Mahindra XUV 500 review and specifications

Mahindra XUV 500  review and specifications

Mahindra & Mahindra has put India on to the global scenario with its newly design based SUV – the Mahindra XUV 500 . With this product, Mahindra now has 5 UV products in its portfolio.www.eraofyouth.com

The US $12.5 billion Mahindra Group has a fleet of UVs and it has given some of the sturdiest and rugged cars to India. Prominent among it was iconic Mahindra Jeep that had ruled Indian rural roads for decades. Later, not only did the Mahindra SUVs become more comfortable but powerful as well.

 The recent addition— the XUV 500— is an absolutely new car, built from scratch by the Mahindra design team. The Mahindra XUV 500 is a global standard SUV that is going to embark the company on a world-wide platform. Originally codenamed Mahindra W201, the XUV500 received its name recently before its launch on September 29.

 Pronounced as Mahindra XUV500 with the last to ‘00’ pronounced as alphabet ‘OO’, it symbolizes activeness and the agility besides the quickness it has as an SUV. Mahindra has arrived at the design of this SUV after an intensive research and survey that is said to have been conducted in various western markets besides India. Apart from this, the SUV also has been tested to be perfect on many destinations including Europe, Australia and South Africa. After launch in India, the Mahindra XUV 500 will be marketed in South Africa.

 Besides the design, Mahindra XUV 500 features a unique exterior styling, an array of technologies that is nowhere visible in the SUVs already in place by Mahindra. In addition, the global design brings with it the global standards as well in this SUV. Mahindra’s Research Valley engineers have burnt their midnight oil to make this happen and it is with the help of their efforts that XUV 500 is able to be developed on global standards.

This is the first car from the Mahindra brand that is based on a monocoque chassis. Contrary to the conventional design in which the car is made of a frame and then it is covered with lightweight metal sheets, the XUV 500 body is a single piece body in which the body and chassis are one piece.

 It also has the first-ever transversely placed engine by Mahindra and this has increased the passenger space inside and has also improved safety in case of an impact besides a larger crumple zone. Thus Mahindra XUV is much safer and crash resistant than any of the other Mahindra SUV offering. Land Rover LR2 Freelander and Volvo cars employ transversely placed engine in their cars. Such first in class features make this SUV at par with global standards. Incorporating such features has made XUV500 to compete with global SUVs in terms of global norms, safety regulations and emission standards. In India, XUV500 will create its own unique space and is place above Mahindra Scorpio and the big SUV daddies from India.

 Mahindra XUV 500 has 2179cc mHawk engine that also powers the Mahindra Scorpio and now even the Xylo. The common rail diesel engine produces 140bhp which is enough to cruise the XUV500 on road or off-road. Most noteworthy is the torque which is 330Nm that lets the new SUV to move around easily even in snail-paced city traffic. There is a six-speed manual gearbox in XUV 500 with a torque on demand mechanism. There are two variants on the XUV 500, one is a two-wheel drive model while the other is a four-wheel drive model. Micro-hybrid technology is also used in the XUV500 for better fuel efficiency.

 Mahindra XUV 500 Mileage

Despite being loaded with 140bhp power, XUV 500 is still frugal. Mahindra XUV 500 Mileage is 12kmpl in the city and 14 kmpl on the highways . ARAI certified mileage on the highway is 15.1 kmpl. Fuel tank capacity of this new Mahindra SUV is 70 litres.

Power of Mahindra XUV 500

A 2179cc mHawk diesel engine that currently powers Mahindra Scorpio powers the Mahindra XUV 500 as well. The CRDi engine is capable of producing 140 bhp of maximum power and a maximum torque of 330 Nm . The 2.2L engine is able to produce 140 Bhp (103kW) at just 3750 rpm and it produces the torque of 330 Nm at as low as 1600-2800 rpm. This low rpm makes Mahindra XUV 500 challenge any off-road and the city traffic as well. It has a 6-speed manual transmission and there is no automatic transmission option available on the XUV 500.

Mahindra XUV 500 Interior

Step inside the new XUV 500 and you will realize that there is something extraordinary in place inside it. On the inside there is a comfortable seating for seven people, two at the front, and three on the middle row and two at the rear. The passenger side bench type seat in the middle row is foldable. The two seats in the last row are also foldable and the space works as a boot with it in a folded state.

The dash that houses a long central console is the one that grabs the attention of the person entering the SUV. On the central console, there is a 6-inch touchscreen monochrome/color display on the top besides audio controls and the AC controls below it.

