THE E-MPV THAT DARES TO DREAM BIG

The MPV market, dominated for aeons by Toyota's Innova, has always felt like a rather predictable place. It's the type of vehicle you buy not out of passion but practicality-like a pair of orthopaedic shoes.

- Saneet Osilva

Enter BYD, the Chinese automaker that's decided it's time to rattle the cage with the eMax 7, an all-electric MPV that's as much about family comfort as it is about challenging Toyota's diesel dynasty. Does this all-electric workhorse have a chance against Innova in India's MPV market? To understand the eMax 7, it's worth looking at how its predecessor, the E6, set the stage for BYD in India. Sold primarily to fleet operators, the E6 earned a reputation for reliability, decent range, and impressive driving refinement-qualities worth noting how its predecessor, the E6, paved the way for BYD in India. With the eMax 7, BYD aims higher, luring private owners with a luxury appearance and a competitive set of features, all while keeping prices reasonable.

E-Max 7 has a premium yet less aggressive appearance. The front end of the "Dragon Face" design is clean and basic but definitely different. There is chrome, indeed, but nothing extravagant, just a few subtle strips around the bumpers and roofline to complement rather than overwhelm it. Smooth, rounded lines and a modestly swept-back roofline offer the new eMax 7 a more mature appearance-perhaps indicating sophistication in terms of its choices to meet the exacting needs of the family buyer.

Extra niceties such as multi-LED headlights and slim 17-inch alloy wheels hint at luxury, but the stretched roof spoiler gives away to an athlete's body. The eMax 7 is hardly a show-stopper but has a very approachable elegance that would fit in a premium MPV portfolio. In a category where utility typically takes precedence over aesthetics, the eMax 7 earns a fair rating.