[RoadGlide]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Thanks for your compliments RoadGlide

Although I don't have much info on the long term ownership of TUV AMT, I don't think it will suit your kind of running. The TUV AMT had its initial teething troubles, which I hope are sorted out by now. However for your kind of running you will need a very reliable machine. Why don't you consider Ecosport Automatic or Creta Automatic (if you can stretch that much). If you will be carrying 6-7 people (adults) most of the times, then you can consider Crysta or Hexa Automatic as well.

Ecosport is only petrol in its automatic guise. Creta is slightly too expensive. Same applies for Crysta and Hexa. I guess it is a very sticky situation for me. :(

Originally Posted by locusjag

I'd suggest for you to wait for the 'Heartect' platform-based refreshed Ertiga to be released this year. Websites like Cartoq keep screaming every other day about how much more spacious it is and how the totally new engines are good etc. Why not wait a bit this year for it, even as the new Mahindra MUV and other new launches occur?

I do know that there has never been an automatic diesel Ertiga, nor will there be one in the newer version. But I can't think of another automatic 7-seater diesel UV for you at nearabouts the same price-point. I assume the Hexa and Crysta are out of the price-range you have in mind.

Another Ertiga after an Ertiga is a little too much but that's just me. Although if there is no other option then so be it.

And yes the Hexa and Crysta are way out of budget.

Sorry for going off topic. Still have a soft spot for the TUV.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by RoadGlide

Sorry for going off topic. Still have a soft spot for the TUV.

In that case go for the TUV, but I would suggest go for the manual version instead of AMT given your very high yearly running. Also ensure that the MASS in your city/area is well established and prompt in service.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by RoadGlide

Another Ertiga after an Ertiga is a little too much but that's just me. Although if there is no other option then so be it.

And yes the Hexa and Crysta are way out of budget.

Sorry for going off topic. Still have a soft spot for the TUV.

I had a thing for the TUV for 2 years as well but still I kept looking for other cars. Finally, in true Bollywood syle, as Kajol ran into SRK's arms, we got together finally - my and my TUV

Why not consider the TUV 300+? Its on-road price is not higher than the TUV 300 T8 or T10's price and offers a bigger engine and space along with the twin-scroll turbo in its smaller cousin.

[AutoIndian]

Three days back while I was going to office, there was heavy traffic. As I took the left turn from old Mumbai-Pune highway at Khadki towards Kirloskar Oil Engines, a biker suddenly stopped in the middle of road. The tempo behind it braked hard in order to avoid hitting the bike. Since I was closely following the tempo, my reflex action wasn't enough for me to avoid hitting the tempo, since it didn't had any brake lamps. Another biker tailgating me hit my rear bumper. It was a double whammy. I didn't stop to get down and assess the damage. After reaching office when I looked at the bumper I saw this minor crack. The bumper of my Orange Tank had hit the vertical angle. Since it flexed a bit the damage was limited (as seen in the yellow circle in the picture below)

Damage on bumper and the chrome lining


The horizontal crack clearly visible on the bumper


On another note today morning the TUV did the weekly errands of visiting the market. We stocked around 180 kilos of wheat (6 bags of 30 kilos each) and some other food grains. The TUV Rear sagged down due to 220 kilos of stuff in the boot. Look at the pics below. The TUV drives very well when its boot is loaded or there are passengers in the rear seat

TUV Rear sagged down due to 220 kilos of stuff in the boot


TUV Boot loaded with 220 kilos of stuff

[ambujlal]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

The TUV drives very well when its boot is loaded or there are passengers in the rear seat.

Can you shed some light on this? As in what difference do you feel?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ambujlal

Can you shed some light on this? As in what difference do you feel?

In simple words, there will a lot of reduction in terms of the overall bounciness from rear that one otherwise experiences only when driving all alone.

As a matter of fact, you will love the way the people movers feel planted when fully loaded when passing over uneven culverts, potholes etc.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by ambujlal

Can you shed some light on this? As in what difference do you feel?

