Engine malfunction with a new Rexton RX6

Exterior Very good. Simple, understated lines, with badges all around the car. Looks very classy.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Very good. Plush and spacious. The steering is a bit quirky with too many controls tough. The horn press diameter is too small though, requiring one to leave one hand from the steering to honk (can't use just the thumb). No direct switch to pick up an incoming call from the steering even though there are 8 switches on it. The built-in infotainment system is quite underpowered (in terms of processor) and is sluggish to respond. Hands free calling (over bluetooth) works well. 4 charging points all across the car. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox When it works the engine performance is good. One is able to steer at low and high speeds, almost (though not quite) like a petrol car. The ESP appears to provide the car with stability, so the body roll is not too pronounced - though I have not tried sharp turns at 100 kmph. I am possibly getting 8-9 kms per litre though its too soon as I've just ran less than my first tankful.

The gear box is a bit clunky, and has a large stick throw, which is takes getting used to, after driving sedans. 

Ride Quality & Handling Is good and smooth. Handling is quite easy and I am guessing that the ESP must be reducing the body roll, which a vehicle of this height is expected to have. One is able to negotiate in bumper to bumper traffic easily since the steering is light and the engine quite responsive overall.

Final Words Here's where the catch is: Quality Control and After Sales Service. Within 6 days of buying my new Rexton, my 'engine check' light on the dashboard lit up, indicating something was wrong with the engine. This is a light I have never seen in my other 2 cars even after years of running them. My family got stranded on a roadside dhaba on a highway, and I called Mahindra Customer Service. To be fair to them, they were quite responsive and eventually my vehicle was towed to the nearest service station (in Meerat), about 50 kms away from where my car was stuck.

The technician in the Meerat service station was unable to even get his laptop to connect to the car. He wasn't adequately trained to handle a Rexton, even though this was one of the authorised, and big, service stations in that area. Result - they could not figure out what was wrong with the car. Meanwhile, the engine light miraculously disappeared. Since this has happened before (on the 3rd day of buying and just doing about 200 kms), I decided to drive back to Noida.

Whether this issue eventually gets fixed or not, there are two things to highlight here.

Quality Control

It's one thing for a new car to develop minor snags, like wipers not working or side view mirrors not folding. It's another thing to have a core piece of machinery, the ENGINE (!), not working correctly. That too, within 6 days of buying it.

This is a lack of quality control procedures or a lack of enforecement, and seriously reduces the customer trust on the product. And this problem has been faced by others as this (detailed) article on the Team-BHP site shows.

Aftersales service

Mahindra's Customer Care is quite responsive, and I think they did the best they could to make sure that we were troubled the least, given the fact that my car was stuck in a slightly remote area (Garhmukteshwar). However, what does trouble me the training that has been provided to the technicians of even large dealerships in handling Rexton.

The technician at the Meerut Service Station, as I mentioned before, could not even get his computer to connect to the car's ECM. This is very troubling, since I do a lot of road trips, sometimes to remote locations.

Good handling, well crafted interiors, tough bodyBraking, steering too light