For me it would be the Virtus, get a better AC and better interiors with regards to quality! I would happily pay a premium of ₹2 lakh for these two.

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Thread Rules

• A car that you will realistically purchase, now or in the future.
• The car should be on sale in India
• Just 1 or 2 cars per post. Again, please keep it real. This isn’t a “dream car” thread.
• Try sharing a picture to make your post more interesting. Perhaps, in the colour you'd choose or how you'd soup it up.

My Realistic Purchase

Toyota Fortuner.

Why?

Going to need a triple-seat row car in the future, practical, reliable, robust & t-o-u-g-h, too many idiots on Mumbai roads make driving delicate cars a pain, handsome styling & very modification-friendly nature, suits my 10 - 15 year typical car ownership cycle, big German SUVs are way too overpriced & fragile, perfect road-trip companion, 4x4, a status-free product like the iPhone (i.e. even billionaires who can afford more expensive products own it), is at home in any kind of garage (like the Thar), broken roads & highways make driving delicate German cars a pain, a Fortuner is the perfect garage companion to a luxury sedan or sportscar

What 2 - 3 things would it absolutely need to fix to become a part of my garage?

• Compliant / comfortable suspension. Like the erstwhile Endeavour. Current Fortuner is way too bumpy for my tastes. I cannot suffer bad ride quality anymore. It's a straight dealbreaker. I hear the next-gen Fortuner is going to fix this.
• Lighter steering. Like the erstwhile Endeavour. Current steering tune of the Fortuner requires too much effort in the city. I hear the next-gen Fortuner is going to fix this.
• Would love a turbo-petrol motor, although the 2.8L diesel is a peach & really suits the car. Still, that naturally-aspirated petrol feels a decade or two old. Even a Hybrid like the one in the Innova Hycross will do, but with more power.

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

For me it would be the Virtus, get a better AC and better interiors with regards to quality! I would happily pay a premium of ₹2 lakh for these two. It’s not rocket science to get it done, Jetta had better interiors and regarding AC they can take the Ford’s AC system, the one’s who supplied for Ford have no one to sell to now! VAG is going down the Ford route by diluting their USP, they will only end like Ford. Even the Vento had better interiors!!!

Here's what BHPian saket77 had to say on the matter:

All of the current gen C-Segment sedans: Skoda Slavia or VW Virtus.

Only if they give me peace of mind during my ownership in terms of spare part availability, cost of ownership comparable to segment standards and overall reliability.

Both cars feature understated designs which do not cry for attention, have decent build quality, should be safe and drive well. The fly in the ointment are the cost of ownership, part availability (though should not be bad for Indian made current gen cars), past records of the manufacturer in terms of attitude and recalls, and long term reliability.

If these are addressed, I would pick them anyday. Though the 5th Gen City is also tempting and I can pick it sans as many qualms as for the German twins.

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

I will buy Scorpio (now Scorpio Classic) if it were to come with at least a 4 star Safety rating, an AT and a Petrol engine. I can live with its boat like ride at the back as I drive mostly alone. I still think Scorpio is one of the few vehicles that give a great view of the road ahead. I drive a 2009 Scorpio. Have not faced any issues till now but am looking to get a Petrol AT seven seater now...

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

I would buy

1: Bolero Neo, with the 1.5 Diesel engine(4 cylinder) + TC gearbox

2: Jimny if it was 2.5 lakhs cheaper (fun little 4x4 toy)

3: i20 N Line Manual if it was 2 lakhs cheaper (a more practical alternative to the polo GT)

4: Scorpio/XUV700/Carens if they had a captain seat variant in the base trim. (as a chauffeured runabout, base variants make great sense, as long as they have rear ac vents)

5: Verna if they introduce a diesel manual (I do crazy high running)

6: Seltos if they give up on their retarded iMT on the diesel

Honestly, just give me option 1, and watch me write a cheque.

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

I'd happily buy a Creta to replace my S-Cross if Hyundai:

1- Improves the safety rating to 4 stars or more

Icing on the cake would be improved looks, but that is optional.

Here's what BHPian shishir333 had to say on the matter:

Skoda Octavia

Why - An enthusiast's delight...most fun to drive car in the segment. That 2.0 TSI is a gem. And only if looks could kill

Fix - A sleek 6-speed manual paired with that 2.0 TSI and stiffened suspension

Just take my money please, I will hold it for a lifetime!

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Personally, for me, this vehicle and variant have been an out-and-out VFM package from day 1.

BHPian Sandegov recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Summary:

• Model: Mahindra XUV 700 AX7 AWD
• Colour: Midnight Black
• Booking: 08 Oct 2021 (With Price Protection)
• Delivery: 15 Jul 2022
• Current Odo: 2250 Km

Avg (tank full method):

1. 9-10 km/l with regular short school drop-off trips of ~15 km or peak Bangalore traffic.
2. 10-12 km/l with a regular office commute of ~50kms (non-peak hrs)
3. 14-14.5 km/l on Highways

Background:

We were a family of three with our second one on its way, at the time of booking, and I was looking for a car that would be a comfortable highway cruiser for our outstation trips and also do the city duties when needed mainly for school drops and office commutes without being too much of a hassle to drive in Bangalore traffic.

Used or New?

A big fan of used cars and I have first hand experienced the tremendous value that an almost new ~1-year-old certified luxury car offers, but this was outside India and it was pretty clear early on in my search this time that buying a used car in India was very different and came with its own challenges and I was just not ready to risk it. Decided it had to be a new car.

SUV/MUV or Sedan?

I have mostly owned/driven sedans and always loved driving them over the occasional rental SUVs/Vans overseas. The cargo space was good enough for the three of us and it easily took in the kid's stroller and + a couple of bags in those few rare extended trips we would have that extra bag that would spill over to the back seat area. Now with the addition of a new member to the family, it was pretty clear that we would need a bigger cargo space + Our being a joint family meant a 7-seater would be an added bonus for occasional full family commute within city limits. A 7-seater SUV/MUV was a no-brainer.

Budget:

I was on a bit of a flexible budget with 30L being the preferred sweet spot and an absolute max of 45-50L for the right car, but I was clear in my mind that anything above 35L had to have a strong USP for my use and absolutely justified its price. I am a little old school and budget-conscious when it comes to money matters and rarely go overboard with most of my spending.

Requirements (In the order of priority):

1. Safety - NCAP ratings, AWD, ESP, Airbags etc ranked very high on my list.
2. Automatic - Having driven manual and auto in the past I have come to really appreciate the convenience that an auto box offers.
3. Space and comfort - Had to be a full-size SUV/MUV, with good comfortable seats, not a very stiff ride, and minimal body roll.
4. Maintainability - Availability of spares on time and an option of multiple service centres to choose from.
5. Diesel - No experience here, but preferred a Diesel considering the weight of the vehicle and passenger capacity.
6. Comfort features - I was ok if the car got its basics well covered and features like a sunroof, connected tech, voice commands, touch screens, ambient lighting, high-end audio etc were only on my good-to-have list and dint matter much.

Options considered:

Having owned an E90 for an extended time it was natural for me to start off my search by looking at the entry-level options from the three luxury brands, it ended pretty quickly as all of them were either now out of my budget or watered-down variants that didn't appeal.

Kia Carnival

Having used a minivan overseas for a brief period and experiencing the benefits it offered as a family vehicle, this was right at the top of my list and I was offered a mouth-watering 3.75L discount straight away during the test drive on day one. But the below points made me take a hard second look and I had to let it go with a heavy heart and to the disappointment of all the kids at home. We had it over at home for a TD and it was a huge hit with my parents, kids and wife.

• Too long a car for city use.
• This was a one-generation +2/3-year older car.
• Being a CKD the availability and cost of the spare were going to be a challenge.
• Long-term ownership of this car didn't look easy.

