5 min read

SUVs like Mahindra’s XUV 7XO, are one of the key growth drivers in India’s automobile industry, because everybody likes a big butch, macho vehicle. Which is all very well, except SUVs are tall by nature and ride high, thanks to their essential characteristic of a high ground clearance. What this results in is a high centre of gravity and that, induces body roll in SUVs.

But what exactly is body roll? Body roll is basically the movement of the cabin from vertical when a vehicle negotiates a bend. When a vehicle negotiates a right turn, there is a tendency of the cabin to lean to the left. This is just plain physics. What the occupants inside feel is a lateral push towards the left. This push gets exaggerated as speeds rise and can get really uncomfortably if not controlled properly.

The Challenge of the Balancing Act

Over and above that, there are the challenges of having to deal with varied road conditions. Changing surfaces, particularly the inconsistency of road surfaces, require a suspension set up that is pliant and will isolate irregularities from the occupants. At the same time, the suspension must also have a certain amount of firmness to be able to deal with the inevitable body roll when a vehicle is travelling around a bend.

A suspension that is too soft will absorb road irregularities beautifully at low to medium speeds but will not be able to do so as speeds rise. It will also be inadequate in controlling body roll around bends. On the other hand if a suspension is too firm, it will be able to control body roll and will be able to absorb road irregularities at high speeds. However, this set up would be unable to absorb any road shocks at medium to slow speeds.

Take the case of the Mahindra XUV 7XO which is priced at Rs ₹13.99L - ₹25.94L. At 1,755mm high, this elegantly designed SUV stands tall and has great road presence. But this also means that the XUV 7XO must contend with a higher potential for body roll thanks to its relatively high centre of gravity. This makes it even trickier to strike that balance between ride quality and handling.

Thankfully the XUV 7XO is equipped with the revolutionary new DAVINCI dampers.

The DAVINCI advantage

To understand the DAVINCI damper – a main component of the 7XO suspension, you need to first understand how a conventional damper works. A conventional damper is a fairly simple, but critical component of a suspension system — its main role is to absorb tyre shocks, isolate the car body from road imperfections and keep the tyres in contact with the road for comfort, stability and control. Fundamentally, the spring lets the wheel move over bumps, but if you only had springs the car would bounce like a pogo stick. The damper resists this motion. The faster the suspension tries to move, the more resistance the damper generates. In a conventional damping system, it is not possible to isolate the ride comfort from the body roll and that forces a compromise between the two.

The DAVINCI damper’s magic lies in the fact that it can isolate these aspects of building a suspension set up. As a result, it is designed to be soft at slow speeds up to a threshold, which makes for a really comfortable ride. However, as soon as the speeds start rising, the damper firms up very quickly to reduce body roll and continues to isolate road shocks from the XUV 7XO interior.

The first thing you feel is how it irons out the smaller imperfections in the road. What would normally be a constant pitter patter in the cabin quietens down significantly and becomes smoother. You’re comfortable while being well aware of what is going on underneath. High speed ride over smooth tarmac is imperious. You’d think a setup that has so much comport baked into it would be too bouncy on the highway. Not the case.

Beyond Ride Quality and Body Roll

While two of the most significant advantages of the DAVINCI dampers have been outlined already, fact is that these new dampers have a whole host of benefits. One of the biggest advantages of this system is that by limiting body roll it is effectively able to control weight transfer. This contributes to far better control and inspires driver confidence.

Vertical movement is very well contained and even when you find yourself hitting long-wave crests and dips at triple-digit speeds, the suspension’s composure is very impressive. Something as simple as the nose-dive when you hit the brakes has reduced with the new system. This makes for a much calmer drive all around, with the car reacting to the changes in speed without getting too unsettled.

Verdict

The improvements in ride quality to the 7XO are not hard to see. Or rather, feel. It has a wide breadth of operation and Mahindra have certainly moved the game forward on the chassis front, with this new damping system.