[IamNikhil]

Futuristic no doubt, but definitely a polarising design. Though not a fan of the EV space as yet, I am definitely looking forward for a TD of this one. Let's see how they roll out the final prices variant-wise; from what it appears, the prices are definitely going to be mouthwatering.

The biggest reservation I have about jumping in immediately and getting this car would be the plethora of tech employed in this vehicle. As the owner of a first batch XUV 700 (got mine within 1.5 months of launch at the end of 2021), the niggles continued into the 2nd year of ownership as well. More the tech, more the chances of things going wrong. Anyway, hoping Mahindra has learnt it's lessons. The ASCs would really have to be well-equipped to handle the issues in these cars.

Interesting to note from the review that Mahindra has installed acoustic and UV-protect windows on this one.

[swami69]

Seems like a good product to shake up the EV market. I have few pointers which if deployed can make the look acceptable for more people

1. Remove the hanging DRL (that moustache thing) and make that area simply part of the body coloured bumper

2. Reduce the size of the body and wheel cladding to show more of body colour and keep a normal sized black cladding

3. Design some sort of a dummy grill and put it front of the flat front face. An oval shaped or a mild hex shaped one

4. Similarly the rear bumper should have a slight bulge to remove that flatness and also cut the moustache type rear lights. Keep a portion and incorporate probably a round or small square shaped lights on the boot lid (like in defender)

If some photoshop expert have some time to spare

Swami

[IamNikhil]

The glossy black portions are an eyesore frankly. Going to be a herculean task to keep them clean and scratch-free.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by ecenandu

Vertical integration is no joke, and large volumes are necessary to justify the cost of R&D. Isn't this similar to Tata sourcing engines from FIAT and transmissions from ZF?

Certainly and I never said it is easy but it is a necessity to compete if they want to compete globally. Mahindra also had the benefit of highsight from their partner VW or other upstarts like Rivian who have brought motor production in house from Bosch.

Originally Posted by ecenandu

For an Indian manufacturer to achieve what Tesla has, volume is essential. Initially, Tesla outsourced its AutoPilot system to Mobileye. It was only later that they developed their own systems. Even now, with the latest HW4 AutoPilot system, I find it hard to believe it will deliver full autonomy as promised by Elon Musk. In Sweden, it is a nightmare to operate on country roads, with random phantom braking making it feel dangerous.

I am not expecting them to replicate Tesla when companies with near unlimited resources can't. All i am asking them is to make a start somewhere - the fundametal parts of the drivetrain at the very least. They are already behind on the tech and each year they remain dependent on OEM's, they fall further behind. Again it is relevant if they have global ambitions but then again they might not, who knows.

Also, Tesla did use hardware and EyeQ3 computer from Mobileye but they wrote their own software on top to power Autopilot. They are 80-90% there with FSD atleast in US but it is the last 10-20% which takes the longest and I am not expecting them to solve it anytime soon either. I also agree that HW4 might not solve it either but it has a way higher chance than HW3 whose camera resolution is subpar.

Originally Posted by ecenandu

Vertical integration is beneficial, but there's no need to reinvent the wheel. The focus should be on delivering a reliable product. Customers want a hassle-free ownership experience. If Mahindra can achieve this, they have a winner.

There is need to re-invent the wheel if you are trying to achieve something ambitious. Cars have been on 12v system since 1953 until Tesla launched Cybertruck and used 48v system throughout. Or gigacasting which replaces 170 different parts welded together with just one part.

If Mahindra can deliver a hassle free experience, Tata arguably can too if they use the same OEM vendors but then the only differentiation becomes price and subjective preferences like brand or looks and like i said earlier, it becomes a race to bottom afterwards.

[BharathXUV700]

Mahindra at the batting crease ladies and gentlemen..What an innings this has been - 4 balls 4 sixers (Thar, Xuv 700, Scorpio and Thar Roxx). Can it make 6 sixes in an over...

What do you know, Mahindra just knocked the ball out of the park in the 5th (XEV 9e) and 6th balls (BE 6/9e).

What an exiciting innings from Mahindra.

Jokes aside..Absolutely Kudos to the Mahindra team. These are the kind of products that showcase what Indian manufacturers can do. And what a price point they have launched it at as well.

Quiet a lot of featurers are seen only in cars that are close to 1cr mark. Yes, a lot of important subsystems are derived from other manufactures (ADAS, Battery, Motors etc), but am sure they will catch up. I am not too worried about Mahindra's BMS since they have been involved with Formula E for quiet some time...Am sure they must have gained valuable experience in BMS tuning, software development, battery cooling etc from that series.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by IamNikhil

The glossy black portions are an eyesore frankly. Going to be a herculean task to keep them clean and scratch-free.

