Re: “Thunderbolt” XUV 5OO Detailed Review (Audio, LED, HID, Mods++)
*3 Years Long Term Update*
ODO- 54500 Kms.
It has been a long Journey. And Each journey has Green pastures and Barren wastelands. I am pleased to say that my Journey has been More of a Pleasure with Thunderbolt than otherwise. I would like to share a detailed analysis of what these 3 years offered me. I also made a recent journey to Gujarat (About 1300km) which will be the focus of this report.
1> Thunderbolt celebrated it's birthday on 4th April. The Cheetah is 3 year old now. To celebrate the Birthday, The beast took us for Gujarat Trip. Cheetah will also receive some TLC, Buffing, and Certain Upgrades like Brighter DRLs, Upgraded High-beam assists and so on.
2> Renewed the Insurance, costing almost 29k. The fools keep raising Taxes and TP charges each year. Vehicle IDV keeps reducing but Insurance keeps increasing. Also, I wasn't aware that taxes go up in April, Otherwise I would've renewed in March and saved almost 4k.
3> The Gujarat Trip really helped The beast stretch its legs. On Decent 6 lanes, We were cruising about *40 ~ *60 Kmph. The Beast managed a top whack of about *70 Kmph before we ran out of roads. We also defeated a Merc ML 350 4matic very swiftly and safely. I don't even have to pay attention to overtaking Fortuners & D-segment Sedans now; It naturally happens. The Road manners & Performance of this Cheetah is Just commendable. Never I've had a chance where I could'nt stop myself from Praising this Performance.
At *60, The cheetah actually roars like a Lion, Growling to everyone on Road “Give way! I'm Coming for you! The King is coming!”
The Meaty Note at 3k+ RPM from this large diesel is just mouth watering.
The effect of all this reflects in FE, which turned out to be 11.2 KMPL in this trip. A small price to pay for the massive Joy of Performance driving. Especially when My Fortuner Returns 9~9.8KMPL even when driving normally. On Return Journey, we Managed 13.5 KMPL due to high traffic- we kept sedate driving at about 90~110 Kmph.
4> Engine has matured up and settled really well. Not only it opens up the performance, The Clipping Problem on Speedbreakers has ceased. You still need to tackle Speed breakers in 1st or 2nd, but The Thuds & Jitters are absent now.
5> The AC is messed up. Pressing the “Rear AC” Button helps cooling. Yes, I am taking about Front vents. I am puzzled how rear AC helps Front vents. Perhaps Rear AC mode in XUV uses a dual circuit Compressor or the Compressor spins at higher speed, enhancing more cooling. But The AC is simply not working in front AC Mode. Also, the Breeze from Driver side vents is hardly chilled compared to Navigator side. Something sure is messed. I checked Fuses & Re-seated the relays. That part seems alright.
I'm not finding time for a visit to SVC.
6> The Infotainment Blacked Out & Restated 2 times on Return journey. It was a proper Plain road, Cruizing @ 90Kmph. No triggers as such could be identified.
7> I'm Thankful that I Opted for extended warranty. I request all XUV owners to pay up for Extended warranty. Unfortunately, Small & Large Niggles have become a part of Ownership. The Service under warranty is Swift, But these niggles are embarrassing , so to speak.
Here is a Rundown on Warranty Replacements-
1. Clutch Failure- Cylinder Replaced.
2. Infotainment DVD player not working (Day 1)- DVD Slot Replaced.
3. Infotainment Delivers Whining/Buzzing in AMP outputs (1st year)- Silver Box replaced.
4. Infotainment resetting- Replaced Many times, Issue persists
5. Reverse Horn & Security alarm- Replaced.
6. Low beam Projector Failure- Aligned & Set up.
7. AC Messed up- Pending
8. Warm Breeze from Certain AC Vents (Since day 1)- Problem not understood, Pending.
8> I have installed Roof rack, considering hardly any space in the Boot. However, I have NEVER used it till date. XUV is mostly being used at 4~5 seater. The Roof Rack increases wind noise. Please keep that in Mind if you are going for Roof Rack.
9> The Stock Nippon speakers are Serving well, despite setting strong EQ and pumping decent bass from them. The speakers themselves are not bassy though, That part is taken care by JBL GTX 646 AMP and Dual underseat woofers. The bass from these stereo woofers is beautiful. I hardly ever felt the need to add dedicated JBL CS 1215- 12” woofer which was originally brought for the very purpose.
10> You should be able to extract 14KMPL from this wonderful 2.2 Mill if you restrict yourself to about 90Kmph. However, That is very difficult to do as this Mean Machine craves for performance.
11> I prefer the aggressive looks for 1st gen XUV. The refreshed XUV is mellowed down and adds too much chrome. The Explosive I am also dissapointed the Mahindra did'nt add a few simple features we all were waiting for- 1. Proper LED DRLs & 2. Sliding middle row.
Its awkward if KUV & Nuvosport can have DRLs, but the most feature Rich XUV makes do with Cheap LED parking Lights. I am looking to upgrade to COB style High powered DRLs (20W or above) which could REALLY stand out like Audi or Merc fom a mile away. I am targeting 2000 Lumens per side.
12> Everyone, Even layman Notices the HID upgrade. The cutoff Rainbow is just mesmerizing and light output is insane. I suggest everyone to seriously think about a High quality 4300k HID kit for Projectors & Fogs. The HID upgrade also solved Bulbs Failing Problem with respect for Low beam & High beam Bulbs Blowing out every few months. The HIDs have been working reliably with no qualms at all.
13> I have unmounted the Cree 40W High beam assists for time being. A friend suggested these could Cause Radiator Failure even with a slight kiss. I am looking forward to Mount them on Roof rack Rods. Its not urgent as HID sets are adequate anyways.
14> I couldn’t defeat my OWN Fortuner on Rough/Patchy 2-lane roads with Thunderbolt. Call it my Driving style (Slowing down for each pothole) or differences in Suspension setup- Fortuner seems better gobbling up small potholes @ 100Kmph. On the Nice-Wide-Flat highways though, You know the story.
15> In the recent Gujarat Trip, we visited Lothal (Mohan-je-Daro Cilivilzation alike) & Ship wreck Alang. Only a visit will give you an idea how huge these ships are! They're damm floating villages. The Weight of each ship is 8000 Tons. Cost in Scrap is approx 16 Cr. The ships are broken down and Metal is sent for recycling. Furniture & equipment is sold.
Pics in next post.
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