[DriTraPh]

Originally Posted by arsh9191

When I checked the same with the SC - they said that this is common with all 700's and this is common complaint and this is the normal resting position of the steering.

Can someone through some light on this. Thanks.

Haven’t seen this in my car. The steering is straight and car doesn’t drift.

[ramki.grandhi]

Looks like Mahindra has increased prices again, got the below fwd in Mx whatsapp group. Owners who got their XUV700 in first 25k are in 2-2.5 lacs profits. In my case, MX D, that boils down to 16% profit in 1 year. This 16% is much higher than most mutual funds. Also, this price hike would've covered 80% of the depreciation hit my car has taken so far.

[kedar_GT]

I started penning down this review when the car was 4 days and 900km old and today it’s a tad lesser than 2 months old. Sigh. Procrastination and me!

Hence, today, I just decided to take the plunge and share this review; I will add to it as I go along! At the time of publishing this post, my 1month first free checkup/service is done.

I took delivery of my '23 XUV7OO AX7L Petrol AT during February and completed 900 km within the first 4 days. The car is well documented on Team-BHP - so I will just touch upon those points that are a significant change for me.

Prologue
Background and the car search -
Well, I had been on the lookout for a new car for the last year or more. Nothing converged since I really did not need a car apart from the fact that I wanted to replace my highway steed with an automatic and something sturdier/safer/more powerful than my current ride i.e. a 1.4L gen1 Ertiga Zxi. I always wanted a 7str for the convenience factor but was open to a 5str just in case it was a premium German (albeit entry level) with a budget cap of 50L (the lesser the better). So, I test-drove cars ranging from the X1, Safari, Octavia, Hector Plus, Fortuner, Hyryder & the XUV7OO.

The X1 - I liked this car very much and was the lone 5str that I considered. The practical cabin, the fast petrol/diesel engines, the boot space, the pano sunroof all combined to make this one enticing German. Add to the fact that this was more spacious than the Q3. I especially liked the 2018 white/black X-Line version with the X-alloys and was on the lookout for a preowned one. I almost bought a 4yr, in -warranty, 25k run example (it was blue in color) but due to a last minute hitch, I backed off. The thought of spending new-car money on a used example was a mind block even though I thought I was mentally ready for the same.

Tata Safari - The dealership experience was always a turn-off. I was willing to put this aside and still consider this but for 2 reasons. One was the heavy steering and second was the poor/pathetic condition of the TD vehicle (i.e. the Tata experience). I mean badly maintained would be an understatement (think big dent on the front bumper, broken fog light, front tyre running on the spare, some misc warning lights on the MID). I notice the dealership uses the same TD vehicle as of till date. Due to the steering feel, one gets the impression of driving a much heavier vehicle. Being used to creamy petrol’s & silent cabins, the diesel gruff was always something that I would have had to reconcile with. The missus shot down this choice saying it was a Tata and I too thought that she will not enjoy operating the hydraulic power steering as opposed to the light steering on her current ride.

Jeep Meridian - Fantastic drive and poise for those in the front seats. Has a flat ride and decimates speed breakers when one powers on at a decent clip. The deal breakers were the upright and not-so-spacious rear seats (the less we speak about the 3rd row the better), the NVH at idle and the sparce service network (the SA later on told me that BLR was one of the biggest markets for the Meridian - makes sense with NCR folks not wanting this car due to the diesel-only option). This one was shot down by the kids who did not have any kind words for the rear seats.

MG Hector/Plus - This was a contender but surprisingly shot down by the wife due to the wallowy drive at higher speeds. She drove it back-to-back with the Astor and preferred the Astor over the Hector. As the Astor is a 5-str with less leg space at the back, we did not consider this further though I was impressed with the in-cabin ambience of the Hector Plus and more-so, of the Astor. The kids did like this one due to the captain seats and the pano sunroof!

