Team-BHP - Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_torque133 (Post 3256573)

Apart from what you have mentioned. This model does not have :
- Telescopic adjustment for steering
-Leather /Premium fabric upholstery.
-Power foldable OVRMs
-Cruise Control
-Audio,Phone controls and voice command switches on steering:Shockked:
-Puddle Lamps
way.

Mate I purposefully quoted only some part of the source. Because I thought it is not a good idea to explain everything here.

By the way I failed to understand , how can we compare XUV500 with Ford EcoSport. In my opinion, former can be called an SUV (not a complete) the latter is not an SUV. It is an elevated sedan. It is purely my opinion after taking a test drive.

There is a programme on Discovery Turbo showing now, 2200 hours onwards covering the entire lifecycle of XUV 5OO. Interesting watch in case folks are interested.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by sukhoi (Post 3257139)

There is a programme on Discovery Turbo showing now, 2200 hours onwards covering the entire lifecycle of XUV 5OO. Interesting watch in case folks are interested.Cheers

More of a marketing show rather than showing the depth and details of the manufacturing. Even my son, all of 6.5 years who is otherwise glued to Discovery Turbo couldn't maintain his interest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by debuda (Post 3256979)

IMHO, the business of underbody treatments, protective coating for upper body paint, engine coatings, etc., is nothing short of a scam. It's a low investment, high margin business and each and every car dealer is into it big time, the main objective being to make the car-owner waste some more of his money (having just signed a cheque for many lakhs to buy a brand new car, spending an additional few thousands appears no big deal to the customer, especially when the smooth talking sales guy convinces him that the additional few thousands are essential to protect his lakhs). Let us remind ourselves that we are no longer living in the age of ancient Ambassadors and Fiats. Automotive painting technology has come a long way since then. All modern Indian cars receive a multi-stage surface preparation and coating treatment. The entire car body (with doors, bonnet and hatch in place) is immersed in huge tanks containing pickling chemicals which first make the bare metal surface completely free of rust, etc. Other immersion baths apply a highly adherent corrosion-resistant primer electrolytically. Then follow alternate cycles of baking and painting. The final outcome of this elaborate multi-stage process is that all steel surfaces, including nooks and crannies, are provided with multiple layers of long-lasting protection against moisture and oxygen, the two enemies of steel as far as corrosion is concerned. If underbody and other so-called 'treatments' had been so important, wouldn't the car manufacturers themselves provided it in their million+ Rupee cars? What value addition a few minutes of superficial spraying (that too without proper surface preparation, which is of paramount importance) provide to the hours of high-tech painting provided by the car maker? I have owned a few cars over the years and I never went for underbody or any other 'treatment' though I dearly love my cars and try to maintain them perfectly. None of my cars (including a 1988 model Maruti 800) suffered any abnormal underbody corrosion though I lived in places like Lonavla (massive rains, almost 100% humidity during monsoons) and Vizag / Bombay (saline environment).

Thanks for the valuable advice sir! It'll help save me 10k straight. But if incase one wants to maintain the original shine after a year is it advisable to go for this treatment or regular cleaning polishing should help us maintain the original colour quality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_torque133 (Post 3255838)

3D Kagu look extremely stylish but a lot of people say that they don't last long. Also have a look at 3M Nomad mats. They are nt as stylish as 3D Kagu (in fact not stylish at all) but they have some amazing technology which sucks the dust and water and leaves nothing at the surface.

Thanks Andy! Apart from 3D Maxpider (kagu) I've heard decent reviews about Star, Elegant brands as well. How much would Maxpider or 3M nomad mats cost for XUV?

BHPians!

Just had a word with the dealer and he mentioned that though there is a price hike of 20k but there are some new schemes thrown in that offer extended discount on insurance etc. So the overall price difference will end up around 6k - 8k depending on your city and negotiations.

Cheers!

Note from Support: Please use the edit / multiquote option instead of posting back to back posts within 30 mins on the same thread. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinny.ganju (Post 3257535)

I have no clue about the price of 3M nomads but it must be more or less equal to that of 3D Kagu.
Yes, though the prices have increased but there are lots of offer being thrown in. In fact I am getting zero dep. insurance from the dealer at 18k. So, i guess the price increase wont be a deal breaker for many. My dealer says that my car will be arriving most probably by Tuesday and if not on Tuesday then at max. by Thursday.
When do you take your delivery Vinny?

3M nomad costed me 7431 INR for fortuner. Should be same for xuv5oo too.

I have always felt that a side-cladding is missing on the XUV5OO -something that is available as an option/accessory on Scorpio, Safari, Fortuner etc.

