Mahindra XUV500 facelift

India loves big cars, and if it is going to be stylish and feature loaded, we will adore it even more. Mahindra, one the oldest SUV manufacturers in India, seems to have understood this concept quite well. When they finally came up with their first monocoque SUV, the XUV500, they ensured that it had the right mix of brawn and brain. History books were rewritten as we witnessed the success story of the XUV500. It has been ruling the Rs 12 to Rs 15-lakh SUV segment ever since its launch four years ago.

However, products need to change with time to avoid becoming outdated or obsolete and Mahindra has hence launched facelifted version of the XUV500, showing that it likes to stay abreast with the changing times and the look of the new car is proof for this train of thought. We spent some time with the 2015 XUV500 to find out if Mahindra has got it right again or if they have gone a bit too far!

The new XUV500 gets major changes on the cosmetic front. The fascia gets the most with an updated grille which sports chrome teeth like bits – something we believe portrays the Cheetah’s claws. In order to make the grille look more promising, Mahindra has added a small strip of chrome on the top. I like the new bumper that houses bigger fog lamps. However, the chrome surrounding the fog lamps is too much of bling for the already over designed front. I feel that body coloured surrounds would have looked much better.

The headlight loses out on the white LED stripes but now get ‘S’ shaped light guides, which add to the a visual appeal. The bonnet gets a crease line that starts from the windscreen and goes all the way till the headlamps to give the car a macho stance.

Move over to the side and you will see a chrome strip running below the window line and redesigned 17-inch wheels. It also gets a new door handles, where the driver side gets a button for the keyless entry. Our test car was the top-end W10 variant which has rear view mirrors with integrated puddle lamps that look really good, though it is a feature that is more of a feel-good factor and does make an impression.

At the rear, there are hardly any changes save for the addition of a new chrome strip above the number plate that looks nice. Also, there is the new electric sunroof which is only available on the W10 variant.

For most of the people, with all that bling the facelifted XUV500 is surely going to look attractive. But if you look at the front for five minutes, the design looks very busy and overdone. But at the end of the day, the XUV500 is meant to look like a brute on the road, and it sure does.

On the inside, the facelifted XUV500 gets a new black and beige setup that looks nice. Because of this colour combination, the cabin feels quite roomy though I suspect that it is more of a psychological thing. Mahindra has retained the basic layout of the dashboard from the outgoing model, but has focused on small things and that seems to make a huge difference. The amber backlight has made way for the new blue one which is quite soothing. For people who love new tech in cars, you have the keyless entry and all you got to do is, keep the key in your pocket and just push the start button, which is placed on the bottom of the centre console.

The blue ambient lamp, surrounding the white roof lamps, feel premium and can be switched on by the push of the button on the centre console. However, the white roof lamps are the brightest I have ever seen in any car and illuminate the cabin really well. Mahindra has also reworked the seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system and it now gets a reverse camera with dynamic guidelines, which is a welcome feature for a car of this size.

I particularly liked the fact that the maps give detailed information and guidelines about the route ahead. You can use Mahindra’s Blue Sense smartphone app to control the music and also the climate control. One of the newest additions is that the driver gets a six-way adjustable electric seat which is pretty easy to use. Mahindra has also added illuminated scuff plates on the door sill that has the XUV500 branding. You also get the sporty aluminium pedals that look nice, unfortunately the one on our test car had already come lose.

There are no changes to the seats and continue to be comfortable with decent amount of leg and head room in the first and the second row. Just like the outgoing model, keep the third row only for kids. Don’t think of carrying big bags if you plan to go on a vacation with seven passengers, because there is hardly any room behind the third row.

I am impressed with the new interiors and their overall quality, however, I didn’t like the way the buttons the centre console were designed. You will find it difficult to identify the ones that have been activated due to their brightness being hidden by sunlight.

The heart of the XUV500 remains unchanged. It continues to be powered by the 2.2-litre m-Hawk diesel engine that churns out 140bhp and 330Nm of peak torque. This mill is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox that offers smooth shifts. Mahindra has reduced the final drive of the facelifted XUV500 to aid city driving and it really does.

There isn’t drastic change in the way XUV drives, but I found the car to be quicker and more responsive to throttle inputs in lower gear. The turbo kicks in from 1500rpm, however, below that, turbo lag isn’t really noticeable. Due to very good low and mid-range, the XUV500 feels quick to drive in the city traffic. The 2.5 tonne SUV manages to do 100kmph in just under 2000rpm in the sixth gear.

Mahindra is claiming a new ARAI fuel efficiency figure of 16kmpl – an increase of 0.9kmpl. This was achievable due to a new alternator (that disconnects from the engine, when it detects the engine is under load) and optimisation of gearing. I didn’t see the vehicle stressing itself at high speed but saw the fuel efficiency drop down pretty quick.

The XUV500 drives and feels like a proper big SUV and this is one of the reasons of its success. However, in order to take things forward in a better way, the company has incorporated lot of feedbacks from its customers. There were complaints about the old XUV500 not being very stable at high speeds. Mahindra has solved this by stiffening up the front suspension and the anti-roll bars. This has changed the dynamics of the XUV500 significantly.

The overall ride quality is on the stiffer side and that means the handling department has improved marginally. I went over quite a few potholes in the pre-monsoon Mumbai roads, but surprisingly, didn’t get tossed around much. The steering weighs up correctly but there is a room for improvement. There is a great deal of body roll, but that is part and parcel of driving an SUV.

It didn’t take time to get used to the facelifted XUV500 but under braking, I thought I was in a new car. The brakes are sharper and you get the bite right from the start but there was some play in the pedal and that needs to be addressed. The car comes with the latest generation of ESP from Bosch which offers more than enough control under hard braking. The 235/65 Duelers from Bridgestone performed well and on the wet surface offered great grip. These tyres emitted lot of noise, irrespective of whether it was a tarmac road or the cement. I wasn’t a big fan of the NVH levels of the XUV500. There is a big room for improvement in this department.

Mahindra has put in efforts to genuinely improve the XUV500. We feel the changes in the front are a bit over-done, though looks are subjective and a lot of people would love the way the new car looks. The changes in the interior colours have given a premium look while the feature list adds to the wow factor. With the improved dynamics, the XUV500 is definitely tempting. What needs to be seen though, is if Mahindra has been able to address the electronic niggles the previous car faced.

Priced at Rs 11.2 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the base W4 variant, the XUV500 is easily the most affordable premium seven-seater SUV. The new top spec W10 FWD variant costs Rs 14.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and the only competitor I could think of is the Toyota Innova. Though the Innova scores way less than the XUV500 when it comes to looks and features, it is known for seating comfort and no niggles. In the absence of any real competition, the XUV500 offers you a very good value for money proposition, something that the Indian buyer starts off considering as a basic requirement.