Mahindra XUV700 (AX7L D AT) Ownership Review: The Silver Surfer

[A.G.]

Another day, another surprise

The AdroneX Connect app has again gone haywire

Travelled back from home from Delhi covering 192 Kms in approx. 3 hours but what that’s not what the AdrenoX Connect app recorded. Sharing a screenshot of the Trip summary from AdrenoX Connect app

25 Kmph average speed for covering 7.4 Kms in 3:02 hrs - the math simply doesn’t add-up. Travelling 192 Kms from Delhi (5:47pm) to Roorkee (6:05pm) in just 18 minutes - that’s almost like flying

 

[A.G.]

3rd Service of 30,000 Kms

The service reminder came-up at 29,800 Kms and before scheduling the service, checked if Mighty Mahindra had the new Ultra V4 oil in stock. After confirming with stores, the service was scheduled. Only issue I noticed was on the day of the service, checked the Engine oil level in the morning and found the level to be higher than the max mark – discussed the same and was informed that it is normal due to regen process.

Oil level in the morning prior to service

Due to heavy rush that day, including that of water affected vehicles, the bay allocation took some time. As usual, most of the time was spent in waiting for washing & cleaning which took almost twice the time in which entire service with update was done.

In the service bay with brakes being cleaned

The new Ultra V4 Oil (again no specs on the oil can)

Finally reached the lift for washing

I was against the latest silver box update which robs the offline navigation and switches over to subscription based MAPPLS navigation. However, Mahindra has cleverly disguised this update as a recall which is not reflected on the RO copy I have but it was reflected on the RO copy for the shop floor. By the time I noticed this when the oil was being issued, it was too late and the USB drive with update was already plugged-in and doing it’s job.

The total service bill came to Rs. 7,739/- which included 10L DEF (taken in sealed condition to be filled later) and cabin filter as well.


The after effects of Silver Box update

Sharing a picture of the version installed

The first thing to be noticed was that despite having eSIM signal strength, both Alexa and MAPPLS stopped working – the latter was just displaying white screens despite having view of multiple satellites

https://youtube.com/shorts/XZ92PwDH8LM


On checking the debug menu, found this DTC

Waited for a Day for it to start working but when it didn’t work even on the next day, disconnected and reconnected the battery which made them both come alive. Notice a couple of quirks.

A. When playing songs on Alexa, the song plays as usual but neither song name appears nor the duration slider moves. Also the Previous, Pause and Next buttons are rendered useless.

B. If the MAPPLS app is not opened once after ignition cycle on the center screen, going to navigation menu on the instrument cluster results in blank space (both with dials and when using full page maps)

With Dials

Full Screen Maps

C. When the navigation app is opened on the center screen, it starts working automatically on the instrument cluster as well but always shows ‘0m’ on top which earlier used to appear only when a route was set.

Maps working on both screens

‘0m’ displayed as if constantly navigating in background

Some other observations after covering 30K Kms:

1. Since the 20K service done 3rd week of April till the 30K service in 3rd week of August, there had been only 03 unscheduled visits (all with-in 3 weeks from service) for sunroof not closing, brake noise and steering angle calibration. This does not include the additional visit for collecting the number plate.
2. The noise from the front brakes (referred here) is back post the service – I fail to understand what the issue is since this time the brakes were clean.
3. Post the rains, there is a squeaking noise from what I feel to be coming from the rear doors whenever there is body flex.
4. The other persistent noises bothering as of now are from DEF / fuel tank and the Engine cover which rattles have found no solution yet.

 

[anuraagshenoy]

The noise from the front brakes (referred here) is back post the service – I fail to understand what the issue is since this time the brakes were clean.

I feel this is not related to the pads. I feel you need to skim the rotors at any reputed lathe. Remove the two front rotors and skim them. You'll be charged around Rs 200-300 per disc. Try it out it should work for you.

4. The other persistent noises bothering as of now are from DEF / fuel tank and the Engine cover which rattles have found no solution yet.

Try adding some insulation pad or damping material in between the body (metal) and the fuel/DEF tank. Should give you some respite.

Also came across this thread on the forum - XUV700 Recall. Have you got any calls on the same?

 

[A.G.]

