The Cheetah Effect

Finally own an SUV. The chaps at NBS, Mumbai did a great job of pushing through my bookings which came with a Feb 2012 delivery date and delivered the car by Dec 11 itself. Can imagine a lot of people pushing the delivery dates to 2012 to get a better resale value, but somehow I never understood the concept so, Dec 2011 works for me.

Its was a collective high for our little family to own an SUV and the XUV makes it so much more special. The feature list is endless and a lot of it actually works. I am currently tripping on the bluetooth phone connection with the infotainment system of the car. The Navigation system and GPS is next on my deciphering list. Still have to get a hang of using the auto lights, AC and steering control. But what a package and what a drive. The number of times I have feared bikers coming too close to take a closer look, the questions I have answered to strangers on the car and people who are still in the dark of the XUV launch actually think its an international brand, in Mumbai, is unbelievable.

On the flip side, the gear box is a bit notchy. Pushing it through its paces does not feel sorted and clean. Having owned an Fiesta before, it definitely is an area which needs improvements. And the doors don't closely cleanly till you really bang it shut. That’s such an irritant. The car whistles at higher RPM's which maybe, is a diesel thing. Minor issues which could have helped making the car, good to great.

On the drive itself, overall, brilliant. Feels wow with the turbo kicking in after 2000 rpm's. You are literally pushed back into the plush leather seats as you surge ahead. If you have driven a Scorpio (which I had recently), the stark difference is like heaven and hell. Literally.

Also managed to drive an Innova recently and the ride/ build quality of the Toyota MUV was indeed better. The car was sorted, steering was precise and incredibly comfortable. I do have my misgivings on the design and coffin-shaped styling, but the drive softened my view and it is a great car. Wished the XUV had taken a few tips on the engineering aspects of the Innova.