New beginnings: From a Mahindra Scorpio 4x4 to a Tata Punch EV

"You the macho 4x4 offroader!—will ply on an electric vehicle?" said my family in unison, and understandable shock.

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New beginnings always start at someone's end

Quote from BHPian joybhowmik:

As all good things come to an end, today I part with R3 well before it's due time.

He has served me well. I am returning him to the dealership. In bidding adieu, I am recompensed a handsome price after 8 years of very fulfilling ownership.

Backstory

Ever since R3 left to make someone else happy, a year had elapsed. A year where everyone who I knew, recoiled in shocked disbelief,when they heard, I hadn't replaced R3 with something manlier, more powerful, and a worthy successor.

For over a year, I cried myself hoarse, telling them ( yet never quite managing to quell the disbelief on their part) that the right 4x4 offroader for me, wasn't on the market, wasn't even born.
And yes, that was true. I was holding out for a petrol 4x4 (not AWD) south of ₹ 25 lakhs, that also did not look like the latest evolution of a matchbox on wheels, and carried 4 passengers as well as 4 mid size suitcases with aplomb. Simple requirement. You may think?

It just wasn't there.
The Scorpio N petrol was firmly a RWD car - and was one of my first rejects. Next in line was Thar 3D Petrol—just no luggage space, and a back-ache as a gift. Jimny ... matchbox? (erm!)

For a long time, I followed news on Toyota's mini LC, but there was no news about it making it to our shores. There was just a blip of excitement when Dacia 2024 was spied -and I thought , it just might come in a petrol AWD drivetrain - and I would live with it- yet alas!
Thar Roxx - despite all the anticipation, turned out to be a dampener; the Petrol version turned out to be a RWD too, and 4WD was nowhere on the horizon, when launched.
I even test drove the all-grip Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder - but for the money I wanted more than just AWD. Besides, it wasnt even a strong hybrid. A reluctant reject - but a reject nonetheless.
Along the way, we test drove the Innova Hycross (no 4WD), the Toyota Hilux 4WD (no Petrol variant), Fortuner (no Petrol variant) and didn't like anything.

Time passed, and our Toyota Glanza being the only car in the garage, became the natural workhorse. All good—except when you suddenly start clocking more than 15k km in a year, petrol bills do add up.
Like many families in Delhi, our average running within the city itself was about 80% ~ 90% on any given month.

We were okay with taking the Glanza out on the highway for the occasional road trip. The 10%~20% on roadtrips—Uttarakhand or Rajasthan were discretionary leisure trips. We've never done serious distances in the Glanza (ie > 1000 km)—that was always the domain of R3, or before that, the Milemuncher Innova.

Did we want to do extended distances on the Glanza? Thats a digression. But I will address that too. We were a one-car family now. Yes, if the situation called for it, the Glanza would need to do that. But, we would prefer doing this on a capable 4x4 tourer.

Were there opportunities in the near term to go touring long distances? The answer was a resounding "No".

That is due to family circumstances. We knew we would never venture more than a couple of hundred kilometers in the next two years. The Glanza was perfectly adequate for this, and continuing the 4x4 dream with a worthy successor to R3 could wait.

Yet we were not addressing how we get transport costs down - within the city. Glanza is a great city runabout, but with an average petrol bill of ₹ 1.2 lakhs a year (rough estimate) for city drives alone—and bound to increase more—with ever busier schedules of family members.

The answer was clear: we needed a daily driver right now to stop the bleeding that would also deliver the most cost-efficient ₹/km. We needed to replace the Glanza as a city runabout before replacing it forever.

That's how the idea of an EV was born.

When I first mentioned it to my family:

"You the macho 4x4 offroader!—will ply on an electric vehicle?" said my family in unison, and understandable shock. "What a scale back!" is what they meant.

The math, however, had no rejoinders.

1. We are both nearing retirement. We need a car that we can theoretically keep and use for the rest of our natural lives (and not watch the government unceremoniously take it away at gunpoint, quoting edicts of the notorious NGT.)
2. We prefer low running costs for our extensive city travel needs. A city runabout is adequate (no 4WD needed here).
3. We can afford to wait for a top-of-the line tourer 4WD for leisure travel. That doesn't mean we compromise by buying something we aren't happy with now, that also doesn't reduce costs.

BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

In December 2023, almost 1 in every 5 new vehicles bought in Delhi was an EV. Though a large percentage of that must have been two-wheelers, one cannot deny that one encounters more EVs amongst 4 wheelers than ever before.

From humble beginnings of the e20 & eVerito cars, the current 4 wheeler EV "early majority" market has been largely shaped by Tata Motors (several offerings are available: Curvv, Nexon, Punch, Tiago, and Tigor). Other known brands I knew of were MG (Comet & ZS), and, more recently, Windsor. Then there was the one horse pony in Mahindra 's XUV 400. There were also the upscale Hyundai (ioniq) and Kia. There was news of an EV on a Creta platform, and the first EV from Suzuki around the corner. Then there was the unapologetic Chinese - BYD.
There were also luxury EVs being offered by the Germans (but clearly I wouldn't be using those for carrying groceries home!!)

The Phone a Friend

That's not a huge number of choices - compared to ICE. But, I still asked a friend.
His advise: "Don't buy new; buy something that still has original warranty left."
His premise was that - by buying new, I was effectively paying an early adopter premium. That's why if I bought a pre-owned car , a warranty on it, I would get equivalent benefits for 80% of the price of a new car.

His other advice was : "Buy a MG ZS EV. Eyes closed". He'd recently bought a Skoda Kodiaq. So yes, a big believer in MG!

Why not a used EV?

For a moment , a depreciated car, still holding warranty , looks tasty.
But, after a brief look at that segment of the market, I steered clear.
No it wasn't about contracting dermatitis in it.
A few key reasons (for me).

1. I did not really find any used EVs that were top of the model line , and relatively new. Obviously - those were tasty enough , and the owners had retained them. I wasn't really interested in the lower variants (lack of features).
2. I was buying into a rapidly evolving technology—granted, I would be locking myself in at whichever point I bought in, but still spending 50k-100k more for a year's worth of tech innovation—was a no-brainer.
3. Of course, my family prevailed too. In the last twenty one plus years of staying in India, we've steered clear of buying second hand cars. Not to say, we are against, or have never purchased used cars. We have—in the US. Matters were different in the US, where there's an organized market and regulatory framework governing it. The Indian used car market isn't there yet, when it comes to transparency.

So, while I ignored my friend's advise to look at used cars, I could not quite ignore the advise about the brand.

The Contenders!

Morris Garages
My take on the brand. It's positioned as a British brand, with an Indian partner. The Chinese owner: SAIC is super silent on sales brochures, but that's expected, I guess. Positioning is key, and MG does lend some flair to any product, perhaps due to deep roots in the automotive tradition.

I called them for a TD, and quite counter intuitively , I asked them to bring along a Comet Exclusive (near top of line, feature wise, ) ESP : ₹ 9.36 lakhs—I'm guessing with taxes, extended warranties ,registration fees, insurance, etc - it would probably be ~ ₹ 11 lakh by the time it would reach home. That's serious money.
My first impressions:

• Minimalist but very roomy for front row.
• Then it goes into a tailspin of an apology - the backrow is not only cramped, its also suffers remarkable parallels with the ingress mechanics of "Thar 3D"
• The boot (for lack of a better word), is wide enough to hold 2 liter water bottles, or a laptop bag.
• And when it drives, its almost like the feeling, one's driving an e-rick—its so small and dimunitive, and incredibly nimble
• The size aspect, is important in Dilli - not because one has the flexibility to wedge into really tight parking spots—but more importantly, even a cyclist will ride taller than you. And said cyclist would expect you to yield (unheard of in Dilli)
• Other than that, super silent operation, a really long infotainment panel, and the car's controls are the only notable protruberances in the cabin. Did I mention minimalist?

Would I like to drive one to work and back? Terrifying visions of being bullied on Dilli/Gurgaon streets filled my head, and I gave this a pass.
However, it would be remiss of me not to point out—on the cuteness scale—that the Comet is a head turner. It does have some appeal for someone who would like to leave as little a footprint as possible—and surely that's something to aspire for.

