Thread Starter
#1
Good day everyone!
I am breaking up this lengthy post broadly in to 3 –
First – why did I chose XUV over others.
Second – dealership experience.
Third – would be my ownership experience on an ongoing basis (hopefully!)
Well, after I lost my Scorpio,(http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/road-safety-driving-sense/11264-theft-mahindra-scorpio.html), I had to go in for another car. So started window shopping and researching online for a suitable car. Along with the car, I also had to consider the finance options (company lease or go with a bank?) before I made up my mind.
First checkpoint – should I go for a sedan or a SUV/MUV? After driving Scorpio for 7.5 years, I realized the advantage of a SUV –
1. The road presence – everyone (read, autorikshaw and taxi cabs) makes way for you. Just in case they don’t, you can bully them.
2. The size – we are a family of 6 but extended family can make up 8 or more! Though its usually only me or 4 of us (wiffy and kids) who use the car, the occasional extended family trips can’t be ignored.
3. My mother, who has arthritis, found it easy to get in and out easily in a Scorpio than other cars she has experienced. Basically, an SUV is suitable.
4. Finally, the ‘attitude’ one carries after alighting a SUV is unique! I can swear on this!
Now that I decided to go in for a SUV, I considered few options – (purely, my personal opinion; don’t mean to hurt anyone) –
1. Scorpio – again? Still licking my wounds, hence had to drop it. Ego did not permit to go in for the same car either.
2. Innova ? Did not consider ~8 years ago when I bought Scorpio. Simply, the looks did not impress me much then, nor now. It’s plain jane! Money did not match the features. No character. 3 million Toyota recalls and still considered reliable? Not me. May never buy it in its present avatar.
3. Duster? Not a SUV at all; it’s a cross over. Yet to prove on Indian roads. Just the ground clearance will not impress me. Did look at Duster at the showroom and found nothing great in terms of features and interior.
4. Pricier SUVs from Mitsubishi/Ford/Hyundai/Chevy not even considered. Simply, can’t afford nor VFM in view.
5. Now to the favorite topic on the blog – Safari Storme. Yet to see it in flesh in Bangalore, but never been a Safari fan. I always liked the classic looks btw! Both interior and exterior. Definitely, carries lot of character in its looks and people do make way for Safari. Great ride quality, stable on the road, non-expensive spares, etc. But my friends faced lot of problem with Safari especially in the reliability department. Tata Aria did not even appear on my radar. Simply put it, I feel Mahindra graduated from tractors to SUV quickly, whilst TATAs are yet to graduate from trucks to SUV. The numbers speaks for itself.![[roll]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Roll.gif "Roll Eyes [roll]")
That left me with XUV 5OO. Staying connected online, I had read tons of issues with XUV and did not want to buy XUV. In fact, when XUV was released, few of us friends who own Scorpio wanted to explore trade with XUV. But knowing the niggles, we dropped the idea.
Now that I had limited options, and budget, I had to research deep and hard on XUV. For 3 weeks, I researched few blogs to get different perspective. Filtered out ‘passionate’ and some biased opinions. And then found XUV ‘not bad after all’. The crux of my research – ‘Mahindra knows XUV is not a perfect product, but working towards narrowing that gap’. The constant ‘difference’ they were making to the product demonstrated their attitude towards XUV; the ownership reviews confirmed the same. Having stayed away from the country for a whilst, and driven at least ~50 other cars of different make/model and repute, I was looking for a vehicle with safety and comfort features. XUV fit the bill compared to others (Value Vs. Features).
Took XUV for a test drive (a short drive in fact) and found it to be better than Scorpio in many aspects. I am not going to write something which others have written – about the looks, VFM, features, plastic quality, etc.
Calculated cost advantages/disadvantages of company lease (operating lease) Vs bank loan. After lot of deliberation, decided to go with company lease. The leasing company (ALD) would own and hence take care of the car – insurance, repair, etc., except fuel/oil.
