Our big jump from Hyundai Eon to XUV700: Buying & ownership experience – Team-BHP

After ruling out the other cars, it all came down between the Tata Safari and Mahindra XUV700.

BHPian rudra_shiv recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A big shout-out to @abirnale, @mudhalaipatti, and @ravenavi for their interesting & informative posts about XUV700 that clarified a lot of pre plus post-purchase queries. Folks your experiences surely help people around you.

Childhood Love Towards SUVs

I was one of the biggest admirers of Mahindra SUVs since my childhood. It started with me being a kid (around 2002-2006) watching Scorpios dusting the particular cities from the window seats of our school vans. Its stance and go-anywhere attribute made me fall in love with it a lot. And my love for Sports utility vehicles broke exponentially when we went with regard to the SAE BAJA 2013 from our college and witnessed an XUV500 standing across the street. And I, fortunately, had a chance to experience the car in 2013.

When years passed, we could afford a Hyundai EON within 2012 (the family’s first new car). Though all of us bought a Hyundai, I and my father always loved bringing an SUV into our own parking. By that time we were starting to look alliance regarding my marriage, and a plan to buy the new car was ON. Unfortunately, We lost the father and the decision to buy a new car in 2018 was postponed.

I was eagerly eyeing Scorpio (which is the N now). Seeing the camouflage ones, the particular newer position, RWD plus 4WD options made our jaw drop. Somehow, We were lazy checking XUV700 till that will.

Pre-Car Purchasing

Fortunately, I had a chance to test drive/experience one of my friend’s AX3 Petrol. Man! The machine was a beast of its own nature. I felt the Gas Motor give you a thunderbolt-level rush and of course, has been thirsty. That day, I actually concluded XUV is the one that I go for. Frankly, to say, We fell in love with the Petrol Mill. That will ride indeed triggered the want intended for a new car.

And finally, in Jan 2022, we all felt it is time to get ourselves a bigger car.

Our own preference had been a good enthusiastic ICE car that could do decent city rides and a couple of tireless highway drives every year. We were open along with both Gas and Diesel, the yearly run won’t cross 15k, and we were looking to keep it for 15 years/2 Lakh Kms. Also, I was inclined in order to buy the car through the “INDIAN” Automakers.

Wanted to test drive the HARRIER Twins, XUV700 Diesel, and Petrol AX7L before I actually finalize the particular choice. Plus my mind and heart all wanted a Manual. Diesel was not our choice, but still, a test generate of the available options was a need of time.

Ruled out Creta/Alcazar twins from the equation because of poor safety rating, but overall Creta’s ride was a bit better compared to that of the Seltos. I have driven Creta and Seltos a couple of times plus somehow did not feel the sturdiness or the “toughness” M& M or TATA offered.

We narrowed it down to XUV700 and SAFARI.

The budget was initially 18 Lakhs and we stretched it a little plus capped this to go not more than 23 Lakhs. The battle was between SAFARI and 700.

SAFARI

TATA Sales was swift and responsive. He followed up very appropriately. Though he lacked technical knowledge of the crash ratings and other aspects of infotainment, he has been very enthusiastic. He came up with good discounts for exchange, accessories, plus Extended Warranty by the period he brought the car to get a Test Drive associated with the XZ+ of Harrier and FIREFOX.

Pros

Stance — I experienced the vehicle looked proportionate and had a good stance.
Ride & Handling : I sensed the ride was the bit bumpy at speeds post 90-100+ Steering was missing feedback. But under 90kmph, surprise! surprise! it was really composed, agile and eager.
Power – Power delivery was extremely good. The car felt quite eager making the driver floor the particular pedal.
Third Row Legroom – This was definitely a great part pertaining to SAFARI as the second row had a sliding adjustment. The individuals in the 2nd and third rows can do a mutual agreement and settle for the best. (We actually don’t need a 7seater even the 5seater had been good to go, hence this was not really a point of concern)
Braking — Brakes had been good but not the greatest. Also could feel a more pronounced nose dive.
Basic Ticks – Even the XT+ comes with an Auto-Dimming IRVM, Auto-fold ORVM, Boss Mode, and one-touch power windows for the rear, and the XZ+ offers ventilated seats even to the particular rear.
Audio – Although the infotainment was bad and buggy, the audio was pretty decent to the standards. I liked SAFARI’s audio system over 700s hyped Sony 3D Sound.

