Mahindra XUV500 [2011-2015] User Reviews

Exterior This is a sure shot head turner and at times, you would be stopped by enquisitive passer by to know more about the car. Those who miss the logo take it for granted that is a foreign import. The looks are imposing and you get your right to overtake the moment they see you in their rear view mirror.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Again superb by Mahindra standards. Only some plastics like light switch console needs to be better and I am sure Mahindra will take care of it in next production cycle.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine is powerful and has returned me a FE of 13.4 in city and 14.8 with full time AC on. I have driven it at top speed of 150 kmph effortlessley, with enough power left to rev it further.

The gear box needs some improvement as the gears are little hard and I was told they would be better after first servicing. Now the gear shift is marginally better. Putting the reverse gear requires some practice and patience though.

The vehicle is a breeze to drive on highways on 5th and 6th gear and engine becomes very silent on these two gears. Also one can drive anywhere between 40 -120 on the 4th gear without any engine knocking.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is much refined compared to scorpio but not similar to innova. Needs some improvement on shock absorbers. They are relatively harder and one can feel the same on rough patches of the road. The vehicle is comfortable with high speed turns for the vehicle of this size and bulk. Features like cruise control make this vehicle a pleasure to drive on highways. Hill accent and decent is wonderful features for ghats without risk of overheating of the brakes. However offlate I am facing problem of hard brakes.

Coming to the breaking section, the vehicle performs wisely when there are 'Idiots of the road' who dont care for their life and others as well. Thanks to XUV's 4 discs, ESP, EBD, etc.. Good news is that Mahindra has listened to its customers and not giving improved brakes to the customers under warranty.

Final Words Mahindra has brought a 'Game Changer' on the road. They have been successfull in delivering a package which has a imposing design, reliable performance, and very good value for money for a Indian customer who has been wishing to buy a foreign SUV but held back by price.

Please do not compare this car with Fortuner or Captiva. You would be disappointed.

Areas of improvement If they make the middle row of seats movable like the front row, one can accomodate 3 people on the last row as well. Currently only kids can sit in last row and middle row is left with excess leg room. This can be utilised better by equipping the middle row seats with sliding capability to push them in front. I will update the review after getting new set of brakes

 I can provide more information to anyone who is seriously thinking of buying it. You can write to me on tusharphule@gmail.com

Looks, FE, FeaturesSeating in last row, Boot space, Suspension

Exterior Great.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Lots of features, lots of space and comfort.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The engine is not very refined, fuel economy is much less in city comditions(9 kmpl) then what the company claims. the gear box is a major problem. My car has only 4000 kms on it and i had to change the entire gear box recently.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is not very good specially on bad roads, u can literally feel each and every bumps and even the minor potholes.

Final Words Its cheap compared to other SUV's in the market and a very tempting buy because of its looks, features and road presence, but dont fall for that trap, its a very bad quality product.

Areas of improvement I would suggest the company to cut cost on some of the features like tyre pressure monitoring and the touch screen display as they dont even work that well, and spend some more mony on improving the  engine refinement, suspentions, gearbox and the overall quality of the vehicle.

looks and interior spaceEvery thing else

An Open letter to Mr. Anand Mahindra ( CMD Mahindra)

Dear Mr. Anand,

I have waited to write this letter for close to two years and completing 50000 km on your most favorite car XUV 500. Mr. Anand, You have let me down completely after being loyal customers to ur company for decades.

I was born to a Mahindra loyal family –Jeep(KLD 9535) in 1969 and my Dad upgrade it to a International and then MM540. Even my first 4 wheeler was MM 540 and I have upgraded to a scorpio and finally to XUV 500.

Before getting to my nightmares, let me appreciate for ur Look and Style, Comfort, Pickup good,
Mileage, good Features & design. But u have screwed up the quality of the componets totally.

Now Let me drive u through 2 years of hell!!

1. First at 6000 km, the music console got conked off, of course they replaced it quickly.

2. Power steering went out of gear at mysore, they say fluid leak, it took 2 hrs for the pick u truck to arrive and 4 days to get the Xuv back home at Bangalore.

3. V were all set for the Diwali holidays to Wayanad, another deep purple song “smoke on the bonnet, clutch on the sky” , next beak down clutch gone for a six, no stock at service center, delivery... after1 week.