Got the recall done – in my case the gap between the mount and harness was quite less and now the added plastic sleeve and rubber are pretty close, almost touching. Good to see Mahindra going to the extent of inspecting and taking corrective action in each and every XUV7OO as part of this voluntary recall.

 

[A.G.]

Completing 01 Year

With the odo just a few Kms short of 33K mark after exactly a year, it’s really been a great year with the XUV7OO. Whether it was covering back to back 1400+ Kms trips in 2 days on consequent weekends or just pottering in the city on daily basis, there has been no major breakdown – the mechanicals atleast are sorted.

Revisiting the Good, the Bad and the Ugly after an year:
The Good:
G1 – Drivetrain continues to impress with it’s power and frugality.
G2 – Ride & Handling balance is spot on.
G3 – ADAS works pretty flawlessly.
G4 – Cabin doesn’t fail to impress with it’s modern and luxury quotient.

The Bad:
B1 – Vibrations at idle in D / R with foot on brake.
B2 – Various noises (the famous football-in-boot, Brakes especially when cold), squeaks (from door rubber seal) and rattles (unable to pin point but somewhere from front).
B3 – AdrenoX has improved a lot but still basic issues (like wireless Android Auto connectivity, random blank screen) persist.
B4 – Sony sound system leaves a lot to be desired.

The Ugly:
U1 – Suspension noise (despite Lower Control Arm replacement) is prominent.
U2 – Number of visits to the service center in just 01 year is alarming.
U3 – Mappls update doesn’t work most of the times and robs a feature (offline maps functionality).
U4 – Random errors (even like EPB not disengaging) magically vanishing with a system reboot (i.e. Battery disconnect & reconnect).

Fuel stats for the year of ownership (the max figure was by no means a hypermiling drive)

While there is an itch to change the tyres due to increased road noise and extremely poor wet performance, they still look good for another 10K Kms atleast with tread depth of 5mm minimum

Some parting shots from today’s TLC

 

[A.G.]

General inspection before a trip (Rear Brake Pads changed)

Before heading out on a family trip, it was wise to get the XUV7OO also inspected. Visited post Diwali break and upon inspection, the rear brake pads were found to be almost at the minimum thickness mark. With the trip ahead, got them changed. The Brake discs were also suggested to be skimmed to even out the minor undulations. I was pleasantly surprised that the service center used Procut machine which didn’t require removal of discs for skimming and performed the job in hardly 10 minutes on one disc.

Getting on the lift

Old Brake pads (Rear) - thickness was around 3mm

With new Brake pads

Procut disc skimming machine in action

Skimming done

After road trial, the general checks were performed and the air filter was cleaned. The total invoice came to Rs. 7,503/- with Rs. 1,350/- + taxes being charged for skimming and rest being for rear brake pads.

 

[A.G.]

4th Service of 40,000 Kms

During the general check-up and rear brake pad change, I updated about the upcoming travel (detailed here in link) and had enquired about the delay allowance in service. Getting the confidence that I can get the service done prior to 41K Kms mark was a real breather as it didn’t disrupt the plan. It also meant I didn’t need to rush for service immediately the next day upon return.

A day after returning back, I enquired about the rush and was advised to come the next morning for service. While this meant that I would not be in office for another day after an already a week’s gap, it turned out to be beneficial.

Getting the job card opened @ 40.5K Kms

In the service bay

The new Ultra V4 Oil (again no specs on the oil can)

This service required Brake Oil replacement which took most of the time. After brake oil replacement and brake bleeding, a road trial was done and the pedal kept on sinking. The bleeding process was repeated once again.

Waiting for the second round of test drive

The test drive tech himself was not happy with the brake pedal feel and once again bleeding was done. Finally the bleeding was done post a service procedure being run via the laptop and in a different manner – it was done diagonally as recommended by the service tool with Rear Left then Front Right followed by Rear Right and then finally Front Left.

Bleeding being done post running the service procedure via the laptop

Hoping this to be final round of test drive

Finally both of us were happy with the feel of the brake pedal which regained all it’s lost sharpness. Glad they had called me in the morning.

The only sour point was the vehicle was taken to the washing area where it was numbered and put in a que. Yet a technician drove another XUV7OO and tried to cut the que by moving mine across over to the side where all the accident waste was dump – the situation become a bit tensed as it was run across broken glass before I or the other’s present on spot could intervene. Luckily there was no damage to the passenger side tyres but it’s shameful that people don’t have any regret for their dumb actions. And yes the que was still not followed despite numbering.

