Mahindra XUV500 upgraded – just like we told you

Mahindra has upgraded the XUV500 and is supposed to have fixed most of the “niggling problems” that the vehicle had. CarToq had first reported about this XUV500 upgrade back in January 2013, informing you that all the problems were to be fixed by April. Now reports emerge that Mahindra has finally finished fixing all the issues. Read: Exclusive, improved Mahindra XUV500 coming 

The first upgrade was to the brakes of the Mahindra XUV500, which took place in February. Two things were changed – one was the design of the brake pedal and the other was the quality of material used in the brake pads.

You can read the full extent of that upgrade here: Mahindra upgrades brake pedal and brake pads of XUV500 

Following the braking upgrade, Mahindra also issued a recall to fix three components in the XUV500 – the power window mechanism, the wiper blade cover and a faulty power steering hose. Here’s more on that recall: Mahindra recalls XUV500 to fix wiper cover, power windows and power steering hose 

The company also recently “technically” reduced the ground clearance of the Mahindra XUV500 to avoid paying the 3% hike in excise duties levied on SUVs. Read: Mahindra slashes XUV500 prices after “lowering” ground clearance

Now, according to AutoCar a few more fixes have been carried out to the XUV5oo which include the following:

* Improved clutch mechanism with new oil seals in the hydraulic circuit
* Better spot welding on the body for added stiffness
* Use of better material in the suspension bushes to prevent suspension noise and add life to the components
* Better sound insulation and improved plastic panels
* And, of course, the improve braking system that has been incorporated in the vehicle since April

While most of these changes aren’t visible to the customer, we only hope these changes have improved the vehicle for the better. The sales of the Mahindra XUV500 have been slowly dropping in the past three months. Surprisingly, the Mahindra XUV500 fared quite well in the initial quality study conducted by JD Power. Read: Best cars in India with least quality problems – JD Power survey