4. Break is expected to get in to same boat again, expecting total recall by jan 2012, told by company representative.

5. Music console again got screwd, stopped working again 6 months after first replacement, on 8.12.12,( 30000km) i was directed by the service person meet a mechanic at koramanagala bangalore. He did some soldering work for almost 2 hrs, showed me how fantastically its working. But it lasted only for one day !!!! again back to pavilion. Reported the complaint, but mahindra has no system of recording. finally got the entire unit replaced.

6. The prediction came true. The next in the line was -break pad , given it to service station, they have replaced with the ver 2.0, as per them one more version is come already ver 3.0 not available with them so I had to get satisfied with of break pad ver 2.0 to add as per the service center they have also replaced the bushes since it was totally worn out.

7. Another outstation trip back home in the RAINY night 8.2.13, viper refused to move. I had to get back home with ancient system - tubaco leaf cleaning.( got it replaced after one whole day- as per the service center the electric system connected with the viper was also not working, any way they fixed it FREE of cost ( Mr. Anand Mahindra- where is the time value??).

8. Another trip to Wayanad, middle of the Jungle, break drum started making lot of noise, Also some noise from near the shocks (around 40000 km).

9. Again music console conked off for the 3rd time. Service center, claimed they replaced. 45000 km.

10. Another trip to my estates 2 days after 50000 km  routine service, on my way back Clutch conked off Again before 50k to Bangalore.

Exterior/ styleBad quality components

Just drove the car today morning.

A friend of mine brought it despite of researching a lot about te car...he blindly followed wat he looked at the first sight..DATS THE LOOKS OF THE SUV :(

First thot of giving a technical..feedback..but m giving  a lay mans feedback. One that majority will notice on the first drive..!!!

Wont comment on the looks as M& M have worked their ass on it.

Awesome looking car with tremendous features and gadgets and all.

BUT>>>>> WAT DO WE DO WITH A  CAR...We DRIVE IT.......!!! M&M FORGOT IT...

Bad steering wheel and noisey cabin.

Worst suspension ...a little speed breaker will make u air borne.....and ull do yoga in the car.

Mcpherson suspension do a shit job.

In the top gear .......the TURBO lag is there......car takes tyme to react to the throttle say a second or 2.

Cant imagine .......2.2 Litre Mhawk VGT engine engine is the same as in the Scorpio and i think it proved its worth more there rader in this car.

Drove the car for an hour doin cuts and cornners and also a lot of straight lanaes. MILEAGE - 11kmpl ( Lil Depressed)

17 inch tyres looked like a joke ....could have had 19inch for a change. Performance would have been better. Nor do they go well with the body.

As far as gadgets are compared and the dashboard is concerned ...would make you feel like you are in a COCKPIT of a JET the feel is awesome...... BUt In ABSENCE of performance its was not worth the mullah spent. 

Quality of plastic polymer used is poor.......seems grade 2 or 3......for a car of this level ....it should have been more refined.......and finished.

Now for a music lover like me...the incompany...audio and the speakers ..aint no good...cant M&M coolaborate with JBL .JVC..or BOSE ...when its called  a SUV and u gonna do thousand of kilometeres in it...why overlook the entertainment...segment....... .THe speakers purr like a CAT......and the systems reboot n number of times......SHIT TO THAT> >>

Cooling ///...gets a 5 star.

overall..........for an ordinary indian the two things dat matter the most are the looks and the performance.(  majority  give shit to gadgets and unecessary ....alarms and ....metres)

For LOOKS - 7/10

For Performance - 5/10

For Suspension - 4/10

For Steering and CABIN NOISE - 5/10

Styling , Comfort , LookPoor Engine....Bad Steering and Suspension , Poor Mileage

Writing the review with my 6 months experience (I have purchased W8 Model in May 2014) 😢

"Its just our luck whether we get good piece of vehicle or not"

"You can go for Mercedes or Audi if you want error less vehicle"

These are the statements from Mahindra dealer told when my vehicle gave big issue in first week of purchase. deside your self whether to buy or not if dealers themself does not have confindence on the vehicle. I have waited for 8 months to see how it performs and still its the same. Just though of wrting my views about the car.

Exterior: Nice; and this is the only best thing in the car. "Dont just go by looks"

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Space is nice even in the second row, this is the only good thing. many other features for name sake but not usefull much.