The heart-in-mouth moment (this was captured after backing up as it was driven even beyond the blue cap in bottom right)

Finally reached the lift for washing with the mats being removed for through cleaning

Washing in progress

The total service bill came to Rs. 9,859/- which included 10L DEF, Fuel Filter, Oil Filter, Air filter and cabin filter apart from Brake Oil and V4 Ultra Engine oil.

Since the 30K service done in 3rd week of August till the 40K service in 4th week of November, there had been only NO unscheduled visits barring the general check-up before the trip. Hopefully the persistent issues of Android Auto frequent disconnections and the foot-ball in boot noise are addressed by Mahindra soon to elevate the ownership experience.

 

[ashikawa]

Congrates on SUV 700. This one car is so comfortable and easy to drive among cars i have test driven. Did not finalise due to some feedback from friends and also due to the fact that it was a little over my budget(AT3 petrol AT).
This must be most comfortable 5 seater i feel.
Congrates again.

 

[Iron Rock]

happy mile munching on the xuv - how does it overall compare to the endy experience (difference vehicles i know) but cudnt resist asking :P

 

[A.G.]

happy mile munching on the xuv - how does it overall compare to the endy experience (difference vehicles i know) but cudnt resist asking :P

The comparison is inevitable.

With this being a joint product of Ford & Mahindra, you really see Ford's DNA in ride & handling all thanks to the EPS & Control Blade rear suspension straight from Ford's parts bin. On-road, the overall experience with the XUV7OO is far better than Endeavour in terms of driveability, comfort and frugality. Highlights are the lack of body-roll and superb suspension.

What I miss coming from the Endeavour is the rattle free experience, road presence, sheer space it offered with some usable features like sliding middle row and auto-dimming IRVM. All these were deeply missed in the recent family trip to MH. Once you go off-road, there is no comparison and the Land Rover's DNA shines through in the Endeavour.

 

[A.G.]

5th Service of 50,000 Kms

Since the 40K service done in 4th week of November till the 50K service in 1st week of May, there had been NO unscheduled visits. But the persistent issues of Android Auto frequent disconnections and the foot-ball in boot noise are yet to be addressed by Mahindra.

As usual the service reminder came-up at 200 Kms short of 50K Kms mark. But the joy of reaching the milestone in just 01 Year and 07 Months of ownership was short lived as the Brake warning light on the instrument cluster flickered just 5 Kms beyond which was caught by the peripheral vision. Stopped and checked the Brake Fluid and continued further with now a conscious eye on the cluster. The flickering was quite random and at times even irrespective of whether brake pedal was pressed or not. Since the Owners Manual specifically mentions a separate warning for Front Brake Pad wear (which was not coming), it became a cause of concern.

Captured the milestone of 50K Kms

The Brake warning light caught lit in the city just 750m sort of destination

After check-in at the Hotel, checked the Brake Fluid and sensor wires once again but could not find any issues. Spoke to Cotek at Mighty Mahindra who assured it would most likely be related to Front Brake Pads only and this intermittent nature should settle after some more driving, else he can arrange support from whichever workshop is nearby. With this confidence, left the situation for the next day when as mentioned, the random flickering settled hardly with another 12 Kms of drive and finally the Front Brake Pad alert popped-up with this warning light glowing permanently.

Front Brake Pad alert

Visited Mighty Mahindra the next morning upon return from the trip and apart from the Brake Pad replacement, the squeaking noise from the doors was the only real issue since the Engine oil increase, though much higher than before (reaching the spring of the dip-stick), was informed to be normal. For the door noise, the rubber beadings on the body and doors were lubricated with a polish.

Oil level reaching the spring

Getting the job card opened @ 50.3K Kms

The Ultra V4 Oil (again no specs on the oil can) – this time they had 1L cans

The service kit

Procut in action for skimming the discs to clear out the minor undulations

Before

After

Old Brake pads – the sensor at level of the brake pad…

…while thickness wise the material was around 4mm after 30K Kms of usage

It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Front Brake Pad kit included the grease as well in the right quantity – in my past experience with another manufacturer, this grease was charged separately for a few hundred bucks with some of it’s erring dealers charging upto Rs. 7000 (yes, more than the cost of Brake pads itself) just for grease.