Fortuner 4x2 Petrol/Diesel AT - The interiors and the busy ride were a downer and so was the pricing for this truck. I have detailed more about this in https://www.team-bhp.com/news/skoda-...ve-experiences

Octavia L&K - Wifey did not like the interiors on the same. After getting used to roomy vehicles, the all black of the Octavia does take some time getting used to. She also scraped the TD car on some bad roads and I had nothing to say after this. Personally, I loved the car, the humongous boot space & the power on tap but the interiors were a bit too bland for my taste. (A close friend picked up the vRS 245 last week - maybe I will pen down some drive impressions of the same :-) )


XUV7OO - Well, I never really had this one on the radar due to the long wait times and wifey was also not so keen on a Mahindra. Also, I found it too similar in looks to the XUV5OO. As I was drawing a blank on the car search and getting a bit frustrated due to this, I went ahead and booked the 7OO on my wife’s birthday without really informing her about the same. I thought that I most likely have a 6 month to an year’s lead up time and in that, I will settle on something that is up and coming.
Surprisingly, I got a call to pick up the car in just a tad over a month's time from the time I placed the booking! This led me to believe that there was some heavenly intervention and assistance in helping me to pick my next steed and I just decided to go with the flow. I traveled to my home town, did the PDI and okayed the car. (it had 11km on the ODO at that time)

First look:


The centerpiece infotainment system:


Side view:


Delivery day!


One with the familia


Enroute to Bangalore


Getting a nice foam wash after the 600km drive


Parked at my office parking


With that out of the way let's get to the root of the matter.

The not so good things:
The newly added engine auto-switch off that needs to be turned off at every restart. This is hidden behind the steering wheel on the dash and is adjacent to the traction control off switch. This being a new addition, there is no indication of this in the cluster and one needs to rely on the light embedded in the switch to figure out if this is turned off or on. Also, this could have been accommodated in the vacant spot where the drive modes are implemented in the diesel. I turn this off everytime I start the car.
The tons of sensors in this car - prompted me to immediately purchase the max possible coverage with regard to the warranty (4/5th year) and the various options in the infotainment. These can be a big distraction while driving and make me nervous at times.

Missing features
Ventilated seats - these should have been present in the 2023 iteration at the bare minimum - sorely missed this during my long drive and for folks using this as a long distance cruiser, this is a big miss
Day/Night IRVM -
Ambient lighting - This is offset to a certain extent as I have installed the Mahindra OEM illuminated scuff plates and they do throw an upward glow when any door is open. But bottomline is this should have been present at least in the L variants
12V charging slot that is accessible from the front.

Good to have things
Wide angle side camera that can display the length of the car and not just the area near the front tyres
Sliding middle row

Issues and niggles
The initial start post ignition is very aggressive at times. In my office parking lot, I have even noticed a wheel spin. This reminds me of the behavior of the Polo GT 1.0 AT which exhibits a similar trait. I need to be very careful as I navigate the way out of my parking slot at home and office (which is basically a 90-degree turn to join the driveway). This is a BIG pain point. I have noticed speeds of even 16kmph if I just let it roll (normal creep speeds at 6-7kmph) - this is darn scray and I would like inputs from other informed users if this sort of behavior has been observed by others on a cold start.
The other issue is the screeching sound of the brakes while taking it out of the parking. I understand these are cold and are trying to rein in 200horses from running away (refer to the point above) - but then this sound is very crude, especially for someone standing outside the car and is unbecoming of a car of this cost. The other auto in my garage (a i10) does not exhibit this and nor have I noticed this to so much extent for the other ATs that I have driven. Maybe the brakes need more time to bed it.

Fuel efficiency
I averaged 10.5kmpl (11.2kmpl on the MID) on a 600 km drive from Goa to Bangalore i.e. 200km on narrow/er & ghat roads and ~400km on the Bangalore-Pune NH4 highway.
Since then, I have seen it drop to 9.2kmpl on the MID as I have driven it ~80km in the city. I think the real world would be6-8kmpl. While I was expecting low FE in the city, a ~ 10 kmpl on the highway was not expected (I was hoping for 12-14kmpl) - but then it is extremely difficult to drive this at sub triple digit speeds!

