My Red Highway King: Mahindra XUV500 W8 Ownership Review

[mayankdixit]

XUV witnesses the killer heat this summer.
Well,everyone is suffering from the heat wave of may-june this year,but look what I am facing in kanpur,right now!!. Within 15 min of the chiller ac, everything was back to normal.This is the picture from the infotainment display,today afternoon.I was shocked to see the reading touching 54 degrees!!

 

[Ambylovers]

Hi,
52 degrees is way too much. Its not good if your body vary in the temperature.
In AC, you will be in around 20 to 24 degrees. Suddenly if you get down of the car, you will be entering into around 50 degrees. So it might be difficult to manage the temperature.

 

[mayankdixit]

XUV 500 Tyretronics saved my day and my 11,000 rupees too!!
While on the return journey on a trip to 3 different dams near Jhansi,the infotainment started giving warning signals.It was depicting tyre air pressure loss,with air pressure dropping to 22 psi. I got down to inspect,and indeed the rear left tyre was loosing air,as was obvious from the whoosh sound. It appeared some foreign body was lodged in the tyre.At that time I changed to spare tyre,and continued the journey.On returning home when I brought down the tyre I was shocked to see the size of this foreign body coming out from the tyre body.It was not a nail as I suspected initially but a full 5 inch long steel piece.Thankfully it could not destroy the tyre,as it was lodged vertically at an angle of 90 degrees.Had there been no warning ,I would definitely have continued on the road thereby destroying the tyre and my wallet!!

 

[sambit_mech]

XUV 500 Tyretronics saved my day and my 11,000 rupees too!!
While on the return journey on a trip to 3 different dams near Jhansi,the infotainment started giving warning signals.It was depicting tyre air pressure loss,with air pressure dropping to 22 psi. I got down to inspect,and indeed the rear left tyre was loosing air,as was obvious from the whoosh sound. It appeared some foreign body was lodged in the tyre.At that time I changed to spare tyre,and continued the journey.On returning home when I brought down the tyre I was shocked to see the size of this foreign body coming out from the tyre body.It was not a nail as I suspected initially but a full 5 inch long steel piece.Thankfully it could not destroy the tyre,as it was lodged vertically at an angle of 90 degrees.Had there been no warning ,I would definitely have continued on the road thereby destroying the tyre and my wallet!!

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Liked the way you saved your tyres, of course didn't like that you got a puncture.

 

[CRACING]

Meanwhile,I am still searching, for the answers to the single most important question : Why rusting, in a brand new vehicle?

It is a bare metal which gets rust very easily. But that doesn't mean only bare metal gets rusted, painted surface also gets rust. Its common on all cars and also there are lot of such places were you don't even notice until it gets worst. i.e doors inside walls. You cannot sand and paint on all the places nor it helps for long time.

What I advice you is, when the vehicle gets wet (After washing or rain), dry the vehicle as best as you can using MF cloth. Then note where the water traps (i.e metal edges), wipe it and spray little wd40. This is the best care you do for your vehicle. Beyond that, its out of ours hands.

Under-body coating is just gimmick is what I believe and you hear that from many peoples as well. The factory coating is far best to prevent rust on the underbody unless you don't scrape it. Rust usually occurs on other places where under-body coating isn't covered.

Dear sir,thats not a bajaj scooter.Its a L.M.L vespa.I know because I owned one (now sold)for 16 years.Just pay attention to the nose,the cowls,and the dikki.
It was a nice piece of machinery,alas sold for 1500 inr only.Reason :It gave an average of 25 only !!Moreover it was the down payment money for the discover 125 Dtsi bike,which I am driving till today.

Oh man, thats damn low. For that we don't even get a cycle for kids!

Anyhow, how much did it ran? Could be more.

I too sold my LML Select II scooter last week and got 4.8k after lot of negotiations. It was near to 15yrs old and only 3k KMs driven till date. The buyer had to spend nearly same as what he paid for me. Renewal, Vehicle Transfer, Insurance, Smart Card fees, emission test and finally agent commissions.

Now I'm going for New Honda Dio.

P.S Sorry for off road topic.

BTW; shocked to know your case. Lucky their wasn't more damage. On the other hand you got a free screwdriver!

 

[mayankdixit]

.

What I advice you is, when the vehicle gets wet (After washing or rain), dry the vehicle as best as you can using MF cloth. Then note where the water traps (i.e metal edges), wipe it and spray little wd40. This is the best care you do for your vehicle. Beyond that, its out of ours hands

Anyhow, how much did it ran? Could be more.

Now I'm going for New Honda Dio.

P.S Sorry for off road topic.

BTW; shocked to know your case. Lucky their wasn't more damage. On the other hand you got a free screwdriver!

Sir,You have a good sense of humour .I like it.
Thank you for the kind advice. Congrats in advance for the new honda Dio.
When I sold my L.M.L the odometer showed 35000 kms,but actually it must have been just the double of that figure,the reason: odometer got disconnected from the front tyre,and remained so for about 7 years of its life!! I was too young ,at that time with very little money at my disposal to sort that out. So I just kept on driving it without bothering about the repairs.

 

[mayankdixit]

Why overdo anything (the new special edition XUV) when the sales chart are ok?
Just had a look at the new special edition XUV. They have added red stickers all over the car,which is a bit too much for my taste. All the previous Scorpios with stickering job on the bonnet have become eyesores because of the blackening /darkening of the bonnet stickers over time.I am afraid the same will happen with the XUV. Moreover I already have a red colour XUV . How will the red stickers justify on a red background if someone buys a red car??This brings us to the next question: is the 50,000 price, (over and extra on the w8 )for this stickering job justified?

