[v12]

Mahindra Xylo E4 Ownership Index

1. The Story : Read below.
   
2. 3D - Decision, Dealer experience and Drive : 22nd September 2012
   
3. Booking and choosing the color : 23rd September 2012
   
4. The Indian / Japanese debate.
   
5. Post Booking Experience : 25th September - 27th September
   
6. Xylo arrives at the showroom : 10th November 2012
   
7. D-Day (Delivery Day) : 11th November 2012
   
8. Initial Drive Report : Interior
   
9. Initial Drive Report : Exterior
   
10. 2 weeks / 500 kms later : Rick leaves a mark, ICE fitting, low mileage.
    
11. 3 weeks / 774 kms later : Report on (In)Visibility and low mileage
    
12. 4 weeks / 983 kms later : Minor Squeaks, Low Mileage and LED puddle lamps
    
13. 6 weeks / 1677 kms later : Fog lamps, Seat Covers installed, Mileage improved to 9.09 kmpl. Minor niggles continue.
    
14. Minor modifications (seatcovers and blackened number plate) and Registration Issues
    
15. Completed First Service, 6 months and 5300 kms - All

The Story - Friday, 21st September 2012

Yes, after having the Qualis for around 12 years - we finally decided to let it go. The Qualis has served us very well and we were now looking at a modern MUV to replace it.

The Qualis was bought in 2000 for the main reason that (1) it is a Toyota and (2) we needed a people mover (6 people in the family then). It served us well in all these 12 years - with not even a single problem or even a breakdown. And am sure it will run for another 100,000 kms the same way - thanks to its bulletproof reliability.

But its been long now - and we are now looking for a modern replacement. An MUV which will offer the same reliability and comfort. The Qualis is a comfortable vehicle for 9 people - but it tends to get too stuffy and hot on the mid and last rows - due to the absence of a/c vents. The side facing seats in the last row - although comfortable for 4 adults - were not good for long drives. You have to sit upright and you dont have the luxury of being cool.

So once again we were on the lookout for a worthy replacement of the Qualis.

Requirement
Our main requirement was

1. Space - loads of space (especially the last row). It should seat atleast 6 people comfortably.
2. Basic requirement like a/c vents on all the rows.
3. Basic standard equipments like Power windows, Power steering, storage space etc
4. Decent amount of power.
5. Refinement and Reliability.

Brand New Options

We were looking at a budget of around 7-8 lakhs for a brand new vehicle or a 6 lakhs max budget for a used vehicle.



Option 1 : Mahindra Xylo : Possibly the D4 (mid) or the D2 (base) version - since they were priced close to 8 lakhs.

+ Points

• The Xylo is a true 7 seater and would fit our needs very well.
• With the captain seats in the mid rown there is enough room for my niece to walk from the first row to the last row. In the Qualis she has to jump over. We took a test drive of the Xylo D4 and were totally impressed by the sapce the car has to offer. We 3 brothers were seated in the last row - and I couldnt believe I was so comfortable in the last row of any car. At all time I felt that I was in the middle row - so much so that when the car stopped I was searching for the door handle to open the door. The middle row was extremely spacious (this one had captain seats installed). And even with my elder brother driving there was a LOT of space between my knees and the driver seat.
• The interior space here is something thats the most important deciding factor and hence fell more in favor of the Xylo than the Ertiga or the Innova.

- Points

• The only problem is that it shot our budget if we go in for the mid version. The base version fitted the budget very well - but does not have any features (not even power windows).
• The D4 comes with a mDI engine and with the 95 BHP, it did feel a bit sluggish with 7 people on board.
• Mahindra products are well known for low quality.

Option 2 : Mahindra Quanto : The C4 version was a possible option and fitted right into the budget.

+ Points

• Loads of space in the middle row. I sat in the mid row with my mom and aunt and there was still enough of place left. Leg room was comparable to the Xylo.
• The high end / fully loaded model fitted the budget well.

- Points

• Last row of seats are very cramped (tooo cramped). Its very rare that we our cars go full house for a long distance But whenever it does - my brother and me are the last row occupants.
• Did not fulfil Requirement 1

Option 3 : Chevrolet Tavera : I really like the Chevrolet Tavera - and given a small buget - I always thought that the Tavera would be the ideal replacement to the Qualis. It could seat 8 people more comfortably than the Qualis. Had a more powerful engine than the Qualis (thanks to the Turbo).

