking without any updates being provided. Within a day, in the end of December, I received a couple of calls from the regional manager that the car was allotted and will be arriving shortly to my destination. I was excited and this is when I was sort of tricked by the sales manager to pay the amount on 30th December citing possible price hikes from January. I did hold the payment for registration and insurance amount till I visually inspected the car on the 2nd week of Jan 2021. As a result, I did lose the 15k cash offer that was introduced in Jan 2021 since my car was billed in Dec 2020. Adding insult to the injury, there was no price hike till February that year. I say tricked which is a bit harsh, but it could’ve gone either way and the sales team claimed that they had no clue if the prices will increase or decrease and when and by how much. I did receive a call for Nexon test drive after 10 months after purchasing the 300.

First impression of a Diesel XUV300: I still remember how I was blown away by the NVH levels of the diesel variant while doing the PDI in the showroom parking lot (especially after driving a diesel Micra for about 10 years). I remember asking the sales exec. if it was a diesel variant or a petrol! The non-availability of a diesel variant in the showroom made it easier for me to do the PDI as I was confident that there won’t be an issue of swapping a TD car or its parts before delivery. Did necessary checks, including tyre and battery dates and told them to go ahead with the registration. The car was manufactured during the end of December 2020 according to the stickers in the car and the RC book with 9 km on the Odo.

First look of Neptune in the showroom parking lot, waiting to be mine!

Invoice: Ultimately, I ended up paying a sum of 13.97 Lakhs with accessories. Had I been patient, I would be looking at a 13.76 Lakh invoice! I was also promised a 2k cash offer on accessories, which I never received, and I never had the patience to follow up with the showroom.

Detailed price list of accessories and the actual on road price of Neptune in January 2021. I couldn’t do anything about the handling charges, and I was ready to pay for their registration service due to the notorious nature of the RTO against non-locals. The insurance was with Tata AIG matched to my quote from other external sources.

Accessories: Of all these accessories I regret buying the Illuminated sill plates as they have failed miserably (once within 6 months after installation and later again after 2 years). Not only the sill plates failed but the connection which the dealer-side technician made was very poor - resulting in the stock battery failing within 3 years. I have posted about it in the thread "Cabin lamp issue in my XUV300". (This issue stands resolved). Also, the sill plate lights make it difficult to see the ground at night due to its brightness – it’s absolutely not recommended in my opinion.

The Aquamarine kit replaces all the piano black inserts inside the car and matching the exterior paint. (Note the panel around the gear lever, AC vents, Panel around infotainment system).

The 'Aquamarine kit' accessory is a very nice addition to the car – all AC vents, central console, infotainment console and front and rear door armrest piano blacks were replaced with Aquamarine coloured inserts. I recommend this as it not only replaces the scratch magnet piano black but also adds to the interior look. I'm not sure if any other brands in this range provide such accessories. Did not laminate the flooring as I felt it is unnecessary and spoils the interior. The rear tray is not very strong as usual by OEM. It is just like the tray in my old Micra. Cannot keep anything heavy – just used for lighter stuff and to cover up the boot. Rest of the accessories are holding up good.

Delivery and Pooja: The entire RTO process was smooth, and I was given delivery on the afternoon of auspicious Sankranti day on Jan 14th, 2021.

This is how Neptune was delivered. I asked the dealership to remove all the plastics. They just stuck some bows and a garland. Simple and Neat! The actual delivery picture is missing from my archive!

Just after a pooja in a nearby temple.

Modifications Performed:

Underbody coating: Not a mod, but the first thing I did was under chassis and silencer coating from 3M when the car was just 50 km and less than a week old. Everything was fresh and new then and it was an easy job. The car was given a wash and dried before this procedure. I also asked them to install some PPF on the door edges, A and C pillar piano black inserts, ORVM, door handle insides, and bumper corners which are prone to scratches. Later during a trip to Bangalore, I installed the CR-70 sun film for the windshield to cut out the heat. I do not know the exact amount of heat rejection after this installation, but I can feel the AC working easy to cool the cabin, especially with no blowers for the rear passengers.

Underbody coating for rust prevention and silencer coating was done when the car was just 50 km run. Another addition was the CR70 on the windshield. I had to replace the fast tag for this. Everything was done from 3M outlets in Goa and Bangalore. Cost around 18k in early 2021.

Seatbelt modification: The first shocker after I ordered the car was the deletion of 3-point seatbelt for the rear middle passenger. I got to know about this through some social media reports. Features that were removed/changed along with this were the orange ambient lights under the front-door armrests, the heated ORVMs, roof rail colour change (from silver to black), and the spare tyre downsize from 215/55/17 to 205/60/16. This was not explicitly mentioned by the showroom. For them, these were subtle changes and were not bothered about that. I ordered the required 3-point seatbelt parts through boodmo even before the car was delivered. Upon delivery, I asked the showroom regarding the possibility of fitting the 3-point seat belt through them. The technician there was so clueless about my intention till I showed the 3-point seatbelt in the original TD car. His response was that I need to change the entire seat back. Understood that there’s no use depending on the showroom, and I took it into my own hands and there went the first modification 3 months after purchase! I have detailed this in the thread here. A special mention to then service advisor at Naik Motors, Verna – he took the part number of a part (mini buckle) that I missed to order and made it available within a week through their dealership. Total Cost ~3.5k and some hours in early 2021.

A before and after view of the rear seat belts. Offering 3-Point seat belt for the rear passenger was one of the USPs of 300 at launch! It was replaced with a lap belt from somewhere in August 2020, about 1.5 years after the launch.