Toyota Fortuner

There's a Fortuner in the family at my in-law's place - unanimous feedback was it was rock solid and reliable but they just hated the ride and were pretty vocal about it. I was not going to be putting in anything more than 10-12k km annually however I used it - I have a typical office commute + few planned outstation trips and being from Bangalore there were no frequent hometown trips as well. I could not justify the extra spend on a Fortuner with such low mileage and had to drop it.

Hyundai Tucson

Again an old-gen model + CKD and a suspect NCAP rating for older models on sale in India. There were lots of rumours/news about new gen being introduced anytime, I was very keen on this new model. Did not take a TD of old gen and decided to wait on the release of new-gen while I was on the wait list of Mahindra. Eventually, my XUV700 delivery date came and the new Tucson was still not released.

Tata Safari

Absolutely loved the exterior looks, especially darker shades and dropped by the showroom to check it out. The inside of the SUV was a different story altogether - the big blank flat panel on the dash was a put-off for me and what was an even bigger issue for me was the driving ergonomics, I kept fouling my left knee and I felt the steering was too hard for comfortable city driving. By this time I had already test-driven the XUV700 and I was way more comfortable and at home in its driving seat than in Safari. An unknown safety rating did not help matters as well.

Mahindra XUV700

The feature list announced and initial reviews looked very impressive and had my requirements very well covered with ADAS being a surprise cherry on the cake, I was fully convinced to go ahead with the booking on an opening day. I had my variant - AX7 AWD Midnight Black already in the cart on the 7th but was unable to check out and complete the booking, I left it after a few unsuccessful attempts. To my surprise, I got a call from the dealer later in the day that they were reaching out to customers who had cars in their cart and were unable to check out and offered to book on my behalf with day1 pricing and price protection. The only condition was the variant and colour would have to be the same as what was in my cart and could not be changed. I went ahead with the payment after taking assurances in writing and the dealer keyed in the booking on the next day. I was all set with my booking and the only thing left was to get test drives.

I dropped in the dealership when test drive vehicles were made available and my first TD was in a petrol AX7L on a dealer fixed route - I was left completely impressed with the power, refinement levels and ease of driving this SUV in city traffic. Followed up and got a second TD of the diesel variant at home after a few days and though the refinement levels were not the same as petrol the TD left me impressed and the family liked it too. I decided to stay with my current variant and booking and bring my car hunt to a close.

Post booking to delivery experience - An absolute joke of an experience with the dealer and Mahindra, without getting into details I would just mention that April 2022 was my promised delivery date and I got my delivery on Jul 15th with a nightmarish experience all along. I was a day away from cancelling my booking and going with a Fortuner. I have mentally checked out this whole dealership and delivery experience and have moved on from it.

Accessories Installed

• I went with the following accessories from a dealer at the time of delivery and would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to buy.
• Screen Protector (mainly for a clean fingerprint-free screen, so far its been excellent in avoiding fingerprints)
• Illuminated scuff plates
• Side steps
• 3D mats (ask your dealer to stick velcro pieces at the bottom of the mat for a good fit)
• Mud Flaps

I was finally able to get the delivery of my XUV700 with the above accessories and have logged 2250kms so far here are my likes and dislikes so far:

Likes

• 5 Star Safety Rated
• Safety features - 6 airbags with curtain airbag opening all the way till the third row, Latest ESP with electronic brake prefill, brake disc wiping etc
• AWD lock - ability to lock the AWD up to 80km/h when needed, this will come in handy for sure and my previous AWD did not have this manual override.
• ADAS - Works flawlessly.
• Comfort - Driving ergonomics, minimal body roll, comfy seats.
• Effortless driving in city traffic
• Smooth Auto Box
• Power on tap
• Headlights
• The electronic parking brake with auto hold works like a charm

Dislikes:

• Football in the boot - there is a constant rolling thud noise from the boot area. The service team during the first service had no fix and mentioned they were waiting on a recall from the company.
• Noise from fuel tank - the service centre mentions its related to the above football in the boot issue and awaiting recall/fix from the company.
• In zap mode - The auto box tends to hold the revs and make noise before shifting into 3rd gear from 2nd, gets worse on inclines.
• No light in the boot
• No 12v port in the front
• No auto-dimming IRVM
• Fit and finish - not consistent and many rough edges
• Inconsistent Vodafone network

Niggles faced so far:

• Wiper noise from day 1 - raised and fixed during the first service. The wiper assembly was removed and refixed, root cause per the service advisor was it wasn't tightened during PDI.
• Range/DTE not showing from day 1 - raised and fixed during the first service. The software upgrade during the first service mostly fixed it.
• Football in the boot from day 1 - it's getting extremely frustrating to live with this noise and I hope Mahindra comes out with a fix for it soon, everybody who has sat in my car has asked about it and it takes all the fun out of driving this car, especially in city driving at lower speeds. Planning to get this checked with another service centre.
• Repeated Activating profile, started after about 1000kms - this is a recent issue, never had it before. Need to get it checked.
• ESC error with power loss started after about 1000kms - happens occasionally for about 2-3 seconds when I go over a few road humps. Need to get it checked.
• Fuel Avg calculation is buggy - has a mind of its own, and has reset suddenly 1-2 times, recently after a highway trip, it dropped from 14 to 8-9 and then back to 15 over a distance of a few km. Not planning to raise this with the service centre.
  Hill hold error, first time at 2250kms - got this when I started the car after a quick break during the morning, did not observe any difference in drivability or power when this message flashed and it went away after I stopped and restarted the car. Will keep an eye out for this in the coming days.

Additional information on the AX7 AWD variant:

The AX7 AWD comes with a key additional feature that is not available on the AX7 2WD variant, this is not documented well and most of the sales reps are unaware as well. AX7 AWD variant comes with Electronic Parking Brake EPB with Auto Hold which according to the feature list is available only on the luxury pack. EPB is also a necessity for your stop-and-go feature on an adaptive cruise and going by this there is a very good chance that the AX7 AWD variant may have stop and go feature as well - there is no document to confirm on this though and the only way to know for sure is to test it out

Other upgrades/add-ons:

Tire Upgrade:

I had initially planned and budgeted to replace my spare tire with a full-size alloy tire at the time of delivery and had no plans to change/upgrade my tires. But then when I started looking at potential alternatives for my tires it made sense for me to let go of the full-sized spare and instead use that money to upgrade the tires to better ones. My XUV came with MRF tires and I went ahead and got them changed the next day after delivery to Michelin Primacy SUV+ same size at Madhus. Wanted a grippier softer compound with silent highway drives and better braking, they are on the pricier side but am extremely happy with the plush ride and the performance and they seem to be worth the price.

Tire Inflator:

XUV700 comes with a single 12v socket and that too in the boot and it's rated at max 120w, this meant that the heavy-duty inflators which are usually rated 150+ watts were out of consideration. With a basement parking at home and easy access to power points, I was also exploring any options that would let me run the inflator directly from my PowerPoint when I would use it at home. I came across one such inflator from Agaro - it's rated at 120w and can run both on 220v power point and the 12v car socket, it's a generic Chinese one with Agaro branding, and I decided to give it a try. Have used it a few times and it's worked pretty well so far - the auto cut-off works as expected + worked well on both 12V and 220V+ the 12V cable is long enough to reach all tires without issues + the heating seems to be in control.

PPF/Ceramic & Maintenance routine:

Got a 3M wash and wax within a week of delivery, and will not be going for PPF/ceramic and other treatments. All our cars have held up pretty well without them and covered parking at home and the office also helps. Made use of the Ayudha pooja occasion to strip wash the car and apply the Turtle Wax seal and shine and topped it off with Sonax BSD, I plan to use jopasu duster + proklear raw extreme cx waterless wash, when needed, as regular maintenance along with monthly/periodic washes with Sonax ph neutral shampoo and Sonax BSD as drying aid.

