Team-BHP - Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by gubbi555 (Post 2693630)

Hello,I did finally get an oppurtunity to do some decent off roading with my AWD variant.The going gets really effortless once the AWD lock is activated.Hill hold/descent is an added pro for amatuers.But you do tend to turn off hill descent after a while since it restricts your downward speed a tad bit too much!I did quite some steep ascents to and it just moved forward effortlessly whereas a normal two wheel drive vehicle would have to bear the grunt.Ground clearance is decent.Did not scrape the bottom or the mudflaps even once.But yes ofcourse,it was never extreme off-roading.Highway cruising is really chill in this vehicle.Even to this date after nearly 6 months of vehicle launch,it still is a head-turner on the roads.I was a bit skeptical about the initial criticism it received,but once you own it you'd easily overlook minor niggles if any.I should'nt be publicising this,but I did touch 190km/hr top speed on an empty strech on the NH-4 towards chitradurga.A special mention of the ESP which definitely is a lifesaver.During a trip in the ghat section,there was a bit of understeer at one curve but then the vehicle just got back to track with a little wobble upon hard braking.Thats when I realised the effect of ESP.Also you can anticipate every curve via GPS in forest sections too.I definitely feel its worth the extra price for AWD since we initially thought of goin for the 2WD variant.Btw,variant/colour was both decided in under 5mins while booking since we were one of the firsts and were'nt really sure of whats what!!Overall,pleasurable ownership experience I must say after 2 and half months and 8.5k kilometers.Cheers.

Thanks for the first insight on the poweress of the 4WD, and 190 KMH that's a wow (I have managed 158 on my Scorpio).

Lets hope the remaining niggles get ironed out in this round of deliveries and the next round of deliveries opens up fast.

The rear view camera / Reverse Camera fitment and Review for the XUV 500 W8

Lot of people I have seen on this forum have asked about rear view camera for XUV and not much info was found regarding the same, Hence here is my review on Fitment and utility of the rear view camera.

I had been to SKS on bannerghatta road for fitment of the rear view camera. I had called up earlier and fixed up an appointment with the accessories guy for 5pm. The moment I reached there, SKS guys were waiting with the camera for fitment. Initially I examined the camera and it felt of a good build quality. The camera comes in a sealed packing From a Mahindra vendor which is ISO approved as it said on the Box. The Cost of the camera is 3500Rs plus taxes, the Box contains one camera, Connecting cable and a drill bit for drilling the hole in the bumper. pls see my PIC 1 for the box info.

Pic 1

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-camerabox.jpg

At first the operator opened the rear side of the bumper. Its a small plate held by push on clips. After the plate removal the hole was drilled in the bumper using the drill bit which is of the exact size as that of the camera Dia.

Pic 2

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-hole-drill.jpg

Then the Left hand side Rear light cluster and the plastic above it were removed. It was fairly easy to remove. This was done as the harness for the camera is routed via the back light and taken in from behind the plastic that's above the light. The power source for the camera is taken from the light cluster (Back up lights).

Pic 3

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-lights-removed-harness.jpg

Now the camera was fitted and the video out cable from the camera was routed from behind the plastic, inside and bellow the back and front scuffplates. The doubt I had was that the HU had to be opened out and the video-In RCA cable has to be connected but that was not needed! Apparently a cable is already running from company itself and its found behind the Front left interior plastic cover right bellow the Dash! So the operator just connected the camera cable to that cable . Of course there was no connector there he had to cut and join the cable and then put the insulation tape on it! This though crude I felt is much better than removing the entire centre console and re fixing it because i fell while doing so we always risk braking some or the other press fit plastic pins.

PIC 4

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-video-connection.jpg

Now it was time for Flashing the Car infotainment. Here the Camera needs to be enabled in the infotainment screen and also my car was due for a Firmware update which was also done.

Pic5

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-flashing2.jpg

After all this and finally fixing back all the components back in its place my Macho had eyes behind too!! The camera works fabulously and its very useful while parking in tight spots! The system shows backing distance as usual. The visibility at night is also adequate. The camera Can be invoked from 2 ways one by putting the car in reverse and other by going to Car Info. Bellow are the snap shots of the two

From Car Info

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-backup2.jpg

By putting the car in reverse

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-backup1-exit.jpg

Points to take care of,

1) Make sure the operators put back all the components back in its place

2) Throughly check the alignment of the camera as if its slightly tilted too it looks odd on the screen

3) Another Issue am facing is the camera is not sitting Flush with the bumper because of which its lifted up by about 20 degrees. This though not a majour problem need to be looked at.

I hope this post is usefull for all future XUV owners thinking of fixing the reverse camera!

All in all its been a good upgrade!

Ok I guess for some reason the pics did not get uploaded properly here are some images. Kindly co-relate with the post!

If you have any questions feel free to reach me.

Thanks all!

Some more info on xuv500 performance in desert storm 2012

Both of the last two stages have favoured the XUV 500, which has a far superior top speed than Rana's Gypsy, which was only capable of a maximum speed of around 130 kmph. The XUV 500, by contrast, was regularly exceeding 160 kmph on the flat and long stretches of the last two stages.
While not as fast as Urs' XUV 500, Chiripal's Vitara managed to reach a top speed of 147 kmph on the 339.76 km long eighth special stage, which allowed him to close in on Rana who had held a lead of 36 minutes over Chiripal prior to the seventh special stage.
The rally's final stage on Saturday is a repeat of the seventh special stage that was run on Thursday night. The 75.91 km long stage will, however, be run in the opposite direction. With its superior top speed, Urs is expected to make up even more time on third placed Abhishek Mishra.
Mahindra admitted that they had been targeting a top three finish in the Desert Storm when they entered the two vehicles.
Suresh Rana held on to win the 10th Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm in his battered Gypsy by 20 minutes and 14 seconds over Gaurav Chiripal's Vitara. Lohit Urs managed to place his Mahindra XUV 500 on the podium as he finished 20min 43sec behind Chiripal.
The final results of the rally were thrown in doubt after a mini-controversy with Chiripal's Vitara, which had to be jump started from parc ferme after his car's starter motor failed to start. There were talks of a protest against Chiripal as there was talk that this constituted repair work on the car, which is forbidden in parc ferme.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shai100 (Post 2695478)

Congrats buddy on having the rear camera installed, I think it is very essential one on such a big beast. What I am interested in, the attached picture it has been observed that the installer was drilling the camera hole on the black portion of the rear bumper, unlike some other installations where it was done on the top portion of the bumper and slightly offset from the center as you can find a hump at exactly center of the bumper. Is it the normal way of installing then probably it can be done at the exact center of the rear.

Also waiting for some one who can post the images of Rear View cam on their W6, with an extra screen/on the infotainment system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vrrraju (Post 2696383)

Yes, the camera is placed On the black portion of the bumper and in the exact center. I guess there is no guideline from Mahindra about the location of the camera. I had asked the installer the same question and he said they have been doing the same in all XUV's. Personally I like this location as it does not look odd compared to the ones offset from the center.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aditya79india (Post 2692914)

I want to be able to travel long distance with family in comfort and participate in ndure category off-road events (not extreme) without getting stuck. What do you suggest?

That's a difficult question for me since I dont know the "endure category" limits! I suggest you take a call after a TD with your family. If you plan to go for Safari, please wait till Storme is launched. From the initial reviews, there is quite some improvement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misguided (Post 2695069)

I myself in almost same situation & zeroed down on Safari & Scorpio. But still in delimma whether to wait for some upcoming launches (Storme & Duster) or go ahead with the current options. I am also inclined more towards Safari:)

Please wait for Storme!