[FuelInjector]

Excellent review. Outstanding analysis. Thanks a lot for the post.

does the sun roof have air only mode? I mean, two layers of opening - one for the glass and other for a smoke screen?

[adik1984]

Excellent review! Deserves an applause.

Surely, There is no contender now in the 12-17 Lakh range which can beat XUV.

[vikram31]

Absolutely gorgeous review! Congos

However, as an existing W8 owner..i want to pop the eternal question..do you think the pre-facelifted infotainment software can be upgraded to use some of the cool features of the new one?

I am also keen to know if maps can be self upgraded ?

[CarLoverJosh]

A very detailed and spot on review Tushar and SDP! Before we had bought our X3, the XUV was a serious contender and me and my dad were all heart over heads for it. It was just then that TBhp caught the facelift testing and then we decided to wait it out. Anyways, a question, has the refinement improved?

[Bigzero]

Terrific Review, one that really brings out the differences in the facelift! As usual, one can see the amount of hard work that has gone into a Tbhp review. Kudos to both of you!

Agree completely on the observation on the beige interiors. For me, it is one of the major roadblocks against taking a decision in favour of the XUV. I dont understand why car makers seem to equate beige with premium . I think when they take decisions on interior colouring, they just want to ensure that there is enough window dressing in the car to make that sale ( looks great in a display car ), and let the owners suffer later .

Unlike Europe or US, our shoes come directly in contact with dirt much more often, and more so during monsoons. And we buy these large cars with families in mind, and that means that kids will get in and out of the car quite often. Just these two scenarios make beige a very difficult proposition.. but I guess these get lost in conference room discussions, when decisions are being taken on design.

Seen far too many sad & dirty beige interiors..

but having said that , too many positives to ignore! It is indeed a terrific package at the price, the design quirks notwithstanding!!

[Bhatt]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Excellent review Tushar and SDP. Loved every bit of it and I have sent the link to my dad who would have read it hopefully by now.

Expecting to get this as a replacement for the Ertiga at home in another 6-8 months as we need to give the Ertiga to a relative.

I have just made a feature comparison between the variants of the New XUV 5OO. Helps in easier understanding.

Attachment 1382461

PS: I have taken the data from the E-brochure on the website.

This implies the new W4 has lost out on the entertainment system, the earlier one had CD/MP3 player, Aux Input, and 4 speakers(not 6, missed out on dash tweakers).
That I believe is a serious downgrade for prospective W4 buyers

[Ritesh_Dogar]

Thats an amazing review of the New Age XUV 5oo. Absolutely loved the comparo. It was an absolute joy to read. Details all the changes done to the facelift. It brings joy just knowing that Mahindra as a company listens to the feedback of the customers and implements the changes based on the feedback. Kudos to Mahindra for understanding the Indian car scene very well.

[Stryker]

Thanks for the great review, Tushar & SDP. I was looking froward to this so much, to get a point of reference between my existing XUV and the New Age wala.

However, I'd like to point out two things:

Originally Posted by Tushar

Beige felt-lining for the cooled storage area under the driver's armrest:

This was there earlier too, at least in my March 2013 W8. It is the same brown felt that is all over in my car, not beige obviously. Incidentally, that is not the cooled storage area, that is what Mahindra calls the coin tray. The cooled storage area is actually below this tray. I will be surprised if that area gets a felt lining!

Originally Posted by Tushar

The inclusion of cruise control aids the XUV's highway credentials. It engages at a minimum speed of 40 km/h; you can increase the speed to no more than 100 km/h using the steering controls. Keeping Indian conditions in mind, 100 km/h is a sensible limit for the cruise control system.

Again, this was there earlier too. In any case, is the limit of 100 km/h a new "feature" of the new model? I can set the cruise in my car to whatever I want. I have cruised at varying speeds between 100 & 130 km/h and I was not limited by a maximum setting. Haven't tried any speed above or below, though!

[karthick_b]

Excellent review and kudos to SDP and Tushar. I really loved the comparison with the new one and the old cheetah. Being a 2012 XUV owner myself, and having test driven the new XUV, I completely agree to all the points you guys have pointed out in this outstanding review.

M&M could have improved the dashboard plastics and texture. I felt the new Scorpio had a very nice quality plastic on the dashboard. M&M missed an opportunity to further refine the interiors here.

The brakes as pointed out were a surprise. I was just as baffled as SDP when it came to the new brakes and it took me some 10 minutes to change my style of braking from the previous gen XUV. Is it possible to get the new brakes or re-calibration done to the old XUV.

The suspension was also an improvement over the older one, especially during low speeds. Where the old XUV would crash like crazy over potholes and expansion joints, the new XUV gobbled up the bad roads with ease without much of a drama. And SDP, the new XUV does feel more silent and pliant over potholes than before.