Initial verdict after 2000 km usage:

Personally, for me, this vehicle and variant have been an out-and-out VFM package with the day 1 pricing and price protection that I got - a comfortable full-size SUV with a powerful engine, AWD, ADAS, an effortless city drive and excellent highway manners and an added EPB feature for my variant and all this came in at a price point that was well under my budget. Heck, I was even able to get all my accessories, max extended warranty, tire upgrade, tire inflator etc and still keep it under budget, makes me enjoy this car completely guilt-free. The only disappointment, and a major one for me - I was mentally prepared for the initial software/sensor-related niggles but expected a mechanically sound vehicle, I was not ready for this constant thud-thud football in the boot sound from the rear and it has been a bit of a dampener to my otherwise excellent ownership experience so far.

I plan to keep this thread updated regularly with my ownership & service experience, hopefully, it will be of help to other prospective & current owners of XUV700.

A few pics of my XUV700:

On the delivery day:

After the Turtle wax seal and shine + Sonax BSD treatment:

Added aftermarket AWD badge:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Besides my own search, the idea of the thread also is to help fellow Bhpians looking for similar vehicles to select based on observations shared here.

BHPian poitive recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi Folks,

Replacing the Optra Magnum after a decade of fruitful ownership. 'Finally' some might say. After having ‘Driven’ a few, seeking views from fellow mates for ‘Choosing' a vehicle.

Briefly: Being a well built guy with some recent back-issues, need a high vehicle with easy ingress+egress, a lot of headroom, legroom and foot-room. Am much inclined towards a torquey diesel. Fun to drive, though much desired comfort for the back is more important. Ideally of course have both. Budget reluctantly stretched it to about 20L OTR. 22L is a stretch to not rule out the Jeep Compass

Test Drive Reports + Thoughts below:

• Kia Seltos
• Tata Harrier / Safari
• MG Hector / Hector Plus
• Jeep Compass
• Mahindra XUV700 (NOT a TD - thoughts and questions) - EDIT: Test Drive report now added
• Nissan Kicks 1.3 Turbo

If I test drive more, shall report below.

Besides my own search, the idea of the thread also is to help fellow T-Bhpians looking for similar vehicles to select based on observations and drives shared here.

Some background/intro:

The last time I sought help from mates for selecting a car, was overwhelmed by the affection, camaraderie and interest. While the decision got made in about 12 pages, the thread became a more general thread and had 700 posts in 4 months, and became the first thread in What Car-Sedans section to cross over one lakh views. That was a decade ago.

Links:

Main What-Car thread

Sister Thread

Ownership thread

Details of Needs and Wants:

• Intend to keep the vehicle for long. Say 9-10 years if it holds up well.
• Need a spacious vehicle. Am bigly built.
• A comfortable seat
• Lots of headroom
• Ample legroom
• Decent space in the foot-well, ideally with a dead-pedal.
• Convenient ingress+egress is important. To be easily slide onto the seat is highly desired, hence focused on an SUV.
• A mix of self and chauffeur driven. It will typically have 1-2 people in the car.
• Monthly usage is highly uncertain. Could well be a few hundred a month, or even 2000kms odd kms a month.
• Mainly city usage. Could well have ample city-suburb use which includes expressways. Within the city too, less of bumper to bumper and more of free roads travel. Unlikely to have much highway use, but want to be prepared in case it is to be used such
• An Airy cabin is much preferred.
• Features and Gizmos are not a focus, though don’t hurt. I’d any day prefer a better suspension (ride+handling) to the bling-gizmos.
• Quite dislike the idea of an automatic, so am only considering Manual Transmission. It just feels natural, enjoyable and intuitive to me.
• Due to what I’ve been used (about 230Nm/tonne) to and enjoyed, and also potential use, have only focused on diesel till now.
• Budget: started with about 14-15 in mind while exploring, but have reached about 20L OTR. Very unhappy to extend beyond that. While I have already paid a booking amount and am frustrated with the wait, I am willing/considering a change. To avoid bias and keep views flowing freely, let us ignore that a booking has been made - at least for now.

Please share your thoughts

I like my car to be low slung, with a good independent suspension as the Optra Magnum had. Really enjoyed that finely tuned independent multi-link suspension and how it gave a wonderful ride, yet was an extremely well controlled car. Not as quick to react to steering inputs as it’s lighter and firm-suspension rivals might be, but a little anticipation took care of that. I have gotten spoilt with that. Got that for a bit over 9 lakhs about a decade ago – a lot of car for the money, and almost no bling.

It also had amongst the highest torque to weight ratios up to cars four times the price! (IIRC only the BMW 3 series, and perhaps one more had a higher ratio) So, been used to that sort of pulling power from a low RPM. It spoils you.

We usually try to spend as per our need, than splurge much on cars. Many other hobbies and expenses to take care of  If something of immense value comes up, one is willing to look at it.

With the above, you might ask: Why an SUV?

• As much as I like cars with a low centre of gravity, it causes the following issues in my case:
• Ingress+egress: It becomes an issue. That is my only major gripe with the Optra Magnum. A crossover or an SUV takes care of that aspect. I couldn’t think of a crossover appealing enough. Some back issues, which just might be transient in nature, made me think that I don’t want to commit to a vehicle I intend to keep for several years, and might trouble my back.
• Headroom: With a change in car design styles, roof lines usually taper down significantly, and there is insufficient headroom, especially at the rear seat. With my height and body proportions, my head almost touches the ceiling of a Passat, can’t sit in a Cruze or Vento – so you get the idea. In some cars, I even have a bit of an issue on the front seat, but that is rare.

The Hunt Begins:

Being extremely cautious about the pandemic (especially considering older members of the family), tried to minimize the test drives. Saw tonnes of youtube videos, pictures, stats, and of course T-bhp to narrow down things.

Trying to keep finances in check, especially after the big pandemic hit, casually started with what was priced around the Optra Magnum then – a Honda City. So a budget of about 12-14 odd lakhs OTR, I thought.

Honda City: Since it is a bit taller than the typical sedan (certainly as compared to the Optra), and have not really struggled with ingress-egress, considered it. Didn’t specifically try it, but have spent ample time in it’s various avatars to have a general idea. Somehow, despite good finish and features, and a much talked about engine, it really felt a big step down from the Optra Magnum in terms of driving pleasure and confidence. The steadiness, composure and torque of the Optra was not to be expected.

Vehicles considered:

• Mahindra XUV300: 2600 wheelbase on a budget

Status: Did not test. Others felt more appropriate.

• Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos: Much talked about and good reviews. Appropriate budget.

Status: Seltos Test Driven. Impressions below.

• Tata Harrier/ Tata Safari: Spacious with trims in an acceptable budget.

Status: Test Driven. Impressions below

• MG Hector/ MG Hector Plus: Despite talk of unimpressive handling, was an obvious consideration for a spacious SUV. 2750mm wheelbase.

Status: Test Driven. Impressions below

• Mahindra XUV700: Besides the badge, checked many of the boxes. Especially a multi-link suspension and the frequency sensing dampers.

Status: Not yet test driven. Studied a fair bit on the net including Youtube videos for space etc. Shared impressions based on that below.

• Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq: Look impressive. Wheelbase of 2651 yet compact enough for city use.

Status: Not test driven. Mainly because there is no diesel engine.

• Jeep Compass (Base Model – Sport): Ticked many boxes, especially driving pleasure.

Status: Test Driven. Impressions below. Stretches budget beyond comfort.

Quickly dismissed:

• Toyota Innova Crysta: Personal discomfort to Van/MPV look, Extra life over 10 years less meaningful. Too large for city use?

• Hyundai Elantra: Diesel is only 1.5 litre, petrol at 2.0 likely to have low FE. Form factor (not high enough for easy ingress-egress?)

• Mahindra Thar/Force Gurkha: Very appealing to the heart, but only 2 door. Seemed impractical for daily use, especially when being chauffeured.

• Mahindra Scorpio: Felt dated, without requisite positive to compensate. Hadn’t liked it when I had driven the old versions (drive wasn’t confidence inspiring enough)
• Tata Nexon, Maruti Brezza etc : Wheelbase less than 2600mm. Imagine them to be cramped, especially in the rear. Other better options in the list.

