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| Re: Mahindra XEV 9e Review Test Driving the Mahindra 9E: A Rollercoaster of First Impressions
This morning, I had the privilege of getting the Mahindra 9E for a spin. Brace yourself for a detailed (and slightly passionate) narrative—there’s a lot to unpack. 1. Exterior: A Visual Tug-of-War
The test car arrived in a striking red. Before I even stepped out, a crowd had gathered—drivers, housekeeping staff, even the society manager. The bold red paired with gloss black accents along with the coupe body style - made the car a veritable head-turner. On a side note, the red paint with gloss black even helps the car mask its ungainly proportions. Having said that its overall design left me ambivalent. It commanded attention, no doubt, but it wasn’t the kind of beauty that stirs your soul. It was more Tesla Cybertruck or BMW iX than Jaguar E-Type or the F-Pace.
The 19-inch alloy wheels? They looked fine, and not at all small. However, the design just didn’t do it for me. The Mahindra emblem, while stylish, has been incorporated in a laser cut portion of the sheet metal - has suffered from noticeable finishing issues—perhaps a protective film was the culprit, but still. Much rather prefer conventional logos - they are cheaper as well! The infinity logo though looks better than the twin peaks logo, which is reminiscent of Maruti logo. 2. Boot and Frunk: Practicality Galore
The boot impressed with its size and functionality, particularly when the parcel shelf was removed. The frunk was equally well-sized and felt genuinely usable. The two hydraulic struts deserve a standing ovation (for 2 reasons - (a) that most manufacturers save cost here and (b) the frunk would be opened a lot more times than ICE Bonnet. The dual-latch mechanism though solid, required even force to be applied between the two latches to close properly. And if the latches didn’t sync, a considerable force had to be applied to latch the other one. Simply pulling the hood release lever, doesn’t unlatch the fastened latch. A minor quirk in an otherwise very well-built setup. 3. Ingress and Egress: Comfortable... for Most
Getting in and out posed no issues for me, but my father, who suffers from back problems, found the floor height slightly raised. That meant raising his leg marginally higher than usual. Anyone 5'8 and above may have to bend also had to bend a little during ingress. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, just not ideal. At 5'9.5", I had no problems with headroom in the rear seat. 4. Rear Interiors: Comfort Redefined
On first glance, the interiors were reminiscent of the XUV700, albeit with more premium materials. Mahindra has upped its game with the quality of material. For instance - soft, rubbery door pads (squash ball-like, if you will) are not only tactilely pleasing but also safer in case of impact. Not sure if they would wear out though in the long run, the way a squash ball does (with those whitish marks appearing after some time). The seats, too, deserve high praise for the comfort. The rear seats, in particular, blew me away. At my height (5’9.5), the under-thigh support was exceptional—better than even the front! What’s more, three adults can comfortably sit side-by-side with adequate shoulder room, a rare feat even in the 1+ crore SUV segment. The flat floor, courtesy of EV design, makes a significant difference. If only more manufacturers would take note. If I may nitpick a little - I felt that though legroom is marginally more than the XUV700, with a skateboard architecture and a car having longer length than the XUV700, would be able to liberate a lot more space. However don’t get me wrong, the space feels comparable or better than most cars in 45+ ex-showroom segment. Where the car disappointed me, was in the CFM aspect (but more on that later). The rear seat sun-visor is such a welcome addition. It also feels very robust while using. 5. Front Interiors: Glimpses of Brilliance
The triple-screen setup spanning the dashboard was the undeniable highlight. Crisper and larger than the XUV700’s, it immediately grabs your attention. However, its interface needs a serious overhaul—it’s convoluted and unnecessarily complicated.I understand Mr. Velu loves benchmarking his car with BMWs, but that’s good till it’s restricted to dynamics and not UI/UX of the latest iDrive system. However to be fair, the touch was responsive, but since the M&M personnel told me that it was in beta stage, I didn’t try fiddling much with the Touchscreen. The liberal use of piano black was another letdown, attracting smudges like a magnet. And don’t get me started on the center marking of the steering wheel—it looked cheap and out of place. (Once again, more on CFM, later). On the bright side, Mahindra has finally introduced an auto-dimming IRVM. On the negative side, the car has a porthole for a rear window! In a car with such limited rear visibility, they could offer a digital rear-view mirror as an optional extra. 6. The Drive: Smooth, Composed, and Silent