Originally Posted by paragsachania

In simple words, there will a lot of reduction in terms of the overall bounciness from rear that one otherwise experiences only when driving all alone.

As a matter of fact, you will love the way the people movers feel planted when fully loaded when passing over uneven culverts, potholes etc.

Parag has summed it up very well. People movers or ladder on frame SUVs' suspension is designed to carry 6/7/8 people in great comfort. When a UV is full loaded you don't feel the road un-evenness, small potholes, speed breakers etc. However when driven alone same UVs feel bouncy. Also being RWD when fully loaded the rear wheels get more traction because those are the wheels. which get power and propel the car ahead.

[AutoIndian]

One of my friends gifted me this car fragrance/freshner. It has a nice soothing Eucalyptus and Spearmint flavor. Printed price of the refill pack is $ 3.5 and the container is $ 6.5. Here are some pics.

[AutoIndian]

Got both the wiper blades changed today morning while coming to office. Left side wiper was leaving a water streak on the windshield after after every wipe. Yesterday morning when I checked I observed that the blade had detached from its base. Hence called up the local Kundan MASS and checked whether the TUV wiper blades were in stock. Before they could check and inform me I had already reached at the service station. It was jam packed with cars for servicing. Fortunately my SA addressed my query immediately. The wiper blades were in stock. Fitted them and paid Rs 518 for the pair and was out in 45 minutes. Below is the invoice.

[Srikji]

Excellent updates AutoIndian! Spent the last 3 hours going through your threads, though I had almost rejected the TUV from my options your report brought it back into consideration! My heart beats for the TUV but I am very worried about the reports on various forums about the niggles, rattles, wheelspin issues I constantly keep hearing. Is it a thing of the past? Are the TUVs rolled out now free of such issues? I have a young kid and I dread getting stranded in the middle of nowhere when on vacation.
My budget is a strict 12L - here are my options:
1. TUV 300 T10 manual - 11.5L OTR - love the design, the space and height on offer. The additional 2 seats are too tempting (I know 7 will be cramped but I am looking at it as a comfortable 6 seater, just the right size for my family of 5 adults plus a growing kid - though the occasions when all 6 will travel will be very rare. Regular usage will be self, weekends with wife and kid, maybe once in two months 4+1 will travel, 5+1 could very well be once a year or even more). Commanding presence and unmatched driver view of the road. Fully loaded version still misses cruise control, auto ac, rear arm rests though my bigger worry is reliability and concern over vehicle issues
2. Creta 1.6 Petrol E+ - 11.5L OTR - high on peace of mind - loved the SX for all the additional features but too pricey for me, 14.5L is just too high for me, add to that its a petrol so my operational cost will be high. The base diesel has practically no additional features and the higher variants are way out of my league
3. S Cross Zeta variant - 11.5L OTR - has all the features I need with just two minor hiccups - 1248cc engine and low driving position - lack of SUVness.
4. Duster 1.4 85ps RxS - 11.5L OTR - didn't like the clutch hardness and wifey is not a fan.

Rejected Brezza, Nexon and WRV as they are not 'big' or 'long' enough. Loved the eco-sport just that the middle row seating does not suit my requirements. Rejected BRV and Ertiga as I didn't like the van-like looks. Also the ones with good features goes upwards of 13L.

So that's where I am stuck! And the fact that I am only planning to finalise the purchase in end-Sep / early-Oct gives me too much time to think and analyse-paralyse myself to craziness. Any pointers here will help!

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by Srikji

Excellent updates AutoIndian! Spent the last 3 hours going through your threads, though I had almost rejected the TUV from my options your report brought it back into consideration!

Thank you for your compliments Srikji. When the TUV3OO was launched, it was never into the reckoning, because of the 3-potter engine, weird shape, sharp raked doors etc. But when I saw it in person and took a test drive my grudges against the TUV vanished in thin air & I fell in love with the tank. A proper RWD, ladder on frame SUV top end coming under 10 lakh on-road was an icing on the cake.