Continue reading BHPian poitive's detailed analysis on the best SUV to buy below the 22L mark for more insights and information.

The exact number of vehicles affected by the rear suspension issue is unknown.

Earlier this month, we had reported about Mahindra’s silent recall of the XUV700 AWD over a propeller shaft issue. It seems more problems have cropped up with the SUV as fresh reports suggest that a new recall has now been issued to rectify a rear suspension issue.

XUV700 AWD owners have been asked to get their vehicles inspected at the nearest service centre as Mahindra has made some changes to the rear wheel coil springs due to their placement.

The rear wheel coil springs on the XUV700 AWD should have 9 round coils in each spring. If there are 8 round coils, those need to be replaced with newer springs with 9 coils.

As with the earlier recall, the exact number of vehicles affected by the rear suspension issue is unknown.

Thanks to BHPian RavenAvi for sharing this information with other enthusiasts!

The Creta petrol IVT is an excellent in-city and highway commuter.

BHPian RavenAvi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

One last update in this ownership thread which was pending for some time:-

Phoenix (my Creta) found a new home in the second week of June. After the last week of April 2022 when Icarus (my XUV7OO) entered my garage, the running of my petrol steed had become extremely limited. In fact, out of the 31 days in May 2022, Phoenix went for in-city runs for only 5 days!

Blame me for this - I am old school and prefer my machines with stick shifters and twisting the key in ignitions. The Creta IVT with all it's luxurious features on offer was actually lazy and boring to live with. I guess push-button starts and AT transmissions are not made for me. Not at least I mentally retire from driving, completely.

Many in my friends and contact circles had their eyes on my immaculately maintained steed. Received an offer in the last week of May 2022 from a good lawyer friend of mine which exceeded my expectations and, with a promise of excellent maintenance and no call for complaints, I let Phoenix go. The ODO read 6,079 kms when it was driven away from in front of our home by it's new owner.

Came into my life at 14.94L ex-showroom price in July 2020 and went to the new owner at 13.80L final paid-up price in June 2022 after nearly 2 years of serving me dutifully, through the tough periods of my suffering severe lower back (sacrolumbar livoscoliosis), waist & left leg problems until they improved considerably in recent times.

The Creta petrol IVT is an excellent in-city and highway commuter. Plenty of in-cabin and boot space for an urban nuclear family and class-leading features on offer keep the feel-good factor going all through it's ownership. It isn't an enthusiast's car by any stretch of the imagination for sure. Just a point A to point B car, which most car owners would prefer once they are done and retired from an active life driving enthusiast offerings in cars. Hence I referred to it as your grandpa's car more often than not.

The Hyundai Creta surely has fantastic resale value, specially in Tier-3 cities and below. No wonder Hyundais are so much in demand around these parts.

Thank you, Phoenix. Serve your new owner well. And goodbye.

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

This has been, like all your ownership reviews, a repository of information about the Creta IVT. Thank you very much for sharing valuable information with the forum on every vehicle you have owned. The new owner is lucky to be getting a well maintained vehicle.

Kudos on the new 7OO - the “Icarus” - & I am sure that report too will be the go-to for many on this forum.

Here's what BHPian ahsvek3141 had to say on the matter:

As far as my knowledge goes, I think this is by far the shortest stint with any of your cars!

On a side note, as I still retain my Sept 2015 Creta , you have already let go 2 generations!

My Creta which I remember was bought during the same time as your ‘Lazarus’ will be completing 7 years in a month & if everything goes well, I am not letting her go for another 3 years for sure.

This pic is about a year old though.

Anyway, needless to say that you have got a fab replacement for the Creta and I hope that he serves you the max of all your cars!!

Wish you happy miles with the new one!

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I booked an XUV 700 AX7 Luxury on the launch day and got call from dealer on 7th this month that I can take the delivery. But now I’m waiting for the big daddy.

BHPian KnightRider had the following to say when he compared the Scorpio-N to the Carens and Ertiga:

I am in two minds. I am thinking of cancelling my Carens booking and go for ScorpioN. But will miss practical aspects like boot-space, 50:50 3rd row seat split of Carens which were some of my key requirements coming from 1st gen Ertiga.

BHPian Akkanath had this to say on the matter:

Woah....my exact same situation. I have a Carens booking which I haven't cancelled yet despite the 3* rating. Was pinning my hopes on perhaps W4 automatic of the ScorpioN.
But as you say, 7 seater practicality is now seemingly missing. Will wait for the reviews, but nevertheless totally confused. It's like there are no perfect options.

I am seriously thinking of Marazzo now.... Good spacious vehicle with not too many gizmos and blings and 4* rating. Let me know what you decide.

BHPian FidoDido recently shared his dilemma with other enthusiasts.

My case is more confusing. I am a Scorpio owner for seven years which I bought post a not so good experience with my first generation XUV 500. So my first love lies with Scorpio N.

I booked an XUV 700 AX7 Luxury on the launch day and got call from dealer on 7th this month that I can take the delivery. But now I’m waiting for the big daddy.

But if the last row is not a split then I can’t have any luggage in it which is the biggest issue with my current S10 captain seats version. I need luggage space with 6 people on board. Moreover I think 360 degree camera is also an omission which shouldn’t happen in top variants.

I don’t know that I should listen to my brain and go for the XUV which is ready for delivery now or listen to my heart and get the big daddy.

Here's what BHPian alokk0912 had to say on the matter:

My 2 cents. I will always go with my heart when it come to cars. That has worked for me and hope it works for you too. Issues of 6 people with luggage may happen once in a while, while you drive your vehicle pretty much daily. Considering you are a current scorpio owner, I will assume that you love your cars and enjoy your drive. If that is the case, one has to go with what heart says. I own a Thar and 16 year old scorpio. I cancelled my XUV booking and going to book the big dad. With Thar, we all know about the boot space and 3 doors etc. Still, I went for it. It is my daily ride now and it always brings smile to my face everyday. Boot space and others!! Well, let's just say I just don't think about it.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I got an overall fuel efficiency figure of around 14 km/l during the entire trip.

BHPian rambharat recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Just came back from Week long tour covering 3 states and 4000 km. My Diego lives up to its name and is a beast on the road.

Did the Bangalore-Mangalore-Udupi-Bangalore trip first, covering 1000+ km. Got to drive it on the bad ghat roads of Sakleshpur and with continuous rain, tested the vehicle to its limit.

Did the Bangalore-Vizag-Puri-Konark-Chilika-Bhubaneshwar-Vizag-Bangalore trip next, covering 3000+ km. My entire family is blown away by the vehicle and the way it drives.

Few observations:

1. No issues whatsoever with the mechanics. The vehicle performed brilliantly throughout the trip. I was able to do a Bangalore-Vizag non-stop trip in 15 hours (a single day) and still didn't feel fatigued.
2. No thudding noise was experienced throughout the trip.
3. ACC is a boon on highways. Haven't used normal cruise control before, but I feel ACC is a must-have feature. The only thing you need to make sure of is that when the vehicle breaks itself, you have sufficient distance between you and the vehicle behind you.
4. Auto headlamps are a boon. But miss the hi-beam mainly on highways during low visibility times. Corner lamps and low beam is very good, but we should have the option to turn on the hi-beam when we need it (and not when the vehicle feels it).
5. Had two instances of the OTA updates happening. Not sure if they were successful but the ORVMs don't close/open automatically now. Will get it checked at the service centre.
6. DEF is at 50% now. I think it's time for a visit to the service centre for DEF top-up.
7. The biggest issue I face is when I connect via Bluetooth and play songs via the Gaana/Amazon app. Every now and then the songs stop (mainly when the vehicle is stopped/started) even though the Bluetooth is connected, I still cannot play the songs. The only way is to connect via cable to Android Auto post which I miss the normal navigation screen and other dashboard features (Android Auto doesn't allow you to go back unless you press the drive mode or 360-degree camera button).
8. On ease of driving, I can give 110/100 to this vehicle. It's so easy to drive, handle and manoeuvre in the traffic. The only worry is keeping it below the 120 km/h speed limit.
9. I got a mileage of 13-14 km/l during the entire trip. Speed was around 100-120 on highways and random inside the city. Crossed 140 multiple times during the trip.
10. Keeping the vehicle at a constant speed increases the mileage considerably. More so when you keep it in the 80 range. I got around 16 from Tirupati to Bangalore drive by keeping it in the 70-80 range. Taking it above 120 decreases the mileage considerably.
11. Side steps (I got after-market ones) are a big help in keeping bikers from getting too close. The only issue is that they will hit the road when going on uneven speed breakers (mainly in Bangalore).
12. Got some minor glitches on hill hold control, TPMS, traction control etc, all of which went away when the vehicle was stopped/started. Didn't face the loss of power issue which I reported in my previous posts.
13. All in all, very happy with the vehicle till now. Had multiple instances of people coming to take photos and enquire about it. Felt like a superstar. Mine is an AX7L AWD White. ODO shows 6500 km now.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Upgraded from the XUV500, but also considered the Tata Safari and the Toyota Innova Crysta.