Headlamp upgrade: As many users pointed out, the headlamps (both H1 and H7) were a bit of a let-down (Is there anyone who found the OEM halogen lamps satisfactory? I'm seeing the same discussions in threads ranging from Sonet, Nexon to even Crysta!) and I decided to upgrade them about 6 months down the line. Considering the Ssangyong Tivoli’s gene in its makeup, I checked the possibility of installing HIDs in the 300 with a Tivoli’s manual. The fuse layout and the fuse box of the 300(both internal and engine bay) were from Ssangyong and matched with the Tivoli’s layout. Only difference was some extra features like ventilated and heated seats, heated steering and ADAS features were removed in the 300. The fuse ratings and bulb wattages were also the same as the Tivoli’s. The top version of Tivoli had 35w HIDs installed from the factory. Considering these similarities, I got the Osram 35W HID kit installed through an accessory store in Trivandrum. Initially, the installation resulted in the infamous shadow patch on the road. After referring to this post (XUV500 with HID setup - And a shadow problem), we shaved off a portion of the holder and installed it upside down in the bulb holder resulting in a perfect light throw. Over 2.5 years and 50k kms down the road, the HID kit is working well and would highly recommend. Cost 10k including installation in mid-2021. Later I installed the FE Retrofit’s LED in H1 with a lot of hesitation as described in this post (Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here). I was not convinced with this brand as I was not even sure if it was 40W or 55W (as you can see pictures in the link above). I recently upgraded to a well-known brand – Osram 50W LEDs 4200k lights which looks much better during night drives. I also installed the Aozoom’s 25w tri-LED fog lamps in H11. This combination is working well for my eyes. Note for those who did not see the link above: I do not recommend the Automotive Lighting Experts - they just want to do business. They even recommended to install HIDs in the high beam! Here’s a dashcam video of my H7 setup.

Dashcam installation: I procured the Vantrue N4 3-channel dashcam from the US through my cousin along with the GPS mount and the hardwiring kit. Sony Starvis sensor was popular at that time and this dashcam had it. Except the night-time license plate reflection, it has been working very well in our conditions so far. I installed it as a DIY and the post related to this installation can be seen here. I used the hardwiring kit and piggy backed it to the hazard lamp fuse, which has power supply all the time. I am using a 256GB class 10 SD card for this which can hold up to 8 to 10 hours of 3 channel videos. I use the parking mode also which cuts the power off if the battery voltage goes below 12V. Cost ~25k and some hours for installation. It’s interesting that a 4-channel Vantrue N5 with Sony Starvis 2 sensor is available now in the market!

Brake Caliper Paint: To celebrate the 2-year mark, I wanted to give Neptune a refresh and decided to colour the caliper yellow. With the help of a local garage with a paint booth, the calipers were removed and cleaned, coated with a primer, and then sprayed yellow. While this work was going on I did a mistake of not being there. The result was caliper slide pins were mismatched while reassembling and I had to deal with caliper rattling noises especially on bad roads and reflectors. There are rubber bushings in one of the 2 pins which should be inserted in the correct bore. It took several attempts and all new set of slide pins to fix this issue. I had to visit 2 service centres – Sleeba and Sons and CBC Motors, twice, and even the service guys fixed the pins in wrong slots! What I learned from this: Don’t do unnecessary stuff as long as your car is running good and never ever give my car without my presence to fix any issue, it will only get worse! I should have done it myself only by removing wheels and not the entire caliper assembly. Cost for painting: 2k.

When it was freshly painted yellow. I do like it till now. Some paint has chipped away due to handling at later stages, but the paint chips are not really visible without removing the wheels.

4-door damping: In the initial months after the purchase, there were many reports in social media XUV300 groups regarding a bad speaker setup in this car. However, the setup felt decent enough considering that I can differentiate between a bad quality and a good quality sound. I use my old (2008) ipod classic 120GB with the aux cable to listen to my favourites as I know that the source files are important, and many streaming apps don’t match the quality. Even then, I felt the audio from apps like Spotify, YouTube etc. is decent enough to listen to at comfortable volume while driving on highways. I have barely exceeded the volume level 4 while driving on highways considering that the NVH levels are quite good in this car. When the car was new, I enquired one of the famous audio installers in Bangalore regarding possibilities of upgrading the sound system. When I heard that a decent setup would set you back by a minimum of Rs. 1,00,000, I listened to the stock set up again and it sounded much better than earlier! With kids traveling most of the times with us, there’s no point in investing this money here to listen to “the wheels on the bus” and “old macdonald”. I took help of the same accessory store in Trivandrum to install the damping sheets on all 4 doors. There’s a slight improvement in the sound quality, especially the bass doesn’t break in certain songs anymore. As far as my listening goes, I do try to download the best possible audio to upload into the USB / ipod classic and the system plays .flac and .aac files default which makes it easy to listen to good quality songs without any conversion.

Horn Upgrade: With the help of bhpian Krishnakumar’s post, it was a straightforward task to complete my horn installation. Just followed his post – was able to procure the connectors in a CNG outlet (Total Auto Care, Bangalore) and made the pigtail myself - it was a perfect fit. Installed the same Hella Chrome procured from Amazon. I still have a couple of connectors remaining with me if anyone's interested in Bangalore.

Routine Service / Warranty Claims / Running Repair - Experiences:

Here's the timeline of Neptune. Words in purple are routine services, red ones are repairs; blue are the modifications that are carried out, black ones are wear/tear replacements and light green ones are positive experiences from M&M. The downtime was only during the battery issue.

Overall, it has been a good experience with the service so far after dealing with various dealerships across 4 states. I have to acknowledge the help of Mr. Kumaravel, CRM head from Mahindra for ensuring quality service on many occasions. A couple of exceptions (for running repairs and inflated billing) are also there. After reading about many fiascos across multiple brands, I just made sure that I’m always present during every service, even if it means that I must take a day off. Usual service actions have all been carried out as per manual recommendations, except during the 50k service, where the cabin AC filter was unchanged and was not informed to me! At 60k, I was told that there was no cabin AC filter available in stock even before the service. I have bought a few filters from boodmo during sale and stocked it for future use. Also, I had a weird issue with the turbo lag which I had complained about within the first 40 days of the ownership and posted here. There was an ECU update for fixing this issue that was provided only during the 30k km service, roughly after 1.5 years – which is unusually long for an update to come especially after reporting it multiple times.

