New entrant to the XUV500 owner's club. Nearing a month of ownership. Thanks to all the contributors on these forums in helping me make the final decision to go ahead with the purchase.
Mechanically, the XUV experience has been wonderful. No issues with the gearshifts, clutch or brakes. In-gear acceleration is always available. The suspension setup is well balanced to handle the rough and tumble of the monsoon stricken city streets, while also not pitching and tumbling like a boat, more evident in the likes of the Fortuner and Pajero Sport (admitedly, Mitsubishi has done a better job considering the chassis setup and vehicle size).
Coming from a Skoda Octavia, not everything has been pleasant. I'm still getting used to the inconsistencies regarding fit and finish in the XUV500. Material choices are mostly decent, but the random misaligned panels, odd rough edges, and general rattly nature while driving over rough surfaces does leave a bit of negative taste.
Some positives:
1. Keyless system works as advertised, and once you get used to it, is one of the features you would not want to lose out on.
2. Air-conditioning has been noted to be very effective by other owners, and I can vouch for the same.
3. Ride and handling, for the size and weight, accompanied with a torquey engine mated to a well tuned gearbox has been a revelation for city driving (bearing in mind my expectations of a Mahindra vehicle.)
4. Noise insulation, it can get eerily disconnected from the outside world even with the music at medium levels, leading to me reducing the volume just so I can be more aware of the surroundings and engine sounds. (Some might not thing of this as an absolute positive, and I tend to agree, but from a build quality perspective, it does throw a positive light on the sound insulation.
5. The sunroof. With the monsoon season having dragged on, the sunroof has been a good option to have during overcast days, and after dark driving. It definitely lights up the inside of the car, and provides an added sense of space.
6. Rear-view camera installed in number plate housing gives a useful top down view, and the dynamic guidelines seem to be fairly accurate so far. A necessary feature for a car this size. (Coming from the 1st gen Octavia, it definitely makes life easier while parking the car.)
7. Static turning lamps. Definitely a very useful feature. I first experienced this riding shotgun on my friend's XUV a few years ago, and still maintain it to be one of the most useful driver aids while navigating many of the badly lit roads of Indian cities.
Some random observations (oddities):
1. Radio tuning from steering wheel controls - Changes frequency by one step when single pressed, and tunes to the next available station when long pressed. Essentially, no way to switch between radio presets (something I frequently did on my 2nd gen Swift). The only way to switch between your selected radio presets is by switching to the radio screen on the touchscreen infotainment system and tapping the selected preset button. Further to that, if you're navigating the system away from the radio screen (i.e. in phone or navigation mode), pressing the Radio button below the screen switches the FM band (FM1, FM2, AM) while switching over to the Radio screen! Which is equal measures ridiculous and unintuitive. Let's say you're cruising down the road, navigation screen on, and you suddenly feel the urge to switch radio stations, well here's what you'd have to do -- 1. Press Home button on centre console below the screen, 2. Tap on the Media icon on touchscreen, 3. Now the screen should be in Radio mode, and you can tap one of the preset buttons to change the station. (Unless you want to scroll through every available radio station via the steering wheel controls).
If anyone has any less convoluted process for the above, do let me know, as that would help with this minor annoyance, which has lead to me just not switching stations while I drive.
2. Fit and finish. Oh Mahindra, when will you match the expected quality at this price range! During the PDI, I noticed some irregularities, in the fit and finish at meeting points of the various body panels. Some not lining up, some with uneven gaps. On bringing it up, the sales rep said it was the same way on all cars! Yes, that was the response from someone working at a Mahindra dealership. On closer inspection of a few other cars ready for delivery or PDI, I confirmed what she had already stated. Essentially, Mahindra lacks QC, whether that's part of the strategy to keep prices low, or just poor management, I don't know. It compares poorly to my (relatively) lowly Swift when it comes to fit and finish on both the outside and inside. For a vehicle that costs almost 3 times as much, that should be unacceptable. But, here we are, I decided to go ahead with the purchase, having already convinced myself this was the best option available on the market. The initial new purchase excitement was dulled down by the realisation that my brand new car came in a condition which I would not have accepted on an accident-repair job at Skoda or even Maruti Suzuki!
3. The rattles. This is something I will have looked at when the car goes into the workshop next, and going by many previous reports, hopefully something they can fix.
The niggles (sigh... go all XUV owners):
1. A/C switches over from recirculation mode to fresh air mode, minuted after I start my drive - every single time! Have been on a trip to the workshop, but they didn't change anything, and hoped the Infotainment and ECU update might solve the problem. (Oddly, they suggested the ECU flash was an EMS flash, which was for the electrical systems of the car, but all other reports on Team-BHP suggest it was a change to the engine control unit. Make of that what you will.)
2. Both headlights have been accumulation moisture while driving in the rain. One of the units more so than the other. The RM recreated the issue after a lengthy wash at the workshop, and has sent images to Mahindra for potential replacement of the headlight assembly. (He has suggested this may only be permissible for one of the units. To which my question is, why does it matter if the moisture entering is significant or not, a brand new vehicle should not be having this issue to any extent! I intend to take this matter up with the company, if replacement order comes through for only one headlight.)
3. Centre console was squeaking when going over rough roads. This was fixed with some lubricant/oil spray. Which was so generously applied, i could see a liquid layer of it all around the start/stop button. Asked them to wipe it clean, and eventually had to get to it myself to do a proper clean up from the nooks and crevices of the centre console/handbrake area.
Just some introductory pictures of the Cheetah for now.