+ Points

• Very spacious.
• Built on par with the Toyota. Bullet-proof reliability.
• Good Quality.
• Powerful engine - compared to the Qualis.

- Points

• The Tavera looks as old as a Qualis. Its more than a decade old model.
• Not too many features as compared to the newer cars in the market.
• We would get bored of it sooner than later.

Option 4 : Toyota Innova : Just like Toyota pulled the plug on the Qualis and replaced it with the Innova - so did a lot of Qualis owners. The Innova was the ideal and the best replacement to the Qualis. But again there were a lot of - points (more towards our requirement rather than the vehicle) which made us keeping this option out.

+ Points

• Bullet proof reliability - Toyota.
• Excellent overall build quality.
• Powerful engine

- Points

• Priced very high (even the base version was more than the Xylo top version)
• Last seat was good enough for 2 adults - but still cramped.

Option 5 : Maruti Ertiga : The only thing that was not in favor of the Maruti Ertiga was the last row. I read the official review and was not impressed with the legroom in the last row. Also the engien sie and the size comparision pic did help us in ruling out the Ertiga.


Option 6 : Nissan Evalia : I love vans (especially the Toyota Hiace, Previa, Mercedes MB etc). There were a lot of reasons to rule out the Evalia.

+ Points

• I love vans
• Another Japanese product so high on reliability and quality.

- Points

• Last row too cramped. I saw the pic of Vid6639 sitting in the last row and there itself the decision was made to rule out the Evalia.
• Small Engine.
• Mid-row windows are not roll-down ones. I hate being in the last row of the Qualis because it gets very hot there (ours is a single blower model). The butterfly windows are useless and do not let any air in. I cannot live with a butterfly window in the middle row.

Comparision at a glance :



Other Alternatives

One option I thought was to retain the Qualis and to make it look more modern and more functional on the interior. A good paint job, alloys, tyres, spruce up the interiors (nt that it needed it), good music system, leather seat covers etc etc. But this option was ruled out since it would still remain a 12 year old car.

Another option which I suggested dad - that if we need a big comfortable people mover - nothing beats the Tata Winger. To which my dad just gave me a one liner "I dont want to operate a school bus". Discussion closed.

One more option was a 2nd hand imported MUV - like a Toyota Previa / Estima or even a MB140D. But I did not even dare suggest that - since my dad is totally against buying a 2nd hand diesel vehicle.

[v12]

The Decision - Saturday, 22nd September

Finally after evaluating all the available options - everyone in the family arrived at the conclusion that the Xylo suited our purpose more thann all the other options. There was nothing wrong with the other options - but compared to our budget and space requirements, they all lost to the Xylo.

The Dealer experience
The closest Mahindra dealer to us was NBS International Limited in Juhu. We decided to drive down and check out the Xylo - and even the Quanto for my brothers father-in-law.

There were 7 of us (Dad, 3 brothers, Bro's wife, daughter, F-I-L) who went to check out the car - we spoke to the Sales Manager and mentioned that we are looking to buy the Xylo and the Quanto - and hence wanted to check both of them. Looking at all of us - he probably thought we were one big family who had come to buy 2 family cars. He looked a bit confused at us and told us politely that for a family of our size, we did not require 2 cars and 1 Xylo would be more than sufficient for our needs. Thats when we mentioned that we are 2 families and hence looking out for 2 vehicles.
I am sure if there was any other salesman - he would not have lost a chance - and would have happily suggested 2 cars even for a family of 5. I guess gone are the days where salesman would look at the customers requirements and suggest them a good deal.

Anyways, moving on - we gave him ou requirements and budget and asked him to show us the spec / price sheet for both the models. We also mentioned that we are looking at selling our 12 year old Toyota Qualis to buy the Xylo. He mentioned that they do have an echange scheme and would want to check out the Qualis to give us an estimate. I was prepared for the worst possible extimate - since I know dealer estimates are around 40-50% less than the market value of the car. He asked for the keys to show the valuator and in the meantime we checked out the Xylo models at the showroom. Going by our budget - we test drove the D4 model around Juhu itself.