 

[CRACING]

Sir,You have a good sense of humour .I like it.
Thank you for the kind advice. Congrats in advance for the new honda Dio.

Thanks. On Monday I will be making full payment and taking the delivery. Will make ownership reviews thread later on.

When I sold my L.M.L the odometer showed 35000 kms,but actually it must have been just the double of that figure,the reason: odometer got disconnected from the front tyre,and remained so for about 7 years of its life!! I was too young ,at that time with very little money at my disposal to sort that out. So I just kept on driving it without bothering about the repairs.

You see that? you were not in the position to fix your vehicle gauge seven years back but now you own and ride a 14 Lakhs vehicle. Life changes so much. Wish you miles of smiles and safe journeys.

 

[mayankdixit]

You see that? you were not in the position to fix your vehicle gauge seven years back but now you own and ride a 14 Lakhs vehicle. Life changes so much. Wish you miles of smiles and safe journeys.

Not only you have a super sense of humour,as I mentioned in the last post ,your take on life in a philosophical way ,is unique. I never realized it,until you mentioned it.Keep it up!
My father was an electrical engineer in U.P state electricity board. He always had a government jeep at his disposal,to survey his allotted areas.The jeep models kept changing, based on allotment. Mostly they were old and rattly.I drove (as a passenger) in mahindra jeeps all my childhood, hating them for the rough and jumpy ride.I thought of them as the worst means of transport next only to tattered buses plying on dusty roads.I never realised that this jeep is pure gold,and I will be missing it in 2014,when it is discontinued by Mahindra.
Now ,whenever I see a jeep pass by I drool upon it.Whenever a Thar crosses me I start day- dreaming of owning one.I even drool upon the 20 year old Mahindra Marshal Ambulance in white,which I see daily,for its ground clearance, lower end torque and overall practicality.This is how time changes ,and this is how peoples opinion change over the years.!!

 

[mayankdixit]

XUV500 W8 interiors with black and plum combination.
I missed posting some interior pictures of my Highway King. Here they are,for your eye pleasure.

I like the adjustable armrest cum cooler, and the two cup holders beside the driver seat.They are very practical too ,in long trips.



Middle row is more than comfortable and can easily seat 3 healthy adults,unlike the sedans I test drove.






I have yet to peel off the white plastic covering over the stainless steel garnishing on the door sill.It is actually a scratch guard.



There is no floor hump,unlike the sedans and hatchbacks,in the second row floor.This immensely helps the third passenger in seating comfort.



This is the white plastic I was talking about.



Wiper stalk is curved and nice to hold. As can be seen ,there is the auto wiper button at the tip.



Glove box is illuminated,as well as double deckered. The partition can be removed to store bigger objects, like a laptop.



There is an openable cup holder cum armrest for the middle row.Cup holder has space for two different cup sizes.



View from the last row of seats.

 

[mayankdixit]

Whosoever said XUV has poor plastics and bad interiors,I politely disagree!!.
XUV interiors are pleasing to eyes and soft to touch. The dashboard and waterfall console look classy,and there is no rattle whatsoever ,after 17 months of usage.The infotainment cluster displays almost every command I can think of,yet it is not overcrowded.
Is there a chance of improvement in the seats and the backspace management?
Yes definitely.For one ,I would have preferred in the middle row, to and fro adjustment lever (like innova) below the seats..This would have liberated some space in the third row.Rest is all good,and more than my expectations.



The last row seat reclining handle is sturdy and neatly finished. It closes with a distinct click.



Emergency Diesel lid opener from inside.



Rear window water bottle filler access.



The third row passenger gets 4 goodies: 1)independent mobile charger outlet, 2)water bottle holder ,3)a net to hold paper, comics or belongings and 4)independent ac with volume/speed adjuster.This will make me happy enough ,if I am in the third row.
.

 

[mayankdixit]

Does XUV horn needs an upgrade too,like headlights?. Is the stock hella setup not enough /inadequate for city traffic ?
My fellow members and other facebook owners of XUV have been mentioning time and again,about upgrading to roots windtone horns and other loud trumpets.
I wonder ,why there is so much hoopla over it.Horn tone and choice is a personal issue.Some people like wind- tone sounds while others prefer milder choices.
As far as I believe:
1) Horn of XUV is loud enough for any sort of traffic in India.
2) There is no need to upgrade,as already it is double toned with high as well as low frequencies.
3) Sometimes we must be considerate for other pedestrians and motorists too. Bikers may not like too loud a tone blaring on their ears.
Fellow members are welcome with their opinions and comments.

 

[drive_tan]

Thanks mayankdixit for your detailed post about your Red Highway King.
I also own a XUV 500 W8 (White) and I call it White Swan. It is mainly driven by Chauffeur but occasionally I drive it. I am 5.11 ft tall. The main problem I face is that the Clutch pedal is way too high and has a very long travel compared to other pedals. It is surely a sore at bumper to bumper to traffic to me.
Do you agree with me?
Can we lower down the position of the clutch? I had asked M&M SA about it but they are not interested at all.
Apart from this its a real pleasure to drive the car.

 

[mayankdixit]

It has been a long time,and there was nothing to post. XUV500 was used in the city only with short rides of less than 10 km,every once in a while.I wanted a long ride,but work responsibilities prevented me.There has been no niggle so far.Mileage is nearing 9000 km. Its time for the 2nd service.Thankfully there is no time boundation for service otherwise I would have been in a fix. Hopefully I will make outstation trip this month, and then I will have something to post.

 

[Mathew]

XUV witnesses the killer heat this summer.

We also facing the same issue. But, your display is it under direct sunlight or under any shade? Check the vehicle periodically.