The routine maintenance costs are given below. I would say that the best experience in terms of work, handling a situation, and billing was at Naik Motors, Goa – though I was not able to visit them after 15k km. PPS at Adugodi and Thanissandra branches did very well – only negative was slow delivery mostly by the end of the day. PPS at Bommasandra has an exceptionally good delivery time, but the billing has been erratic with me, and the PPS CRM has promised me to rectify it. The 'not so great' experiences in service were for ‘running repairs’. Ramani Motors in Coimbatore wanted to open the entire bumper to check for more bites and wanting to possibly replace the engine bay wiring harness with an estimated cost up to 20k when I showed up for the rat bite on DRL wire. I understand that it is better to give a thorough check, but it is not fair to estimate the damages even before touching the car. Similarly, Sleeba and Sons and CBC Motors in Trivandrum would come in the bottom of my list as they were not able to fix the caliper slide pins in correct positions. The test drive fellow from the former during the caliper rattling episode had the audacity to blame the steering column and told me to replace it under warranty just because their day was getting over and wanted to close this case. After negative feedback, I was called again by their manager to rectify it. I visited again and tried fixing it but never completely fixed the issue. Another test driver there is one of the roughest I’ve seen, throwing the car into potholes and breakers at high speeds. The CBC motors also tried fixing it with new slide pins but couldn’t successfully do it. After this, I removed all the slide pins to check their installation and realised that they had successfully managed to install them wrongly. I compared with a friend’s car and the diagrams on boodmo to fix them at home. I have purchased an extra set of slide pins online (during sale), just in case if the problem resurfaces.

Maintenance service cost in detail: Initially the engine oil component was a major part of the cost. With time, the labour charges started competing with it! With my usage, I had to so far do 2 services in a year – usually in May – June and Nov – Dec. Disclaimer: The service costs won't be the same anymore as they keep rising every year!

10k Service: June 2021 @ Naik Motors, Goa. Free service and it was on the dot cost wise, as estimated in Mahindra’s app. Even though it was in between peak covid times, the SA did not bother to add any covid disposable items in the final bill. I had some minor rat bites in the engine bay (both DRL wires) when the car was just 4 months old @ ~8k kms. The service technicians were able to fix it in a couple of hours without charging anything extra during this 10k service. They showed me what they have done and at later stages I had soldered the wire with a proper heat shrink tubes myself. They were quite professional even though there’s just one Mahindra service for entire Goa! Kudos to Naik Motors, Goa here. Spent more than half a day here. (On the contrary, Ramani Motors in Coimbatore wanted one day to check the entire engine bay and wanted to fully change the wiring harness, which would need another week of waiting for parts and will include labour cost. They charged Rs. 289 for disassembling and reassembling the headlight assembly).

Out of all wires, the rats were kind enough to choose to bite off only the brown DRL wires on both sides. Thankfully no other rat damages in the engine bay till date, touchwood.

Warranty Claim #1: June 2021 @ Naik Motors, Goa. The IRVM of my car was rattling pretty bad. During the 10k service, they immediately tried fixing the rattling at first. However, nothing sorted out the issue. A new IRVM order was placed after contacting the Mahindra technicians through video calls during test drive to show the rattling IRVM. It arrived within a couple of weeks and was replaced under warranty. The new ORVM vendor was apparently changed during this time according to the service advisor. The cost of this IRVM was around 14k (but replaced under warranty).

20k service: Nov 2021 @ PPS Adugodi. Everything was running smooth and during this routine service, I received the RPAS and infotainment software updates. Even though it was a free service, some extra stuff like ‘rust off’ for brake rotor cleaning and ‘covid disposables’ were added to the bill by the end of the day. Front Wiper blades were changed on my request. I still have no idea why brake rotor cleaning is required at 20k km. This added labour charges and an overall increase in the bill by ~20% (Rs. 615). Spent an entire day here.

Warranty Claim #2: @ PPS Adugodi. Immediately after the software update during the 20k service, the reverse camera showed an odd behaviour. The camera contrast went for a toss every first time the reverse gear was engaged. At subsequent attempts, the display showed normal contrast. I’ve posted about this issue in the review discussion thread of XUV300 here and here. Soon, parking sensor in the rear failed with a ‘?’. The CoTek (Mr. Kannan and his team at that time) in PPS Adugodi tried to sort out the issue for an entire day by changing the parking sensors and checking the entire wiring harness. However, they couldn’t figure out any issue with the sensors nor wiring and ultimately ended up ordering a new RPAS wiring harness under warranty. The rear camera brightness issue was not fixed till the next service. In a week, new wiring harness installed by Mr. Kannan and team and the parking sensor issue was sorted out. I believe this issue could have been due to the software update. The CRM, Mr. Kumaravel had always been helpful on many occasions. He called up the Anant Cars BG Road to take in my car in their body shop (as Adugodi workshop did not have a body shop facility) for a front bumper realignment after I had a slow speed dog hit in Goa. Even though it was under the discretion of the service center to charge me, they did not! Within a month, I again visited the BG Road workshop to install the door mood lamps (that originally used to be part of the car). They did not charge me for the work since they were not sure if the connection was present. Fortunately, the wiring harness had the connection for these mood lamps hidden inside the door panel!

These orange lamps light up the front door pockets and are really useful at nights. They are not very bright and are very warm and lights up only the necessary zone. I spent ~10k for these as it is imported from South Korea and is a part of Ssangyong.

30k service: May 2022 @ PPS Adugodi. An important service where I received the ECU update for the turbo issue that I complained about within the first 40 days of ownership (as mentioned above). Also received the software update to fix the reverse cam contrast issue (mentioned earlier at 20k service). After the last experience in billing, I told them not to add unnecessary stuffs – but covid disposables were still added in the bill. However, they did give a small discount on the bill after mentioning about the last service bill. Again, spent all the second half of the day here. Rear Wiper was replaced on my request during this service.

40k service: Dec 2022 @ PPS Bommasandra. As I didn’t want to spend an entire day, I was suggested to try PPS Bommasandra. Mr. Roch Immanuel, the service manager here promised me to do quick work. They did use ‘rustoff’ again to clean the brake rotors, regreased the caliper pins and cleaned the brake components in this service. Also, the brake fluid was only removed from the reservoir and topped up with fresh oil, but they didn’t do brake bleeding. When asked, the technician said that they will bleed during the brake pad changes. Still charged for entire labour. Here, the service bill was inflated by Rs. 1328 (~18% increase in bill) which included – some unknown consumables, spray, rustoff (with 28% tax!) OBD charges (as I complained of Turbo noise, they wanted to use OBD scan tool – wasn’t even a laptop, but the one which connects with their mobile phones). Was disappointed in PPS Bommasandra. Only good thing, they gave the car back in 3 hours and I was able to be present there with the vehicle in the service bay. And my question was why OBD charges when my car is still under warranty. The CRM agreed to my point!