The Test Drive
Dad drove the car with my bothers wife in the passenger seat. The salesperson and my uncle in the middle row. And we 3 brothers in the last row. At first I was a bit hesitant to sit in the back row - but I thought this is a test-drive - and this is the place where I am going to be when on a family outing. So we pulled down one of the captain seats and climbed into the last row. You wont believe it guys - - - the last row was so comfortable, that I did not even realise that we are in the last row. 3 of us were sitting very comfortably and we had our own a/c vent to cool us (remember we are comparing this to the Qualis). Its a good thing that the roads were in a pathetic state - we got to test the last row comfort over bumps. And yes it was damn more comfortable than the Qualis - in which we would have been thrown sideways. Damn, the last bench was so comfortable that when it was time to get off - my younger brother and me (who were seated at the window seat) - were searching for the door handles to open our respective doors. We did not realise we were in the last row.

Full points to the space - we were totally impressed. The captain seats were also very comfortable. Even with the front seats pulled behind there was enough of place for us to stretch our legs.

We took turns driving the D4 model - and were quite impressed with the comfort at all levels. The mDI engine was a bit sluggish - but at 95 BHP it was more powerful than the Qualis' 75 bhp. And that difference was a lot to us. We were quite ok with that since most of the time the car will be used only in the city. And for a few rare moments when we do go out - we were ready to live with the low power.

The quality of the interior - although not very bad - was not as good as my 12 year old Qualis. I am still to hear any rattles from the Qualis, still not had anything fall or fail. I am sure this (along with qualities of the other parts) is one of the shortcomings of Mahindra - but cosidering our main requirement - we were ready to ignore this (fingers crossed).

My uncle and brother also drove the Quanto - and we were all set to book both the cars. So we checked with the showroom guys if they were open on Sunday - and decided to do the booking on Sunday.

Meanwhile the valuator had checked out our Qualis and communicated the estimate to the sales manager - who then approached us. Going by his estimate, I am damn sure that the only thing that he checked out in our car was the Year of Manufacture and the Kms done. And going by that - 12 years and 100,000 kms - he valued our car at 1.4 lakhs. My dad, brother and myself could not help laughing at the valuators estiamate. We already had enough buyers for 2.5+ lakhs.

Anyways, we left for home - to give the Home / Finance minister (mom) an update on our test drive. We told her that we checked out a Mahindra model and that next day we will be doing the bookings. And we wanted her to come and check the car out and give her final approval. We had to do this - cos the only thing on my moms mind when we mentioned "Mahindra" was

[v12]

The Booking - Sunday, 23rd September
After finalising the D4, we woke up to Sunday morning with 2 confusions.

• First Confusion : Should we try out the new Renault Duster? Checked the Team-BHP review, 5 seats only - so immediately ruled it out. Then read further that there would be a dealer option of last row of seats. Checked the pics, no ways I would even put my enemy in that last seat.
  
• Second Confusion : Should we actually go in for the D4 version or increase our budget and go for the E4 which is the next variant. The only difference between the D4 and the E4 that mattered to us was :
  

The price difference between the D4 and the E4 was high - but the same in the EMI was coming to a difference of just Rs 1500. So we all finally decided to go in for the higher E4 model. We landed up at the showroom with more people than the previous day - and it was then that the Sales Manager realised we did need 2 cars.

We showed mom that the Xylo was the car that we had selected. She sat on all the 3 rows - the passenger seat, the middle row and the last row in one of the display models and found it very comfortable. The only trouble she faced was getting into the last row - which anyways was the first and the the last time that she would sit. It was test drive time - this time the E4 model with the mEagle engine. We all took our turns driving the car around Juhu - with mom still seated in the last row - comfortably - enjoying the a/c (individual vents...which the Qualis does not have, remember). The difference in power was easily noticeable in the E4 and we realised we needed this power when on long drives with full load. The mDI would have done the job am sure - but we did not want to live with the realisation later that we could have gone for the powerful model at just little extra cost.

The final and the most important standard option was still left to be selected - the Color. The Xylo was available in the following colors.

• The Diamond White was probably the best color of the lot. Everyone was in favor of white. It made the Xylo look very spacious and big. I was looking at this view from the first floor of the showroom - the white Xylo standing next to our white Qualis. And then my mind changed - not another white vehicle. So white - ruled out.

