Sold my Mahindra Xylo & upgraded to a Toyota Innova Crysta AT

I had shortlisted the Mahindra XUV700, Tata Safari and even a used Ford Endeavour, before finalising on the Toyota MPV.

BHPian sudharshan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Prelude

I did my first car purchase in Dec 2013 and it was a Mahindra Xylo H4 (Misty Silver). I did a lot of mistakes on Xylo’s purchase. For example - preferred to avoid the ABS variant to save up for the audio system. I want to slap my 2013 version for this. Nevertheless, Xylo served good for me and the family, it was with me since I was a bachelor and till my kid turned 4. The Xylo served its purpose very well, a comfortable 7-seater and a workhorse. 7 Years and 1L+ KMs later, I wanted an upgrade hence the wear and tear related replacements of the components seemed to be concerning as I wanted the upgrade. This time I was very sure to not repeat the mistakes of 2013.

The parting shot of a beautiful companion, Not going to lie - I cried a lot, My son cried a lot and my Dad as well. This was the first car in the family so it is a very emotional bond. In the end, It is What it is. The Xylo will always be the best car I owned.

And the future looks like two-tone. The Teaser Shot – Front Face (My Favourite Angle)

Ownership Experience Index

1. The Search and Requirements
2. The Destiny, The Dream and The Counsel
3. The G vs The Z
4. The Color selection
5. The Booking Process and Dealer Experience
6. The Delivery Day
7. Initial Impressions after completion of 2500KM
8. Some Points from GTO’s Awesome Review which have changed since then
9. After-market accessories installed

The Search and Requirements

Requirements:

• 7-Seater SUV/MPV with captain seats in the middle.
• The last row should accommodate at least two 5-footers.
• Automatic Transmission.
• Loaded Safety Kit.
• Worry-free After Sales and Service.
• 60% City and 40% Highway.

Cars Shortlisted (In the order of preference)

1. Mahindra XUV700
2. Used Ford Endeavour
3. Tata Safari
4. Toyota Innova

Mahindra XUV700

Full credits to Mahindra for putting together an awesome machine and the buck stops there. This car is spoken about enough in the forum, so I will focus on my experience. I went for Test Drive 3-Times, the family was impressed by the car’s handling characteristics when compared to Xylo, though Dad missed the tall stance and third-row comfort of the Xylo. During the 3rd Test Drive around Nov 2021, the SA was promising delivery in the time of 3 months for Diesel AX7L AT Midnight Black. The family was keen on booking, but I stopped them as I wanted clarity on delivery timelines before putting down the money.

Loved XUV700 For:

• The impressive Tech, Engine and Gearbox.
• Front and Middle row comfort.
• Ride Quality.

Concerns of XUV700

• Issues of a fresh Mahindra and After Sales and Service, I divorced Mahindra Service in 2015.
• Waiting time. No clarity still.
• I feel Mahindra’s After Sales needs to step up to support something like XUV700.
• No captain seats in the middle row.

I was ready to extend the wait till the end of 2022 but a clutch failure of Xylo and the constant re-gig of timelines for existing bookings, made me look elsewhere. I feel Mahindra should give price protection for every customer given the timelines are creeping into 2023. So, it was not now maybe later for XUV700.

Used Ford Endeavour

I thought that Ford’s exit would dent the resale value of Endeavour, I was very wrong. The Endeavours are selling like hotcakes in the Used car market. I shortlisted two 2017 Endeavour’s driven around 50000 KMS and was quoting around 26L. The cars were driving good, but I felt the prices were too steep given Ford’s situation in India. The concept of Used did not go well with the family initially but was agreed reluctantly later (Mod’s please write a thread about advising on “How to convince family members to buy USED Car”). One thing I noticed was that the dealers disappeared after asking for the Service history of the car or a request to take it to Ford's authorized service centre for inspection.

Loved Endeavour For

• The Stance and sheer road presence.
• 3.2L + AT is a proven machine.
• Aftermarket Mod’s – a Plenty.
• Reliability, both the cars were driving as new.
• Handling over bad roads.

Concerns of Endeavour

• Reliability of Ford’s service and spare parts availability.
• High price, I felt it was priced 4-5L higher than what a reasonable ask would be for a used car.
• No Captain seats in the middle row.

The Ford Endeavour is still a love to have a machine for me but sometimes the mind wins in a heart vs mind battle.