The front brake kit box with mention of all the parts inside

Front wiper blades also replaced

All set for test drive

The total service bill came to Rs. 17,230/- which included 14L DEF, Oil Filter, Air filter and Cabin filter and V4 Ultra Engine oil and additionally Front Brake Pads, Front Discs skimming and both Front Wiper Blades. Despite all these jobs, the turn-around was blazingly fast with hardly 4 hours being taken in the entire process.

A final parting pic

 

[A.G.]

Getting stranded in a different town with frustrating Mahindra RSA experience

Parked the Silver Surfer peacefully on 8th June late at night after finishing up work and had planned to head back home the next day. But destiny had other plans – the next morning after loading up the luggage cranked the engine and it started normally and immediately died. Sensing something wrong, immediately turned on the camera and to my horror on the next attempt, the starter continued infinitely and would not disengage even after 9 seconds of continuous cranking. I had to shift to R to kill the cranking process.

Thinking of this to be a Mahindra electrical issue, the first thought was to disconnect and reconnect the battery. As soon as I got down, there was a very strong smell of Diesel which at first thought the mind did not wish to register and brushed it up as the smell from on-going paint & repair work in the society basement. But once the bonnet was opened, the smell was undeniably coming from the Engine bay. Looked underneath and there was a continuous stream of diesel coming from above.

Puddle of Diesel

Video of infinite crank & continuous stream of Diesel leaking below

Thanks to an offline group member's details on the same issue, I knew the problem and the fix but what was different in my situation was that the engine refused to start. Tried reaching out to the RSA through the AdrenoX system but the exceptionally poor network chosen by Mahindra meant it was useless. Registered a concern through M4U app which shared the exact location and immediately got a SMS with ticket number which directed to call the Toll Free number (not sure what’s the purpose of providing the SOS feature in app then).

Called the number as directed and after sharing all the details related to vehicle & address, the final question was where the parking is. Upon answering ‘basement’, the RSA lost all empathy and blankly said to ‘Call after moving the car to open space’. Since in my case the Engine was not starting at all, my pleadings to Mahindra RSA agent on other side of call were falling on deaf ears with NO guidance coming forward.

Spoke to the Cotek at Mighty Mahindra and sought his help who got the ball rolling. Reached out to a gentleman at Mahindra’s Area Office and despite being Sunday, he sped-up the already rolling ball and connected me to the dealership manager directly which was just 10 Kms / 15 mins away from me to send help. While waiting for help to arrive and anxiously looking at the ticking clock, finally it was time to relive the 2002 era of owning the original Scorpio and get down & dirty – that’s what even the Mahindra RSA expected when the agent asked to ‘call after moving the car to open space’. With a duct tape at hand, tried to blindly search for the leak and tape it. After some perseverance, the leak was taped enough for the engine to crank up to life. Called the manager (who in the interim had already confirmed the part availability) and started driving slowly towards the workshop. All this time the 360 cam was ON to see if I am leaving a visible trail of Diesel or not and thankfully the patch work only started leaking upon reaching the last Traffic light some 200m before the workshop.

The trail of Diesel upon reaching the workshop

Due to Sunday rush, things took time as they wanted to inspect the underbody as well before rushing into a replacement and finally after 2.5 hours, I was back on road with no more Diesel leak.

The culprit

Key takeaways:
1. While it shouldn’t have happened in the first place, it was a big relief that it did not happen on the road while driving.
2. Rubbing / Chaffing issue(s) should be addressed by Mahindra once & for all as a preventive measure without waiting for a disaster to happen – this is the second such issue after wiring recall.
3. So much for WithYouHamesha – just a hollow tagline without any meaning for Mahindra RSA. The one wrong response of RSA agent was enough to elevate the situation to a disaster.
4. The Mahindra RSA Terms & Conditions mention “If the problem is something that can be resolved at the roadside, a mobile technician will be sent to mobilize your vehicle on site only” – this was not followed by RSA agent.
5. The same document even mentions SOP for Recovery of vehicle from ditch / valley / inaccessible areas but they were not followed by the RSA agent.
6. Instead of understanding the issue and taking the right call with-in the scope of SOP, the Mahindra RSA didn’t do what the other key individuals did.
7. On a lighter note, apart from the basic tools provided by Mahindra, some advanced items for DIY repairs (more tools / tape / zip ties / etc.) with a technician uniform should be offered by Mahindra as a genuine accessory if Mahindra is to continue sleeping over mechanical issues – unlike a user software issue (like half-baked AdrenoX even after almost 3 years of launch) which you can adapt to, mechanical failure can leave one stranded.