Dead Stock Battery/ Replacement: Around 47k km, I realized something unusual happening with the car. Sometimes it took more than one crank to start the car. And sometimes the illuminated sill plates would flicker / act dead randomly. I didn’t suspect anything, but it was getting difficult to ignore. Ultimately, I woke up one day to find a dead battery after a 400 km highway trip. I had to call the RSA for the first time – twice in 2 days. The entire episode regarding this issue is posted here (Cabin lamp issue in my XUV300). Ultimately, I purchased a new Amaron Flo battery (Rs. 6500).

The RSA arrived in a span of 45 minutes from my call to the call-centre. The battery was jump started and his diagnosis was that there was some leakage, and it is affecting the battery since it was sparking when connecting the terminals.

50k service: June 2023 @ PPS Thanissandra. With an intention to fix the existing cabin lamp malfunction, I was advised to visit the CoTek (Mr. Sharath) there this time. This issue has revealed many changes that have happened with the electricals of the car since its first iteration in 2019. The initial batches had many Ssangyong parts which has later given way to the localised parts since somewhere in 2021. Even the fuse layout has been changed somewhere in mid-2021 which we realised during the meetup with bhpian Krishnakumar (posted here).

Completely different fuse layout between 2021 models! Feature cuts and changes have been rampant in XUV300 on the outside and the inside as well!

Air filter was changed during this service since it had a small but significant tear. Cabin AC filter was not available in stock and wasn’t mentioned to me! After about 10 days when I was verifying the bill, I discovered that it wasn’t changed. When questioned, the SA said that the part was not in stock - casually. The cabin lamp issue was fixed after figuring out the issue. Even though there’s appointment scheduled, it just takes an entire day to complete it. The servicing started only after 2 PM and ended by 6 PM! I purchased a new AC filter and installed DIY later. Another front wiper replacement was carried out, this time as DIY.

New Battery failure: During a routine cleaning I noticed rust formation on the bolt that was holding the battery in the tray and some slight white salt formation. I didn’t give much thought and that was a mistake. In a month, it corroded the paint of the battery tray, and rusted the bolts of the tray. There was a leak from the side of the battery – it was a manufacturing defect which took 6 months for me to notice after purchasing this battery. I immediately replaced it under warranty from Amaron and a new 09/2023 manufactured battery was installed. To avoid further rusting of the battery and to clean up the salts, I removed the entire setup and coated them with Zinc.

New battery fails within 6 months due to mfg. defect. Immediately fixed this in a nearby garage.

60k service: November 2023 @ PPS Bommasandra. After having a bit of a negative experience with billing the last time, I decided to give PPS Bommasandra another chance and took appointment with them. The big advantage of this service center is that you will receive your car back in 3 – 4 hours whilst some service centers take an entire day or even a couple of days (as seen in some groups and forums in the social media) for a normal routine service. I called up in the morning for this service appointment and Mr. Roch Immanuel booked a slot and blocked a lift for servicing. I reached around 1130 AM and the service started by 1215 PM. Another advantage here is that you can view the full servicing action from the lounge and from the service bay entry point. Brake rotors and pads were cleaned along with caliper slide pins greasing. Coolant was completely flushed, and fresh coolant was added. Air filter change was skipped since it was installed new at 50k service. Again, cabin AC filter was skipped due to non-availability of the part. At the end of the day, there was again a problem with billing – inflating the bill with components like brake bleeding and OBD charges. I sat down with them and removed all unnecessary components and left feedback regarding this billing issue and as expected, received a call from the service head PPS in conference call with the service manager and sorted the issue out – and Mr. Immanuel promised me a free full check-up for the car along with some coatings at my convenience any time during the next visit.

During the 60k service at one of the smallest Mahindra service stations. You can view the progress from outside or from the lounge (bottom). A great delivery time of about 3 hours! No washing service available here.

When looking at the labour charges during these service visits, it is obvious that one service station has made sure that the labour costs crossed Rs.3000, even though work is technically simple. For instance, changing the transmission oil took more effort in 50k service than what was needed for brake fluid and coolant replacement. However, the charges didn't justify that. On a couple of occasions, the brake cleaning jobs were taken up by the service station without any additional costs. The brake cleaning job includes removal of brake pads and cleaning the calipers with the brake cleaner. They also sand the rotors. The engine oil costs have increased by almost Rs. 1000 in 3 years as we can see in this plot.

A look at the trends in cost of engine oil and labour costs.

Extended Warranty / RSA and Insurance:

The Standard Warranty was for 3 years and unlimited kilometers. The RSA was provided for 2 years. I purchased the extended warranty for 2 more years and the RSA scheme for 3 more years. I've been purchasing the insurance through the dealers themselves.

Extended warranty costed a bit more since I purchased it one year after registration. Insurance renewals have been matched with quotations that I get.

Continue reading on BHPian Goandiaries' Mahindra XUV300 for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

Interior plastic feels less premium than other brands.

BHPian raovarunn recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

November 2022 – I completed 38 years of existence on Nov 10th, 2022 and decided to finally join a driving school to learn to drive a car. Well, there is never any age to learn something new, isn’t it?

Anyway, I learnt to drive within 15 days and started practising in my friend’s Hyundai i10 Grand. During the learning phase, I was good with steering controls but struggled with clutch and gear controls. I didn’t own a car at that time but now that I have learnt to drive, I wanted to own one and started my hunt to buy a car.

Being a first-time car driver, I wanted to go for a hatchback as it would be easier for me to get a hold in the city and on the highway as well.

Also, I was thinking of going for a second-hand car in good condition.