Cons

Steering – Felt it had been not that easy to work within cumbersome traffic comparing 700. 700 takes the win here.
Clutch and Gearbox – TATA lost here terribly. Hard and long travel clutch combined along with a notchy gearbox bundled up with the slightly taller first gear. Well, that made me personally put a sad face on the Salesperson of STRUKTUR (who was proposing XTA+/XZA+ since he came).
Infotainment – Well, the sad part continued here. Infotainment was very slow plus glitchy in order to use. That too I has been very worried about fiddling with the smaller display in XT+.
NVH : The vehicle left me with a feeling that ORDE has not really insulated the car well yet. For the most part, was able to hear the engine roar inside the cabin. For an adult who mostly used Petrol cars, felt NVH was a bit high.
Ergonomics – Seats were really comfy. Unfortunately, had not been impressed that the remaining leg got bumped to the silver humanity line under the particular dash extremely frequently while shifting gears as well as the car had many blind spots. (somehow felt actually the rear windshield view was small too).
Lighting – The HID projectors were good but not the best. Poor place meant for cost cutting though.

XUV700 – THE WOW

We reached CAI Coimbatore for the Test Drive. The particular salesperson had been very appropriate with the timings.

We test-drove the particular AX7L D MT and he provided us to take a spin of AT as nicely. (well great selling there). We requested TD designed for Petrol because well, unfortunately, the Petrol went for another Test Drive (I was interested in order to show it to my mom).

Pros

Stance & Build — Though the stance was not since butch as the HARRIER twins but was surely head-turning, especially the front DRLs. The build overall was excellent and because everybody knows this particular boasts the 5-star package. During the TD, we tried it in one of the worst patches from the road within Coimbatore (behind Coddissia when the road construction was going on). I could feel the particular toughness this offered on the irregular roads and it glided over the bumps plus potholes like a charm.
Steering, Ride & Handling – It was Feather-light. Really loved and enjoyed driving it in cumbersome visitors, bumpy road, and a short 3km open stretch.
Clutch plus Gearbox : MT: I actually was again impressed with the smooth clutch system, though felt the initial gears were slightly notchy, I got utilized to it very soon. This was the strong point for the decision associated with choosing the 700. The particular Diesel clutch felt slightly heavier but had a very smooth feel.
NVH – Pleasantly surprised using the NVH of the car. It did not really feel like the Diesel at all. Such a smooth one. Petrol has no match within NVH, with all windows closed what you will be able to hear may be the tire rubber noise.
Power – The 183Bhp Diesel powered felt like an animal on street and the drive modes had been very nice to use. Wherein, the 200BHP mStallion Gas had a good outright power burst, especially between 1. 8-3. 5k rpm.
Infotainment, Ergonomics, and Interior Plastics – This is where to me M& M excelled. Ergonomics were spot on. Infotainment was not refined and has been buggy during our TD unfortunately he good for the most part.
Seating – From the EON in order to XUV700, We felt comfortable thanks to the well-cushioned seat contours in the particular front. The particular rear seats are certainly very roomy which could accommodate 3 people comfortably also for good long drives.
Braking – The 2-tonne machine is able in order to get halted to 0 from 90 within 30m which is just not great but a great one. I possibly could clearly feel reduced nose dive comparing HARRIER & XUV500.
Wheels & Tyres – AX7 comes along with the 18″ and anything less compared to AX7 comes with 235/65 – R17″. I personally liked the AX5 alloy design.
All LED Illumination – This particular is something TATA should learn from M& M. The headlight is so powerful as well as the aided booster lamp that arrives into action after 80kmph gives a good sense of what is around.
ADAS – The killer feature of the particular package. During the test drive itself I was very amazed with the ADAS part especially the particular AEB plus Auto-Pilot when I had been driving the AT. I am sure this will be the next “marketing” function that every manufacturer will certainly bring towards the table.
Panoramic Sunroof — One good reason for opting AX5 was the large sunroof which M& Meters calls the particular “Skyroof”. It is indeed very large, unlike some other manufacturers M& M did not do any cost-cutting simply by offering poor curtains to it.
Sony 3D Surround – I personally felt it was good however, not definitely the very best. And somehow it has been up to the hype.

Negatives

3rd Row Space – Usable for kids. Yet it was not a concern to myself as mostly travel with 5 individuals.
Lack of few usable features for AX5: Steering RH Controls + Cruise, Auto Fold ORVM, Boss Setting, Auto-dimming IRVM (unfortunate that will even the top AX7L does not boast this)
Blower Controls for that second row (Harrier Twins missed this too)
Variant-wise features breakup and exposure to the general public and the sales had been really less – This will be explained in a later stage.

Keeping in mind the budget and priorities, we booked the seven hundred AX5 Diesel MT upon the very same day. Within I had been still battling in my thoughts b/w AX5 Petrol and Diesel, The particular tentative delivery date do not pop up for some weeks plus the M& M site dropped me a bomb from the Feb 2023 timeline. Meanwhile, I joined the most active Facebook and WhatsApp groups and was hearing their experiences.

A month later to the booking, my alliance discussions concluded and the wedding date was simply two months away. And then I actually realized we’re able to not possess the beast for our wedding. Wrote a couple of e-mails in order to M& Mirielle higher authorities to see if the shipping can be preponed. But nothing worked.

During the month associated with April 2022, got to understand from one of my friends that Ramani Motors Coimbatore had a couple of AX5 Petrol in stock. Considering the long wait for Diesel + Availability associated with Petrol + I experienced Petrol would make sense just for the annual driving of max. 15k, landed towards the conclusion associated with taking home the AX5 Petrol 7STR Manual White.

Sealed the deal with the particular booking for Petrol Variant with RAMANI and asked for PDI so that we can make the payment.

Plus for a surprise, RAMANI Motors Salesperson introduced us an AX7L P MT and AT for the Test-Drive since I told him on the phone that I missed experiencing AX7L Petrol and drove only the particular top-end Diesel powered. Good and proactive.

Here is the beast standing up in front of our sweet house

We traded the Hyundai EON ERA+, which did only 43K within the 10 years’ time for 2. 25Lakhs with RAMANI Mahindra. Throughout its ten years with us, EON never failed us. It was in pristine condition without any paint chips or even rust.

Here is a look in our great old EON

Below was the split-up

Ex Show: 17, 18, 000
RTO: 2, 65, 585
EON Trade: : 2, 25, 000
Insurance: The dealer quoted one, 30, 000. Negotiated to 64, 500 with the particular deal I got through Royal Sundaram and Policy Bazaar.
Accessories: They offered me 25k worth of accessories and I liked nothing. Hence politely declined. The ones I preferred were out of stock with them. I choose in order to go along with only the rear bumper.

Hence I ordered the Reverse Parking Camera, Mudflaps, Touchscreen Scratch guard, and front side parking sensors (which later on I sensed useless to max) from M2ALL plus 7D Matts from Coozo. All the mentioned ordered accessories cost me 12. 5k.

On-Road require me to pay 20, 54, 550 INR and including the EON exchange the particular final invoice was eighteen, 29, 550. Above it, I opted for the 2-year extended warranty for 26k for peace of brain.

We were given the Engine and Chassis Numbers. Thanks to TeamBHP’s article on decoding VIN numbers. Concluded that the vehicle was manufactured on April 2022.

PDI 1: Went with my buddies (Sudakar, Siddarth and Arun). Did happen to see the car, plus feel the interiors and outside. Yet the vehicle did not really start. It was a Sunday, looks like they have got removed the particular fuse with regard to safety purposes the salesperson politely required us in order to visit all of them again.
PDI 2: PDI went all smoothly accompanied by our brother Prakash. All of us glanced at the car as well as the car ran only 13kms which has been fine. There was only a small color chip in the rear passenger door which the dealer/sales agree to fix this either throughout the delivery or 1st service.

We produced the payment in the month associated with May plus the car was registered on 26th May 2022.

We requested the shipping a day before our own Wedding. June 01, 2022.

THE Deb DAY

With all happiness around, i was eager to welcome the particular beast. We all requested in order to deliver to our home. The salesperson (Santhosh) appeared sharply at the requested 9 AM period and had been helpful throughout the process.

And that’s when I happened to notice another small grenade which neither the salesman, dealer, or even the particular experts were clear regarding it that time. It was AX5 Gas Manual missing ESP. This came as a shocker but could not do something other than feel bad for lacking it. Actually did not know what M& M to leave this feature regarding a 21Lakh AX5 Petrol Manual.

Good job Mahindra for creating a huge confusion around it.

First 1 . 5k km

The particular car blazing completed the first service within the span of a month. Newly married travels across houses and temple visits made all of us cover it to the fullest speed. We travelled a 450 km temple drive plus came back tireless. We mainly travelled because 3-5 people with minimal luggage. Viewing MID was obviously a bit associated with a surprise sometimes (Yup! Nobody prefers seeing 8. 5kmpl within MIDs).

Actually, CAI Industries is the particular nearest ASC for me. Since I took the car with RAMANI, I had been inclined to leave the first support alone from RAMANI.

A few concerns left on their note are:

Faced suspension “thud” noise from your driver’s side.
Request to install the add-ons from M2ALL – Invert camera, parking sensors, and mudflaps.
Gear shifts had been slightly notchy.

I used to be not happy with all the cleaning done. Happened to swirl marks close to the piano black areas of ORVM plus door panels. Reported back to them. The next day, Arunkumar from Services immediately required an appointment, visited the office in order to clean this with the rubbing compound, and promised it won’t occur next time. Arun agreed about the mistake happened and he was very genuine and polite clearing our few additional doubts along with the key.

The services Bill has been 0 Rs. as the particular first service is just complimentary.

