Mahindra Xylo

It doesn’t look like it, but this is the updated Mahindra Xylo. the facelift is almost inconsequential there’s just a chrome ‘moustache’ over the grille, full length decals and that’s it. oh, the interiors also get a new beige and black theme, so on the face of it, not much has improved.

However, it’s what you can’t see that’s been thoroughly revised and to know what’s been improved, you need to start at the front independent suspension. there are new polyurethane bushes that improve the Xylo’s bump stop characteristics, the lower control arm bushes are stiffer, the coil springs on the front struts are stiffer and the stabiliser bar is now thicker. At the rear, there’s a new anti-roll bar and the coil spring and shock absorber run stiffer rates. there’s also a new polyurethane bump stop that eliminates a lot of the transmission of jolts to the cabin when the suspension bottoms out over bad roads.

The improvements are apparent and most noticeable when you’re travelling at speed. the old Xylo’s tendency to bob and wallow has mostly been cured, there’s a new-found stability through corners and the body does stay a lot flatter when you really start to lean on it. You can now confidently hammer it over bad patches of road without having ‘heart in the mouth’ moments.

Still, the Xylo remains a tall vehicle on a relatively narrow track, so it does have its limitations. It still does not have the absolute confidence inspiring manners of say the toyota Innova or the Maruti ertiga which are far more car-like to drive.

Also marginally improved is the ride but there are still some cross cabin shudders that are typical of a body-on-ladder frame chassis. the good news is that the Xylo’s strengths remain it can seat eight people comfortably (seven with our car’s captains chairs) and that mHawk engine on this top-end H9 variant remains torquey as ever. the high driving position and relatively tight turning circle also make it easy to maneuver and park in urban conditions. overall, the new Xylo is a definite improvement and one that will help keep it fresh till the new Xylo comes out some time in the latter part of 2016.