  

• We also liked the Toreador Red, Java Brown and the Fiery Black color - but then we have seen a couple of old Xylo's in these colors - and the color seems to become dull after a few years. I am not sure of Mahindra's paint quality - if it was the XUV500 - I would have definitely gone for any color. But I am not sure of the paint quality of the Xylo - so these colors were also ruled out.
  
  
• Rocky Beige was not even an option we were thinking - it looks good in pictures - but not in real.
  
  
• So we were left with Mist Silver - and thats we all went for. Not because it was the last option available. But because it was a practical and safe bet. It was also a color which everyone agreed to - compared to the others where there were mixed opinions. Silver also has a very low possibility of color fading (as in the color fading is not as easily visible as the other colors).

  

So finally, a Mist Silver Xylo E4 model was booked and delivery has been promised for mid-October or end-October at the latest.

Price Breakup :
On-Road Price : Rs 932,974
(-) Discount : Rs 15,000
Final On-Road : Rs 917,674

Freebies offered :

• Full Body cover
• Window Visors
• Door Sill covers(?)
• Transparent Mahindra door mats.

[v12]

The Japanese-Indian / Toyota-Mahindra debate

History repeats itself - and its very true in this case. 12 years ago when we were looking out for a brand new family vehicle to repalce our 2nd hand Tata Estate - we had only 2 choices. The Mahindra Bolero or the newly launched Toyota Qualis. My dad test drove the Mahindra Bolero - and the engine felt very crude. The plastic quality was pathetic, ergonomics were a disaster (with the handbrakes between the driver and door, and the music system near your feet). In 2000, a mid variant Bolero with Power Steering, Power Windows, A/C and music system was being offered for around 5.9 lakhs on road.

The Toyota Qualis was recently launched and was quite a success. It looked quite boxy and outdated compared to the macho Bolero. My dad decided to check out the Toyota Qualis at the Lakozy Motors showroom in Malad. We explained our requirement and budget and looked at the price list. The model that fitted in our budget then (6 lakhs) was the FS-B5 model which was priced at 6.10 lakhs. This model was a pretty basic model with just an A/C. So no Power Steering, no Power Windows, no music system, no body decals, no footboard. Basically it was a Toyota car with just an A/C as a luxury. We checked out the car - the first time we ever checked out a car in a showroom - cos that was our first brand new vehicle. I dont remember my dad taking a TD of the Qualis - I only remember looking at it inside-out. And the next thing I remember is that my dad booked it.

I was not very sure if this was a right choice - paying more for getting less. And I would always tell my friends that we have booked an Ambulance. But very soon my doubts were cleared within a few months of getting delivery. The car was so smooth unlike the Bolero or the Estate - which were so rough and crude and noisy. The quality of the entire build, paint, exterior, interior were much much superior to any other Indian vehicle. In all these 12 years - we have never faced even a small rattle from the dashboard - let alone a mechanical problem.

Its now been 12 years - the Qualis has really pampered us with its bullet proof reliability - not breaking down once in these 12 years (except thrice when it developed a puncture). But now it is gone - and we were faced with the same decision - Mahindra or Toyota. Times have changed - Mahindra is not what it used to be - their quality has improved (on some products - Scorpio, Xylo, XUV) and their engines are not as crude or unrefined as before.

The 12 years of excellent ownership of the Qualis can never be matched by a Mahindra. If space and price was not a major requirement, our ideal choice would have been (in order) Toyota Innova, Maruti Ertiga and Nissan Evalia. I guess the only thing left to do is wait and watch how the Xylo fares - fingers crossed.

[v12]

Post Booking Experience

Tuesday, 25th September

So on Tuesday got a call from NBS international, the dealer through whom we booked the car. They gave us an offer where we could upgrade to the E4 ABS model for just an additional Rs 28000 - the actual difference being around Rs 59000. Since we had already stretched our budget , we decided not to opt for the offer.