BHPian RavenAvi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

"There below are the trees, as awkward as camels;

and here are the shocked starlings pumping past

and think of innocent Icarus who is doing quite well:

larger than a sail, over the fog

and the blast of the plushy ocean,

he goes.

Admire his wings!

Feel the fire at his neck and see

how casually he glances up and is caught,

wondrously tunnelling

into that hot eye."

- Anne Sexton.

Why the name Icarus?

1) From Greek mythology (more specifically Metamorphoses by Ovid), it's the name of a character who was given wings made from wax by his father and, ignoring his father's warnings, kept flying higher and higher into the skies till he reached so close to the sun that his wax wings melted and he fell back down to earth and drowned in the sea.

Icarus is a symbol of man's highest standards of inventiveness and aspirations. It denotes lofty ideals, heroic daring, and proudly achieving the highest thinkable achievement within man's own mortal limitations.

At the same time, the fable is also a gentle yet firm reminder of sticking to one's origins, bounds and limits and keeping oneself firmly planted on the earth and not pushing oneself beyond discernible and fathomable boundaries. (Related Read)

2) From contemporary movie culture - it's the name of the spaceships from, quite possibly, my favourite science-fiction movie in recent times, Sunshine (2007).

Perhaps the good people at Mahindra knew about the myth of Icarus, that is why they designed this particular screen for the AdrenoX system:

This has become my favourite go-to screen in the Head Unit's display now. I call this screen "Icarus's Wings". When the left and right wings fly upwards during a drive, it brings a delightful smile to my face (especially when the left "Torque" wing soars higher up and leaves a long trail of luminescent, disappearing blue below it).

Big things have big beginnings

April 2017.

My father and mother started to fall sick regularly. My mother was the more serious chronic patient in our small family with plenty of digestive & intestinal problems for the past 30 years. I had to take her for an emergency abdominal surgery procedure in a hurry in my 2015 Hyundai Creta (Lazarus) to the VY Hospital in Raipur 300 km away from my city. I bought the Creta in the same month when it was first launched in India (July 2015), and it had served me quite well for the past 2 years until then.

This was the first time I felt the need for a 7-seater or even a 5+2 seater. With my Mother laid down in the back seat, there was just one seat free - the front passenger's. There was no way of taking my old father and/or my wife together with us, as we had to accommodate my little 5-year-old Isha too. And I couldn't leave any one of them alone at home either. Hence I had to take the risk of going alone with my Mother without any immediate family support.

The mother's surgery went well, and she was discharged 9 days later. We started back home from Raipur with her lying down in the rear seat. And, as luck would have it, about nearly halfway through the return journey, at a speed of around 90kmph and with a slower Maruti Alto in front, the Creta's brakes failed. With thick incoming traffic coming from the front, I somehow saved both our lives by going off-road and turning left into the fields by the roadside, repeatedly pumping the brakes desperately. A last-minute kick-in by the ABS unit brought Lazarus to a shuddering halt and, very shaken, I resumed our journey at much slower speeds and brought us home safely in nearly double the time that a normal trip would have usually taken.

I had to seriously re-evaluate everything after that one incident. The limitations of a 5-seater car during such emergencies, parents growing older and sicker by the passing months, me being an only child, and the Creta's alarming brake failure incident at high speeds had shaken me to my core. I realised we needed a mechanically reliable 7-seater with spacious front & middle rows, though the last row might be used occasionally during any similar medical emergencies. Long family trips were out of the equation back then, as the main priority was to take care of my old and ailing parents.

The Creta's brakes were checked repeatedly but the service centre found nothing wrong with them. They suggested changing the brakes altogether, but my driving confidence with Lazarus had taken a deep-nosed dive by then. Lazarus went, and I brought our first 7-seater - the XUV5OO - home in August 2017 (I called him Arion) because of the lack of properly authorised service centres of other companies offering popular 7-seaters, mainly Toyota. With budgetary constraints stretched to the absolute limit, I could afford the W6 variant only as I was in the process of finalising a duplex bungalow purchase too. With 155BHP and 360Nm ready to serve at the tip of my right big toe, this was the first time I had sheer power and dollops of torque at my disposal - a huge jump from the "humble" two Maruti MPFIs, a Honda i-VTEC and an i-DTEC, and a Hyundai VTVT I had owned/driven before the mighty Cheetah came into my life.

I loved everything about the 5OO - the mind-blowing engine response and driveability, excellent road manners, the respect it commanded from traffic, humongous in-cabin space in the first 2 rows and sheer comfort overall. For a mid-variant, the updated 2017 5OO W6 variant packed in a lot of feel-good features as well - automatic headlamps/wipers, cruise control, Android Auto, Automatic Climate Control, adjustable lumbar support for the front seats, cornering lamps, entry-assist "puddle" lamps under ORVMs, lounge lighting, individual reading lamps in 2nd row, auto-folding ORVMs, voice commands, etc.

Arion was scheduled to be a keeper-for-life, until the clutch and the gearbox started giving me real problems. Within 6 months of ownership, the clutch became very hard and the upshifting/downshifting into the first 2 gears became very difficult, to the point that I found myself shifting directly to 2nd gear from Neutral while taking off from a standstill, or downshifting to 1st gear from 3rd gear. This started to take a toll on my left leg and lower back + waist. The local Mahindra service centre did their best but to no avail. The final diagnostic made me lose it - they helplessly offered to replace the entire gearbox, clutch systems and related wirings. Despite my immense love for the 5OO, I was simply not ready to see him get torn apart for these (major) niggles. Had to let Arion go with a very heavy heart when the 2018 Tata Nexon XZ+ diesel came into our garage. With the surgery helping my mother's health improve and my father also getting better in between, the lingering health issues in our family came down. With a career shift (promotion) planned and looming on the horizon, plans to get another 7-seater replacement for the 5OO took a backseat in my list of priorities.

Cue July 2021.

My lower back and left leg problems saw vast improvements and I had almost forgotten about these afflictions in my body. But a new nightmare walked into my life - after a continuous 2-month struggle of having huge breathing problems, inability to eat anything and staying awake all through the night due to the intense, searing pains in the chest and complete breathlessness, I was diagnosed with a critical (and possibly fatal) heart condition - DCM (Dilated CardioMyopathy). (details) My entire daily routine was overhauled, dietary and lifestyle changes came into effect, and the very-slow recovery process started. The doctors proclaimed that this was a condition which stayed for life and required continuous and regular monitoring. I was put under close medical supervision and observation for the next full year through Telemedicine, video calling and regular follow-ups through fortnightly (at first) and monthly (later) blood test reports, ECGs & Echocardiographs.

It was merely a year into my ownership of the 2020 Creta SX IVT (Phoenix).

