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Tiago owner test drives Mahindra XUV 3XO: Observations + Likes/Dislikes

13th July 2024, 15:33 by Kanad Kalasur

Loaded with features from cars above its class (sky roof, ADAS L2, 6 airbags, all wheel disc brakes, MTV CL tech, TPMS, Digital cockpit, etc)

BHPian 250Nm recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi Fellas,

I booked the AX7L MT on May 15th but never got to test drive the manual variant of TGDI engine as it was not available at my dealership (CAI, Coimbatore). The other dealership in the city (Ramani) did not respond well to my test drive requests even after two visits to them. I would appreciate if anyone who got a chance to drive the manual variant of GDI engine could share a quick review.

Below are my observations the AX5L AT variant during my ~20 km test drive:

Test Drive:

Gear shifts are buttery smooth and barely noticeable.
ADAS has no use case in city limits. Hence did not bother to test it.
Steering felt a bit vague, especially during quick overtakes.
The TC gearbox keeps the engine around 2K RPM to mask the turbo lag (which is not a bad thing IMO). Even in manual mode, it won't let us upshift under 2K!
Suspension setup is excellent.
Blind spot camera feed on the instrument cluster is useful.
There was a mild squealing noise from engine bay for a few seconds whenever I floored the throttle.
Every time the car moved from standstill, I felt the engine juddering a little bit. Not sure if it had to do with auto hold feature but my Tiago (also a 3 pot) does the same at times, especially when on AC.

And now some of the likes & dislikes of the AX7L MT I had booked:

Likes:

Loaded with features from cars above its class (sky roof, ADAS L2, 6 airbags, all wheel disc brakes, MTV CL tech, TPMS, Digital cockpit, etc)
Soft touch dashboard & door trims looks very premium
Despite being only covering 3/4th of the roof, the sky roof is very much usable and rear passengers can enjoy the sky view.
Height adjustable seat belts
Dual zone climate control with physical buttons
White seats screams premium all over them (I don't mind cleaning it often)
Full wheel well claddings on all four wheels.
Front underbody is protected by a plastic cover underneath.
Two reverse lights at the back (no cheap cost cutting)
Useful 360 degree camera setup.
Real TPMS system with pressure & temperature read outs
Smooth opening glove box which is HUGE

Dislikes:

No dead pedal in manual variants (even my 8 year old Tiago has it).
No telescopic steering wheel.
Rear under thigh support is the same as hatchbacks. Should have been better.
Rear seat height is a bit lower for my liking. Not a deal breaker as it is used only by my daughter for 90% of the time.
My boss (aka wife) felt the window line to be on the higher side (almost to her neck level).
Front passenger seat is placed lower and could use some height adjustment.
Mediocre audio quality, even on the AX7L variant found in the showroom display. Tried tweaking audio settings but nothing helped. I hope it has to do with software and not the underlying hardware itself. It does not deserve to be HK branded at the current state of tune.
Head unit is also slow to respond to changes in audio settings (for example, EQ mode changes take a sweet 2 to 3 seconds to reflect).
White trims on the bottom half trims will be a disaster to maintain.
Ventilated seats could have been icing on the cake (I heard leatherette seats + summer will be sweaty?)
Minimum 95 octane fuel requirement (hard to find in all fuel stations + expensive).
Limited ADAS & Adrenox features for manual variants (no Adaptive Cruise Control, no smart pilot, no remote start, etc).
No grab handle on the doors (very helpful to hold on to)
Kerb weights are not published anywhere. I wonder why?