Highlights
The fantastic mHawk engine! Boy oh boy - this is a hoot to drive. No two ways about this. The sheer power of this engine is really superlative. Even while accelerating in a sedate manner one does not realize when they are at 80kmph. The car masks off the speeds so well that 120kmph feels like 85kmph, Makes me gun the throttle whenever there is an open piece of road which is so unlike me!
The ride quality is pretty good except for some times when it thuds through certain potholes.
Rev matching while driving downhill - the gearbox is quick to drop a gear while driving down a slop thus giving you much better control. Definitely one of the most intuitive gearboxs that I used, with regard to this.

Significant accessories added:
From Mahindra - infotainment screen guard, mud flaps, rain visor, pedal cover, rear aluminum crash guard, illuminated scuff plates
From outside - Pharaoh 3D Car Floor Mats - these are expensive & look good when clean. These are easy to clean as well but a pain to maintain. On second thoughts, I would have gone with something that has a noodle cover, for easier maintenance.

Plea to Mahindra
Please, please, please give this car an ECO or City mode. It badly needs one when somebody wants to drive in a calm relaxed manner and does not want to wake up the horses on tap. The car holds the 2nd gear for a much longer time than needed resulting in a dip in fuel efficiency.

That’s it for now. I will add to this thread at opportune moments.

[kedar_GT]

Originally Posted by arsh9191

Hey Fellow XUV 700 owners,

So I recently took delivery of a petrol automatic AX7L around 15 days back, and from the first day the car used to drift slight towards to the left - specially noticeable at high speeds on highways - I dismissed it thinking that I will get it rectified at the first service.

So, yesterday I sent it for its first service and asked the SC to get the same rectified, and when I recieved the car back - the drift started happening to the right side and also the resting position of the steering was very slightly towards the left. So today, i took the car back to the service centre and they did some changes, though now the car isn't drifting in any direction, all I am bothered with is the resting position of the steering when driving straight - it is ever so slightly bent towards the left and even if i let go of steering on straight road - it will keep on moving straight - but the steering would be ever so slightly bent towards the left. When I checked the same with the SC - they said that this is common with all 700's and this is common complaint and this is the normal resting position of the steering.

Can someone through some light on this. Thanks.

That means they did the alignment without centering the steering wheel correctly. They normally use some instruments to lock the steering wheel, dead center, before venturing into doing the adjustments. Were you around when this was done? Ask them to center the steering wheel.

Cheers

[baluprasanna]

Issues and niggles
The initial start post ignition is very aggressive at times. In my office parking lot, I have even noticed a wheel spin. This reminds me of the behavior of the Polo GT 1.0 AT which exhibits a similar trait. I need to be very careful as I navigate the way out of my parking slot at home and office (which is basically a 90-degree turn to join the driveway). This is a BIG pain point. I have noticed speeds of even 16kmph if I just let it roll (normal creep speeds at 6-7kmph) - this is darn scray and I would like inputs from other informed users if this sort of behavior has been observed by others on a cold start.

Hi

I also have an AX7L Petrol and what you're saying is true. There is significant power that goes to the wheels on a cold start. What I have been told is that it is because of the Turbo petrol.

To rectify it, I was advised to start the car and notice the RPM needle. It usually stays slightly above the 1000 RPM mark. You have to wait a few seconds for it to drop to slightly below the 1000 RPM mark. Once it falls below this mark, the car behaves normally. Else, be prepared for an adrenaline rush!

[amahale]

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

Issues and niggles
The initial start post ignition is very aggressive at times. In my office parking lot, I have even noticed a wheel spin. This reminds me of the behavior of the Polo GT 1.0 AT which exhibits a similar trait. I need to be very careful as I navigate the way out of my parking slot at home and office (which is basically a 90-degree turn to join the driveway). This is a BIG pain point. I have noticed speeds of even 16kmph if I just let it roll (normal creep speeds at 6-7kmph) - this is darn scray and I would like inputs from other informed users if this sort of behavior has been observed by others on a cold start.