My options were:

• Maruti Suzuki Swift
• Maruti Suzuki Alto K10
• Hyundai i10 Grand
• Tata Tiago
• Toyota Etios Liva
• Ford Figo
• Ford Ecosport (Although not a hatchback)
• Honda Brio
• Nissan Micra

However, I wanted a car that was good to drive and also scored high on safety. I struck Maruti and Hyundai from the list owing to their low safety ratings. That left me with Tata, Toyota and Ford which was good in terms of performance and safety.

I started scouring for 2nd hand cars in marketplaces such as Spinny, Cars24, Mahindra First Choice etc. There were a lot of options to choose from with varying price points as well. However, I decided to buy a car that wasn’t too old i.e. between 2018-2022. In the meanwhile, I also took suggestions from friends and family who had different points of view. Most of them said it is better to go for a first-hand one while the rest mentioned that second-hand cars were better considering that I am a fairly new driver.

After days of searching and thinking, I eventually decided to go for a new one. The problem was that Ford had left India and Toyota wasn’t selling Etios Liva anymore. Honda Brio and Nissan Micra were too small for me (I am 6 feet 1) and were no longer in production.

That left me with Tata Tiago.

Now the question arose of whether to go for a manual or an automatic. I preferred an automatic considering my initial struggles with clutch and gear and also it is easier to drive in city traffic.

Therefore, I did intense research, reading up on AMT technology and watching user reviews on YouTube. The most common complaint on Tata Tiago AMT was engine lag when the car auto-shifted from the 1st gear to the 2nd. Also, there were a lot of user complaints about the AMT gearbox giving trouble after 2-3 years of usage with some users having to replace the gearbox unit entirely which cost them almost a lac.

After seeing all this, I changed my mind and decided to go for a Tata Tiago manual transmission. Apart from giving good mileage as compared to an AMT, manual transmission is fun to drive except in city traffic. I had fixed a budget of Rs. 8 lacs and didn’t want to go beyond that. Anything lesser than that was a bonus.

I visited Key Motorss, Kanakapura Road on Dec 1st week, which was near my house along with my brother and wife. We checked out the car and took a test drive. The engine response and suspension felt good and the car was comfortable too. It is a peppy car to drive and sneaks through the traffic when compared to bigger cars/SUVs.

On Dec 19th, 2022, I visited the showroom and booked a red colour, Tata Tiago XT Rhythm. The XT Rhythm variant has all the basic features along with a rear camera, a 17 cm Harman infotainment touchscreen system, 4 speakers and 4 tweeters. I got a discount of Rs. 10000 along with a corporate discount of Rs. 2500. I also took the accessories pack worth Rs. 11,000 that included the seat covers, floor mats, bumper protector, mud flaps, perfume, and a waste bin.

I made a point of asking for updates from the dealership once or twice a week as I had read complaints about Tata dealership’s inefficiencies and didn’t want to take any chances. Considering my ‘enthusiasm’ they also made a point of updating me every time a milestone was achieved, although it was me calling them every time for every single doubt.

Eventually, my vehicle arrived and I went for a PDA at their yard on Mysore Road. I was thrilled to see my car for the first time and did a thorough PDA. I had gone through the PDI checklist article on TeamBHP and knew what and how to exactly check. The car was fine and we didn’t come across any issues.

PDI at the Yard

On Feb 1st, 2023, I received my car at their dealership with Subhash (SA) assisting me throughout the process from order to delivery.

At Key Motorss, Kanakapura Road

Me and my brother with Bajrangi

Receiving the keys from Subhash

After the documentation and cake-cutting ceremony, I took the car home. Being a newbie, I was nervous about driving it, so asked my brother who had accompanied me to drive it home. My parents were thrilled to see it and we took photos alongside the car.

My happy parents with my nephew who is wondering what's happening

In the evening, I drove it for the first time when I had to go to pick up my wife. My brother accompanied me just to see if I was driving correctly. I was nervous initially but then mustered courage as I kept driving. After picking her up, we went to a temple nearby to perform the car’s puja and returned home. I christened it ‘Bajrangi’ after Lord Hanuman.

With my wife at the temple

1 year of driving Tata Tiago:

As of 1st Feb 2024 i.e. exactly a year after taking delivery of the car, it had clocked almost 6900 km, with 80% of it being driven within the city. Outstation trips have mostly been to Mysore and Coorg. I want to take it to farther places such as Goa, Mangalore, Pondi etc.

During the running-in period, I used to experience a slight lag in its pickup and when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. With time, the lag decreased and was almost nonexistent after the 3rd service.

Pros:

• Peppy and powerful 1200 cc, 3-cylinder petrol engine
• Smooth clutch as compared to Nexon (A blessing for the left leg)
• Gear shifting is smooth and the travel is less
• Small yet spacious for a tall man like me
• Steering is the lightest in its segment
• Stable and no body rolls on highways
• Sticks to the ground at high speeds
• Handling is excellent
• Mileage is good both in the city and highway. Maximum mileage observed on highways = 26 km/ltr. Maximum mileage observed in the city = 14 km/ltr. Latest tank-to-tank mileage = 15.29 km/ltr(Mostly been driven in the city. Increases when taken on the highways)
• The car has become smoother after 3rd service

Cons:

• Interior plastic feels less premium than other brands
• Body panel gaps are quite big compared to other brands
• Some interior fittings feel clumsy and not properly fitted in the factory

Tata Service Feedback:

Have undertaken 3 free services with them at TASS (Key Motorss, Konanakunte) and the experience was good. Their service personnel are responsive and listen to your issues before recommending satisfactory solutions. Better to book your service slots well in advance and be there at 8:30 am. The only downside is their service centres are small, and parking is inadequate. They need to take larger spaces and build bigger body shops and parking spaces.

Cost of:

• 1st service – Rs. 177
• 2nd service – Rs. 177
• 3rd service – Rs. 4406 (for consumables that included oil change)

Accidents/Mishaps:

This was more of an own damage rather than an externally inflicted accident. On my way to Coorg, I had stopped at Mysore for lunch and had parked the car in the basement. To come back to the main road, there was a steep climb that I was unable to manoeuvre and ended up bashing the rear of the car into a pole behind me.

The rear door and bumper suffered damage and had to be replaced. Lots of lessons were learnt from that incident.