I too found the gloss to be a bit over done. Recently we got a Matt PPF done on a Q5 sportback, loved the finish and the less headache now to maintain a excessive gloss finish.

Comparison while taking the delivery, and the OEM finish.

[worldhover]

Guess work - Wishlist / Possible features that will be carried over to ICE XUV700 facelift (anyone has clue when it might be?) or rumoured ICE XUV900 (Coupe?)

- 3 Screen Infotainment System
- ADAS Level2
- Even Larger Sunroof
- Harman Kardon system with Dolby Atmos
- MAIA in place of Adrenox
- Harman Kardon system with Dolby Atmos

[DIY410]

The 11 kWh charger requires 3 phase AC connection.

The brake system used here is a Bosch ibooster. So it's not a brake by wire, brake by wire is prohibited.

The brakes can work even with loss of electric power or fault in electronics. Watch the video below to understand how it works.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJzbCA6qrBw

[somersault]

Thanks for the top class review. As usual, all bases are covered. How is the breaking power of the SUV.

I wish they would have thought launching in a more classic design with just enough differentiators to distinguish between ICE and EV versions. e.g. Audi e-tron. Not sure why this trend of gaudy designs is favorite among many manufactures. It looks more like a Chinese design than a time classic one.

[Mystic]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Phenomenal product in and out. Mahindra has hit it out of the stadium. But there's no way I'd like to share the road with that monster! You guys trust Mahindra, a company which is so famous for its niggles, to implement a bug free brake by wire system? I don't know whether to be happy or scared!

+ 1. Scary. Agree that we all need embrace CHANGE or we will be left out. I am from old school and prefer to be left out.

Coming to the brake by wire, I had an experience recently and want to share so that we all know on whether we are ready for this car.

I had an issue with starting of my one year old ICE car which is running perfectly OK.

1. My car stopped at a mall. Called RSA, had jump start. Ran for a couple of kms, it seems to be working fine.

2. Next day morning, the car didn’t start at home. Didn’t call RSA as it is at home, ordered trickle battery charger from Amazon. Charged the battery and it started.

3. It worked for 2 days, again problem, sent it to workshop. They investigated for Parasitic drain of battery and couldn’t identify the root cause of problem. On my insistence and pressure, they changed the battery under warranty.

4. It worked for 3 days, again another additional problem. This time the gear lever is getting stuck in P and not moving after the car is started.

5. Took to workshop again, they took 2 days to finally diagnose that the root cause of the issue is faulty brake light switch which costs Rs 300.

Why I am telling the above story is that if we donot have our mechanics who have the knowledge to identify a simple faulty brake light switch, God save us in identifying the issues with brake working in a wire system.

[Model-Bouncer]

I am not a big fan of these extraterrestrial designs but the vehicle in totality does warrant my consideration and I have been following the posts and reviews since the launch.

I have an XUV700 AT and have experience of 65k km of Mahindra experience and I am not at all disappointed. I am keeping 9e (hope they change the name) in consideration for test drive.

I am looking for some pointers on-

1. Is the upholstery leather or leather like (700)?
2. Second row does seem space constrained. How bad is it (leg and head)
3. Possibility of Mahindra considering some last minute refinements post these reviews and feedback ( some happened with 700 too)
4. DC charging is very different than AC, in terms of availability and cost?
5. Was the ambience light too much ( read cheap)?
6. It does not use Adrenox?

[VALLURIS]

Great Review !!

This is one car which has raised a lot of curiosity in our family. My wife has kept our car upgrade on hold to check the twin EV's from Mahindra.

I hope these cars don't carry the teething issues which came out in all the first batches of ICE vehicles from Mahindra.

I am pretty excited to check these cars in person.

[BrakeDancer]

How far we've come with design language! Washing machine in the front and refrigerator in the back!

[Col Mehta]

Brilliant review of an excellent car. Wow, Mahindra has truly come a long way, and it's definitely giving the Korean twins a good fight when it comes to offering features and comfort. I'm very happy to see Mahindra doing great! I just hope they can manage things without too many electronic bugs and other issues, particularly with the initial lots.

While the car looks futuristic with its multi-screen setup, the third screen on the passenger's side raises a potential safety concern (if it allows video playback and the driver can view the screen while on the move - I'm not completely sure of the implementation).

Mahindra offering a lifetime warranty on the battery pack, which is applicable for the first owner of the vehicle, is just great! However, it reduces to 10 years/2 lakh kms in case of an ownership transfer - I wonder if this will result in some "smart" sellers withholding this critical information, leaving the unsuspected second owner unaware of the reduced warranty coverage.

[cityslicker86]

I think Mahindra missed a trick by skipping the grille, unlike Audi that has retained a front 'grill' in the Audi Q8 E tron.

I asked Dall-E to imagine the 9E with an Audi-esque front grill. The result is not too bad