Mahindra has come up with an improved version of their flagship SUV XUV500. The XUV500 was not without defects. And so Mahindra has worked upon these issues and purported the updated XUV as ‘zero-defect’ vehicle. Besides that, their plan to reduce the ground clearance has also been realised in the newer version. To nullify the defects of the XUV500 and to improve the overall build quality were the focus behind the act. A very common issue that the Mahindra XUV500 posed to the driver was unresponsive braking and brake noise. Mahindra has completely upgraded the brakes which are now claimed to have countered the noise problems.
The suspension has been tweaked and bushes have been replaced by newer ones offering a smoother ride to the Mahindra XUV500. The monocoque chassis on which the SUV is based on now receives closer spot welds. This has improved the torsional stiffness. The squeaks that would happen in the interior over prolonged use on our Indian roads has been very well recognised. The interior panels are now well fitted to eliminate any rattling noise in their flagship model. Mahindra has also worked upon the clutch operation and improved the reliability of the oil seals.
Through an act of sarcasm, Mahindra has effortlessly worked around the government’s new rule to levy tax on vehicles having ground clearance above 170 mm. Standing 200 mm taller to the ground earlier, Mahindra has reduced that to 170 mm by ditching the European ARC system and opting for something which measures GC from the lowest point of the car to the ground. Genius that the engineers at Mahindra are, they reduced a further 10 mm by simply reworking the stone-guard which protrudes an extra 10 mm towards the ground.
The Mahindra XUV500 is definitely a good product and will always have that up score for being a fully-featured Indian SUV. The troubleshooting undertaken by Mahindra is a welcome move and will result in a largely improved product. However it is still not at par with the quality offered by international companies. But Mahindra should continue working on customer feedback, who put the vehicle through a real test and can help them overcome all problems. This move will establish more confidence among buyers of Mahindra products.
Source – Autocar India
