MG M9

Driving MG's first ever luxury offering in India, which is also the country's first luxury MPV with a green number plate

- ABHAY VERMA

With its M9, MG Motor is entering the small but highly lucrative luxury MPV segment in India, one that's been popular with celebrities, business families and CXOs. And what makes the M9 interesting is that besides being MG's first luxury offering in India, it's also the country's first electric luxury MPV! Effectively, the M9 has well-established names like the Toyota Vellfire and Kia Carnival in its crosshairs. And the M9 will also be the first MG to be sold out of its more premium, MG Select dealerships. But does the M9 impress as a luxury vehicle meant to be snapped more by paparazzi than enthusiasts? Half a day behind its wheel (in its second row more precisely!) helped me find answers.

First things first, the M9 is HUGE! It is, in fact, the longest MPV on sale in India now, given its overall length of 5,270mm. It's also 2,000mm wide and 1,840mm tall, while the wheelbase is 3,200mm. That makes the M9 longer than the Mercedes-Benz GLS and also the Toyota Vellfire, which are both really big automobiles. The design is unique and even futuristic, especially with the long and slim DRLs, positioning of projector beams for the headlamps and the front bumper design. The shape is boxy, typical of MPVs and from the sides, the large dimensions also dwarf the 19-inch wheels. And an interesting bit about the M9's tyres is that it runs self-healing tyres from Continental. So that effectively means punctures up to 5mm deep will be taken care of, resulting in lesser 'down time' for the boss who's sitting in the second row.