My heart beats for the TUV but I am very worried about the reports on various forums about the niggles, rattles, wheelspin issues I constantly keep hearing. Is it a thing of the past? Are the TUVs rolled out now free of such issues? I have a young kid and I dread getting stranded in the middle of nowhere when on vacation.

Most of the issues (that are inherent with a new product launch) have been sorted out by now, as the car will be completing 3 yeas in this Sep since its launch. But small niggles remain for ever. Having said that (touchwood), I have never been stranded on the road. MASS has fixed most of the issues in my car, but they haven't been successful yet in proper retraction of the front two seat belts

My budget is a strict 12L - here are my options:
1. TUV 300 T10 manual - 11.5L OTR - love the design, the space and height on offer. The additional 2 seats are too tempting (I know 7 will be cramped but I am looking at it as a comfortable 6 seater, just the right size for my family of 5 adults plus a growing kid - though the occasions when all 6 will travel will be very rare. Regular usage will be self, weekends with wife and kid, maybe once in two months 4+1 will travel, 5+1 could very well be once a year or even more). Commanding presence and unmatched driver view of the road. Fully loaded version still misses cruise control, auto ac, rear arm rests though my bigger worry is reliability and concern over vehicle issues

The TUV is as reliable as any other car in its category. The AMT versions were a bit unreliable earlier, but off late I haven't heard of any major complaints about it. It would suggest to take extensive test drives of the TUV along with your family and see their comfort level, then take a call.

2. Creta 1.6 Petrol E+ - 11.5L OTR - high on peace of mind - loved the SX for all the additional features but too pricey for me, 14.5L is just too high for me, add to that its a petrol so my operational cost will be high. The base diesel has practically no additional features and the higher variants are way out of my league

The Creta looks to be ruled out, mainly due to the budget factor.

3. S Cross Zeta variant - 11.5L OTR - has all the features I need with just two minor hiccups - 1248cc engine and low driving position - lack of SUVness.

S-Cross is a very good cross-over, it has a robust built and the new variant has all the bells & whistles. I don't think the S-Cross is too underpowered when compared to the TUV. It has a power/weight & torque/weight ratio better than the TUV even with the 1248cc. But yes it will be having more turbo-lag

4. Duster 1.4 85ps RxS - 11.5L OTR - didn't like the clutch hardness and wifey is not a fan.

Duster has become too old now.

So that's where I am stuck! And the fact that I am only planning to finalise the purchase in end-Sep / early-Oct gives me too much time to think and analyse-paralyse myself to craziness. Any pointers here will help!

I would suggest take extensive test drives of all the cars listed above and slowly you would start realizing which car ticks most of your boxes. I am sure you won't make a wrong decision

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Srikji

Excellent updates AutoIndian! Spent the last 3 hours going through your threads, though I had almost rejected the TUV from my options your report brought it back into consideration!

AutoIndian's and Captain Rex's threads served as my compass when I sought the TUV. I bought it in February this year. M&M really ought to pay them for bringing in the moolah.

My budget is a strict 12L - here are my options:
1. TUV 300 T10 manual - ... my bigger worry is reliability and concern over vehicle issues
.....
Any pointers here will help!

Reliability is not a concern for me. My tank has run 4100 km and it's been 5 months of uneventful ownership.

I had met a Mahindra engineer in April who had worked on the TUV design & testing 3 years ago and he told me that they've identified parts and suppliers who were causing quality issues. They've set it straight by now, he said - and I concur.

I initially thought I had the infamous coolant problem plaguing me since the coolant went down by an inch after I'd driven it for 1500 Km, but at the first service they topped it up and it's been at that mark ever since.

I'll share one thought that's been on my mind recently: I have had 2 collisions with my TUV over the past 2 months. I was careless on both occasions. Thankfully those were low-speed events so no danger was there to anyone involved. What does strike me though is the controversial "build quality" of the Tank. I know Maruti cars have taken a lot of flak recently for this and Mr.ThadEGinathom will firebomb me for using the word "build quality", if he happens to see this

I'll get to my point though - the Tank only has a few scratches despite the impacts it received and nothing else. This one is a tough vehicle, make no mistake.