Just for reference, this is how the side-cladding (plastic) on a Scorpio looks like. Something like this can also help avoid the door panels getting dented by doors of other cars in the parking lot.

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-scorpio-cladding.jpg

I have noticed that, the paint on the lower portion of the doors and the wheel-arches gets chipped by the small stones on the highways. I opened a pic in MS Paint and drew how a XUV would look with a 6 inches black colored side-cladding.

Here's the original (picture credit:Zigwheels)

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-original.jpg

Here's version #1 with 5-6 inches of cladding:

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-mod-1.jpg

Here's version #2 with 10-12 inches of cladding:

Mahindra XUV500 : Test Drive & Review-mod-2.jpg

Please excuse my poor paint-skills. I do believe that if done with the right quality plastic (like the one used in the current two-inch cladding) and if it is not in the body-color, it would look good. Might make the XUV look more masculine. More than the looks, I am interested in getting the paint protected from stones and the door-panels getting protected from nicks from other car's doors.

It would be great of M&M can provide such an option as an accessory. I won't mind paying for it (if reasonably priced).

Any opinions?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDP (Post 3257972)

I have always felt that a side-cladding is missing on the XUV5OO -something that is available as an option/accessory on Scorpio, Safari, Fortuner etc.

It would be great of M&M can provide such an option as an accessory. I won't mind paying for it (if reasonably priced).

Any opinions?

Side claddings on XUV, is not to my taste.
I somehow feel that the cladding will spoil the look of the car.
The car already looks mean and beastly, You need not add anymore cosmetics to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon (Post 3257983)

Side claddings on XUV, is not to my taste.
I somehow feel that the cladding will spoil the look of the car.
The car already looks mean and beastly, You need not add anymore cosmetics to it.

Are you referring to the diagonal strip that also acts as a protector, or, do you mean the cladding like on the Scorpio?

Now a days, designers keep working round the clock, even after a model is launched, they immediately begin work on the face-lift! I'm sure the Mahindra designers will/would have conjure/conjured up something or the other for the XUV

XUV seems like a flash in the pan because the Quanto and the Vibe that came after it bombed, guess they are better off working on a clean sheet of paper instead of chopping and carving existing models

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agarwaka (Post 3258126)

Are you referring to the diagonal strip that also acts as a protector, or, do you mean the cladding like on the Scorpio?

I am specifically speaking about the cladding like on the scorpio.
The diagonal strip looks Ok. Thats not too much an eyesore

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon (Post 3258169)

I am specifically speaking about the cladding like on the scorpio.
The diagonal strip looks Ok. Thats not too much an eyesore

I don't know if it is just me, but every time i see that diagonal strip it looks out of place to me. I mean it looks like a foreign body and does not blend well with the body of XUV. I wont ever be buying it as an accessory.
Btw, do you guys think that rear view camera is necessary for XUV. Mine is a small family and 99% of the times the last row seats would be folded.So in such a case , i should still get the rear cam installed?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinny.ganju (Post 3257535)

Thanks for the valuable advice sir! It'll help save me 10k straight. But if in case one wants to maintain the original shine after a year is it advisable to go for this treatment or regular cleaning polishing should help us maintain the original colour quality.

To maintain the original shine, regular washing with plain water is normally good enough. Use of cleaning shampoos once in a while removes stains and oily residues. Polishing imparts a shiny / glossy finish no doubt, but I'm a bit skeptical about the long term effects of frequent polishing on paint life and almost never polish my car.

While washing / cleaning the car exterior, the most important thing is to use a clean cotton cloth. If the cloth is dirty (or becomes dirty during the car cleaning process) then the particles of dust or sand adhering to the cloth will cause very fine (almost invisible) scratches on the paint surface. It is these fine scratches (which accumulate over time) which rob the paint of its original shine and smoothness.

Finally watched the discovery show on the xuv500 after recording it last week. It's complete pr and it doesn't have any sort of behind the scenes footage from the testing days etc.

As for the reverse camera query a few posts up by @andy_torque123, I have my last row down permanently and I think visibility is great. So I think it's not really essential.

I am in a dilemma. Actually i am confused between XUV and elantra. I know both are completely different vehicles but I like both of them. Both are almost equal features wise although elantra scores well in terms of reliability and ASS. XUV is much spacious in the 2nd row although i must admit that last row seats will seldom be used.
Both look VFM to me and XUV gives me a bit more options to explore but i am completely bold over by the looks, quality and interiors of elantra. Utterly confused to say the least. please: