[aniketsharma986]

I am interested in Diesel AX7L 4*2 AT - it comes with 19 inches alloy and all terrain tyres with expected average of 11-12.

What if I get the tyres changed to 18inches alloy and with city/highway tyres? Will it increase the average, handling and drive on city roads?

I will mostly use the car in city.

[shankar.balan]

My Test Drive of the Roxx today - Petrol AT 2WD. AX7L.

I was able to grab a 30 minute test drive this morning at Sireesh Auto. As ways their executive Jiju was proactive and courteous and I did not have to wait more than 15 mins at the showroom though it is a Saturday.

There was a white 4X4 Diesel AT and a Black Petrol 4x2 AT available for test.

However, the Diesel AT 4x4 was being driven by someone else and and it also seemed to be in high demand. I therefore opted to go with the 4x2 Petrol AT just to get a feel of the vehicle.

I sat only in the Driving Seat. I was very engaged with the Driving. Hence am not going to again mention the lack of under thigh support and white interiors etc - some of which detail Ive covered in my earlier post on my ‘first impressions’.

I am only going to confine myself to the salient points pertaining to the drive, in this post.

1. The engine tuning of the MStallion Petrol in the Roxx, is significantly superior to the Thar 3D and is a lot more powerful too.

2. The power delivery of the Roxx is near-linear there is not even a brief milli-second’s hesitation as there used to be in my Thar 3D - which used to ‘quiver’ momentarily for a milli-second when one did an accelerator stomp, and then sort of ‘gather up its skirts’ and then take off real quick.

3. The Mating of the AT Torque Converter gearbox to the engine is much smoother in the Roxx than in my 3D Petrol AT. Here the gears fall into place with barely a whisper. There is NO clack click sound and any noise at all. It goes about its business very quietly and efficiently.

4. The vehicle without all the 4WD hardware definitely feels light and more responsive.

5. I tried the Zip and Zoom modes but preferred Zip for the city. There is a real kicker when one puts on the Zoom mode.

6. The Electronic Power Steering is ‘feather touch’ - it is EXTREMELY responsive. Very very light and almost like air.

7. In comparison to my 3D Thar and its heavy Hydraulic Power Steering this is an entirely different world.

8. Even in comparison to my little Jimny and its re-circulating ball type power steering, the Thar Roxx’s steering is very light. Perfect for those long highway drives.

9. The above ensures that one will not be fatigued and will not experience pain or stiffness in the right shoulder over long distances. This definitely bolsters the Thar Roxx’s Grand Touring character.

10. The width of the vehicle and its proportions are huge when viewed from the outside.

11. However it does not feel ponderous and heavy by any stretch, when driving it, even on the narrow crowded city roads on which I took it.

12. Saying that, I would definitely worry about this aspect of width, on the narrow hill roads or if I ever have to go in it to the really crowded parts of town and park there.

13. Of course I am used to my Thar and Scorpio, Bolero and all those and I generally don’t have a problem adjusting, when I am driving larger vehicles, despite my general preference for a smaller footprint.

14. Yes it is a big and bulky vehicle for sure but it is surprisingly ‘light-footed’.

15. Rather in the way even a ‘heavy weight boxer’ is light footed and is able to feint and dart in and out during a match.

16. What springs to mind (with a little poetic license) is Muhammad Ali - Float like a butterfly, sting like a Bee…and this is mainly because of the below things.
a. Engine tuning and linear power
b .AT TC Gearbox responsiveness
c. Super-light steering.
d. Excellent suspension tuning.

17. We drove the vehicle all over the roads behind the showroom in and around the Begur- Bommanahalli - BTM Backroad area.

18. I did not spare it over those beautiful Bangalore Giant Speed Breakers and Potholes and depressed man hole covers and sub-terranean drainage hume pipes which go beneath the road to empty themselves in the BTM and Madivala Lakes.

19. The drive was very comfortable. I took quite a few corners where there are those wonderful perpendicularly positioned double speed breakers right in one’s drive path and perfectly sited in the middle of the corner/ curve.

20. And I flew at 30kmph over some of those jagged ‘isosceles triangle’ speed-breakers too.

21. The body jiggle-wiggle was certainly there but I will say that the body roll was perhaps 80-85% less than what used to be felt in my 3Door Thar. (Of course this Roxx has a longer wheelbase too, which helps a lot.)

22. I may say I thrashed the vehicle quite a bit but at all times keeping in mind the respect one should always accord to one’s machines.

23. Driving over all these different kinds of obstacles I found the ride was much more comfortable than my 3 door and the vehicle being significantly heavier than my Jimny, handles these surfaces quite ‘flatly’.

24. The braking offered by the Thar Roxx is excellent at low or slightly higher speeds as well. It makes for a ‘sure-stop’ despite its weight and bulk.

25. It does not feel much more top heavy than my 3Door Thar did, despite the Roxx having an all metal body.

26. I appreciate the suppleness offered by the Ceat CrossDrive Tyres. They are definitely good.

27. My only regret is that I could not find a ‘rumble strip’ to drive fast on and test.

28. The good ride is clearly because the Roxx is built on a completely different platform and new generation of chassis.

29. It has a longer wheelbase, the penta-link suspension and the tuning of the chassis is very good.

30. Roxx has the Frequency dependent dampers which really make a huge difference in ride and handling. I enjoyed the feel of these in the XUV400 and that feel is carried over to the Roxx.

31. One can certainly feel the dampers working under one’s bottom and over the uneven surfaces upon which one is driving. This suspension set-up and tune in my mind, is an absolute master stroke by Mahindra.

32. It makes this vehicle a great choice for a family and for long distance touring and the icing on the cake is the highly attractive and desirable Jeepy form factor.

33. The Thar Roxx inspires great confidence to drive over more or less any terrain and any obstacle. It tends to remove the ‘fear’ but on the flip-side, it can also inspire ‘foolhardiness’ in some.

34. It is an old saying that there is merely the difference of a whisker, a very thin-line, between bravery and foolhardiness.

35. The default common sense choice for 95% of the potential buyers and target segment, is the Diesel 2WD variant - in this version one can drive fearlessly and go anywhere at anytime and not feel the pinch of fuel costs.

In conclusion I maintain that it will make for a great go anywhere grand tourer for the family, with the added oomph of a very desirable form factor.

Indeed it will be a very hard choice to make, for those who are in the market, between this Roxx and the Scorpio N and to an extent, even the XUV700.

[vellatechie]

Originally Posted by atluri_rkc

On the booking day, it is fastest fingers first - it took ~90 secs for XUV700 and ~40secs for Scorpion N to exhaust the introductory pricing batch.

How does M&M combine or prioritize dealer level and Online bookings?

Dealers have asked for a PDC of 50,000Rs for booking. Suppose they get 100 PDC cheques and 50 online bookings (say within 60 seconds of online bookings starting) for that showroom. How are the first 50 cars allocated of that showroom? Will the online bookings get priority or will the allocation of the car once it reaches the dealer warehouse be upto the showrooms discretion?

[Mike_Schumacher]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

My Test Drive of the Roxx today - Petrol AT 2WD. AX7L

In conclusion I maintain that it will make for a great go anywhere grand tourer for the family, with the added oomph of a very desirable form factor.

Indeed it will be a very hard choice to make, for those who are in the market, between this Roxx and the Scorpio N and to an extent, even the XUV700.

Sir, would you still say the SN is slightly better as a grand tourer, like you mentioned a few posts above ?

Also, thanks for the detailed review. I am planning to check out the car tomorrow hopefully.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Mike_Schumacher

Sir, would you still say the SN is slightly better as a grand tourer, like you mentioned a few posts above ?

Also, thanks for the detailed review. I am planning to check out the car tomorrow hopefully.

Here is a pendulum swing of an opinion in a nutshell and it is mine.

Scorp N is superior to the Roxx as a comfortable long distance mile munching grand tourer.

Roxx is very good in every possible way but the Scorpio N ride is more comfort tuned.

Roxx comes with a very slight compromise on ride but has the super desirable Jeepy form factor. The frequency dependent dampers are fantastic though.

Scorpio N compromises the form factor but offers a slight edge on comfort.

Both are fantastic options as Go Anywhere Any time Grand Tourers.

Finally it comes down to the Form factor that you prefer.

And I will hazard that the larger majority of those buying the Roxx are buying it because they are totally swayed by the Jeepy looks.

Most people do NOT need the 4x4 in either of these two. The best buy will always be the 4x2 AT Diesel.

In this case, it is a very tough choice to make so I would just go with instinct and the preferred aesthetic.

[atluri_rkc]

Originally Posted by vellatechie

How does M&M combine or prioritize dealer level and Online bookings?

Dealers have asked for a PDC of 50,000Rs for booking. Suppose they get 100 PDC cheques and 50 online bookings (say within 60 seconds of online bookings starting) for that showroom. How are the first 50 cars allocated of that showroom? Will the online bookings get priority or will the allocation of the car once it reaches the dealer warehouse be upto the showrooms discretion?

Going by the way the booking process was done for XUV7OO and SN, dealers had no preference in the booking process. I believe the process will be same for Roxx too and so the booking window remains the same for dealers and end-customers. In this process, the dealer is mostly a mere spectator in vehicle allotment as the transfers of bookings are also tightly controlled - atleast for the first ~6months.

[vigneshkumar31]

Turning Radius

Interesting to note that the turning radius of the Roxx is not mentioned anywhere in the brochure or during the official launch event. Intelli Turn Assist is spoken about but I wonder what’s the actual turning radius?

[shaikhtabish]

Just took a test drive today for the 4x4 version, and to be honest the ride was bumpy even on roads with normal wear and tear. This was immediately identified by the co-passenger in the front seat. There is no space near the right side of the driver when the door closes, so its quite a tight feel. Power is ample, but the ride quality left a lot to be desired.

[Freespirit27]

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

Turning Radius

Interesting to note that the turning radius of the Roxx is not mentioned anywhere in the brochure or during the official launch event. Intelli Turn Assist is spoken about but I wonder what’s the actual turning radius?

What a coincidence! After making a guess that it is going to be more than XUV on this forum, I have been eagerly looking for figures somewhere, but to no avail! Because I did feel later that, because of a probably a better steering arm articulation, it could be lesser than the XUV despite a comparable wheel base. Also, even in a posted video of Jimny vs Thar the turning radius figures are conveniently given a miss!

The IntelliTurn feature may be the point of confusion (but that as mentioned it is usable in low traction surfaces only, meaning should not/ cannot be used as a routine) to avoid listing specific figures.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Here are a few questions that popped up in my mind that I request the members here to clarify.

1. If anyone has been able to test drive both the MX3 and MX5 variants? I want to get an understanding of whether the "acoustic windshield" in the MX5 really makes a difference.
2. Does the MX3 variant (With Steel Wheels) have a tubeless tyre setup?
3. What are the various accessories on offer? What is the approximate cost of the alloys if one were to buy the MX3 and replace the steel wheels with the alloys?
4. Are there hub caps on offer for the steel wheels?
5. I see that the MX3 also has electrically adjustable ORVMs (As per the brochure). Do they electrically open and close as well?

Cheers!

[84.monsoon]

Had a nice detailed look at the interiors of the Thar Roxx at the local dealership. Being a Sunday, it was less crowded and I had a chance to take a leisurely look and try out the various seating positions. However, there was still a considerable queue for test drives, and I did not want to wait to take a test drive. Made a mental note to come back earlier in the day for a test drive.

• First off the vehicle is imposing especially when you stand next to it. I am 6'2" and the vehicle is pretty much my height! It is higher than the Thar 3 door, due to the stepped up roof, and the larger sized alloy wheels may also be contributing to this.
  
  
  
  
  
• I expected the alloy wheels to appear visibly larger than those on my three door, however, the difference is not very noticeable, this could be down to the design of the alloys. the alloy design makes it look smaller than it really is. The design reminds me of an industrial fan with four blades rather than twin peaks!
  
  
  
• The side steps are really rugged and very helpful to get into the back seat, especially with the generously, large grab handles provided everywhere.
  
• The step up in the rear door is quite prominent in the lighter colours of the car, and geometrically jarring somehow. Pratap Bose argument that this helps the vehicle to stand out when pulling up next to you in traffic is a bit absurd. If I wanted to admire a vehicle, I would look at it from a distance when I'm relaxed, rather than when I'm in thick traffic, all stressed out, and something that is huge and quirky is pulling up to my side, I would be more worried about not having my car scratched or dented.
  
  
  
• The panel gaps, while not big generally, did seem quite inconsistent across the vehicle. In some places, such as the front edge of the rear door, the gap very small, while in other places, such as the backside of that same door, the gaps were wider.
  
• However, from a distance, it does not appear very large, probably due to the shorter length of this vehicle. The Innova HyCross looks significantly bigger overall, when you see them side-by-side. The front grill is oddly shaped and the looks were difficult to digest for me. The ADAS LiDAR is on the top left of the grill and has an odd shape, like a donut and not the regular rectangular shape.
  
  
  
  
• I noticed the same difficulty in closing the doors at the first attempt from the inside, as I have on my 3-door. The door gets stuck in a half closed position, and it takes a couple of attempts to fully close it. My suspicion is that the front doors are narrower than those on 3-door, as it seems harder to reach for and close the door when seated inside.
  
• As others have already pointed out, the white seats will be a nightmare to maintain. They were absolutely dirty by the time I saw this car. It would have been barely a week since the display car has been in the showroom, and the seats already look like they have been used for years. Mahindra should have absolutely opted for tan-colored fabric as in the ScorpioN.
  
• The buttons underneath the ICE screen appear cheap and tacky. The Aircon vents and controls are slightly better than in the 3-door, but still appear jerky and flimsy. M&M should have provided Mercedes style vents from the factory instead of making people do this in the aftermarket. If they can copy the vehicle exterior looks from Jeep, why not copy the AC vents from Merc?
  
  
  
  
• The position of the engine start-stop button at the base of the steering column is highly non-intuitive, however, there is no other place for this button, unlike in the XUV 7OO. The glovebox is wider and way better than the three door, and has some damping action while opening. The placement of the Harman Kardon tweeters at the top of the door. Grab handles are neat, and make them look sophisticated.
  
• Leather wrap steering wheel feels absolutely superior and comfortable compared to the three door. The twin peaks logo has poor quality chrome, which has already started discoloring in places. In contrast, the original old Mahindra chrome logo on my 3-door still feels good as new.
  
• The instrument pinnacle looks very modern and visibility is great from the Driver position. all the plastics on the dash have some soft touch effect. Overall quality of materials is inconsistent and don't feel premium. You clearly get the feeling that you're sitting in a 15-lakh Car rather than in a 30-lakh Car. the top variants of the car possibly costing close to 28 lakhs on road, I would definitely expect higher quality of interior materials.
  
• Storage space in the interior will probably be the biggest headache or long road trips. I never travel far in my car, without a full 1 L bottle of water on my driver-side door bottle holder. This will not be possible with the Roxx. The central cupholders are too shallow and small to hold most larger bottles firmly, without the risk of getting dislodged while in motion. The glove box is the only place where potentially a medium size bottle can be kept horizontally, and this is not a convenient location for the driver to access while on the move. I guess prospective owners will need to hunt for small bottles in the market that can fit the tire rocks and contain at least 700 ML of water. On the back door, there is only enough space to fit a wallet!
  
  
  
• Even with the AX7L top and version, the padding on the armrests of the front doors is inadequate. There seems to be a layer of rexine on the door, which makes it slightly better than the hard plastic on my 3-door, however, it is not thick enough to be comfortable. The armrest padding that I saw in the XUV3XO and 4OO subsequently was much thicker and more comfortable. The white fabric lining the roof was also getting quite dirty with the number of people touching it.
  
• Just as in the 3-door, the serial number is embossed along with "Made in India with Pride" on the metal plate on the left side of the dashboard. This is.a very special touch, The car I was looking at was No. 1834. So M&M seems to have made at least 2000 cars for display/test drive!
  
  
  
• The sunroof is quite massive, but almost invisible to the driver unless you're sitting quite far back. It is clearly meant for the seat passengers' enjoyment. Sunroof control, buttons, large, and quite legible. I wish service indicator next to the auto AC controls to show the actual temperature that's being set as or no display on this panel. One has to look in the largest screen while filing with the knobs to set the correct temperature.
  
  
  
  
• The four wheel drive control lever is aligned at an angle towards the driver, rather than straight, (as in the 3-door). Not sure of the reasons for this, but it does look a bit odd as it is set at an angle to the main gear lever.
  
  
  
  
• The shiny black trim around the window controls on the door pad is quite a nice touch. It makes this area feel more premium as compared to the 3-door. There is a whole array of eight buttons on the lower right hand side of the steering beam, including Hill control, traction control, auto start stop, etc., which are hard to see and make out which button is which, from the driver's seating position. This will take some getting used to and learning from the manual.
  
  
  
• It is nice to see 65 W USB socket provided. This is enough to fast charge most forms and also charge MacBooks another laptops. The football has enough room in the automatics, and the built-in foot-rest is at a reasonably good angle.
  
  
  
• The extendable split armrest for the front seats is a great addition. It feels to be at the right height and width to make your left arm, comfortable or longer drives. I'm not sure why the passenger side armrest is not given a fore and aft adjustment. On the other hand, the fold out armrest with cupholders in the rear seat is not at all ergonomic.This is because the it is set at a fixed angle to the seat back, which reclies considerably.If you push the seat back to the fully reclined position, the armrest rises at an almost 30° angle to horizontal, which makes it very uncomfortable to rest one's arms on it, as you would be front corner would be cutting into your arm. On the other hand, if the recline is set to a minimum, the armrest slopes downwards, which is also not great. The rear armrest is only useful when the recline angle is somewhere in the middle.
  
• Overall, the backseat comfort is fantastic.it will rival any other SUV in this class and even one class higher. The seat base is deep enough, the seats have some level of contour and the seat cushioning is not too firm and either too soft. Thai support is quite good and there is plenty of room to slide your feet under the front passenger seat. As for the rear seat passenger sitting behind the driver, if the front driver seat is set very low, this does intrude into the foot room, but with a medium or a high seat tight setting of the driver seat, there is more than sufficient room to slide one's feet in.
  
  
  
  
• The driver seat comfort seemed somehow is a bit worse than on the 3-door. The seat depth in my 3-door Thar is about 49 cm. Although I did not have a tape measure with me, it seems like the depth of the driver seat in the five door was 1-2 cm lesser than in the 3-door. In addition, it seems like the 3-4 cm or so, at the front of the seat was swooping downwards in an arch which further reduced thigh support. The seat height adjustment mechanism is exactly the same as on my three door, except that it is powered. When the seat is pulled upwards, it actually moves at an angle going upward and simultaneously going towards the front. Similarly, when going downwards, the seat also goes backwards. I tend to keep the seat height in the middle position in my car and with this, while not great, I have never felt uncomfortable due to want of thigh support on my 3-door. While it did not feel significantly different sitting inside the 5-door for a few minutes, It did feel that the thigh support was a bit less, with a similar setting of the driver seat.
  
• The opening mechanism for the hood is well hidden at the bottom of the footwell area, and is very difficult to locate, with no obvious markings. The latch mechanism is exactly the same as on the 3-door Thar. The Mahindra logo is far less conspicuous since it is not in chrome. The hood is really heavy and there are no hydraulic struts for the hood. A shorter Driver may find it hard to lift the hook up and latch in the support rod. The engine bay is neatly laid out, exactly similar to the 3-door. There was no sound deadening material underneath the hood, even in the diesel Thar Roxx.
  
  
  
  
  
• As others have already described, the boot is cavernous and very well shaped. The swing out door at the back feels very sturdy and able to carry the weight of the massive wheel and tire easily without shakes and sqweaks.
  
  
  
  

Overall, I find the interiors of the Thar Roxx is somewhat inconsistent, as some bits have good quality and appearance, and some bits still feel rough and cheap. It feels like Mahindra made a lot of compromises in selection of materials to uplift the ambience of the cabin from the 3-door, yet had to keep costs in check. It seems to be a somewhat confused interior theme as compared to the ScorpioN and or the XUV700. The ScorpioN does not aspire to create a luxurious interior and quality of materials is consistently on the poorer side. The XV on the other hand does have more consistently good materials. For example, the leather seats and the XUV7OO feel much superior in terms of finish and are more comforting to sit on. My 3-door makes no pretense about luxury - the plastics are selected for the rugged and hard wearing nature. The all black interior is built with a clear intention of enduring all the dirt, mud, and other things that might be thrown at it. It is less pretentious and true to its DNA and ethos of a go-anywhere SUV that is built to endure. The Roxx on the other hand, felt to me like it had a confused brief. It is a highly capable vehicle mechanically, but also trying to pass off as Seltos/Creta substitute, competing half-heartedly on quality of interior materials, electronics etc.. I think I would prefer the simplicity and consistency of the interiors in my 3-door Thar to the mish-mash of themes in the Roxx.

[SithDefender]

I had a chance to see this desi Wrangler the other day. The dealership was crammed with people all jostling to check out and take selfies. It was so busy that I hardly got a few minutes, and did not test ride it.


It was the first time I have ever seen one on the road, and this black beauty looked sinister and stunning. This is the top-end AX7L test drive vehicle.


I think it looks just fantastic in black, isnt it ? It even takes your eye off the odd triangular glass near the D pillar or the roof ridge.


I don't really like the white grille. They could have kept the grille black, not body-colored. This display car is the AX5L.


However white does give a much larger appearance though the design imbalances are also more pronounced. The Thar 3 door suffers from no such issues, as it is simply the better design IMHO.

Also, one thing that I did not expect was that the rear passenger windows are split in two parts. As seen here, a third of the window is fixed glass and you cannot open it. That just feels a bit off. I do like the way the boot swings out in true jeep style, though you do need to ensure you have enough space to open it like this in tight parking spaces.


The steering wheel felt beautiful and the twin peaks logo looks really premium. I like the big XL Thar a/c vents too, as well as the toggle-style controls.


The graphics looked sweet, as is typical of most modern Mahindra's.


I felt the central screen could have been a tad larger though it was crisp and smooth. Niggles are to be expected in any new Mahindra, especially with the electronics, so it is good to wait for some time for the issues to be sorted out.


The bonnet was quite heavy.


The roof shape and window shape look a little mismatched, but then the Roxx does have an undeniable charisma all of it's own !


The roof liner felt nice though you can already see how dirty it gets.


Getting into the rear was a "climb-up". Once inside, you have a really generous amount of space. It also feels quite airy with the white theme, though - yes - it will get dirty very quickly. The XUV7OO has superior white leather seats which stay better for longer. That is not the case with these seats. I also felt like Mahindra could have given a/c vents on the roof or on the B-pillars instead of this small unit. The sunroof is a single pane in this AX5L. Given how far back the sunroof actually starts, I don't think the driver is going to enjoy it whether on this single-pane or panoramic version.


Very nice chrome door handles.


The gearshift looks somewhat ordinary compared to some of the other SUVs.


The rear doors cannot hold 1L water bottles. In our case, we carry at least 4 bottles (one for each door) and an extra one, so this is disappointing.


Finally, a touch of luxury - the electronic parking brake. It frees up considerable space in the central tunnel and feels great too. I do wish more manufacturers offer this on smaller vehicles as well.

[coldice4u]

I really find it incredible that the Roxx does not have under bonnet insulation and yet everyone has been going gaga about the fantastic NVH levels. Speaks sheer volumes of the quality of the new generation engines from Mahindra. Truly world class!

On the other hand look at Tata and their poor showing with engines. Even their newly introduced engines appear to be just about average and are just reworked versions of previous gen motors.

[Bit]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Thai support is quite good and there is plenty of room to slide

Someone is missing a certain Asian country very much ; )

[Globetrotter_91]

Hi,
Apologies for my naivety but is this 20 dB number quoted somewhere by anyone from Mahindra? 20dB is a huge number as far NVH levels are concerned.
All I have come across is Acoustic windshields could help lower the overall noise by 2 to 6dB, again I may be wrong.
All comments are welcome.