The repair process at TASS was smooth and the insurance covered all of it, although I lost the no-claim bonus when I renewed the insurance in Jan 2024. It took a total of 3 weeks for the car to come back from the repairs, and I had to constantly follow up with them to speed up the work and give me the car on time.

Conclusion:

Overall, I am very happy with my Tata Tiago. It is a budget-friendly, sturdy and performance-oriented vehicle for the city and the highway. It’s just been a year of owning and driving it and I intend to keep it for many years to come. Even if I go for a bigger vehicle, I will continue to keep it.

Cheers to everyone!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Spares are hideously expensive. The clutch replacement along with the pressure plate costed me 1lakh.

BHPian kevinpaulreddy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am an owner of Jeep Compass 2.0 D. Having driven the Jeep compass for over 4.5 years, here is my honest take on the car.

I will start with the down sides first as most of you out there would have already heard what this baby can do:

• The fit and finish inside the cabin for a 20 lac plus car is not up to the mark by any standards, especially the doors, the cabin light assembly and the glove compartment. the rattling noise has been there since day 1 and continues to haunt me till date. I would have complained about it for not less than 20 times to the service center in Gurgaon but they were unable to find a permanent fix for it. I finally gave up and decided to not pursue it. This way I keep my sanity because there is no resolution to this issue. I will live with it till I have the car.
• The battery does not last more than 14 months. Nobody is sure of the issue but the battery will go kaput between 12 to 14 months. My most recent battery was an Exide battery with 36 months warranty and they replaced it free of cost after the original one went kaput in 12.5 months. This is my 4th battery so far.
• The 2nd gear has an issue and you will experience lack of torque in second gear. It is a design flaw and there is no fix to it. I have had my clutch assembly and the pressure plate replaced at 96K KM and was hoping that it will eliminate the issue but it didn't change anything.
• The clutch pedal is very hard compared to other cars. I moved from a Mitsubishi Cedia to Jeep Compass and it was pain-full getting adjusted to the harder clutch. In retrospect, I feel I should have bought an automatic transmission.
• Approach angle is horrendous for a car that claims to be an SUV. My brothers Maruti Celerio is able to tackle certain terrain better than the Jeep.
• Spares are hideously expensive. The clutch replacement along with the pressure plate costed me 1lakh. An alternator bearing replacement costed me 13K. A regular service costs about 20k and a major service costs about 45K.
• The headlights are useless (Regular halogen) The throw of the light is inadequate. I do a lot of cross country driving and I struggle every time it's dark.
• The lug nuts had a tin cover welded onto them which did not allow me to use my OEM lug wrench. I got the tin cover removed by a welder and now the bolts are of size 16 and the wrench is size 17. As a temporary fix I bought a size 16 wrench off amazon. As silly as it may sound, it is true.
• Steering rack went bad and it costed 1lac to replace. Jeep does not repair it. It's a known issue and yet they continue to loot the customers.
• A constant noise from the drive terrain that is by design as per the engineers.
• The gear shifter does not feel as snug as you would like a car in this price point. It is very wobbly.
• Engine mount C has been replaced twice already.

Now lets move on to what I love about this baby of mine:

• The driving dynamics are as good as they can be. It's confident at high speeds.
• Steering feedback is top-notch and goes where you point the steering.
• No dearth of torque and once the turbo kicks, it's a wild animal.
• Noise insulation inside the cabin is excellent.
• The seats are extremely comfortable for long drives.
• Gets off the block quicker than you can anticipate and deals with high speeds like a boss
• The music system is excellent
• Built quality barring the cabin rattling noise is very topnotch.
• Excellent on turns making it an ideal car for the hills.
• Hill assist and auto handbrake work well in tandem to make driving effortless on inclines.
• AC is very effective and is still working after 4.5 years and no repair work so far not even a gas top-up has happened.
• Seating position and visibility is also good.
• The materials used in the cabin justify the cost and they have lasted the test of time with negligible signs of wear and tear.
• Excellent road presence.

I will conclude by saying that though there are a lot of upsides to own a Jeep, there are enough frustrating downsides which if not fixed would mean that I personally will not go for a Jeep product in the near future.

Regards,

Kevin

We did consider the Slavia for a little while, for the seemingly better value proposition a sedan offers.

BHPian Romeo_Mike recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I drive a Kushaq 1.5 MT, which I bought in March last year.

That said, I probably would have bought the Taigun 1.5MT if I was in the market now. The Taigun had a decisive lead during our hunt as far as looks were concerned. We prefered it's bold front end to the subtle design of the Kushaq; we liked the interiors better as well. If only VW were selling the 1.5 TSI + MT combo when we were hunting! Things I would do to avoid the DSG woes . Oh, and that meant the Virtus was out too.

We did consider the Slavia for a little while, for the seemingly better value proposition a sedan offers. These things were the deal breakers for us though:

• We could not digest some aspects of how the car looked. Like the unusually big gap in the wheel arches due to the high stance/ground clearance. This was especially important since I prefer to keep the mechanicals of a car bone stock. The rear also looked too 'fat' from some angles.
• Rear passengers were certainly not happy in the slavia. The high shoulder line made everyone feel like they are in a tank!

So why did we buy the Kushaq and not one of the competitors you ask?

TLDR:

• I wanted the best engine I could afford i.e. under 20L for myself. period.
• Then Home ministry asked 'what do you want for us?'. The answer was the safest one in our budget. That sealed the deal!

Might as well add the Verdict after 9 month of ownership here:

It has been an absolute delight so far. Thankfully we did not face any of the usual niggles reported for VAG 2.0 cars like EPC error or window glass winding motor failure etc. So keeping the fingers crossed.

Pros:

• Reasonably good interior space for avg sized adults. I am 5'10" and my father, who's 5'9", has ample leg space when seated behind me.
• Confidence inspiring high speed ride. I confess, I preferred the Taigun in this respect. The Kushaq shoots for a more balanced approach in this repect I feel.
• Bootspace is enough to house luggage for 5 people for a 3-5 day trip. Good enough for us.
• Ventilated seats have been a savior during the hot and humid Mumbai summer.
• With all the reasonable points out of the way, the car has phenomenal smiles/km quotient. That motor is just a beast and I am loving every moment of driving it!

