My Red Highway King: Mahindra XUV500 W8 Ownership Review


Thread Starter #1

mayankdixit

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How it all started

I am a satisfied owner of swift vxi(2008) and ritz vxi(2010).I do long trips twice a year.After a couple of trips,I started feeling lack of sufficient space in hatchbacks.Even for a small family of three,after loading all the luggage there was just not enough space to stretch legs or for my son to lie down.Moreover in the trip to manali I scraped my swifts bottom badly.This incident got repeated in my trip to shirdi.Every time I used to bend down on the road to look for the damages to sump and underpinnings.I started dreaming of a bigger car,with good ground clearance.

Why Only the XUV500?

Sedans,although more value for money in every way,did not come into picture,because of the ground clearance issues.My heart comes to my mouth every time any of my car scrapes the speedbreaker.What will happen if my 10 lakh sedan bottoms out?In kanpur the roads are in bad shape always.I feel an suv will do justice in this scenario.
I had heard enough horror stories on tata safari niggles and bad service,so no to it.Bolero was bare basic and scorpio had the image of a politico so did not go for it.Innova was too costly with an underpowered engine .Fortuner was simply out of my budget.XUV500 was the most beautiful and big vehicle in my budget at that time ,so went for it.

Submitting some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

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What is my opinion about XUV after 8000 kms across north india.

The vehicle is surely a pleasure to drive.I have sat in many different diesel jeeps and cars and suvs in past.It is a totally different vehicle ,as compared to ,say an innova.The pull and the torque is mind blowing!!Many times during the initial days I felt it was just out of control,gunning for the traffic in front of me! .It was and still is scary when I am at the wheel.This pull and the torque is very addictive.More so because I was driving petrol hatchbacks all along.

In all my highway trips I get an average of 18 km per ltr. There is a capping at 18 otherwise I could be getting more,whoknows. I never felt that turning radius is a hindrance is such a long car.It turns just fine.For long journeys I just flip down the back seats and the space I get is three times what I used to get in my hatchbacks.The engine is very silent compared to say safari or innova.The crease lines and the overall shape and profile is very beautiful and powerful looking at the same time.

I will post more pictures and trivia in my next post.

How I made out a new meaning of taking my car right out of the oven.

I am very obsessed with this fact that if I am paying money( big or small amount doesnt matter),I want my car brand new.It should not be a test drive or a used car.It should not be an old manufactured date car.It should be simply unabused and untouched car.I was fully aware that dealerships cheat by repairing a dented car and providing it to poor customer as new.The staff which is entrusted with the job of bringing down the car from the trailer to the yard ,and parking it there ,is very callous in attitude.Cars at the yard are in poor condition,parked in open under the blazing sun.Worst thing is they clean the dust covered windshield by switching on the wiper every few days[frustration].One peculiar thing I noticed when I sat inside the test drive car,was that all there drivers were using half clutch often.Abusing clutch in this way will shorten its life,and I am not going to bear the brunt when I am paying so much of my hard earned money.I was offered that My XUV will be delivered at my doorstep by these drivers from HELL,if so I wish.[evil]

I started going to the yard ,where all mahindra vehicles are parked ,almost every other day.I enquired about the delivery date of my xuv from all possible resources,including the watchman.Soon I found out that there is a pattern which is repeated every 20 days.The trailer gets unloaded on every third week of month.Recent batch had no red colored xuv so most probably its the next batch which will bring my own xuv.

The RM (Relationship manager)allotted to me was dilly dallying about the vin no and the exact date of truck arrival.It was the lower staff which gave away the information.Of Course I gifted them in my own way later on.

In summary ,I made sure I was physically present when my XUV was unloaded from the trailer.PDI was done in front of me.IT was taken directly from here to the showroom.It had only 2 kms on the odometer.I was pleased.I decoded the vin no.It was JAN2013 vehicle,the very same month I was taking the delivery. This meant it was coming straight from the factory.

There was a lot of confusion on net whether all xuvs are paper wrapped and properly covered when unloaded.That got solved when My xuv came down.The staff whom I heavily gifted later on took my permission to unwrap my xuv in front of my eyes.Believe me friends there is no pleasure and satisfaction greater than seeing your car all covered properly and then getting unwrapped like a gift in front of your eyes.

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Why I chose the red color over the rest?

There are not very many choices in color,in xuv range.I wanted the dashboard to be black and plum not biege.I was bored of white colour as I already had that in both of ny hatchbacks.Black was good but gets hot in summers.Grey was rejected by my wife.The red is more maroonish actually,so went for it.

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I got JK ELANZO tires as oem.Unlike bridgestone they don't squeal at all in corners or on braking,so I am happy here.The tread pattern looks good too.The rear brake pads are from bosch and the front ones are from C.B.Int.They are from the improved version so I don't get any grinding noise while braking.One peculiar thing I noted was that the oil filter was" made in france".It had the mahindra logo too.

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As I have already mentioned in my last post ,I always get an average of 18 km perlit in my highway drives.I am not a softroader.Its just the consistency in my driving which is playing the trick.The front suspension components looked very sturdy and robust.At that time I was overawed at looking at all the steel and cables not able to make out what is what.Despite of being a monocoque XUV is built very strong and sturdy,and nowhere ,inside or outside I felt there is a compromise on safety and strength, especially, underpinnings. XUV has scored 4 out of 5 ratings in australian NCAP.

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Re: My red highway king,XUV500 w8,initial ownership.

Hi,
Congratulations on your Mahindra XUV. Post some interiors pictures too. 18km per litre is a very very good mileage for a big Vehicle like XUV.
But its true, Mileage of the vehicles depends only on the driving style of an Individual.
 