Info system never works properly. I never completed by 8GB usb drive from past 7 months, just because it will get restarted every other day or it will get stuck up suddenly and you need stop engine and remove the key to get the info system back.

Fitting it self not good in many places inside. 

Info system get stuck when u are in reverse gear also. If you have rare camera also not much usefull as its again connected to info system.

Tiretronics, and many other featurs given never works. even airbag symbol pops up suddenly for new reason.

And telescopic stearing : option is there but if you try to use it it will give big vibration on steering even at 60kmph speed

Plastic sound : you will feel that your is 20 years old from first 200km. it wil start giving continuous plastic sound and it will irritate a lot. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 it feels like good but huge sound many times just like that. I got engine and gearbox issue in 6 months it self. it may be one peice of the vehicle but company does not guarentee that you will get the errorless one.

Fuel economy is good for that big vehicle but it varies from 12 to 16 based on conditions. i have seen maximum of 16.8 and minimum of 11.9 in busy city like bangalore.

Ride Quality & Handling

feels good, handling also easy. but you may not be sure when it get stopped. i got issues four times in the middle on the journey and i stuckup waiting for towing vehicle and cancelled my travel.

Final Words

dont go by looks. bettter buy a proved vehicle like Innova or at least scorpio is better. i have got issues 4 times and stuck up on road waiting for taxi and towing vehicle. Mahindra say free roadside assitance for 2 years but all the times i received towng vehicle after 6,7 hours and me or my driver just waiting there for that. And they say taxi but just 50km which is use less when  you stuck up in forest. i feel they need to test the vehicle propperly then we dont be needing all these things even its free also.

Areas of improvement  

not worth on 17 lacs surely. starting from good fitting to interior to better quality, service etc. many things to be improved. i personally suggest not to buy it just by looks and specs. its some thing like buying china phone which has exactly same specs of iphone or samsung galaxy. 

Style and Spaceworst plastic sound & vibration, clutch system, gear box, engine

Exterior

 As said, the vehicle has a good imaginative body work done. Thanks to media promoting it as, so called " Cheetah Inspired " as told to them by M & M. ORVMs with turn indicators & parking light gives added flavour. Fibre fenders gives bulky & huge looks needed for a SUV. Door handles (Cheetah Paw) can be easily seen wid modulations in moulding. Curves & waves in plastic of handles gives d cheapest look. Come to the back of it, u will c just a square frame, wid just any other back-light/indicator units fixed on sides.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 The first look inside will give u royal look. :-) but once u settle down, the tables r turned one by one. Having length equal to innova & wheel base also just equal to innova, Space seems no-where near to innova. U make 1st row comfortable, 2nd row leg room gone. U make 2nd row comfortable (with back inclined more), 3rd row space is vanished. Sit crouched in d 3rd row & c back for boot space . . . NOTHING !  

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 Ofcourse engine basicaly is gud one, but still hav turbo lag. There r some fooling words in d air, like 5th / 6th generation engine, VGT, etc etc. nothing something special. Fuel economy can b said to b on fairer side with 10-12 in city conditions & 13-15 on highway. I was surprised by the long throws of Gears.How can a claimed SUV can hav such long throws. Gear engagement was acceptable.  

Ride Quality & Handling

 Suspention is on d stiffer side. One tend to jump out of seat, irrespective of the seat where u r sitting. Long drives seems to be a big NO-NO in this vehicle. The drive & ride quality is surely going to put all the riders under fatigue, vry vry early.  Handling is ok, as 17" wheels do nice work. 

Final Words

 It is a global SUV by name & certainly NOT even near to a global SUV. I think it should be compared with Force one SUV. ( I took only dimensional comparision from innova ). It looks like a heart-racer / head turner for few months...

Areas of improvement  

 Too long to be listed here.

 

Imaginative looks give fresh feelingCheap plastic used, Turbo lag

 

Exterior Great paint work. Decent body styling. Below average platics on skirting, tail light panels. Too much of glass on headlamps and tail light clusters. Bound to hit your wallet if you have a bang.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Excellent dash console loaded with goodies. Poor quality of plastics. Suspect will rattle once you clock in over 3,000 km. Finish of the fake woodwork is too cheap. Seatring space in drivers console is great. Rear first row has the best seating profile and leg room of all SUVs in the market. Would have prefered a rail on the mounting so seats could be slid and leg room adjusted.Third row seats are just showpieces. Zilch leg room. Can put children upto 4 years only on these seats.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Standard mHawk 2,2l engine with some tweaking. Expected a better power train for the price. Fuel economy yet to be proven. Smooth gearbox except for 2nd gear.