Thursday, 27th September

I get another call saying they Will try and offer us the ABS version for either no extra cost or for maximum Rs 8000 plus ready delivery. This offer was very tempting to ignore, so we asked him to give us a day to think. The only reason.s i could think of why we are getting this offer were - 1. Stock clearance 2. Someone may have cancelled their booking 3. A defect model.
There was no way we could check for option 2. For option 1 and 3, we had to check the car personally. So we asked the dealer to show us the car. The car was at the stock yard and we had to go to mumbra if we wanted to see it.

I immediately logged on to team-bhp and searched for mahindra VIN decoding - and there i found a very detailed thread by Wildon. Saved the data on my mobile and we set off today morning in the dealership Scorpio demo car.

After a one hour drive we reached the yard, where there were so many vehicles parked. We were shown our model and it looked quite good from the outside. The extra fittings like the running board and mud flaps were missing because they were to be installed at the dealership. Next was to check the VIN number placed under the passenger carpet.

Compared it to the note i had saved on my cell. At first I got a bit confused cos the Xylo VIN was 18 digits. Anyways going by the nomenclature, i still tried decoding and was finally successful. The car had a 'B 27 02' sticker on the windshield which i though would mean Batch 27 Feb. But i wasn't sure of it. There were other xylo.s as well with different numbers. So anyways, decoding the number we figured that this was a 2012 Feb model. And that's when the facelift model was launched i guess. So we were being offered a 6 month old vehicle. And the VIN confirmed with the sticker on the windshield. We checked another xylo and compared the VIN with the sticker and we were right.

So we decided against going for this model and stick to our non ABS model. Main reasons being :

• This car is from the initial batch of the face-lifted Xylo. There could have been issues in the initial lot which would have been fixed in the new batch.
• The car is from a Feb batch - means that it has been lying at the Mahindra yard for the last 6 months. A scorching summer + monsoon - lying in the open.
• As mentioned to us - the E4 with ABS was a fast selling model - why was this model not sold yet? So am sure that many people may have been offered this vehicle, but somehow did not go for it. And I would not want a car which many others have already rejected.

Our proposed car at the Mumbra yard :


The footboard and mud flaps were packed and kept inside the car.






The VIN number which confirmed that this is a Feb model. A=Jan, B=Feb.
The following post by Wildon and Spike Arrestor helped me in arriving at this conclusion.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buying...ml#post2249664 (ARTICLE: Find your car's date of manufacture (VIN))


The additional confirmation came from this windshield sticker

[v12]

Saturday, 20th October 2012
We are very patiently awaiting news on the delivery of our car. Finally get a call from NBS saying that the 2 Xylo's will be arriving by trailer from the factory - one of them being ours. The car should arrive at the showroom early next week - post which the loan disbursement process would begin.

Meanwhile this is a pic of what our parking space would look once we get the delivery :

[v12]

Saturday 10th November 2012 - 10/11/12
Our Xylo arrives at the showroom along with an uncles Quanto C8. Both are scheduled for delivery on 11th November. The Quanto was washed and parked right outside the showroom. Our Xylo was parked in the basement - the extra accessories were yet to be fitted.

The Quanto parked outside the showroom


Our Xylo waiting in the basement.




We verified the details of our car (Configuration, VIN number etc) and left for home. Since tomorrow is Dhantera's and there were around 40 cars to be delivered by NBD - we were asked to come early in the morning - so we could be the first ones to take delivery.

As we left the showroom, we seen this Mahindra Armada parked somewhere closeby. The Armada was Mahindra's first attempt at a urban MUV - at a time when the only other MUV's available were the Sumo, Safari and Voyager. The Armada did quite well in the market but because of its rugged quality - it was not quite a hit as a family car. Things have changed now - and Mahindra has come a long way in terms of build and quality (excluding the Thar obviously). Although their quality does not come anywhere close to their Japanese rivals - it is still very much acceptable - which is why you see a lot of Mahindra's being used as family cars.

[v12]

Sunday, 11th November 2012
Sundays is normally a very relaxed day for the entire family and no one wakes up before 9am. This Sunday was very different - everyone was up and ready before 845 am. We called the showroom to ask if we had to get any documents for the delivery - none was required. We reached the showroom and it was packed with a lot of cars - mostly XUV5OO's. Our Xylo was parked at the entrance of the showroom along with our relatives Quanto.

