Dicor's Pearl White Mahindra XUV5OO W10 FWD MT

[dicor]

Greetings to everyone.

My Toreador Red Verito was 4.5 years old and odo had crossed 85000 KMs. The car is in wonderful shape and mechanically excellent.

XUV5OO was a dream car since inception but due to financial constraints I couldn't gather courage to buy it.

By the time New Age XUV arrived, I had some funds but it was not sensible to sell 3 years old car to upgrade. With arrival of 2017, my itch got stronger and then within 1 month I have seen 3 new XUVs in my office parking. Then a new Mahindra showroom opened on my way to office. Every few days I was seeing a new XUV getting dressed up to be adopted by someone. All these scenarios acted like fuel in fire.

Itch was increasing each passing day and but before diving to Mahindra showroom we test drove few other cars as well

Creta
+ Peppy Engine
+ Looks Beautiful
- Pricey for what it offers. Even second top variant doesn't comes with touch screen.
- Cramped rear
- Not a single Re Discount.

ISUZU D-MAX V-Cross
+ Rough and Bold
+ Very practical
+ capable to take it anywhere
- Stock model is 16 lacs + 2.5 lacs to make it livable
- Huge turning radius
- Diesel guzzler
- Notchy gearbox, reminds me my Tempo Trax gearbox

S-Cross
+ Super Peppy
+ M badge
+ Priced adequately for engine size but not for car size
+ Great interiors
+ NEXA hospitality is at par
- Technically nothing but emotional didn't like it.

Used Fortuner
+ Rough Robuts
+ Looks macho
- Basic interiors
- Diesel Guzzler
- Low seating position, you can't see bonnet thus doesnt give XUV feel.

XUV 5OO
+ Looks stylish
+ Plush interiors
- Niggles

Overall XUV was a VFM option.

Now with budget constraint, we could stretch it upto W6. So we booked W6. We were also very clear with color selection. That it has to be silver.

We have been told that we can get delivery in 2 days and then suddenly we heard that new Android Auto variant is coming. They said it will take 15 days. So we thought that we will wait for Android Auto variant.

Initially inclination for android auto was just to take newest model but later on some study revealed that it could be very practical feature like mirroring your phone and using real time Google Maps on HU

After speaking to @bhvm and few others, I decided that I should opt for ESP and 6 Airbags. So booking was changed to W8 and a couple of days later, I upgraded my booking to W10.

What I got were 4 extra airbags, ESP, Hill Hold, reverse cam and rest of the features like Allow Wheels and Sunroof can be just called wow factors.

Colour Confusion
Our initial decision was to get Silver but further studies revealed that silver is least maintenance colour but white is safest so we opted for Pearl White.

On Saturday 13th May I got VIN number but as I was out of town so did PDI on Monday 15th May. All looked great except a site that a new virgin unregistered XUV was their in body shop with scratched rear fender.
I raised this with their PDI in charge and he was casual about it. I guess this is dark side of this industry.



Delivery
Yesterday I got the delivery (Unnati Motors, Pune) and it has its own story which can be read here
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...nnati-motors-mahindra-pune-sales-service.html

It's been 2 weeks now and vehicle odo counts 1400 KMs. Here are things which I like and dislike about vehicle.
Things I liked

• Ultra spacious in middle row.
• Much refined engine than first generation
• Planted ride
• Android Auto

Things I didn't like

1. Limited headroom due to accommodation of sunroof
2. Rubbery gearshift, specially 1st.
3. Stiffer suspension causing jerks in low speed
4. Niggling issues

Niggles so far
1. [SOLVED AUTOMATICALLY] Engine Start Stop not working - I know this feature and used this extensively in past. but I believe this is not working in my car. Yet to check it thoroughly.
2. [SOLVED] Camping light bulb (in rear boot door) fused in 2 hours :)
3. [SOLVED] Loud Khan Khan noise on rough patches from front left wheel.
4. Android Auto Freezes after continuous usage of approximately 30 mins.

 

[vijay]

Re: Dicor's Pearl White XUV5OO W10 FWD MT

Dicor, heartiest congratulations on your XUV500 W6 booking and wishing to see your ride with you soon.I must say your previous verito looks brilliant and shows how much you cared for your ride.Would surely look forward to hear about your experience with two different mahindra engines you would own now.
Do have a look at our pre-delivery checklist thread for your reference.