Ride Quality & Handling Smooth ride, but has slight side roll particularly when turning.

Final Words A commednable improvement on the Scorpio. But when you take in the pricing, the WOW factor diminishes.

Areas of improvement Considerable.

Good exterior finish. Comfortable drivers seats and rear seats. Nippy engineTacky plastics. Zero leg room in thrid row seats. Overpriced.

Exterior Amamzing exterior but no one buys cars just for exterior looks

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Just giving features is not enough, they should be atleast be useful, space is Ok when 4 to 5 passengers are travelling and last seats can used to keep luggage. If the count goes beyond 5, luggage will be a problem.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine performance, fuel economy is great but 1st and 2nd gear shift is as if we are driving a truck.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality and handling is good

Final Words Mahindra is not capable of launching an International brand. Mine was the 1st Red XUV in Delhi NCR. I have visited Koncept Automobiles at least 21 times and till date these people are not able to rectify problems like ABS, Cruise Control, brakes.

Every time you drive 300 to 400 kms ABS malfuction light glows and even after my XUV being inspected by team from Chakan plant it has not been rectified.

Cruise control is again a pain. It stops working abruptly and will only work again unless you restart the engine

Brakes are as if there are drum brakes on all four wheels because they are too slow in response 

Areas of improvement Mahindra should learn that though looks do matter but technology matters most.

Looks, Wheel Size, Lights.ABS, Cruise Control, Brakes, Plastic Interiors

Hello Friends,

Went through all your comments.

I cannot express how sick I feel realizing that I own a Mahindra XUV500 (2013 model – 13000 kms – spending almost Rs 17.25 lakhs of hard earned money) vehicle. I should have taken a proper review before buying this one and was really stupid trusting this brand.

I am now trapped in this circle same as you all (presently facing the Flywheel + Clutch assembly + Slave Cylinder issue for which India Garage in coordination with M&M is charging me around Rs 50,000.00) and would like to go any extent, at any cost, to take up this issue at the highest possible level for justice. The reason that they say for such occurrence is "Half Clutch Driving" !!!!!

Yesterday, when I went to take a look at the issue at India Garage (Whitefield, Bengaluru), reps there Mr. Dhruva & Ms. Rashmita informed that the Clutch Plate is burnt off and the Flywheeel is also having issues. However, I was informed by the reps that Flywheel shouldn’t have such issues at this stage (run for 13000 kms) and agreed that the same is very much due to some manufacturing defect, which was based on the inspection of the vehicle by Mr. Syed Khadri (CCM – Mahindra & Mahindra) a day before. Accordingly, I was informed that they will try to get some kind of exemption in cost (50%) for the Flywheel (which costs Rs 26k) from M&M. However, Clutch Plate & Slave cylinder replacement is mandatory and will be on my account which comes to around Rs 18k. During my telephonic discussion with M&M CCM, I was clearly informed that the usuall life cycle of Clutch Plate assembly (costing Rs 18k and another 26k for Flywheel if to be replaced) in their vehicles is between 5k kms to 25k kms, depending on the driving (resultant of Half Clutch Driving !!!!!). This means your vehicle Clutch Plate assembly will last for a maximum of 25k kms provided you only go on outstation drives which will have least usage of clutch and will not last more than 10k kms if you drive in the city limits.

Initially, India Garage reps had informed on phone that Suspension bushings are gone and when we asked yesterday, they said the bushings are fine. Also, we have been informed that the AC Filter needs to be replaced with a new one, which according to the vehicle booklet needs only cleaning (mentioned as C – Clean for life long and not R-Replace). India Garage hand in hands with M&M taking all their customers for granted thinking “ITS OK, FINALLY WHAT WILL THEY DO ? ”

Hence, request my friends here to come together to take up this issue legally against M&M immediately.

Mob: +91-9538XXXXX.

E-mail: XXXXXX.

Exterior / Style / SpacePerformance / Spare Part life cycle / M&M response to Customer complaints