@Mahindra – wake-up

 

[A.G.]

Stinged by Pirelli’s Scorpion

The stock MRF’s despite having a tread depth of 3.8mm at 51,943 Kms had started showing their age with frequent traction control action and tyre squeal even in Zip / Eco mode. With the upcoming monsoon, it was wise to change them, especially a tyre had a tread chip-off & other had a cut in tread (not leaking). Only faced 1 puncture in the entire journey with the MRF’s.

Tread chip-off

Cut in another (but not leaking)

With many options in stock size, I was keen to switch to Pirelli’s based on the past experience with their tyres. All thanks to a dear friend, a casual conversation on the way to Delhi in the morning resulted in checking the prices, arranging the tyres & a catch-up late in the evening to head out for replacement – all this without affecting the work schedule.

The first look at the stack of tyres

Tyre sticker (LR signifying specific OE tyre for Land Rover)

Side-by-side comparison with the MRF (both are stock size despite the Pirelli looking wider)

Alignment check

The complete sidewall

Asymmetric Tread pattern

The first highway drive experience of around 200 Kms back home was amazing and the ride was much better with great road surface feedback coming through steering instead of being numb. On the flip side, the ride in the city had become a bit jarring and the suspension noise had also increased. While the stiffer sidewall (due to 107 load rating instead of 103 of MRF’s) is rewarding on highway, the city ride has forced me to play around with tyre pressures and needed to reduce them to 32 Psi instead of earlier 35 Psi to get a comfortable ride.

Back on the expressway with 35 Psi all around, the grip during cornering on the circular off-ramp inspires much confidence and these tyres are behaving atleast 3-4 degC cooler than the MRF’s.

While the size is exactly same, the Pirelli’s feel wider as I have started getting mud marks on a daily basis which were non-existent with the MRF’s in similar conditions

A final parting pic from the Agra-Lucknow Expressway (almost 2600 Kms covered in 2 weeks)

 

[A.G.]

6th Service of 60,000 Kms with other issues and highlights

Since the 50K service done in 1st week of May till the 60K service in 1st week of August, there had been 02 unscheduled visits – once for steering calibration post tyre change and other for getting a new Fastag. Despite the recent OTA update received for AdrenoX, the issue of Android Auto frequent disconnections (even when used with USB cable) still persists. I was hoping the OTA would bring the Google Maps projection to Instrument Cluster as well like the 3XO and the Roxx but that didn’t happen. The foot-ball in boot noise is yet to be addressed by Mahindra.

Due to a planned travel, got the 60K service done slightly early at 59,773 Kms even before the service reminder came-up which had to be manually cleared on the drive later on. There was huge rush that day due to the workshop being closed for almost a week due to Kanwar yatra but the service took no time as usual. What took time was the service action for updating the software for the driver side power window motor which requires the inner door panel to be removed. Skipped the washing to save time and I was back on the road in just under 3 hours.

Reaching early even before 9AM to get ahead of the que

Saw the bays empty for the first time

Work in progress

Changed all 6 Engine Cover bushes as it was rattling (finally the bushes were available)

The Ultra V4 Oil (again no specs on the oil can) – this time 6L can was available

The naked door for the service action of software update

The total service bill came to Rs. 7,066/- which included 6L DEF, Oil Filter, Cabin filter and V4 Ultra Engine oil with Engine cover bushes.