 

[dicor]

Re: Dicor's Pearl White XUV5OO W10 FWD MT

Dicor, heartiest congratulations on your XUV500 W6 booking and wishing to see your ride with you soon.I must say your previous verito looks brilliant and shows how much you cared for your ride.Would surely look forward to hear about your experience with two different mahindra engines you would own now.
Do have a look at our pre-delivery checklist thread for your reference.

Thanks a lot Vijay. Verito has Renault engine and it is gem of engines. Once engine temperature reach to optimal level, all sounds vanish and it behaves very smoothly. The vehicle build quality is like tank. Even after 85000 KMs, there were very negligible rattles from dashboard that to be at idling speed.

Definitely I would share my experience with XUV as well but I do not expect her to live niggle free life like Verito.

 

[MoRa]

Let me be first to congratulate you on your new ride. Pls post a link to your verito ownership review if it's here. Thanks

 

[bhvm]

Dicor, Congrats on the beast.
Niggling issues are a part of Mahindra. Just keep cool and they have phenomenal service to sort things out. So when is Long drive Outing coming up?

 

[dicor]

Let me be first to congratulate you on your new ride. Pls post a link to your verito ownership review if it's here. Thanks

Thanks MoRa bhai. I am afraid, I've never created it because I have recently joined TAI. Some day I will write my entire ownership experience with Verito and few other vehicles I had owned.

Here are few other pictures, which I clicked time to time. I am little unsure how can I use pictures inline. All of them go directly in attachments.

UPDATE ON NIGGLES 1 JUNE
1. Engine start and stop not working
This has started working automatically after few days.

2. Chinking noise from front wheel
I've paid a visit to Unnati mortors workshop and after inspection, it is found that from disc cover is misaligned and sitting quite close to disc. GM Service explained that this cover is protect discs from stone and bolder chipping. I was keen to know that if this is design fault or is this issue specific to my XUV? I've never faced this with previous one. The tried to make some modifications but failed to rectify issues. The final status is that they have ordered new part and once it will arrive, they will replace it in warranty.

Thanks

 

[dicor]

Dicor, Congrats on the beast.
Niggling issues are a part of Mahindra. Just keep cool and they have phenomenal service to sort things out. So when is Long drive Outing coming up?

Yes, I agree. Every mechanical product has issues. What matters is how manufacturer respond to them. That's the reason I fearlessly added another Mahindra in my stable.
Of-lately, I've noticed Anand Mahindra is getting very generous on poor people. He has bought back Scoprio brand rickshaw and now demanded Thar which Rajnikanth has used in his movie Kaala. May be some day he can give me something for my loyalty with Mahindra.

About trips: 2.5 weeks and 1700 KMs on ODO. Certainly this is not city run. Was trying to complete 1000 KMs at the earliest so that I can cross RPM beyond 2000 mark.

1st trip was to Pune - Shirdi.
2nd trip was Pune - Mulshi - Tamhini - Ambey Valley - Lonavala - Babbi Da Dhaba - Pune
3rd trip was Pune - Mumbai - Pune (just returned)

2 weeks from now, I will be very close to you. Pune to Ajanta Caves.

 

[Iron Rock]

Dicor congratulations on the XUV - wishes you many many safe miles.
Regarding issue 1 - its possibly because of the condition of a battery, a new car spends a considerable amount of time in stock yards, probably the battery lost its strength - just have the battery checked at the first service - Start Stop depends on a strong battery, so once you drove it enough and the battery was adequately charged this shouldn't be happening.

 

[Sakthivel Rajendran]

Congratulations on your new XUV 500. I wish you safe & happy motoring. Dont forget to get the extended warranty (5yrs/1.5Lakhs kms- Highly recommended) and road side assistance package.

 

[dicor]

Congratulations on your new XUV 500. I wish you safe & happy motoring. Dont forget to get the extended warranty (5yrs/1.5Lakhs kms- Highly recommended) and road side assistance package.

Thanks for the compliments. Yes, I am in favour of extended warranty. However dealer quoted price is quite high so I planned to buy it though WYH (With you hamesha). The problem is I am not able to register my vehicle on WYH because of issues with documentation at dealer / Mahindra's end. Will do it once it is sorted out.