I have my dashcam footage for both incidents but I find it perverse to show instances of mea culpa to the world. They're nothing to be proud of.

Incident 1 - Bumped into an auto that braked suddenly while I followed while distracted at 25 kmph. Front left fender scratched up and the auto's rear right caved in. Very loud noise that startled bystanders. But little damage to the Tank.

Incident 2 - Bumped into a parked motorcycle at lesser than 5 Kmph while I fiddled with my hung smartphone to get the GPS going. The bike fell after a loud noise that got everyone looking in a bazaar area. Few more scratches in the front left fender area. That's it. In contrast, my old Swift used to develop deep dents for very similar low speed bumps...

Disclaimer - I know that low speed crashes are no indicator of safety during high speed crashes and the two might even be inversely related!

[Srikji]

Thanks AutoIndian and locusjag, very insightful comments and reassuring. I have practically ruled the Creta out and narrowed it down to the tank and the cross. I am sure both are good choices in their own right. Also spoke to a Mahindra engineer through a common friend who echoed Autoindian and locusjag's comments about the quality issues - most of it is addressed barring the minor rattles that can't be helped. I think I can live that. He did tell me to pick the manual over the AMT though, as the AMT still carries few issues. I wasn't planning on the AMT anyway so that's cool. Now am trying to see who gives me a better deal and that could have a bearing on my decision! Have also been telling my wife we will go for the tank if we plan to have another kid else will green light the cross .

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by locusjag

AutoIndian's and Captain Rex's threads served as my compass when I sought the TUV. I bought it in February this year. M&M really ought to pay them for bringing in the moolah.

Even if they don't pay me a penny but just solve my seat belt retraction issue, I would be very grateful to them. During my 30K service, when the MASS failed to resolve it even after replacing the factory fitted belts with new ones, they offered me some gift as a consolation. I plainly refused to accept that. I told them to fix my issue and I would be more than happy.

I'll get to my point though - the Tank only has a few scratches despite the impacts it received and nothing else. This one is a tough vehicle, make no mistake.

, the metal body panels are really built tough especially the door handles, ORVMs, rear door etc. Only weak part is the front bumper, but I believe that's been done on purpose considering pedestrian safety. Rear plastic bumper seems to be tough though.

Originally Posted by Srikji

Now am trying to see who gives me a better deal and that could have a bearing on my decision! Have also been telling my wife we will go for the tank if we plan to have another kid else will green light the cross .

A big family, extended family visiting frequently, etc then go for the tank. Its rugged and quite forgiving even if you have to carry 8 people. I have done two long trips (300 km+) with 8 people on board and even the 3rd row occupants never complained. On the other hand if you are 5 people at the max on a long trip then the S-Cross will make you more happy because it would be more frugal. You can get a mileage in the range of 18-20 kmpl (or even more), whereas the TUV can get you between 14-16 at the best (or even less).

So if mileage (kitna deti hai) is the primary factor on my mind, then go for the S-Cross.

If people carrying capacity, ruggedness, versatility play an important role in your decision making then it is the TUV, choice is yours, happy car hunting.

[AutoIndian]

Today morning while coming to office the Orange Tank crossed the 40K km mark on the odo. Captured the odo reading in my mobile camera.





Edit: The ownership duration has been just over 33 months. Will be completing 3 years of ownership on Nov 7th. Wish I could put more mileage in upcoming months.

The 40K service is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday, Aug 18th), keeping my fingers crossed. Will share further details once I reach the MASS. Nothing major to report. The tank is just chugging along. Besides the regular service I want to get two issues addressed.

1. Both front seat belts retraction and
2. Left front door minor rattle while going over rough road

Planning to get the wheel alignment and balancing done outside at my regular tyre shop, Darshan Tyres.