The 9E excelled across all terrains—from congested bylanes to disproportionate speed humps to lunar surface mimicking mumbai roads to the silky smooth and high speed coastal road. It delivered the quintessential EV experience: silent, refined, and fairly quick. Road and wind noise were kept to a bare minimum, and the suspension? A revelation. It’s easily among the best I’ve experienced, beating even the Ioniq 5 and its like. The car adapted seamlessly to drive modes - the Range Mode best when Driver driven. The Race Mode no matter how addicting, when coupled with high regeneration setting and a stop-start traffic condition could become a nausea-inducing recipe. The brakes performed admirably, inspiring confidence. Overall, a very well engineered car. Full marks to the engineering team at M&M here. 7. Equipment: Packed to the Gills
Mahindra has gone all out here. The sound system rivals that of marquee German brands, and the HUD is a game-changer—keeping your eyes on the road while feeding essential information. The 3D bit was fine, it is more gimmicky than useful, in my opinion. The panoramic glass roof made the cabin feel airy, though I wasn’t a fan of the roof’s lighting pattern. Thankfully, M&M has provided a physical sunshade, so all that hideous roof pattern could be kept out of sight! The window switchgear, too, was premium. As for the third screen—great for passing time in traffic or during charging for the co-passenger, but I foresee privacy filters becoming a popular aftermarket addition. Thankfully with the HUD, you don’t have to look down, so the chances of the driver wanting to look down at the passenger’s screen may reduce. The Blindspot monitoring is a welcome addition. I didn’t try the ADAS 2+, Self-Park, Groove Me or Selfie camera or the plethora of Software based gimmicks, as I was told that the software was in beta stage. The blind view cameras could do with a better frame rate. 8. CFM (Color, Finish, Materials): A Disappointment
Now, for the elephant in the room: the CFM. Let me start with the olive colour leatherette - it was polarizing at best, dull at worst. My mind couldn’t fathom how it could singularly pull down my otherwise upbeat sentiments about the car. And the bigger problem is that it is the only element in the dash. Like acres of it. The excessive use of faux leather without contrasting accents (like chrome, silver, or wood) left the cabin feeling uninspired. On the door side padding, they just looked off. I can’t believe, I’m saying this, I preferred the cheap plasticky silver appliqué on the XUV700 than the uninspiring use of the leatherette. To make matters worse, it has also been used on the gear lever with puffed foam. It looked Karol Baug than factory fitted. I was pleased to learn that Tata in Avinya brand has given up on the Bose-esque steering wheel. Unfortunately Mahindra has chosen to keep this legacy alive. It is a finger print magnet. And the touch buttons are fiddly to use. What’s worse - the plasticky greyish-olive green centre marker on the steering wheel should not have found its way on steering wheel, actually in any part of the car (they could have just used the leather). The over-styled rear A/C tunnel with diamond pattern added to the design disconnect. The rear A/C panel was fine in the XUV700 and no one would have minded it being retained. On a side note, wait till you see the rear a/c vent of the BE 6E, it's a joke - it's inspire by Bane's (batman) Mask and it is in cheap piano black plastic that is a major dust magnet. Speaking of piano black, the acres of piano especially in the front in the XEV 9E is equally disheartening. Similarly, the lighting pattern on the Sunroof is just meh! I’m not trying to be the critique here, but these are little things M&M can fix immediately without much investment or sweat and it will appeal a lot more customers.
To put it in context, purely design-wise the car felt more like initial Tata Harrier than the facelift one, if you catch my drift.
Mahindra is a global player now. It needs to embrace restraint and refinement in its designs. Trust me, it’s not just markets like Australia and South Africa that prefer restraint in design, most Indians also love it. Mr. Bose, you are very good at what you do, but could please dial it down a little? Final Verdict: A Car With Tremendous Potential The Mahindra 9E is a mechanically sound marvel with class-leading suspension, impressive comfort, and an array of premium features. For the price, it delivers exceptional value and outshines its competitors in most areas. However, its complicated UI/UX and questionable CFM detract from what could have been a near-perfect product. A commendable first attempt, but there’s room for improvement. I wouldn’t call it as well finished and error free product as an Ioniq 5, but at the price a lot better value than any and all of its competitors.
Last edited by 3WiseMen : 18th January 2025 at 03:50.
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