I found the W6 model of the new XUV looking so much better over the W8 & W10 variants which had hideous amounts of chrome, especially the ones around the foglamps. Chrome should have been added as an accessory like it was before. Why M&M, why? :O

The most interesting observation by you guys was the gearbox. I found the gearbox of the new XUV I test drove more direct and had no notchiness while engaging 1st gear. Maybe it was your test vehicle. I blame M&M's mediocre quality control here. Some members who got their new XUVs delivered complained that all XUVs in the stockyards had varied levels of fit and finish inside. Mahindra should seriously up their game in Quality Control and Adherence if they want to see themselves on an international level.

Once again amazing review SDP and Tushar. Kudo.

[fusionbang]

Excellent review Tushar and SDP. A well deserved 5 stars

It was indeed the right decision to have a existing owner of the pre facelift model to do the comparo and it has come out very well. And SDP has given a unbiased review which I liked it personally.

Being a owner of April 2015 manufactured W8 (prefacelift model), if given an option I would still hold on to the earlier version which feels premium from inside whereas the new model interiors looks dull apart from the new design of the cowls, infotainment system. And on the outside I liked only the new facia with chrome inserts on the grill. Also coming to the technical aspects I would love to have the new suspension setup, break setup and electric seats.

Anyway its time for me to take my ownership thread live which is pending from a week

[SchumiFan]

Excellent review and excellent comparison with the outgoing model as well.

Coming to the car, the front seems to have been brutalized. It looks like a some face with a lot of food stuffed in the mouth

The two main weaknesses in the car has not been addressed:
Movable Second row
Boot Space with all three rows up


I still don't understand the 'No Captain seats option'. The XUV has the goods to sell more if they fix this in the next release.

Also limiting most of the new/good features to the highest variant is an irritating trend of late.

Edit: Anyone else not able to vote the thread. Tried from home and work but get the same message about some field called 'ip address' missing or having an invalid value.

[Vid6639]

Fantastic review Tushar and SDP. The side by side comparo is brilliant.

I am liking everything in the facelift except 2 things. Firstly the beige and black interiors don't work. I sat in the facelift car and the sea of beige was just not to my liking. Mahindra should have added all black cabin in the white and silver coloured cars. The Red one which SDP has is the perfect one with the black cabin. I hope Mahindra realises that black cabins are making a come back. The Altis, Octavia Zeal, Elantra, Ecosport and soon to be launched Jazz are proof that black is back.

Secondly is the extra chrome in the fog lamps, side window lining and rear number plate garnish. These just look out of place. The XUV is not some decked up luxury car but a SUV. The chrome doesn't suit the character.

Overall, it looks like the flaws of the older XUV have been attended to and there is no real big showstopper in the competent SUV. The new W10 variant gives it an even wider appeal.

Now all we need to do is wait for the Automatic and I think I might just have a reason to get a Mahindra

[supertinu]

Amazingly detailed review for a upgrade model. Thanks a ton Tushar and SDP. It's very good idea to get SDP to do it since owning the previous model he can be best judge of the differences. Also esp for someone like me who recently bought the pre-facelift 3 months back, the curiosity factor is very high to assess if decision was right or not to skip waiting for the new one. Its clear from the review that the new car is an evolutionary update and not a significant revamp as it seemed to suggest from small reviews from everyone.

Overall I am in the same boat as earlier. Happy with my pre-facelift w8. I like the old exterior and black interiors over the facelifted one. The only standout things that would be good to have are infotainment and suspension improvements on the facelift. Other than that rest are more good to have items.

End of the day kudos to Mahindra for doing relevant upgrades to the car than just some incremental changes to the looks and still holding the price points. People can complain to no end about the dash quality not being up to the mark but then you got to compromise on some aspect. Folks are shelling 35 lacs for a fortuner with poor ride and interiors or 20 lacs on innova with no features and 90s design.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by FuelInjector

does the sun roof have air only mode? I mean, two layers of opening - one for the glass and other for a smoke screen?

Not sure what you mean by air only mode but like all standard sun roofs, it has this tilt function. You can tilt it to let air go out Ideally you can keep the glass closed and move the inside shade manually.

EDIT - some issue, unable to upload the image grab from user manual to illustrate tilt function.

[Sheel]

Can a facelift review get any better...? You folks have kicked the goalpost forward by miles.

Mahindra does cut corners. Top end Xylo has auto up/down power windows for the driver & the co-driver, even the XUV doesn't have this.

To switch off the hazard lamp when you lift the bonnet up [at a safe place, out on the road, let it blink] please press the hazard lamp button twice, in quick succession. The lamp will go off.

Razor too has summed up perfectly. The only thing I like is the front headlamp LED treatment. M&M does extremes, if the earlier design was overdone, this is a bit soft/feminine, not a SUV look for certain.

The big screen & the new UI is good and that is it.