(Why the Creta again after the events of 2017? Read the opening post of that thread for details)

I was looking for a 7-seater before getting Phoenix because of my chronically ailing parents, but now they need for a 7-seater became more necessary due to my own condition too. Phoenix was doing great and now came with changed, improved brakes and was the most ideal (yet boring and uninvolving) steed for me and the conditions I was carrying - my sacro-lumbar condition which had improved well, a persistently problematic left leg, and now a critically bad heart as well. But with 3 full-time patients in the family now, and any of them going critical at any moment, I became aware of the need for a 7-seater yet again.

I started looking at the 7-seater options starting from the used car market. The downside of living in a Tier-3 city in a deeply rural area showed its limitations here - bad, used and severely abused examples of Innovas, Mahindras and Tatas are aplenty. The conditions of some of those Tatas would put any describing words in our dictionaries to shame. Slightly better candidates were forwarded from contacts at Raipur, Visakhapatnam or Odisha via Whatsapp, but I was barred from travelling beyond 50 km by my docs, so there was no way of checking out those cars in person. However good they might be or were vouched for by friends or contacts, I wasn't to be satisfied until I checked out a car thoroughly myself. So, after a month of scrounging through offline and online options, I ditched that route.

The chase begins.

I decided to go the new car route again. But, after BS6 norms came into effect, the prices of most 7-seaters had gone astronomical. Toyota had taken the Innova Crysta's prices into the ionosphere, yet it was selling in huge numbers. I somehow never liked the Innova, however hard I tried to. My immediate neighbour owns one and I had a chance to drive it for short distances on a couple of occasions. Both times I scratched it off from my mental list. The Tata Safari, nee Harrier++, was very new and the number of problematic Safaris being reported on social media was disheartening. And then there was the news of Mahindra getting ready to launch the new-gen 5OO as the "XUV7OO". As a huge fan of the erstwhile 5OO, I followed the whole pre-launch campaign keenly. Called my old contact, Sonal, at the local Mahindra dealer and came to know that he had shifted to Jeypore, Odisha, and joined the dealership there (Paramount Automotives Pvt Ltd). I told him I was interested in the 7OO. He promised me he would keep me in the loop.

In come the first week of October 2021, the Mahindra blockbuster was launched at a killer introductory price range (11.99L to 22.89L) and the result - was 25,000 bookings completed in merely 57 minutes, the official website crashed with a hurricane of online visits, and pre-bookings were closed!

Sonal called me judiciously at 10 AM on 07th October 2021 (the opening day) and asked me to place a booking through his dealership at Jeypore. Cautious about a brand-new Mahindra car launch (coming from the initial launch of the 5OO in 2012 and the number of problems the initial owners faced) and with the plethora of features the 7OO was supposed to bring with it to our Indian roads, including the very-new ADAS and Adaptive Cruise Control tech, I told him that I would wait for at least 6-7 months for the initial batches to roll out and for any possible niggles/problems in the initial production batches to get sorted. Possibly the 7OO might be directly available at showrooms by then. Bookings opened again on the very next day, with prices increased by Rs 50,000 across the range, and again the 7OO thundered the record books by securing 25,000 more bookings in 2 hours before the company closed the pre-bookings again!

Just 2 days of pre-bookings, and the 7OO was completely pre-booked for the next full year! Boy, was I proven wrong and how!

I was willing to wait hence this did not deter me much. Yet, with the new condition, I had developed and even though I was fighting it and recovering well, I somehow felt that I might have made a mistake in skipping the initial pre-booking euphoria. But the 6-month waiting period I had set for myself was reasonable because I would be a better judge of my own health by then. I was also counting on the 7OO craze to have died down a bit in that period, followed by booking cancellations, initial batches dispensed with and early ownership reports coming in with how good/bad the 7OO actually is, and easier availability down the line.

Kept following the official webpage of the 7OO keenly and all the news trickling in-between - the car was a runaway (read "super-duper") hit and racked up 1 lakh bookings in a mere 3 months' time despite being an offering in the D-segment and seeing 2 steep price hikes during that period! It was completely sold out, especially in its diesel avatar, for 2 whole years! Unheard of, in the present situation the Indian auto industry was going through - still recovering from the Covid-19 situation and faced with the alarming shortage of semiconductor chips.

I placed an online request for test driving the 7OO in November 2021, and almost immediately got a call from a Raipur dealership that they would be sending a 7OO over in a week's time as soon as at least 8-10 possible customers from my city registered for a test drive. That week turned out to be 2 full months, and a Midnight Blue 7OO AX7L diesel MT test drive car stood outside my office in January 2022. Drove it extensively and was immediately bowled over by everything the 7OO offered. The guy who came with the car didn't say much, but merely handed me the keys and just kept smiling at all my observations and remarks throughout our test drive. Removing myself out from the driver's seat with a huge ear-to-ear grin plastered across my face, I have to admit this now - I completely fell hook, line and sinker for the 7OO after the drive big, big time. Rationality, judgements, decisions, features - nothing mattered anymore. I knew then and there that I wanted the 7OO - nothing else would do. After 2 years of driving an AT, the pure pleasure of a stick shifter and the lightning-quick response of the updated 182PS 2.2L mHawk diesel made me salivate and hungry for driving yet again after a long time. I was so involved and enchanted by the 7OO in the test drive itself that I completely forgot to take even a single pic. The guy quoted a year of waiting for the diesel and left, and my face fell.

Meanwhile, the Creta-extender version called Alcazar and the Seltos-extender version called Carens were launched, but I wasn't interested in either of them for even a remote bit. Two of my colony neighbours procured Alcazars but, either because I was a Creta owner myself or because my heart was completely taken by the 7OO, I didn't even glance in their direction when I passed them daily (I still don't).

In the second week of March, I visited the local Tata dealership and test drove the Safari extensively. Despite not liking the pseudo-Harrier carryover, unknown safety ratings and those plain-jane interiors, I liked the response and driveability of the 2.0L MJD engine and the in-cabin space - the 3rd row of the Safari was actually better than the Crysta's in terms of head and shoulder room! Boot space in all 3 cars in contention was disappointing but expected (actually this is non-existent in the Safari with all 3 rows up). These cars are not true-blue 3-row offerings but actually wide and comfortable 5 seaters with an "option" to seat 2 more OR carry your travel bags when the need for either arose. For a complete 7-seater with luggage space, one needs to consider the Kia Carnival as a bare minimum. Either way, with the 7OO blasting itself out of the picture with every passing day, the default option left for me was the Safari. The local Tata dealership promised me delivery in 15 days flat, provided I made an immediate booking in the first fortnight of March 2022 itself.

But, for some odd reason I can't identify it even now, I stopped and didn't commit myself to a Safari booking back then.

The chase continues.

Sonal got back to me during that second week in March and told me that petrol 7OOs were now available in 3-4 months' time, provided I was willing to wait. Meanwhile, a lot of reports regarding the ADAS systems failing to detect objects during highway runs, and the over-zealous nature of the Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane-Keep Assist systems were coming in from all sides. Not like the tech was bad, but I realised that our Indian roads and the traffic plying on them and the Indian "traffic" on both sides of the roads were simply not ready for cars with ADAS & other modern tech features in them, and vice versa.

My requirements didn't include ADAS or Adaptive Cruise Control - considering the rural roads and the conditions in which they are in around my city on all sides. No use paying for features which won't be used for, possibly, the whole life of the car. I hadn't used the Cruise Control in our Phoenix (Creta SX IVT) even a single time in the past 2 years. The lack of features didn't bother me - I wanted an SUV which was mechanically sound, had a mind-blowing engine and tons of space inside the cabin and could seat 7 when needed or necessary. Hence, I zeroed in on the AX5 in the 7OO's lineup.

Finally, I bit the bullet. Keeping my monthly running in mind, feeling almost fully recovered from my bad back & bad left leg, I placed a booking for the AX5 petrol MT 7-seater in Red Rage colour shade on 13th March 2022 through the online Configurator in the 7OO's official webpage. I had become a big fan of the Red Rage shade from when I saw the first pics of the 7OO in Red back in October 2021. I had chosen Sonal's Jeypore dealership since it was closest to my city - a mere 90 km away.