This usually happens on a cold start and the engine is trying to warmup by revving the engine at higher RPM. Mine revs up to ~ 1200 - 1500 for about a minute before coming down to ~500.
I wait till the RPM come down before moving; if moved before this, the car kind of jumps forward at high speed. This is scary in cramped basement parkings.

So whenever I start the car, I make sure the RPM is well below 1000 before I release the brakes. If I am in a hurry, I use the AdrenoX app, to start the car few minutes before I get to the car, this way the engine is warmed up, the RPM is low and as it is summer, the cabin is also nice and cool.

[bill1182]

Originally Posted by arsh9191

I checked the same with the SC - they said that this is common with all 700's and this is common complaint and this is the normal resting position of the steering.

Can someone through some light on this. Thanks.

Have you got the lower arm replaced? Ask the MASS guys to do steering calibration. This should solve the problem.

If the issue still persist, ask them to set the SAP angle of the steering and do the wheel alignment as per the factory specs.

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

Looks like Mahindra has increased prices again, got the below fwd in Mx whatsapp group. Owners who got their XUV700 in first 25k are in 2-2.5 lacs profits. In my case, MX D, that boils down to 16% profit in 1 year. This 16% is much higher than most mutual funds. Also, this price hike would've covered 80% of the depreciation hit my car has taken so far.

Need honest opinion from experts here.
Ex-showroom price for AL7 D AT was 20.9L in Feb '22 and 22.97L now. This means a price hike of more than 2L in a year.
Is this vehicle even VFM anymore?

[arsh9191]

Originally Posted by DriTraPh

Haven’t seen this in my car. The steering is straight and car doesn’t drift.

It was straight earlier, this started happening post the first service.

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

That means they did the alignment without centering the steering wheel correctly. They normally use some instruments to lock the steering wheel, dead center, before venturing into doing the adjustments. Were you around when this was done? Ask them to center the steering wheel.

Cheers

Originally Posted by bill1182

Have you got the lower arm replaced? Ask the MASS guys to do steering calibration. This should solve the problem.

If the issue still persist, ask them to set the SAP angle of the steering and do the wheel alignment as per the factory specs.

So, my car is just 2 weeks old, so there have been no replacements or call backs.

I took my car back to the SC today and they worked on my car for an hour or so - the issue seems to have been resolved for now. But have an upcoming highway drive to chandigarh over the weekend - will get more clarity on if the issue is resolved.

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

Parked at my office parking
Attachment 2436693

With that out of the way let's get to the root of the matter.

Congrats on your new SUV! Lucky to have received the car pretty soon

Looking at the parking pic, is it the MLCP at the company with the sunflower logo, EC?

[Bukka12]

https://youtu.be/jA5FyT7aCso

Powerdrift conducted a drag race between petrol and diesel XUV700 where the diesel won by a good margin, both times! This is quite baffling since everybody who has driven both gave a different opinion than what the result shows.
A win-win for diesel owners then. Mileage, range, load carrying capacity and most important of all, the performance.

[kedar_GT]

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Congrats on your new SUV! Lucky to have received the car pretty soon

Looking at the parking pic, is it the MLCP at the company with the sunflower logo, EC?

Sharp eyes, mate. U got that right.

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

Sharp eyes, mate. U got that right.

Haha I worked for that company and at that campus on/off for around 15 years It looked very familiar.

Sorry for going OT folks.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Need honest opinion from experts here.
Ex-showroom price for AL7 D AT was 20.9L in Feb '22 and 22.97L now. This means a price hike of more than 2L in a year.
Is this vehicle even VFM anymore?

Increase of the price by a whopping ~ Rs. 1.25 lacs in 2 months. Don't know whether to laugh or cry.


Price on Jan 2023





Current price as of today. Do reduce shield price to compare.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Need honest opinion from experts here.
Ex-showroom price for AL7 D AT was 20.9L in Feb '22 and 22.97L now. This means a price hike of more than 2L in a year.
Is this vehicle even VFM anymore?

Prices have increased across the segment. It still undercuts the Safari by a healthy amount (XZA (O)+ red dark= 24.91,500 exshow Bangalore), which IMO is a unfinished product.

XUV700 still is a great buy.