While we completed the final formalities - the Xylo was being given a 3M treatment - exterior and interior polishing. Once completed we were handed over the keys with a cross along with "Congratulations and Jubilations" music playing in the background. The guys there also made our family stand together with the car and clicked a picture, framed and handed it to us within 20 mins.

Finally we were ready to roll out. We were given some basic details about the features of the car - the location of the spare wheel, how to flip the seats, etc etc. The first stop to be made was a fuel station - where we had to tank up the car. The Xylo has a 55 litre tank - and we expected the dealer to keep atleast 2-3 litres to take us to the nearest pump. We were surprised that the Xylo tanked up at around 46 litres - that means 9 litres was already there in the tank. Thanks NBS!

The Xylo and Quanto (silver) waiting for delivery



The car being prepared for delivery


Rolling out of the showroom



Tanking Up


Both the cars arrive home


Monday, 13th November 2012
The following modifications were done on the car :

Body colored mirrors and door trims

[v12]

Initial Drive Report - Interior, Space and Comfort



Since Space and Comfort was our priority - I will start the review with this and probably move onto the other details as and when we cover more kms on the car.

Front Seating
Please note that most of my views of the Xylo Will be in comparison with the Toyota Qualis which has been in our family since 12 years. At first glance the Xylo looks smaller and narrower and the first impression that you would get is that it would have cramped interiors. But park is side by side and you Will realise that it is actually wider than the Qualis. Its just that the height makes it look narrower. Getting into the Xylo does require some effort - its more of climbing and hauling yourself into than calling into it. This could be because of the higher seating position - so you have to use the foot board to get in. * Once you get in all initial impressions of it being a cramped vehicle disappear. In the driver seat you are seated much higher than any other MUV. You actually get a feeling of driving a big van than anything else - and I really liked the feeling. Although the seating is high and the huge windshield gives you a good view of the road ahead, you Will not be able to see any part of the bonnet. Everything that the driver needs is within reach - the placement of the music system, the hazard lights, the ac controls on the dashboard. Even the ac controls for the rear passengers are located above the front passenger seat so all you need is to stretch out your left hand. The front seats are very comfortable and do a good job in holding you very firm. I would have preferred the front seat arm rest - but then are a lot of features I would have preferred from the higher models and the price too would keep increasing. Maybe at a later stage , we would consider fitting these arm rest and the entire center console from the E9.



The front seat travel is long enough for a 6 footer to easily settle and stretch his legs. The pedals are quite spaced out so that they your foot doesnt press 2 pedals at any point of time. A very welcome feature which was always missed out in our Qualis was the dead pedal - which is placed at a good angle and not too inside the wheel well. It, however is a bit small in size - so someone wearing XL size shoes will have half his shoe out of the dead pedal.


The interior is very well laid out and the Xylo also has a lot of storage areas - on the dashboard, doors, and the center console. The seats being placed very high from the floor ensures that there is a lot of storage area to keep small bags. Mahindra does offer an underseat tray as a standard on the higher models - but those trays can only hold small items like books, wallets etc. Without a tray - you get loads of space under the seat.

The brown / beige interiors make the car feel very spacious and airy from the inside - but touch those plastics and you will realise that these are not meant to last a lifetime. The dashboard plastic feels to hard and although the texture looks good - it is very much prone to scratches - keys, rings, watches etc. The trim fitting too is not very consistent - with certain panel gaps clearly visible. The door handles, glovebox and the center console cup holder are made up of such a thin material - that they might just break iff you use lot of force. Each door gets its own bottle holder along with a medium sized pocket. The door handles. arm rest and the power window switches are all comfortably placed.

The best part of the Xylo and the main reason why it looks and feels so airy - is because of the XXXL sized windows. Each of the door windows cover atleast 40% of the doorsize - including the last row.

The steering wheel is height adjustable and feels very firm. The horn button is placed at the center of the wheel and is easy to reach with your thumb. As usual, right side stalks operate the lights / indicators & left hand side operators the front / rear wipers.


The speedometer


Unlock the car and the area around the keyhole illuminates so you dont have to search for it in the dark. Note the ill-fitting panels.


The HVAC Controls. Music system not standard on the Xylo E4. With a single DIN, you get a storage place under the music system which can hold a cellphone. 5-speed blower for the a/c. The E4 model gets only one 12 volt charging point on the center console between the 2 front seats. This one is just a dummy slot.