I could have easily stretched for the AX7 MT but felt that features such as ADAS, Adaptive Cruise Control & Lane Keep Assist would be useless on the roads our 7OO would be plying on. I reasoned that some of the absolutely shocking feature omissions in the AX5 (which were necessary for me) can be added later - reverse camera, Auto Headlamps, Leather seat covers, in-cabin air purifier, and power-folding ORVMs. The only thing I would miss is the 2 extra side airbags from the AX7. But with the curtain airbags in the AX5 extending all the way to the last row, I was more than satisfied with the in-cabin protection given to all the occupants.

I added 2 OEM accessories - an ORVM logo projector set and illuminated scuff plates - in the configurator itself. The booking was confirmed within 24 hours and the ETA to delivery showed as July-August 2022. With the quiet assurance of a more sorted car within that time period, and the ready availability of the Safari as a backup should things go tummy up, I was content to wait for 4-5 months. Sonal had told me that if the diesel had bowled me over during my TD in January 2022, I should expect to be swept off my feet when I get to experience the 7OO petrol.

197PS & 380Nm on offer - I was salivating at just the mere thought!

The next night, I casually went through the official product brochure again and re-read through my own posts in the original 7OO thread (now closed). I had completely forgotten a crucial feature missing in the AX5 petrol MT which is a must-have for a heavy 2-ton SUV - Electronic Stability Program (ESP). Big kudos to Tata for providing this as standard across the Safari range, right from the base variant, but for the Mahindra XUV7OO, the latest-gen ESP suite is introduced from the AX5 diesel MT variant! (and all the automatic variants, but of course!).

The AX5 petrol MT didn't get it. Why? Don't ask me. Ask the product planning team at Mahindra, who needs to get their brains checked big-time for the feature distribution across variants for the 7OO lineup.

Realised my folly and immediately placed a fresh booking for the AX5 diesel MT in the same Red Rage shade, despite my (possible) lower running, on 16th March 2022. It was a no-brainer really - with a price increase of ~62,000 rupees over the equivalent petrol variant, it was equipped with Drive Modes too in addition to the latest-gen ESP suite. To my delight, once the new booking was confirmed, it again showed an ETA of delivery by August 2022! Both were done by choosing the same Mahindra dealership online in Jeypore, Odisha, so I thought maybe the Mahindra's now-infamous allocation "algorithm" worked differently for smaller dealerships in Tier-3 cities/towns, and a quicker ETA to delivery was given for customers who booked through the online Configurator. Cancelled my earlier AX5 petrol booking, placed a call to Mahindra Customer Care regarding the same and also sent them a detailed email, following which the full booking amount (Rs 21,000) was refunded in my bank account within 5 days.

I was regularly in touch with Sonal, who had told me that 7OOs in Red were extremely rare in received bookings (I was the only one who had booked a Red 7OO through their dealership and would be very lucky if I received my chosen diesel variant by August 2022). This made me a bit apprehensive about early delivery, despite what was shown online. He told me to give him a few other choices/preferences, should a free car become available from a possible cancellation (if my stars got very lucky) and I laid them out - AX5 diesel MT/AT, AX3 diesel MT or even the AX7 MT, 7-seaters only and in Red/Midnight Black avatars. No other variant or no other colour shade.

31st March Closing

Came back home at nearly midnight to check the status of my online booking, and got a severe jolt - my ETA to delivery had been bumped to February-March 2023! This was not acceptable at all. At first, I thought it was an error in the website so logged out and logged back in several times to re-check. Every time, it showed the same postponed dates. Called up Mahindra Customer Care and they replied that someone from the dealership from which I had booked my car must have tampered with the details, due to which their online allocation system revised and updated the delivery dates accordingly. Called Sonal and asked him, but he said that online bookings are saved in Mahindra's internal backend systems and dealerships didn't have any passwords to access those.

I was flummoxed and completely flabbergasted. I was not willing at all to wait for a full year for a car however much I have started to love it, especially when my finances were fully ready. Also, the ready availability of free 7OO variants was being posted on Facebook and Whatsapp groups, which made me angrier. I posted on Twitter by tagging Anand Mahindra and all Mahindra's official Twitter channels on it and shared photos from stockyards of rows of available 7OOs in Delhi-NCR areas and down south, and posts of people getting their cars quicker (some claimed to have gotten their cars in 15 days!) but received no reply from any of them for the next 2 days. Tried my insider sources at Mahindra but I was told that Mahindra was keeping the 7OO's allocation and delivery system pretty close to its chest and the only way to get one was to contact the dealerships and enquire. And I had nearly zero contacts at other nationwide dealerships.

On 2nd April 2022, I had to admit to myself with a heavy heart - there went the 7OO, out of my life again. Possibly for forever.

But,

“Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho,

to puri kainaat usey tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai.”

(Translated: If you love something truly with all your heart, then the whole universe sets itself in motion to try to unite you with it.)

On April 2nd, I received a call from the Shivnath Mahindra dealership in Raipur, enquiring about my online complaint. Apparently, my Twitter post had not gone unnoticed. The GM was quite friendly and asked me to send over my Aadhar details, and promised me that he would not make me wait a year for my chosen 7OO. He placed a booking in the system on my behalf but told me to choose a more common colour shade such as Everest White or Midnight Black. I chose the latter. He promised me a date before the festive season and sounded so confident that I chose to believe him.

The online booking took 5 days to get updated in Mahindra's system, no doubt due to year-end updates. And the ETA to delivery was again the same - February-March 2023. The only good thing during this period was that the 7OO's prices were not hiked. I was happy that Mahindra, after the steep hike in January 2022, wasn't going to tamper with the 7OO's prices again. But also, by now I was convinced that the 7OO was destined to be away for me and I simply had to count the days (or months for possibly the whole year) away if I was willing to wait with patience.

But when you have fallen in love, patience becomes a vice you can't deal with anymore.

Talked to my best friend Mahendra, who resides in Bilaspur and discussed the entire situation with him. He suggested I contact all the dealerships within a 500- 600 km radius of my location and see if I get a hit on a possible free 7OO. He also remarked that most of the people in his circles got their new cars from Ranchi, Jharkhand, since it was close to Bilaspur and maybe that was the best place to grab a free car.

Contacted D-BHPians saket77 and good friend Leoshashi, who reside there, and asked them for their help. Shashi was in Delhi but promised to help once he returned back by the weekend, while Saket visited the Mahindra dealership nearest to his office and got back to me that there were no free cars available there, and only fresh bookings were being taken with the same ETAs to delivery. Shashi also went silent. I looked up the Mahindra directory for dealerships from their official webpage and contacted all of them within 15-16 hours' distance from my residence location through phone calls and Whatsapp messages - 2 dealerships in Visakhapatnam, 2 in Nagpur, 3 in Hyderabad, 2 in Ranchi and 2 in Bhubaneswar. All reverted back with the same reply - no free 7OOs available. Ran through my insider sources again, but no luck.

Right there, at that very moment, I should have just given up altogether and my chase for the 7OO should have ended in complete and utter failure.

But no.

"Picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost.."

(Translated: the movie is not over yet, my friend.)

14th April 2022 was coming.

And everything was destined to twist around on its head.

The chase ends

One of my good friends, Amit "Doc Saab" Dubey from NCR, was in regular contact with me and purchased an XUV 7OO AX7L MT himself back in February. He had left on an all-India trip right after taking delivery but reached back home in the first week of April. I sent him the same list of variants which I had sent to Sonal and to Shivnath Mahindra and asked for his help. He did some enquiries and got back to me on 7th April that my chosen variant in White would be available for delivery in a month at an NCR dealership near him, provided I was willing to book and block/allot that free 7OO AX5 immediately. The problem - drive it back all the way or get the 7OO transported from there to my city which was nearly 1,500 km away! I hesitated for a couple of days with apprehension because I was not medically cleared to travel such a long distance, and by that time the White 7OO (which was a free car) was allotted to someone else.

