Well-rounded Companion

We already know what the Mahindra XEV 9e is like in controlled environments. Now we find out how the electric coupé-SUV is as a real-world companion

- Gaurav Davare

THERE'S NO DENYING THAT THE MAHINDRA BE 6 and XEV 9e have made a splash ever since they showed up last year. It was a clear statement of intent by Mahindra regarding the strides it has made not only in the electric vehicle (EV) game but as a carmaker. We have already sampled both e-SUVs at the Mahindra SUV Proving Track facility, but that was largely a controlled environment, and we only had a limited amount of time to drive them. The true test is in real-world scenarios, especially when you have a car as a companion for a while, so that you eventually get to find out quirks that you might have missed on first impression. That's exactly what we're doing, and we have the Mahindra XEV 9e as our companion on our home turf in Pune. Is it still a worthy big, sensible, and loaded flagship family electric coupé-SUV in the real world? Let us find out.

I've already waxed lyrical about the XEV 9e's design, and, nearly a year later, it's aged gracefully. Unlike the radical angles on the BE 6, the XEV 9e is more on the sensible side, more like what we might expect from a future XUV700 in coupé-SUV form. The XEV 9e's strong presence is really felt when you look at the overall silhouette. It's got a high stance, prominent 19-inch alloy wheels, and a gloss black finish for the wheel cladding. The highlight, of course, is that sloping roofline with a seamless flow into the chunky tailgate to give it that coupé-SUV body style.