Large grab handle for the front passenger to hold onto. The space behind it seems to have been scooped out from the dashboard and can be useful to hold things like bottles or knick-knacks without any fear of them falling off.


All 4 A/C vents on the dashboard can be shut by sliding this control. The controls felt very cheap. The MID above the a/c vents shows only 2 details - Hours and Minutes.


To the right of the steering wheels are the controls for Headlight adjustment and the Electric fuel lid opener. Also a huge cubby hole (?) to keep another cellphone. Until the music system is installed, this storage space serves as the music system - place the cell there and in the small place the music sounds loud enough for the front passengers to hear.


Round door handles on all the doors - although they look good, they feel too delicate.


All the Power to the Driver. All 4 passegner power windows switches along with lock feature.


Cabin light and Sunglass holder. For cushioning, the holder has a piece of cheap cardboard inside.


Illuminated switches


Airy Cabin

Controls for the mirrors. Note the circular cutout for the adjustment stalk - looks as if it has been cut by a small kid with a pair of scissors.


The Center console - lots of space to keep cellphone, wallet, notes etc. The space between the 2 seats is quite big and Mahindra could have a version introduced with a bench seat in the front to seat 3. The gear lever could be moved to the dashboard. They could introduce such a version (9 seater) in the rural / taxi / tour market (if regulations permit). Such an option was available in the Toyota Qualis and Tata Sumo).





Middle row seating :
The Xylo screams space space space from all angles - sorry seats - be it the front, middle and the last row. The only 2 vehicles to where I felt that the legroom was more than adequate were the Tata Safari and the Tata Sierra. My elder brother and me are almost 6 ft tall and we normally drive our cars with the seat alid all the way back. Even with the seats taken all the way back we still had enough of legroom and our knees were not touching the front seat. The seating is comfortable even for the middle passenger since the floor is flat.

Check out the leg space with the front seat at its maximum positions. And thats my brother who is 5 ft 8 in tall. Even a 6 ft person would have enough space with the front seats slid all the way behind.







Seating 3 people in the middle row is not an issue in the Xylo. There is enough space to seat 3 abreast without a squeeze. You wouldnt have to worry even if there were XXL size adults and things turned hot - the middle row gets its own a/c vent and a 4-speed blower to keep things cool. The mid row seats are placed a bit higher than the front seats - atleast 6 inches higher. The higher seating coupled with my own a/c vents gave me a feeling of sitting in a Volvo bus (the seat behind the driver).

The middle row passengers enjoy the following luxuries - individual a/c vents, power windows, cup holder and mobile charging point.






Last Row seating :
Coming to the most important part of the Xylo - the last row. Getting into the 3rd row of seats seems easy - you just flip a lever to fold the mid row sear and then another lever to flip it and then climb into the last row. While this may sound easy for most of us - the elderly may find it very difficult to do. So this seat is best left for younger adults.

This row sets the Xylo far apart from all its competitors - the Ertiga, Evalia and the Innova. While all the others do claim that the 3rd row can seat 3 - it would be very cramped and would be best suited to 3 kids. The seating in the last row of the Xylo is comparable to the middle row - with a little compromise on the head and leg room. And when I mean compromise - I would like to clear out that you still wouldnt touch the front seat or the roof. Due to the seat being placed higher - head room is a bit compromised - so you would hit the roof only when the car hits a bump - and that would be quite often on Mumbai roads. The last row of seats also get their own a/c vents.

Again, thats my brother sitting in the last row - his legs still do not touch the mid wow seats. What his legs are touching in fact is the seat plastic. Will post a clear pic once the plastics are removed.








Flexible seating options :
An MUV is designed as a people carrier and should carry them in comfort. While the seating in all MUV's available in the market is standard - forward facing - its the arrangement in the Xylo that makes things more comfortable. For instance, the middle row seats can be folded and flipped over so that people sitting in the last row can enjoy unlimited leg space (not that the middle row cannot offer).

Below are different combinations that can be used.

Imagine a long drive with only 4 people on board. Fold/Flip the middle row seats and 2 people can easily sit in the last row with their legs stretched. Couple that with a good music system, roof mounted screen, a couple of McD burgers and a can of soft drink - its a home theatre on wheels.