The next TD quite predictably was for the MG ZS EV. I asked the salesperson to explain its features , and I tuned off. At ESP, ranging from₹ 24.43 (Executive Plus) to ₹ 25.43L (essence dual tone), the spread of features available onthe 10.1" screen, the plush seats, carbon-fiber like dash - the list went on and on.... I was loving it, immersed as it were in the luxury this car offered. Everyone in the family loved it , and though the money was eye-watering , we thought maybe this was the car we wanted as a keeper. Something the Delhi Government would not snatch away due to dire NGT warnings, 10 years later. Besides, there was an 8 year battery warranty, and the informed salesman assured me that the battery was good to go for 12+ years.
I will not bore you, dear reader, with a list of features , and a comparison between the variants. That is easily available.
I was just blown away at the ease with which the Android Auto wirelessly connected to my phone, and wirelessly charged it too!
Coming from a Glanza where I had been untangling annoying wires all these years—this was truly priceless.

And then the 360° camera! The images were pixellated - but the joy of seeing all around without having to turn your head!

There were two questions worth deliberating about, however:

1. How did MG ZS EV fare with respect to its mainstream competitors, viz Tata Nexon and M&M XUV 400?
2. Which MG ZS EV variant was right for us?

On the first question: I asked the MG Salesman to come with an answer. I was curious as to how they positioned ZS EV :

This comparison was for the Excite Pro variant, a couple of notches below the top variant - and it was a comparison to the top variants from Tata and M&M. Note that while factually correct, they left out the fact that M&M XUV400 EL Pro variant was actually ₹ 2 lakhs cheaper.
Still not a deal-breaker for me.
Though made a mental note to find out what M&M XUV400 and Tata Nexon EV were like.

On the second question: I debated with family; the main bone of contention was: should we opt for level 2 ADAS for an additional ₹ 1 lakh in ESP? My better half said no, and my heart said yes. I have veto rights when it comes to decisions about cars in the family. But in this case, I demurred. The question about level 2 ADAS brought up an even more fundamental question: Would we really make this a primary car? Would this be a highway milemuncher and a daily beater?

Sharp reality check
A quick check on plugshare.com demonstrated that even with stated range , in order to avoid range anxiety on a typical Delhi-Kolkata drive, we would need 7 charging stops each of at least an hour (and perhaps more!), to stay off range anxiety. On a total run time of 24-30 hours adding 7-10 hours just for refuelling is a bit much. So the EV , would never be a highway milemuncher. It was destined to be the primary urban daily beater.
A bit oversized (>4m) and eyewateringly expensive ₹ 27 lakhs for a daily beater - but then again - no power on earth would pry it loose from our clutching fingers after 10 years!

Mahindra & Mahindra
I know Mahindra. Quite well, in fact. I've lived with one for well over 7 years (LT ownership review)
I am under no delusions when it comes to the brand. I know their products have little foibles, that gradually persist in annoying owners, till one erupts in frustration at M&M. Then M&M bends over backwards, and then some, to set matters right. And they usually do.
So , knowing this, I stepped into the world of EVs and Mahindra.

One quick digression though. M&M has been a hesitant entrant in India's EV marketplace. Despite world premiers of XUV700 & Thar on a born electric platform, the enthusiasm on display in South Africa hasn't really shown where it matters—here in India, M&M's biggest market.
When it comes to EVs, people typically recall Tata, MG, Hyundai, and even Kia and rarely think of M&M. That's a real shame. M&M need to work on improving the recall factor. It's probably not without reason too. The XUV400 is offered in few variants , leaving very little choice.

The test drive with EL Pro happened. We were suitably impressed with the substantial legroom the XUV400 offered, but beyond that, we began comparing with the superior MG ZS EV. I was willing to give this car points for being honest, so I asked the salesman - what he felt were its differentiators vis-a-vis the competition.
I'm not one to judge, but I will leave you the answer:

Towards the end of the test drive, I asked if I could subject the car to my "acid test"? The salesman was at first perturbed, thinking I would put the car to bodily harm. Nothing like that- I just wanted to see how wireless android auto worked. "No problem , saar"
And then we spend 5 minutes fiddling with the controls—and no connection to show for our labours. He sheepishly grinned. "Saar, the car needs an update."
There wasn't any 360° camera too—I pointed out—and he grinned some more.