Cons (well, more like nitpicking for me but could matter to some):

• Not a fan of the AC touch controls. With the MT, its very easy to unintentionally alter ac settings.
• The window winding motors are noisy as hell and mimic the sound of a cat being strangled! But hey, no failures yet, so I have learned to live with.
• The engine's noisy for a 4-Cylinder petrol too. But I like the noise it makes when revved so no complaints.
• The tires are a oddball size and not many upgrade options are available from reputed brands. The stock MRFs have a bassy drone that creeps into the cabin and gets irritating at times. Believe it or not, I like to drive without any music when I'm alone in the car. No complaints in the grip department though.
• Fuel economy figures in the city are not for the faint hearted, especially if you are enjoying that motor! I mostly get around 7 kmpl. On the highways it goes upto around 14 kmpl. For reference, I was averaging 10kmpl from my Alto K10. So safe to say the issue is between the seat and the steering wheel.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Infotainment works flawlessly. Also love the two spoke steering wheel.

BHPian JDMBOI recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello! Team-BHPians

Hunt for car:

Was considering buying Polo, Elite i20 (used) heard about VW/Skoda compact SUV coming so we waited.

Booking:

Booked the car (Kushaq Style 1.0 MT, Honey Orange) 15 Minutes after price revealed at Jai Skoda, Gurugram, paid Rs 25K (online). Was given a week time but they keep on extending the date (2-3 times) pressuring us to get White. I told my brother to contact Skoda, Rohtak, Haryana (it's a small dealership, no service) when Jai Skoda failed to deliver the car. Finally, he called Skoda Rohtak and Voila they said they can deliver the car in 2 days.On 21 July 2021 we took delivery. Second Kushaq sold from that dealership and first in our city. We cancelled the booking (after taking delivery from Skoda, Rohtak) and it took them 2 months to refund the money. Very poor experience with Jai Skoda, Gurugram.

Delivery experience:

It was okay, no cake cutting had a small samosa party, was given chocolate box, small photoshoot that's it. Do we complain - no. They gave us the car in promised days.

At the dealership - Don't mind the bucket was too excited didn't even notice it.

Car getting ready after PDI:

On road price & discount:

Rs 16.30L on road (including accessories which they denied selling individually & no discount)

Accessory list:

Engine & Variant:

Kushaq Style 1.0 TSI MT petrol (May Manufactured)

Wheels and Tyres:

Profile 205/55/R17 | Goodyear TripleMAX

Petrol:

Ist fill was 91 Octane after that Indian Oil XP95 but now we fill normal petrol.

Odometer reading:

28752

Mileage - All depends on your driving style.

• In the city expect 12-13 KMPL. (Bangalore - 8-9 KMPL)
• Highway - 18-20+

You can get great mileage from turbo petrol engine

EPC Error:

Never faced it.

Fuel pump - Changed under Skoda campaign.

Insurance:

• Ist year - Rs 30K
• 2nd Year - Rs 26307

Likes:

• Engine (1.0) is amazing.
• Gearbox - smooth and short shifts.
• Headlight throw is great and cornering fog lamp, really helps.
• Steering feedback, highspeed stability is awesome.
• Brake bite is great.
• Infotainment works flawlessly.
• Robust build quality. (Heavy doors, bonnet and bootlid)
• Love the two spoke steering wheel.
• Simply Clever features.
• Deep and cooled glove box.
• Seats are comfortable, I love them.

Dislikes:

• Touch AC control, a huge NO. (While changing gears you accidently touch them)
• Wireless charging (if your mobile has say 50% battery and you are using Android auto + wireless charging simultaneously it will stay at 50, device hardly charges) that's why I use wired charging when using android auto.
• Engine noise is loud during cold start. (You don't hear it inside but outside its too loud)
• AC cooling, it takes its own time but works well afterward.
• Roof liner quality (First batch Kushaq)
• Not a proper 3 seater at back.
• Cheap wipers provided. (rear wiper plastic faded (color) within 2 months)
• Noisy window motor, AC blower, ventilated seat (never experienced one beside KUSHAQ, maybe that's how they usually work) even sunroof.
• Poor rubber beading quality (fixed by an installing transparent tape by SKODA)
• No rear fog lamps (Available now but it's only one) & can't turn on only fog lamps like other cars.

Wants:

• All automatic windows & green window tint.
• Full size spare wheel with alloy.
• Adaptive guidelines would be great.
• Seatbelt, height adjustable.
• Bonnet insulation.
• Engine guard.
• Front parking sensors.
• Footwell light.
• I prefer Panasonic 8 inch over 10-inch infotainment.
• Extended warranty & service pack:
• None taken during the purchase and they didn't push us to get it.
• Tyre deflation warning - It works like a charm.

Ground clearance:

No problem at all ample clearance, have taken car for off roading 2-3 times.

Suspension & ride quality:

Stiff suspension setup. It provides great highway stability that you feel car is doing 60 while you are actually driving at 100.

Braking:

Awesome.

Visibility & size of mirrors:

Great.

Interior storage, practicality & boot space:

Every door can hold 2, one-liter bottle means 8 liters.

Overall build quality, fit & finish, paint quality and panel gaps:

Fit & finish, paint quality is good. Panel gaps were uniform. (after accident bumper has slight gaps)

Interior design & quality:

Hard plastic is used inside the cabin. Dashboard has texture finish and piano black inserts are prone to scratches.

Interior space & comfort:

Ample space at front and back, no complains at all. Seats provide great comfort but the rear middle seat is a compromise.

Issue Faced:

While most of the people were facing EPC our ride faced software issue on 22-11-2021 due to sensors miscalibration. Had to call RSA they came, picked the car. Car stayed 1 day at Skoda service centre, Delhi.

Christmas Tree:

RSA has arrived:

Closed the boot hard (accidently) and this happened. Skoda/VW INDIA2.0 Fit and Finish:

I took a peek inside, it was hollow except few foam pad inserted at different spots:

The infamous window bug where it wouldn't go up/ down when pressed.