Dicor congratulations on the XUV - wishes you many many safe miles.
Regarding issue 1 - its possibly because of the condition of a battery, a new car spends a considerable amount of time in stock yards, probably the battery lost its strength - just have the battery checked at the first service - Start Stop depends on a strong battery, so once you drove it enough and the battery was adequately charged this shouldn't be happening.

Thanks Iron Rock. You may be right. The problem was sorted out itself. Hope your V-Cross is doing great.

 

[dicor]

Pune to Mahabaleshwar

Just made a trip to Mahabaleshwar with my American friends. They found XUV5OO more spacious then their Ford Everest (knows as Endeavor here).

They wanted to drive it but they were not sure what third pedal (clutch) is for? . They were also amazed with the traffic on Indian roads.

I filled up full tank Diesel and fuel efficiency I got from last tank full is 10.6 KMPL. It was 80% city drive and 20% highway drive. For the current trip, EcoSense states that I have received 13 KMPL for current trip. Let's wait for another full tank.

I am waiting when my fuel efficiency will reach to a respectable figure. Previous XUV use to give 12 KMPL in city and 16KMPL on highways.

The third row AC is bone chiller and better than 2nd row. Thankfully rear occupant have full control over it so they can turn it off from right there.

With 4 adults + 3 kids on board, there was absolutely no problem with the suspension stiffness.

The clinking noise from front left wheel has now increased and audible with glass rolled up too. Their is some rattling noise from middle seats as well.

As the road from Suroor to Mahabaleshwar is two lane and being Saturday, there was too much traffic on the road. The third gear is sluggish on ghat section due to poor low range torque. However whenever required, put it in 2nd gear and there is enough torque available on demand to overtake. However I chose to cruise below 60 KMPH to let my friends enjoy the natural beauty. (Remember my friend, overtaking is a never ending process. Better to tail a vehicle who is doing respectable speed).

While returning, there was 4 KM long jam before Wai. Fortunately at the start point of jam, there was a road going upwards to hill. I inquired people and found this road also goes to Wai but only suitable for vehicles with high ground clearance and less width, not suitable for trucks / bus. I took a plunge and initial 5 KMs were dangerous. Lot of hairpin bends and steep slope on both side and road (gravel type) in middle only enough for tempo traveler.

The red arrows in image are actually steep inclines. The American friends, closed their eyes and started praying (literally).

Irrelevant to XUV but relevant to country
Only after travelling with foreigners, I realized we need huge improvement in our infrastructure. Specially at tourist places. There are no public toilets. We mostly use toilets at petrol pumps but they were not able to use it because they don't know how to use Indian style toilets. Only after reaching to Mahabaleshwar, I reached to a hotel where I had stayed earlier and requested them to grant access to their washroom which he obliged immediately. However that was not one time process and I had to do this exercise 3 times in the day. None of the tourist attractions (table land, Arthur's seat etc) have public toilets and if some have they are not maintained.

 

[Ambylovers]

Hi,
Congratulations on your new Mahindra XUV500. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.
Always it will be very special when a good dream comes true.

 

[krishna6239]

Congratulation on your new ride . Enjoy, happy & safe miles

 

[bhvm]

Pune to Mahabaleshwar

Just made a trip to Mahabaleshwar with my American friends. They found XUV5OO more spacious then their Ford Everest (knows as Endeavor here).

They wanted to drive it but they were not sure what third pedal (clutch) is for? . They were also amazed with the traffic on Indian roads.

I filled up full tank Diesel and fuel efficiency I got from last tank full is 10.6 KMPL. It was 80% city drive and 20% highway drive. For the current trip, EcoSense states that I have received 13 KMPL for current trip. Let's wait for another full tank.

I am waiting when my fuel efficiency will reach to a respectable figure. Previous XUV use to give 12 KMPL in city and 16KMPL on highways.

The third row AC is bone chiller and better than 2nd row. Thankfully rear occupant have full control over it so they can turn it off from right there.

With 4 adults + 3 kids on board, there was absolutely no problem with the suspension stiffness.

The clinking noise from front left wheel has now increased and audible with glass rolled up too. Their is some rattling noise from middle seats as well.

