XUV 500 Rocks!!!

Exterior

 The Cheetah inspired XUV 5OO is a best looking SUV from front & side. But, somewhat the rear tailgate looks less impressive & I personally feel the styling from side has not carried over to tail appropriately. The cut & curves everywhere makes a bold style statement. The headlamps are mounted elegantly. The overall stance of XUV 500 is attractive & its indeed an eye catcher.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

The Interior has lot to offer. Right from the speedometer to the air con controls in the 3rd row seats, there are plenty of features loaded in this Car. The steering controls, cruise control, blue tooth connectivity, rain sensing wipers, follow me & lead me to head lamps, dual gloves boxes, arm rest, chiller box, sun glass holder, conversation mirror, reading lamps, lounge lighting, cornering head lamps, auto door lock, cell chargers, tiltable steering, engine immobiliser etc all comes equipped. The Vehicle is spacious & driver seat position is situated high for a commanding view of the road. But, somewhat I am not very comfortable with the under thigh support of the driver seat. The ingress & egress to the Car is bit effortful due to its high seating. The Automatic AC does a good Job. 2nd Row A/C vents are placed on the B pillar, 3rd Row A/c has a separate compressor & chills quickly even before the 1st row A/C. The flat floor & the arm rest doesn’t intrude into the 2 row that helps the middle passenger to sit comfortably.   

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

The mHawk 2.2 Lit engine is very powerful & torque-key, so the City drive and Highway drives are effortless. I drove up to 165 KMPH & the Car was stable, still some power was left in the engine, but the road condition was not favoring for more speed. The W6 doesnt come with ESP & thus one could feel body roll at sharp curves at greater speeds. The Handling of the Car is quite easy, steering is handy & responsive, one handed driving is quite possible in the City drives. The Fuel economy of the Car is not that great as what ARAI has certified (ie, 15.4 KMPL). I am getting an average of 10 KMPL in City & 12.5 KMPL on highways. I always like to speed & accelerate harshly & may be this could be the reason for less fuel economy. The Gear Box is cable operated & it is not so smooth. At times, it feels notchy. The gear ratios are placed perfectly.  

Ride Quality & Handling

The Engine refinement is superb & you don’t feel the engine noise inside and well as the traffic noise. Well insulated. The ride is super smooth & silky on flat good roads. But, on bad roads, the ride is bouncy due to hard suspension. The suspension could have been bit soft. Handling of the vehicle is similar to a sedan car. One handed driving is quite possible in the city drives. Braking is not sharp, could have been better.

Final Words

The XUV 5OO is absolutely a VFM Car without any doubt. Its contemporary design, monocoque chassis, powerful engine, endless features, spacious cabin & a 7 seater at times all make this machine a best SUV in the Indian auto market. The cherry on the cake is its pricing. People contemplating to buy fortuner, audi, endeavor,yeti, pajero etc should take a serious look at this Car. You only get a foreign badge (ie, Status Symbol) for the more lacs you pay. XUV 5OO might have few niggles here & there, but, it is surely a more practical car for Indian conditions. 

Areas of improvement  

Quality of Interior Plastics, Under thigh support of the driver seat, Suspension etc are areas of improvement. 

 

 

 

Great VFM, Endless features, spaciousHard suspension, Less under thigh support