Other issues:
(A) During grueling summer heat the keyfob refused to work. Had hardly locked using the keyfob 30mins earlier. Thinking it might be the keyfob battery, unlocked manually which set of the alarm and despite starting with the keyfob in backup position as indicated in the owners manual, the alarm didn’t stop. Had a new spare battery in the glovebox and the replacement also didn’t help. Finally thought of disconnecting the battery of the XUV7OO only to realize the boot won’t open since the remote wasn’t working. Had to access the boot through the middle row after removing the entire luggage on the road and finally get the spanner. Once the reset was performed, it was as if nothing had happened. Tried again with the old keyfod battery and there was no issue and no pop-up of low battery on the cluster. Finally after 15mins of sweating profusely (majorly because of embarrassment caused by the blaring alarm), learnt the lesson to keep the spanner in the glovebox itself.

(B) Since the 50K service, the wind noise increases randomly and there has been no identification of the problem. It’s so random that I am afraid to discuss it at the workshop as I am not sure of the parameters to demonstrate the same.

(C) The AdrenoX system seemed to have entered some archaic software version as the Fun with XUV7OO tile was not displayed and the Apple Carplay tile changed to ‘Coming soon’

(D) After returning from another trip, it felt that there was some wheel-bearing or similar sound coming from the rear which was completely speed dependent. Demonstrated the same but I was surprised to find the blame being shifted on the tyres. The wear pattern was abnormal on 1 of the tyre which had saw-tooth like tread on one of the edge. Googled the issue the term ‘Cupping’ came-up which suggested shock absorbers as the primary cause along with worn out bushes causing damage to tyre – obviously the same was not accepted and just the balancing with tyre rotation (already done at 60K Kms) was done again as a stop-gap arrangement. The noise, though is still there, has reduced probably due to rotation of tyres.

At the workshop for diagnosis

While no uneven wear caused by alignment is visible, the white triangular patch on the inside of the tread is lower than the darker triangular patch which is slightly raised which as per workshop is causing the noise

(E) Due to a sudden drop in ambient temperature, the tyre pressure also decreased the next morning. While all 4 tyres were at 29Psi, only one was throwing a low pressure alert

Front Left showing low pressure warning

(F) Not related to Mahindra but the LED bulbs in the tail lamps started to flicker which I noticed on the 360 cam while reversing – replaced them with the original halogens.


OTA Update:
Upon turning ON the ignition to leave for home at night, for the first time got a notification for an OTA update. Since I didn’t have time for the update which usually takes 30 mins via USB at the workshop, postponed the installation for the next day. After checking the in-built network had a strong signal, started the process at 6:41PM and immediately both the screens went blank only to be greeted by some notification 2 minutes later. The process took 20 minutes and everything came-back to life at exactly 7:02PM.

OTA notification

Information after accepting the update

6:41PM

6:43PM

Update in progress

Before version

After version

Back to Back trips

Nainital – it turned our to be a nightmare even on a weekday during the June end and here is a screen grab of Google Maps. Actual time taken for this last 6.9 Kms was around 2.5 hrs

Ayodhya – a random discussion with family over breakfast culminated into an impromptu plan to visit Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth temple. With the DEF level was already around the 41% and no time to spare, Mr. Prateek at Mighty Mahindra was kind enough to deliver 10L of DEF – called him in the evening and explained the situation and he prompltly delivered it while returning back to his home. Small gestures go a long way.

At a rest area on the Lucknow Expressway – spotting a GS800 in the truck

Even the lampposts were unique

The final trip stats

Kashi – this trip was planned long ago and because of this had got the service done slightly early. While going we went via Kanpur but on the return journey we changed the plan once again went to Ayodhya, this time for the evening aarti. The trip back to Delhi was mostly via Expressway and we were astonished with the FE with cruise set at 10 above the limit.

FE of 16.2 over 652 Kms (600 Kms on Expressway)

Final trip stats

Final parting shot with a little TLC

 

[A.G.]

In-built Navigation (MAPPLS) not working

Due to frequent disconnections of Android Auto while trying to navigate in the city, thought of using the in-built navigation MAPPLS after ages only to find it NOT working.

Error: Invalid License

Tried restarting the infotainment screen but it didn’t help. Continued with the journey with the tantrums of Android Auto / AdrenoX and upon reaching the destination did a reset via battery. While MAPPLS suddenly recognized the license as if nothing had happened and was able to get a GPS lock after a short drive, it’s projection on the instrument cluster still did not work.

Instrument cluster not getting MAPPLS maps

Almost 3 years since launch and the software issues continue their journey onboard which is becoming frustrating.