As the road from Suroor to Mahabaleshwar is two lane and being Saturday, there was too much traffic on the road. The third gear is sluggish on ghat section due to poor low range torque. However whenever required, put it in 2nd gear and there is enough torque available on demand to overtake. However I chose to cruise below 60 KMPH to let my friends enjoy the natural beauty. (Remember my friend, overtaking is a never ending process. Better to tail a vehicle who is doing respectable speed).

While returning, there was 4 KM long jam before Wai. Fortunately at the start point of jam, there was a road going upwards to hill. I inquired people and found this road also goes to Wai but only suitable for vehicles with high ground clearance and less width, not suitable for trucks / bus. I took a plunge and initial 5 KMs were dangerous. Lot of hairpin bends and steep slope on both side and road (gravel type) in middle only enough for tempo traveler.
image
The red arrows in image are actually steep inclines. The American friends, closed their eyes and started praying (literally).

Irrelevant to XUV but relevant to country
Only after travelling with foreigners, I realized we need huge improvement in our infrastructure. Specially at tourist places. There are no public toilets. We mostly use toilets at petrol pumps but they were not able to use it because they don't know how to use Indian style toilets. Only after reaching to Mahabaleshwar, I reached to a hotel where I had stayed earlier and requested them to grant access to their washroom which he obliged immediately. However that was not one time process and I had to do this exercise 3 times in the day. None of the tourist attractions (table land, Arthur's seat etc) have public toilets and if some have they are not maintained.

1. LOL! Talk about 1st world problems! maybe a few years down the line we will ask why there is a steering wheel! Because all cars may become self drive by then.

2. Space in XUV is a revelation. I had the same feeling when I sat in a friend's pajero. There are many large and bulky vehicles but no one has been able to put the space to such well designed use. Perhaps the only competition we may have is a Safari. Again an Indian product and my fav too.

3. XUV is a heavy vehicle and needs turbo properly spooled up for some performance, But one you do that, Torque as actually tremendous. Your observations are correct- stick to 2nd gear for ghats. Keep engine boiling.

4. Amen to that.

 

[dicor]

UPDATES

• Finally I am able to login to WYH app. Vehicle dispatch date is 31st May showing in official records but actually it was 16th May.
  
• Mahindra has now assigned a relationship manager and he the same service adviser who took my complaint last time at Unnati Motors. I was under impression that relationship manager is a Mahindra Employee.
  
• Mahindra EcoSense portal doesn't seems to be working from last 2 days.
• Link - Eco Sense
  
• EXTENDED WARRANTY- Now I can purchase extended warranty as my vehicle is dispatched officially. If I purchase it now it would be cost me 23050/-. If I purchase it before 3rd year it would cost me 26022/-. If I do FD of 23050/- for 3 years @, maturity value will be 28176/-. Gain of Rs 2100 if I do it at 3rd year (provided that Mahindra do not raise price). Thinking what to do.

Previous Niggles Update
Chinking noise front left wheel update - The faulty disc cover part is arrived at service centre and I need to schedule an appointment with them to replace it.

New Niggles

• ANDROID AUTO HANGS - This happened twice. If I stream music online on Google music. Android Auto screen freezes. Though Infotainment keeps working fine, but Android Auto becomes unusable. To sort it out. We need to turn the ignition off, wait for 5 secs and on again.
  
• TPMS from mobile app - All the tyres have been inflated at 32 psi yesterday at reputed automated tyre workshop. However 3 tyres shows 29.75 and one tyre shows 29 psi. To reconfirm, I again released some pressure and refilled it at 32 PSI. However pressure is still 29 PSI.

Usability issues

• The AC pop-up is quite irritating and overlay disables the background.
  
• Accidental I have pressed voice command button many times when I turn steering.
  
• Hill hold - I find this feature quite irritating. My driving habit doesn't let vehicle go back on inclines. But this feature hold the vehicle for 3 seconds; by this time, I've released the clutch halfway so as soon as brake is released automatically, vehicle jumps.
  
• It seems that we need to get spare wheel down to top-up air because it is mounted upside down. Is there any other easy way?

Good things happening
Mileage is now slightly improved. MID shows that city driving has improved FE. It never goes below 11 KMPL now. Yet to calculate from tank full to tank full.

Question
I am planning to fill up Nitrogen in all 5 tyres. Does that require re-calibration of TPMS? If yes, how tough is that?