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Re: My red highway king,XUV500 w8,initial ownership.

Congratulations mayankdixit for your beast. Wishing happy and safe miles ahead.

In all my highway trips I get an average of 18 km per ltr. There is a capping at 18 otherwise I could be getting more,whoknows.
Congratulations. You may be a soft rider.
 
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My red highway king,XUV500 w8,initial ownership.

hey mayank. congratulations for your highway king. looks beautiful. waiting for your updates. hope you have many safe miles in the future.
 
Thread Starter #8

mayankdixit

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Re: My red highway king,XUV500 w8,initial ownership.

Thanks @Ani191 for the congrats.I am told that now the red colour is provided only on"made to order"basis.Probably the demand for other shades is more.I do not know if it is true at all.I have seen at least 2 new red colored ones,after my purchase.Colour is beautiful no doubt ,but difficult to maintain.Dust shows up within a very short time interval as compared to my white cars.Wiping and cleaning too soon and too frequently will put up swirl marks all over the car[frustration].I knew all of this beforehand and still went for this colour. Heck,YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE,SO GO FOR IT.[:)]
 
Thread Starter #10

mayankdixit

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XUV has very much dashboard glare,no doubt about it.
During the high noon sun I do face minor irritation.because of the dashboard reflecting in my windscreen.Sometimes like mirage its difficult to make out between whats actually on the road and what is conjured up by the reflection!. You have to see to believe it.When I am moving against the setting sun then too I face this problem.Funny thing is my swift has not troubled me like this ever.
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The story of my Winch access tool.Do you have it in your toolbox?
Within a month of purchase,I noticed the winch access tool missing in my car.It is required to lower down the spare wheel in case of puncture.The odd thing was it was clearly mentioned as "provided" in the owners manual.I started complaining to the customer care as well as the Auth.service centre.At first they failed to understand what actually is missing in the tool box.
When I persisted and showed them the manual,they clarified that newer xuvs dont come with this tool anymore.I demanded this tool to be provided to me because the owners manual says so.
Their reasoning was that its not required anymore and moreover they don't have it in the stock.Later on after many complaints to the cust.care ,Winch access tool suddenly appeared out of nowhere,in the showroom.The story ended with me as a happy customer with the complete tool box,Thanks to mahindra customer care.
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Thread Starter #11

mayankdixit

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How the highway king behaves in city.
The best thing about xuv, other than diesel mileage, is that,now I am less worried about craters and speed breakers in my city drives.[:D] Yes ,xuv can easily be driven inside the city.There lies the advantage of lower end torque. In congested traffic conditions overtaking maneuver is not an issue because turbo starts spooling at 1600 rpms.The acceleration is scary in fact . Sometimes I feel I am trying to control a monster, which won't stop before crashing into the traffic ahead of me.During bumper to bumper traffic there is a need for first gear.It not like an old jeep, where you can start from standstill in second gear itself.It is more like a modern diesel car, which is easily drivable in the city, provided you keep in mind its huge width
Xuv is almost a foot broader than many sedans and hatchbacks.I migrated from a hatchback, so I take special care while overtaking in congested city traffic ,that I don't pull along a thelewala,a rickshaw or a doodhwala cyclist along with me!!
 
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Thread Starter #12

mayankdixit

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Rusting problem in brand new XUV W8.
How can a brand new 1.5 million/- car start rusting so soon.I was puzzled to eternity??What can be the reason for rusting in all 4 wheel discs around the hub?
1.Is the mahindra paint quality not top notch.?
2.Is it the famous Mahindra trait seen in all their jeeps,continuing till XUV.?
3.Is my vehicle the only faulty piece,with rusting on the hubs/discs.?
4.Is this rusting normal,as pointed out by some of the members.?
Take your pick .But let me tell you, my other cars never suffered from rusting in that early phase of ownership.I do agree that mahindra paint quality on the body itself is top notch.Then why did they neglect the silver painted area on the discs?? I researched all around the xuv stock yard,and in the service centre.The surprising fact was that this typical rusting was found in each and every xuv !!.
Surely somebody at M and M must be having all the answers.But since I cant wait forever for the Godly answers, I came up with a solution.As can be seen in the pictures,glory to the discs can be restored by simple DIY procedure.
Sand the rusted part.Procure matching paint,and ugly looking rust is gone.
Remember:Rust is also the reason why wheels get badly stuck on the hubs,a difficulty faced during tyre change, for puncture.

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Everybody says too much chrome looks bad.Well It surely enhances the look on darker shades.What do you think?
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First of all, welcome to TAI.
You have typed a nice review out there. Though nothing much about how your highway king performs, it was fun & worth reading. Surely the car looks great in red. Hard work pays off well! (cleaning :tongue:)
I can see that you bought your XUV in Jan 2013. How is it now? How much have you clocked on the odo? Also, W8 is the high end model with 4WD. Did any soft offroadings?
 
Thread Starter #14

mayankdixit

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Also, W8 is the high end model with 4WD. Did any soft offroadings?
Thank you for your kind appreciation.There are 4 trims in XUV.
1.W8 with AWD(all wheel drive).Its different from 4WD.
2.W8 with FWD.
3.W6
4.W4
Mine is the no.2.trim, ie W8 with FWD.Although XUV was not designed for off roading, yet its a capable softroader.I learned this in my drive to Rajghat dam near Jhansi.The roads were literally non existent and potholed.I was driving at 50-55 km/ hr on those craters,and yet xuv was not sweating a bit.The suspension is tuned for such kinds of abuse where no sedan or hatchback can dare to venture.[evil]
The odometer reads 9000 kms,as of now.
 

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