And just like that, the M&M product was out of the reckoning. My reasons: Poor execution. And not enough choice.

Tata Motors
Not wanting to forego the experience of the main contender in the market, I decided to give Tata Motors a call. I actually signed up on their website for a test drive, and mentioned that Treo Tata , Nehru place may please bring the top model Nexon EV TD vehicle around.

Not only did Tata not acknowledge the request, the appointment time came and went.

Annoyed at being stood up, I called the showroom and was assured by the sweet talking CRM that someone would be sent the next day (Sunday, 14 July).
I said: "yes, and please also ask your salesman to bring the Tata version of a comparison between equivalent models of Nexon EV, XUV400 and ZS EV."

5 minutes before the appointment time, the assigned salesman calls to say he can't get a gate pass for the car , because he doesnt have a copy of my drivers license!!!
Needless to say, he also did not have a comparo to share.

I really lost it. I told the CRM of Treo Tata, they have some nerve asking me for proof of my driving skill before allowing me to test drive the car. I told her that neither MG nor M&M wanted it.
Quote:

ऐसे बर्ताव करेंगे , तो अपनी गाड़ी अपने पास रखिए
If this is your attitude, please keep your car!

I never test drove the Nexon EV.

These two experiences with Tata and Mahindra pushed me inexorably towards MG.

But, I did not want it to end this way... the smaller but significant things turned out to be a deal breaker with MG too!

1. Chinese roots
Despite disclaimers that MG is a born UK brand, its ownership is Chinese. Aside from the Comet, and ZS EV, at that point in time (July '24) there were no other EV products on shelf. Jindals, as their JV partner, were not really visible to the public eye—or, should we say, did not receive as much media attention as the C-suite staff at Suzuki, M&M, Tata, Hyundai, etc. There was also news that BYD (another gargantuan EV maker) was facing a restrictive environment in India.
Which brought me to question if I really wanted a long-term relationship, with a company, that belonged to an adversary country. Nothing political—just huge doses of pragmatism.

2. Greater than 4 m length.
I was beginning to question the practicality of owning an urban beater that was greater than 4 meters in length. Granted, the 4 meters is a psychological barrier, and a Tata Punch EV at 3857 mm is just 10 cm shorter, and practically speaking, it's not much. But 4m+ cars do attract extra duty. However, this factor applied equally to XUV400 as well as Nexon EV -so it wasn't a MG ZS EV deal breaker alone.

3. Lack of Service network
MG service network is noticeably smaller than Tata, Suzuki, Hyundai and M&M. For instance, in NCR region, MG portal shows 3 locations.
Ordinarily, lack of service network should not matter, especially if the car isn't going to go often outside its home zone.
However, a lack of service network also points to a potential lack of competition for customer's service business, which may translate to poor customer experience.

4. No fog lights!—and no way to have these installed as an accessory item!!
The exchange with the MG salesman says it all:

Quote:

Me: "Fog lamps—can these be retrofitted on the car?"
MG Salesman: "Sir, there is no need for fog lamps in ZS EV. The reason is because MG Has set the angle of Headlamps on a particular angle so that you can easily visible the roads and corner visibility."

Me: Headlamp lens is not the same as fog lens - spread of light is different. Headlamp light is reflected back in your eyes by fog. Unlike fog lamp light. Kindly check with your technical team at MG - whether fog lamps can be fitted or not. This is available in XUV400 for instance. actually headlamp light when reflected back at you in heavy fog is pretty dangerous. It can blind the driver ...It has happened with me earlier on Yamuna Expressway -when I met sudden fog. This is a serious requirement from my side.

MG Salesman: Ok sir i asked our technical person he is some busy in family function . I will revert you back once he replied me ok sir

(please pardon the non-existent grammar/flawed sentence construction ! These are actual excerpts from WhatsApp chats )

No response came from the MG technical team. At one point, I was prepared to pay upto ₹ 27 lakhs for the top variant of this car. But no fog lights at ₹ 27 lakhs !

I did not pursue the matter.
The date was 15 July, 2024. I had just spent over 2 weeks recceing the market, and all I was left with was a tinge of dissapointment.

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