Flatbed seats : Remove the front seat head rests, slide it all the way to the front and recline the backrest behind and you have a completely flat bed to rest/sleep on long drives / or even when you are stopped and need good rest. This option is good for tourist operators where the chauffeurs can use this option to catch some sleep.

[v12]

The Exterior

When the Xylo was first introduced - it drew a lot of criticisms because of the front grille - pig faced, stretched upper lip etc etc. Its really surprising how a mere change in the grille design and blackening the headlights can completely transform the ugly Xylo into a handsome vehicle. The redesigned grille and the flat bonnet does give the new Xylo a very beefy character. Great job Mahindra!! Make no mistakes - the Xylo does not just look tall - it IS a very tall vehicle. At 1895 mm - its actually taller than all the other MUV's available in the market.

Although the overall design is very squarish - the Xylo does not look like a box on wheels. Look at it from any angle - and it looks humongous - all thanks to the tall bodyline and the 15-in wheels that it rides on.

The overall build and paint quality was surprisingly too good for a Mahindra product - but definitely not on par with its Japanese competitors.

What you see in the pics is the E4 model which comes without the following features (which were fitted later)

• Protective door strips
• Body colored mirrors
• Blackened pillars (provided by the dealer)
• Door visors (provided by the dealer)

Thankfully the Xylo comes with an integrated footstep as a standard on all its models - which makes climbing in and out of the car very easy. The footstep is really an important feature in any MUV - and more so in the Xylo since the seat height of the Xylo is higher than all the other MUV's. I remember in the earlier days, footboards were available as standard only on the higher models. The lower spec'ed MUV's would get either nothing or a small size footboard (my comparision with the Toyota Qualis).

Redesigned front grille / bonnet / headlight. Notice the chrome strip that runs below the grille and is perfectly (surprisingly) aligned with the headlight.


The side view :


The transparent stickering below the windows. I am still to figure out whats the purpose of this sticker.


The plastic cladding on the wheel arch :


The door visors and the taping on the B, C and D pillar :


The huge rear door stretches from the top till the bumper. You wouldnt be using this door unless you need to access the boot or the spare wheel. Rear door also holds the wiper and the washer nozzles above the stop lamp.


The boot holds the rear wiper unit and the wash/wipe container. The door is only accessible from the outside. Notice the absence of a door handle on the inside. It would anyways be useless - unless Mahindra installs forward facing bench seats in the lower spec models. But then it would also need to fix grab handles to help close the door from the inside.


If you are using the rear boot - you need to plan your parking very carefully so as to be able to open the boot. The length of the boot door is 30% more than the rear doors - so you need to have a good amount of space at the back of the vehicle if you plan to open it. A flip up boot (like the Qualis) would be useful in such cases.


The huge external rear view mirrors are totally in contrast to the internal rear view mirror.


And finally the most important accessory on the car - The Team-BHP stickers.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[rajshenoy]

A very passionate ownership review i read. Kudos for the amount of detail you have shared !!

Congratulations to you and your family, i am sure you and your family will cherish this new ride for many more troublefree years to come.

I also liked the way you have compared the Xylo with likes of Evalia, Ertiga and Innova as well. feels like it best suited your needs without crossing your budget as well.

Happy wheeling !!! Do keep us updated on the ownership experience. I think mEagle is a better decision over mDi which is mainly targetted for the cab segment

[karan561]

Fantastic Report & many congratulations on your upgrade

Im sure you would have noticed the car at the stock yard without the side footboard;



^ looks really good & enhances the side profile (Makes it look taller) to make it look more SUV'ish

PS - Love the latest Xylo for the new changes like the smoked out elements on the bumper, grille,pillars & fenders etc

[Maverick5490]

Congratulations V12 on your new ride, wish you many happy miles with the Xylo. Even we were in the market for a comfortable 6 1/2 seater (Half being our dog) 2 years back and nothing made more sense then the xylo. Went for the E6 and enjoy our numerous family outings to Goa, Pune etc which is a breeze.

Cheers!

[IronH4WK]

congrats v12! that is a very comprehensive write up! almost like the official car review

few days back i had a dream that i had bought a Xylo and was driving it around the neighbourhood; guess it was yours