As RAMANI being 40 kms away from my house and twenty kms away from my office, I decided to opt intended for CAI to get the future.

The beast was ready for a short trip through Coimbatore to Kumbakonam.

Had an 800 kms trip in order to Kumbakonam. The overall trip was very good and tireless. We journeyed with 5 Passengers with half a boot of luggage. Had a few issues with Alexa’s Network Connectivity (Courtesy of Vodafone)

Felt two things, one was the bit concerning

Thud Noise carried on. It was more pronounced in the velocity breakers.
Floaty feeling > 110kmph. The car felt quite floaty and felt lacking connection along with the Tarmac. (I Thought missing traction control/ESP can be a reason).

Reported the same via email to M& M authorities. Immediately the CAI Industries had been tasked. I should thank Mr. Dileep plus Mr. Ronald for taking immediate measures in addressing them. The particular good part was, Ronald and Dileep were in touch to realize if the floaty feel issue respawn pertaining to me. Fortunately, it failed to occur after that.

Had the wonderful 1200 kms generate with 4 passengers + 75% boot from Coimbatore – Salem – Chennai, which assisted me in order to test the particular boundaries of the car. The entire drive was super exciting and all of us returned without having a tired (we stayed in Chennai for a night).

Few Niggles

I felt the rear camera was creating issues, therefore requested the replacement with M2ALL during July. The replacement took time as M& M upgraded to the new camera module (which is somewhat better than the particular previous 1 in terms of low-light quality).

AC was not really up to mark. It got at least 30-45mins to cool the cabin with the outside temperature being 27-29 degrees. Reported the same to CAI, and they cleaned the internal HVAC filter.

As a response to point one, they retorqued the suspension. Unfortunately, the issue respawns once again and also within the pedal area. Interestingly, once i posted about this upon WhatsApp and FB numerous commented that they faced the same. Hence, We took the particular initiative associated with Google Forms to collect the data from the owners who were facing the problem and published it in order to M& Meters authorities (Mr. Anand, Mister. Velu plus Ms. Asha).

I immediately got a call through the Regional Head. I am glad that will he had taken overall feedback about the particular vehicle and also guaranteed to address this issue. He mentioned that the problem raised is being discussed internally and those who have raised the concern along with me will be notified of the updates within a month. Very glad that M& M will be actively listening to customers. And instantly a pickup was scheduled to tackle this. CAI inspected my car meant for a spin and rewrite and addressed the suspension system issue lubricating the bushes. And magically after the service: -p the sound faded away plus has not spawned back again until now.

The rear digital camera niggle and the AC issue were addressed during the very exact same visit. I actually should really thank CAI. They take the comments seriously plus act on it to their best.

one 5-5k km run

It really is August right now, beast has completed close to 3k km’s. Mostly it is just me, my wife, and the mother traveling in the particular car. And occasionally along with 7 individuals with a few luggage.

The particular beast has been returning a decent 10. 5kmpl within City and 12-12. 5kmpl within highways (between 1. 8-2. 5k rpm) – both are tank-to-tank figures.

Along with September, the beast has done close to 4. 5k kms today courtesy of the particular trips in order to Isha, Attapadi, Pollachi + occasional city rides.

MID occasionally touched 13-13. five in freeway rides (tank to tank was twelve. 5kmpl) and kept tight with 11. 5 in city trips (tank to Tank designed for the city was 10. 8kmpl) that is not the bad a single for this 200BHP beast.

With this, what I felt M& M could have done better was to add the below features plus charge a couple of thousand extra.

Definitely the ESP. Not sure why M& M ignored this or even at least should have clearly mentioned it in the brochures or educated the sales teams. This is a costly miss. If anybody from M& M is usually reading this, I really wish you find a way in case this can be added in order to the existing clients even with extra costs.. I do understand that might cost 30-40k and the skilled job. But ought to save families.
Steering mounted RH controls + Cruise Controls (21lks car missing this is a shame) – Must have
One touch Up and Down a minimum of to the driver’s side just for AX5 – Must have
Auto fold ORVM — Must have
Central Locking in order to close almost all windows and sunroof. (Interestingly, the sunroof will close if you keep pressing the lock key) – Should have
Cooled glovebox (which is within AX7) : Not a must but a welcome addition
Push button start (which is in AX7) – Not a must but the welcome inclusion

And the magic occurred with the particular suspension recall throughout the month of September.

Meanwhile, had been exploring the options for seat covers, keep a tab on this particular thread with regard to interesting up-dates on the same.

Plus it may be certainly interesting!

Right now the particular ODO is at 8. 8k. Keep a person all submitted with more encounters with our drive to Munnar, Canister Recall, and many more with photos in the following update.

Below are a few a lot more random pics from our PDI to recently.