There are four AC vents on the front dash, two on the sides of the central console and one on either side. The steering wheel of the Mahindra XUV 500 is a mix of sporty looks and functionality. Its one half is a steering wheel and the other half is a remote control to the audio so that numbers keep shuffling while the SUV growls on-road and off-road. It also has cruise control buttons on it. Placed just behind the steering wheel is the sporty twin-pod shaped instrument cluster that combines, looks and functionality.

The interior is clad in beautiful two-tone shade with fabric/leather upholstery. Besides, the cabin is lighted to set the mood. There are also background lights that highlight the door handles. The internal rear view mirror has manual night view feature. Just above the internal rear view mirror there is sunglass holder box along with another small box for keeping some essentials. The dash also has a spacious glove box that can even accommodate a small laptop in it. The interior plastic quality is good and it is at par with the global standard that the Mahindra XUV 500 vouches.

Interior Comfort

Contrary to the image of an SUV, XUV 500 has unbeatably comfortable interiors. The material used inside has a comfort feel apart from a lot of functionalities that are there in this SUV. Overall, Mahindra XUV 500 takes care of even little comfort features viz. an umbrella holder that is no where seen in any of the SUVs and that is why the SUV has lots of features that make this car stand apart from others.

Interior comfort starts with the agile nature of the XUV 500 that is further complemented by the mHawk engine that gives a low NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) . Besides the new SUV has a seating for 7 people but the last row acts as a boot in a folded state. The front seats are ergonomically designed and have lumbar support. The driver seat is 8-way adjustable including height adjustment feature. The front seats have height adjustable seat belts in the front row.

There is a cool box between the front seats. There are also two cup holders between the gear knob and the cool box. The door handles have background lights and are highlighted so that these are accessible even in dark. Besides, the room lamp has the same shade lighting. Mahindra XUV 500 also has a sunglass holder just above the internal review mirror besides a conversation mirror just above it so that the driver can talk to the rear passengers without turning his head. The glove box in the dash is also spacious and even a laptop can be stored in it.

The central console is the key area where the comfort enhancements are controlled. It is well within the comfortable reach of the driver and houses a 6-inch color display with voice activated module that displays information regarding the navigation, music being played and some other information. There is also a music system on the central control with DVD player. The music system can be connected to an iPOD with the help of a USB port besides the Bluetooth connectivity for phone . The console also has AC controls. The air conditioner has fully automatic temperature control with dual HVAC . The central console also has a glove box on its top.

The leather clad, ergonomically designed tilt and telescopic adjustable steering has various controls on it including Cruise, audio, phone & voice command switches. In order to quickly open the driver side window screen, there is a driver side express down button. The tail gate is remote operated and locking and unlocking the SUV 500 is far easier with the flip key with remote central locking. The ORVMs are electrically foldable and adjustable. Mahindra XUV 500 takes care of all the three rows well with reading lamps for the all the three rows along with mobile charging points .

In order to avoid sunrays disrupting the vision through the front windscreen there is a tinted solar reflecting glass used in it. The rear windscreen has a wash and wipe feature besides a rear demister for better visibility. If it is SUV it is bound to access bad weather as well and for it, Mahindra XUV 500 has rain sensing wipers.

There are also array of lamps including Puddle lamps, Entry assist lamp, Door ajar lamps, Camping lamps on the XUV 500. There is also an umbrella holder in Mahindra XUV 500.

Interior Measurements

Being a big SUV, the XUV 500 interior space is also decent. There is very good headroom, legroom and shoulder room at the front and the middle row. However, the last row is a little cramped and only two people can fit in.

Braking & Handling

With a mammoth power underneath, styling and a torque rich engine, one will surely stretch it to its top-speed and knowing this, Mahindra has fitted a robust braking mechanism in the XUV 500. Both the front and rear brakes are disk & caliper type.

The suspension system is designed on the basis of a monocoque design and all the four wheels have independent suspension to give the occupants an untiring comfort and so that even the larger potholes on Indian roads do not worry XUV 500. The front has a McPherson type with anti-roll bar and the rear suspension is a Multilink type with anti-roll bar.

Handling the Mahindra XUV 500 is far easier that any of Mahindra’s SUVs. It has a turning radius of only 5.6m and with a high torque at low rpm engine, it works well in the city and with 140bhp power it runs well on the highways as well. The powerful engine also enables the 2450 Kg SUV to move around in an agile manner. In addition to an effective bothdisc braking system, the XUV 500 also has Anti-lock Braking system that ensures that the car brakes do not lock even in times of panic braking. There is also an Electronic Stability Program that keeps Mahindra XUV 500 on track even on curvy turns. Furthermore, XUV 500 also has Hill Hold and Hill Descent control making it suitable even for hilly areas. With the ESP in it, climbing or descending from a hill is no uphill task for XUV 500.