I had an opportunity to see and test drive the BE6e last weekend.
After a couple of follow-ups, finally, M&M Sahyadri Motors, Baner has confirmed the availability of the cars at their showroom.
The showroom is still under renovation so they have arranged all the test drives and new car deliveries outside in a
Madap.
About the car: Upon waiting for nearly 40 min. I got a chance to try my hands on BE6e. The car was from the media event which they were using for the test drives.
Looks: One word—WOW! It's futuristic.
The car is undoubtedly a head-turner and grabs the attention of ongoing traffic. It looks even more impressive in person than in pictures and this color is refreshing. I am a little worried about how the design will grow on you. Will the initial excitement fade away with time? Will it age well?
Well much has already been talked about the looks which are subjective so I leave it for the audience.
The huge air dam for the aerodynamics.
The wheel design looks cool but the cover feels like plastic.
The Key looks and feels premium
Interior: Open the door and the memory seats give a nice & welcoming gesture.
Getting In and out of the driver's seat is a tedious job for a tall person due to high floor height. I am 5'10 and was not very comfortable to get in.
Once you are in, the seats feel very comfortable and sporty and hug you very well. The entire cabin feels refreshing and plush.
I appreciate the fit and finish of M&M on both vehicles (yes I also saw XEV9e).
Tata, if you are listening.
The door feels heavy and this strap handle feels strong and durable enough to last long. The switches on the doors are new and feel premium.
The footwell is of decent size. The dead padel provides good support to the left leg
All controls are within reach and easy to operate except those given on touch screen display.
Don't understand why OEMs want us to distract while driving.
The steering wheel feels premium and nice to hold. It weighs well as you increase the speed and is super light while slow-moving.
The touchscreen display is bright and clear to read even in a broad daylight. Same for the cluster. Dont miss the range figures which is showing 161 km at 56% remaining battery.
Jet plane style controls for lights, Skyroof, and Others.
Some more controls below the dashboard towards the right of the steering
Again a jet plane-style gear lever with an in-built parking brake.
+ and
- are used for the regeneration.
Regeneration feels very intrusive if I compare it with Tata Punch. You will feel intrusion very aggressively and the rear passenger will not like it. Need to confirm this in a longer test drive.
Two separate wireless chargers and a bottle holder.
A place to keep a key, a start-stop button, and a BMW copy to controls function on the screen. Piano black already started showing the scratches.
There is a small pocket under the front armrest and it is ventilated
The HUD is a nice to-have feature and provided information is well visible in daylight. As per SA, the position of display is adjustable. Not sure though.
Rear Seat: If you want to be this car, it is the front seat where you want to be. The rear seat is not welcoming for a healthy adult. It is good to be here for some time but you can not sit for long journeys.
Due to the battery, the floor is raised up and you sit in a knee-up position; the headroom is also very limited due to the sloping roof. Legroom & under-thigh support is again a pain. The small rear door window makes things more difficult and feels claustrophobic.
I found the rear seat more congested than the Curvv.EV
Under-thigh. (Apologies for the bad picture)
The dock behind the front seat to mount the tablet
Rear center armrests with two cup holders. The angle is perfect and comfortable
This arrangement of the seat belt is an eyesore in an otherwise very plus cabin.
View of the cabin from the rear seat. I like the front AC vents design.
Music: Could not try much but the HK system with ATOMS feels great to the ears. I am still a fan of HK's configuration in Harrier/Safari.
Different designs for the rear AC vents. Goes well with the cabin's overall jet-inspired layout but cleaning will be a painful job. It has already started accumulating dust.
Driving: It was a small test drive not more than 5-6 Km to experience both the front and rear seats.
Press the start button and the only thing by which you can confirm that you are good to go is the instrument cluster and ICE comes back to life.
Push the accelerator and the EV will show its inherent characteristics of the huge torque available at your service. The car is fast and feels planted on rough surfaces. The suspensions are on the stiffer side to give more sportiness but behave well on the speed breakers. Though I have driven the car within the city speed limits but felt some amount of body roll on sharp turns.
My Verdict: BE6e is a nice and honest attempt by M&M. They have provided all the possible gizmos and features to attract the younger population. I really appreciate the fit, finish, and overall ambiance of the cabin.
I personally liked the car for the range and driving dynamics but spending 29L for a daily driver is a question.
Looking at the rear seat I think it will be a "let's drive" kind of car than to be driven around. The price list is attached herewith for everyone's reference. SMPL PRICE LIST MEAL B6E & XEV 9E 17.01.2025.pdf
Thanks for reading