Tata Safari

In my opinion, Safari is a very good second place as a package to the XUV700. The car is nicely built. I did not get a chance to Test Drive the Safari, hence not willing to comment on the drive and handling. I have concerns about Tata’s After sales and service. The third rows were usable and were a bit more comfortable than the XUV700.

Loved the Safari For

• Sticking to a proven engine.
• Handsome looking car.
• Neat packaging and interiors.
• Comfortable across all seats.
• Presence of Captain Seats.

Concerns of Safari

• White / Light coloured interior. It is a dirt magnet, especially with a 4-year-old.
• Tata's after-sales and support, there a few negative experiences in the Team-BHP forum.

Putting in 28L for a car that has a not so great after-sales experience was a no-go for me. I feel both XUV700 and Safari should prove more on the after-sales side rather than the product front now. This will help both the brands to establish themselves as strong contenders to the Japanese and Korean players in the industry.

Toyota Innova Crysta

It is a no-brainer for my friends who own an Innova and Fortuner to convince me to look for Toyota. Fortuner was out of my budget. I have driven the First Generation Crysta 2.4 Diesel MT G for a longer duration and my impression of the car was neutral. The engine was good, PWR mode was legit. The gear throw and rattling were bad, the ride quality was neutral. The car was great in practicality and less on features. The motto of Toyota seems to be Less Electronics = More Reliability. Nevertheless, the Sales figure prove who is the undisputed champion. Went for a Test Drive of the 2.4 G D AT, except for heavy steering on low speeds, I was happy with the car. Nothing to complain about except the steep price, nothing to boast about in terms of features. All were practical and user friendly.

Loved Innova For

• Rock-solid Reliability, my friend’s Innova Crysta is driven 1.2L km and still drives perfectly.
• Practical cabin.
• Focus on User Experience rather than Features. All reachability to needed functions is well laid out.
• Captain seats in Base (G) and Top (Z) variants.
• Leather seats of Top (Z) variants, Hazel Brown is love at first sight.
• Stress-free ownership, sales and service are the best.
• The G Variant is loaded enough to be a good consideration.
• Great Resale Value.

Concerns of Innova

• Value for Money – The car is not loaded to be a 30L car. No auto-dimming IVRM, No Ventilated Seats, etc.,
• The Mid (V) variant lacks AT.
• Too Much of Chrome in the Official Accessory list.

While is Innova is pricey, the factory cost of the 2022 Variant based on the Tax invoice was Rs.17,10,810.81. The Ex-Showroom cost is Rs. 25,31,999.99 and the on-road cost is approx 31L, factoring out the insurance cost of a generous 1.2L, the tax and government charges component are a whooping Rs.12.7L. Since am salaried, paying this on top of the income tax paid on salary is a bone in the throat. Dear FM, Please consider an exemption for Automobile loans in ITR.

The Destiny, The Dream and The Counsel

I was fixed on XUV700 for the most part, I was ready to hold on to Xylo for one more year and take the XUV700 once the waiting times are more reasonable. But as fate would have it, I faced a broken Transmission Shaft on the Xylo followed by a dead clutch. In 2021, The upkeep of Xylo was reaching 80K due to wear and tear replacements. The death of the clutch was the killer blow, decided to part way with the car without fixing it. Got a good deal by Dec 2021 and bid adieu to the car. At this time, I was sure about getting a Used Ford Endeavour, hence did not bother about a car exchange program.

During the searching phase, My Brother said that he had a dream of a delivery ceremony with the family for the Innova. I laughed and brushed it off, telling him that am not going to buy Innova unless it is cheaper by 3-4L than what it is currently.

After narrowing down on two Endeavours, I had a discussion with Mr Raghav from Ignite The Garage (Car repairs & maintenance: Ignite Garage (Chennai)), The Xylo was under his care since 2015. I would rate Mr Raghav as a no-nonsense car head. It took just 20 minutes of discussion to conclude that Endeavour's at the current used market price is overkill and decided to check on new Innova and Safari. Considering the need to have a stress free after service Innova was rated above the Safari.

So, After the Counsel, The Innova which was the least of my preference became my best choice. Another win for the Mind over the heart. The only place where the heart won in this process was during the variant decision of G vs Z. I just loved the way the instrument cluster and the interior of the Z variant were laid out. Though, I convinced my family that am going to the Z variant because of the increased safety due to more airbags (which is also true).

Continue reading BHPian sudharshan's Innova Crysta review for more insights & information.