So XUV 5OO it is!![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
I am breaking up this lengthy post broadly in to 3 –
First – why did I chose XUV over others.
Second – dealership experience.
Third – would be my ownership experience on an ongoing basis (hopefully!)
Well, after I lost my Scorpio,(http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/road-safety-driving-sense/11264-theft-mahindra-scorpio.html), I had to go in for another car. So started window shopping and researching online for a suitable car. Along with the car, I also had to consider the finance options (company lease or go with a bank?) before I made up my mind.
First checkpoint – should I go for a sedan or a SUV/MUV? After driving Scorpio for 7.5 years, I realized the advantage of a SUV –
1. The road presence – everyone (read, autorikshaw and taxi cabs) makes way for you. Just in case they don’t, you can bully them.
2. The size – we are a family of 6 but extended family can make up 8 or more! Though its usually only me or 4 of us (wiffy and kids) who use the car, the occasional extended family trips can’t be ignored.
3. My mother, who has arthritis, found it easy to get in and out easily in a Scorpio than other cars she has experienced. Basically, an SUV is suitable.
4. Finally, the ‘attitude’ one carries after alighting a SUV is unique! I can swear on this!
Now that I decided to go in for a SUV, I considered few options – (purely, my personal opinion; don’t mean to hurt anyone) –
1. Scorpio – again? Still licking my wounds, hence had to drop it. Ego did not permit to go in for the same car either.
2. Innova ? Did not consider ~8 years ago when I bought Scorpio. Simply, the looks did not impress me much then, nor now. It’s plain jane! Money did not match the features. No character. 3 million Toyota recalls and still considered reliable? Not me. May never buy it in its present avatar.
3. Duster? Not a SUV at all; it’s a cross over. Yet to prove on Indian roads. Just the ground clearance will not impress me. Did look at Duster at the showroom and found nothing great in terms of features and interior.
4. Pricier SUVs from Mitsubishi/Ford/Hyundai/Chevy not even considered. Simply, can’t afford nor VFM in view.
5. Now to the favorite topic on the blog – Safari Storme. Yet to see it in flesh in Bangalore, but never been a Safari fan. I always liked the classic looks btw! Both interior and exterior. Definitely, carries lot of character in its looks and people do make way for Safari. Great ride quality, stable on the road, non-expensive spares, etc. But my friends faced lot of problem with Safari especially in the reliability department. Tata Aria did not even appear on my radar. Simply put it, I feel Mahindra graduated from tractors to SUV quickly, whilst TATAs are yet to graduate from trucks to SUV. The numbers speaks for itself.
That left me with XUV 5OO. Staying connected online, I had read tons of issues with XUV and did not want to buy XUV. In fact, when XUV was released, few of us friends who own Scorpio wanted to explore trade with XUV. But knowing the niggles, we dropped the idea.
Now that I had limited options, and budget, I had to research deep and hard on XUV. For 3 weeks, I researched few blogs to get different perspective. Filtered out ‘passionate’ and some biased opinions. And then found XUV ‘not bad after all’. The crux of my research – ‘Mahindra knows XUV is not a perfect product, but working towards narrowing that gap’. The constant ‘difference’ they were making to the product demonstrated their attitude towards XUV; the ownership reviews confirmed the same. Having stayed away from the country for a whilst, and driven at least ~50 other cars of different make/model and repute, I was looking for a vehicle with safety and comfort features. XUV fit the bill compared to others (Value Vs. Features).
Took XUV for a test drive (a short drive in fact) and found it to be better than Scorpio in many aspects. I am not going to write something which others have written – about the looks, VFM, features, plastic quality, etc.
Calculated cost advantages/disadvantages of company lease (operating lease) Vs bank loan. After lot of deliberation, decided to go with company lease. The leasing company (ALD) would own and hence take care of the car – insurance, repair, etc., except fuel/oil.
So XUV 5OO it is!
![[;)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Wink.gif "Wink [;)]")
![[:)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Smile.gif "Smile [:)]")