By 12th April, contrary to all my expectations, Mahindra hiked the prices of the 7OO yet again - this time by ~78,000 rupees! By now, I had laid down all my arms and was ready to surrender my extensive quest of procuring an XUV 7OO.

Also, the AX5 variant which I had chosen initially was now 1 lakh 65 thousand rupees dearer (at 17.84 lakhs) and the Tata Safari XT (at 18.08 lakhs), at a mere 24 thousand rupees more, came with a plethora of features which the 7OO's AX5 variant didn't get (Automatic Climate Control, Auto Rain-sensing Wipers, Auto Headlamps, Cruise Control, Push-button Start, 18-inch alloys, TPMS, Reverse Camera, Apple Car Play, etc). Suddenly, my practical mind started to play havoc with my bewitched and intoxicated heart and the Tata started to make immense sense over the much-elusive Mahindra, variant-to-variant, safety ratings notwithstanding.

On the evening of Thursday, 14th April, I was keenly studying the Safari's brochure and the features spread across variants and had almost finalised the XT variant and was mentally preparing for going ahead with the Tata's booking the very next day when my phone rang.

It was my best friend Mahendra from Bilaspur. His first line was:

"If I got you your 7OO, what will you give me in return?!"

You guys should have seen the expression on my face in those moments. Sheer incredulity, followed by a wave of overwhelming happiness from my emotionally (actually, making-a-sweeping-comeback) enamoured heart which swept me off my feet so badly all the hairs on my head stood up and a permanent ear-to-ear smile got stuck to my ever-jolly face. The last time I was this happy was when I was holding my little bundle of joy, Isha, in my arms when she was born!

My practical mind shattered into a zillion pieces and went for a permanent hike.

I stammered and muttered disbelievingly, thinking he was joking. When he confirmed at least 10 times with long laughs that he had actually done the impossible, the realisation of the situation hit me.

What had happened was that Mahendra had contacted one of his best friends who is a higher-up executive at Mahindra Corporate (can't disclose the name, sorry guys) in the first week of April. Mahendra explained my situation to them and asked for help. Our corporate executive friend, for a week or so, ran through the list of bookings from both the dealerships where I had my bookings and came to know that a free AX5 MT variant had been dispatched from the factory to my Jeypore, Odisha dealership. The dealership had contacted the original customer to get his finances ready and to finalise possible delivery dates, but the customer had declined to take delivery. After a series of well-placed calls were made by our mutual friend, they informed Mahendra to call me and say that that AX5 MT was mine for the taking, provided any other waiting customer from that dealership didn't want it. The only catch - it was in Everest White shade. Since the booking numbers were limited for this small-town dealership and most of the other bookings were for higher/lower variants & shades, I was told that all other customers declined for this AX5 MT - and I got lucky!

"Itni shiddat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai,

ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai.”

(Translated: I tried so intensely, sincerely and severely to get you, that each particle in God's creation conspired to make you meet me.)

I was a bit sceptical of the White shade at first, but Sonal assured me that the Everest White shade was actually in pearl finish and was regarded as a costlier shade than the one offered on the erstwhile XUV 5OO. I received a call from the dealership GM on the 15th of April to confirm if I was willing and joyfully confirmed it. The dealership acquired the necessary permissions from Mahindra to allot that XUV7OO to me and received confirmation within 5 days, while the car was in transit to their dealership.

Sonal forwarded me the confirmed VIN number on Friday, 22nd April at 12 PM, the day our Everest White AX5 MT was unloaded into their stockyard, and the VIN number translated to March 2022 make. Called my bankers and got the loan forms filled up after receiving the official quotation so that they could complete the formalities for fund transferring within the next 3 days. I was happy beyond all known measures due to finally acquiring my loved one after such a prolonged, continuous chase between March-April 2022 which had almost driven me nuts and caused me many a sleep-bereft night!

On Saturday morning, 23rd of April, with a trusted friend, I travelled 90 km to the Paramount Automotives Private Limited dealership at Jeypore, Odisha, for the first-ever look of my beloved to-be future steed and to subject it to a detailed PDI. We reached there at 10:40 AM.

Nine minutes later, I was in the dealership's small stockyard, staring directly ahead for the very first time with eyes and heart full of love and admiration - at my ICARUS!

Continue reading BHPian RavenAvi's Mahindra XUV700 ownership review for more insights and information.

Red Rage Completes the 2nd Labour Free Service at 10K and bill amount is Rs.3539.

BHPian Mudhalaipatti recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Red Rage Completes the 2nd Labour Free Service at 10K and bill amount is Rs.3539.

• Engine Oil - 6L
• Oil Filter
• Carbon Filter
• Tyres were rotated and balance checked.

Just before this service - For the first time in a very long time, got to drive to Chennai and Back all alone.... this vehicle is definitely built for the highways. Usually when I take this road, a BMW or an Audi would cut in to me and zip, zoom past me. Naa, not this time. If I mentioned the top speed here, I would be perma-banned and so will let you ride your imagination.

I can't praise the braking on this vehicle enough. Phenomenal for such a heavy vehicle. The stopping distance is unbelievably short. Coming from the 500, this is a quantum leap in bite. I know, I know. I sound like a broken record here. I'm awe with the braking and handling.

Driving this behemoth on the narrow lanes of Trichy is akin to shoving an elephant through a needle hole. And its driving me mad, especially when the almighty pronounces that I love the car more than anything else, when I drop her off a half a km from the destination and ask her to walk in 40C pleasant weather. I don't think she was being fair. What do you think

And so after much discussion, where I get to present the case and the Almighty says a lengthy "No", the almighty now agrees that we need a second car, just for the city commute. And so wise souls of TBHP, what car should I buy?

Here are my requirements

• Size - This is the most crucial one. Should fit 4 adults and have a smallish footprint, errr tire print, for easy city commute.

• Price - Under 5L

• Manual Vs Automatic - Prefer an automatic

• Used Vs New - Doesn't matter as long as I spend bare minimum on maintenance. At the same time, want to avoid the immediate depreciated cost associate with a new car.

• Petrol Vs CNG - Undecided. While I like to keep the fuel cost to the lowest, both fuel prices seem to be climbing up in tandem. Will probably use for it for 4 years and then switch to EV. Current price of EV is prohibitive.

• Daily commute of probably less than 20km.

• Creature Comfort - Power Windows, AC (Climate Control if it's available in this price range). Not looking for any other bells and whistles.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I get a fuel efficiency figure of 8 km/l in the city & 13 km/l on the highway.

BHPian nickelniks recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Just completed 2 months & 2000 km with my Mahindra XUV700 AX7 P AT.

Sharing some of my experiences:

1. Did not face any niggles till now. (Touchwood)
2. Android auto works seamlessly. But navigating to the home screen from the AA screen is not convenient.
3. I am getting a MID fuel efficiency of 8 km/l in bumper-to-bumper Bangalore traffic & 12 - 13 km/l on highways.
4. The car has a decent road presence, people usually give way to the car, making the drive much easier.
5. Driving in the city is very easy, the only time you notice the huge size is when you need to take U-turns or park your vehicle.
6. Drove through a few flooded roads today without breaking a sweat. GC is good enough for the frequent city flooding we experience after a heavy downpour.
7. Panoramic sunroof is a boon, I open the curtain whenever it is not sunny. The back seat passengers really enjoy it. My 2.5-year-old son is much less cranky with the curtain open.
8. Suspension remains a mystery, some large bumps are gobbled up but tiny bumps filter through sometimes. It is almost impossible to predict.
9. The car holds gears till 2,100 rpm, which is not really required in the city. Even the manual mode does not let you upshift before 2,000 rpm! Drive modes with early upshift can help the city fuel efficiency.
10. Absolutely in love with the car. Eager to plan some long road trips in the next couple of months

The sunroof curtain was open while we were stuck in a bumper to bumper traffic. Second-row passengers were blissfully unaffected by the irritating jam.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.