MAHINDRA BE 6 TIME TRAVEL DONE RIGHT!

As owners of the Mahindra Thar, a car that is as ICE as they come, we test the new Mahindra BE 6, a radical EV which seems to have a lot going for it.

- SUNDEEP GAJJAR

Most of the people who know me know that I am a big fan of science fiction.

And time travel is a staple of science fiction. Back to the Future, Predestination, Source Code... you know the drill if you are so inclined. Why am I talking about time travel? Because I had an experience lately. And no, I did not see John Titor or build a time machine. I simply drove the new Mahindra BE 6 with the perspective of a Mahindra Thar owner... that's as much time travel as it is possible today!

Why do I feel that way? Simply because the Mahindra Thar is as pure ICE as it can get. It has muscle, it has grunt, and it comes alive at the sight of the mirage created by fumes of petrol. It can easily be called a glowing orb of ICE goodness, if I may be so bold. And then... there's the BE 6. Both of these vehicles are poles apart. I am not someone to scoff at EVs because I am not a stiff and unreasonable petrolhead. I have lived for motorcycles for as long as I can remember, and I am an enthusiast. I love ICE motorcycles. Every time I fire one up, it stirs my soul. And yet, I recently got myself an Untraviolette F77 Mach 2 Recon, and I have been loving it. But still, the Mahindra Thar is an icon, and to think that an EV can match its panache is an idea that seemed absurd even to me... and yet... it did. And then some. And I want to talk about it.

This convolution of present and future starts with the looks. Take a look at the Mahindra Thar. It is not ordinary in any way, but it is conventional, right? Then park a Mahindra BE 6 alongside it, and convention goes for a toss. The BE 6 does not look like anything on the road. The closest thing I could think of is the Urus. But even that particular Italian Bull does not look as radical. And I love it!