The XUV700 is sure-footed, composed even in triple digit speeds, easy and predictable to handle.
BHPian Sommos recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
The 20000 km update:
The way I drive, the way I handle a car, is an expression of my inner feelings. – Lewis Hamilton.
Some men take good care of a car; others treat it like one of the family. – Evan Esar
Orion has completed 20K KM in thirteen months and the journey has been both extremely enjoyable and safe. Orion did face its fair share of niggles but most things are sorted now and hope that the journey ahead would be more enjoyable. The LCA has been replaced under warranty and so is the driver side window (complete mechanism). The second key fob and the rear sequential turn indicators, which were omitted during the delivery of the new car, has also been provided subsequently by M&M. But sadly for getting each of the above jobs done through the M&M ASC, I had to create some noise and even resort to complaining at the highest level i.e. CMD.
My first experience with the local ASC was that I was not allowed to enter the premises, even though I had a valid service booking. During the last 13 months, Orion has visited the ASC 12 times – an average of almost one visit every month and out of these only three were for schedule services. Every time I complained, the GM-Service had to bear the burnt and except for him I have never seen any of the other staff/ members to be sensitive towards a premium customer – they simply do not have it in their DNA. I sincerely hope that M&M take note of this situation (specially in small cities with single dealership) and does something to improve the customer experience.
One thing that I absolutely enjoy with Orion is the refinement and power of the 2.2 L mHawk engine combined with the ease of driving. The max distance that I have driven is 1100 KM (1080 KM by Adrenox) at one go and the max speed that I have driven is 165 KMPH for a short burst on the Samruddhi E-Way. The things that need special mention are as follows:
Engine:
The 2.2 L Turbo diesel CRDi engine with max power of 136KW/ 182 BHP @ 3500 RPM and max torque of 450NM @ 1750 RPM is superbly refined, and while the engine note is audible as you pile on the revs, it isn’t really harsh or intrusive. Performance is very impressive and clearly is a strong point of the car. Drivability is very good too, there’s ample torque, making the engine very tractable. The gear ratios are well spaced but seem a tad shorter geared, more for performance rather than efficiency.
Orion has returned fuel efficiency of 12-13 KMPL in 100% city drive and 15 KMPL in the highway drives. The overall mileage from start till date is 13.26 KMPL. Considering that Orion is AT + AWD variant, I am satisfied with the mileage.
EPS:
The electronic power steering is extremely light at crawling speeds, which makes maneuvering this SUV easy even in the busiest of roads. It though weighs up with speed but is in no way comparable with a proper HPS system. Like most electronic power steering units, there’s not much feel or feedback from the EPS and this is one area where I feel the void. Members who have owned and driven a Fiat will easily understand this. But I can understand the logic and reason of M&M going for the mass market appeal and I am getting used to this.
Suspension:
The XUV700 is sure-footed, composed even in triple digit speeds, easy and predictable to handle. The key to the XUV700’s transformed ride and handling is the superb suspension system, which has a McPherson strut suspension at the front and a multi-link independent suspension at the rear. Both have a stabilizer bar, while the dampers share high-tech frequency selective damping, similar to the Jeep Compass. The car is pretty much stable at high speeds and doesn’t feel nervous.
The multi-link suspension at the rear does its job to control the body roll and quick direction changes are handled properly. The car holds its line well through fast curves; it’s only when you push really hard that understeer starts coming in. The Bridgestone EP 850 does a fairly decent job – compared to the MRF and Appolo, this tyre does not make much noise and has a nice wet grip too.
AT gearbox:
Orion carries a 6-speed Aisin torque-converter AT gearbox which is butter-smooth in normal/ day-to-day operation. It is not fast as a DCT but neither too slow and in daily driving conditions or even in slightly spirited drive it does its job just fine. There is only a slight change in the pitch when gear shift happens and very frankly most of the times I do not even notice the same. Never did I feel the need to shift to manual mode. However, when you press the accelerator hard, a discernible pause between shifts can be noticed and a very slight lag is felt below 1400 RPM.
ADAS:
Orion carries level 2 ADAS features and I have used this right from the beginning, except only for the first 10-12 days. I now understand exactly how my car would behave under various conditions and I decisively act to avoid any emergency braking situation in real life conditions. After having driven manual cars without any / much electronic controls for over 34 years (approx.) I have now adapted to the electronic safety features provided in this car and I do find them helpful to reduce the stress on long highway drives.
I got the car at the launch price, which was an added incentive for me. There are some missing features like the auto dimming IRVM and ventilated seats (never had them in any of my earlier cars), as well as some niggles in the infotainment system and the software stability, but all these are insignificant in front of the brilliant engine, the drivability, the ride comfort and the handling. If these are not enough to say WOW!!! then I would bring out the incredible list of tech and safety features for discussion. This is indeed a killer product from M&M.
Keyword: 20000 km up on my XUV700 D AT AWD: Observations over the past 13 months