The Mahindra XEV 9e has a top speed of 202 km/h which is a lot for an EV. We got to drive on the high-speed track in the Mahindra facility and the car managed to touch 200 km/h with ease.
Mahindra XEV 9e Pros
Bold & futuristic styling. Has strong road presence and stands out from the crowd
Spacious interiors with comfy seats and fine ergonomics
Powerful motor sends 282 BHP to the rear wheels (0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds)!
Sorted suspension offers good road manners & high-speed stability
79 kWh battery pack should comfortably offer 450 - 500 km real-world range. This is enough even for road-tripping with the family
Lifetime warranty on the battery is a big assurance for EV owners
663-litre boot and the 150-litre frunk mean you can carry a lot of luggage
An endless list of features with some very unique ones like 3 high-quality screens, augmented reality integrated head-up display, infinity roof with interactive lights, 16-speaker Harman Kardon system with Dolby Atmos, selfie camera, UV filtration glass, auto-park with remote car control and way more
Safety tech includes Level 2 ADAS, 7 airbags, fatigue alert system, all-wheel disc brakes, ESP, front parking sensors, 360-degree camera, hill hold, hill descent, TPMS, etc.
Mahindra XEV 9e Cons
Rearward visibility is horrible. Tall headrests and coupe styling seriously hamper rear view for the driver
Some cabin plastics don't feel premium in an otherwise loaded SUV. Excessive piano black in the cabin isn't to my tastes and makes it very difficult to keep scratch-free
This car is extremely complex - we have concerns over niggles & bugs in a freshly baked Mahindra, especially the early batches
Mahindra's after-sales service is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble. Wondering how many of them will be able to handle such a complicated car too
The usual EV challenges (charging infrastructure, setting up home charging etc.)
Missing features like a full-size spare tyre (you get a skinny 135 mm space saver which will cap your cruising speed to 80 km/h), cooled glovebox and no physical buttons for HVAC controls
While we love the styling, it is definitely not to everyone's liking. Has already divided the opinions of BHPians