AC cooling & effectiveness:

AC blows cool air but takes its own sweet time to cool the cabin and then its good but blower is noisy.

Cost of upkeep & maintenance:

Service pack taken during 1st service, cost Rs 16,000 and you have to pay petty amount every time during service. During last service paid Rs300.

Audio system & sound quality:

Our Kushaq has 6 Skoda speakers and a sub-woofer in the boot and sound quality is great.

NVH levels:

NVH level are well contained you hear less of outside world. I don't feel any engine vibration being transferred into cabin/steering wheel. The gear lever doesn't shake at all.

Accident - I hate truck drivers

In Rajasthan (different state), at red light, in neutral with hand brake engaged. Truck (overloaded) couldn't stop in time plus driver using phone hit our car from behind the impact was such that our car moved and hit Venue in front whose boot lid got a nice dent.

The aftermath:

Great build quality SKODA:

At the workshop:

Aryaveer Skoda Delhi did a splendid job repairing the car, it took them 35 days. I am fully satisfied with the work done and highly recommend them. Paid Rs 8800 (insurance claimed)

Rear right quarter panel cut and replaced:

Parts changed:

• Boot lid with glass.
• Rear & front lights. (Headlight and fog light is a single unit so if you want to replace only fog light/headlight not an option)
• Front Skoda grill.
• Front & rear bumper.
• Rear right quarter panel.

Rat attack:

Skoda has provided plastic panel to stop rats from getting inside but he ate through the plastic so we installed rat mesh.

Parts price difference:

Rat showcased his art on the gear knob so my brother contacted Banglore Skoda to replace the knob and they quoted Rs 8800 plus tax for gear knob and Rs 2900 plus tax for full battery assembly (denied selling individual battery cover), while we got the battery cover and gear knob for Rs 5260 including tax from Skoda Delhi. Looks like 95% localization isn't helping in price reduction or these dealers are using ill practices which will definitely open gates for VW/SKODA India exit.

Skoda service centre person remarks on Skoda 2.0 cars:

He said the quality of the sheet and other materials used has dropped significantly and Kushaq bumper doesn't have sufficient tabs to hold the bumper properly. (after my brother pointed out bumper gaps in our Kushaq, he checked other Kushaq at SC and they had the same bumper gaps) according to SC the gap will develop as time passes.

Recent Pictures:

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I have had 3 Skoda’s in the past, multiple cars from different brands over the years, but never had such a thing happened.

BHPian Thegreyghost006 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Need major advice.

Greeting to fellow Bhpians.

I have a Skoda Slavia 1.5 manual transmission. The reason I went for the manual transmission is because I had to have one, not because DSGs are unreliable. Also, all my other cars were automatic.

The incident which I am about to share started during my first service. The advisor told me that the clutch pedal was getting stuck midway. After a week of the car being left at the service centre, they replaced the clutch master cylinder, and it was good to go.

After a few months, it happened again when my friend was driving the car. The pedal got stuck, he also panicked for it was something very new to him and he didn't know how to react. I told him to pull it back using his foot. Long story short, the car went back to the service centre and after 4 to 5 months there, came back with a brand new (according to the service guy) modified gearbox and clutch. I was finally at peace, enjoying my car and damn, it happened again!

I have had 3 Skoda’s in the past, multiple cars from different brands over the years, but never had such a thing happened. Now, I have come to believe that there is some major manufacturing defect and the only solution is that Skoda India replaces my car. But I don’t know how to approach the problem or whom to contact. The helpline and service are just in the mood to take the car, keep it and try to fix it. Even after changing all the components, how would things be any different?

I hope I get to escalate this to Skoda India and they they take responsibility and help me get my car replaced. I just want to reach out to them. Any advice on this would be a boon.

Here's what BHPian Aloksharma had to say on the matter:

Reach out to Skoda on X via @SkodaIndia & @SkodaIndia_PR and also to @PetrSolc_ (Brand Director -Skoda Auto India).

If this is happening for the third time, you have to ask the dealership to connect you to service head for the region also. Also do write an assetive and strong mail to document the whole ordeal.

Generally following up with them regularly via Social media should make them get your attention. Or else if anyone in the forum knows a senior guy with regards to customer experience or service at Skoda India, then they can connect you to the right executive.

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Driving it on narrow and winding roads of Himachal has been an exhilarating experience.

BHPian nsharma2104 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have completed more than one year of ownership of Honda City V MT and have driven approximately 19000 kilometers in last one year. More than 90% of it has been in hilly roads and terrain of Himachal Pradesh. Here are a few points based upon my driving experience.

Positives:

• Excellent handling. It handles curves like a dream. Driving it on narrow and winding roads of Himachal has been an exhilarating experience.
• Powerful engine with well synced transmission: Absolutely no complaints in this regard. 1.5 ivtec is the USP of this car.
• Ergonomics: This is one thing that people miss and I think is the most important aspect of driving experience. In city, everything seems well sorted at appropriate angles and within reach.
• Fuel efficiency: Average fuel efficiency since last one year has been around 15-16 kmpl. You cannot expect better figures when you look at road and terrain conditions here.

Negatives:

• Poor sound insulation: No insulation in wheel well, filmy panels compared to earlier builds, poor stock tyres. All of it makes for road noise, wind noise and engine noise to enter cabin and ruin your driving experience.
• Tyres: Less said the better. V MT comes with 185 section tyres with 15" alloys from MRF. Braking feels poor, and overall driving dynamics beg for tyres to be upgraded as soon as stock tyres are finished. One another related sore point is that tyres are almost finished in last 19k kilometers and will go at max for another 2k to 3k kilometers. Any suggestion for upgrade with same alloys is greatly appreciated.
• Paint quality: I have got countless scratches and marks all arond even with small thorns sticking out from roadside bushes. Paint quality is even inferior to my 2009 santro which has still got its original paint with almost no scratches in such long time. Quality of paint is definitely a downside of new Honda City.
• Ground clearance: This can only be considered a negative from a third person's point of view because as an owner, you know you are buying a sedan wit low ground clearance.

Overall, I am quite satisfied with my City and intend to keep it for long time despite its shortcomings on a few points.

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