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Mahindra’s XEV 9e electric SUV combines bold design, cutting-edge tech, and impressive performance. Priced at Rs 21.9 lakh, it offers great value in the EV market.
Mahindra XEV 9e. (Photo: Samreen Pall/News18.com)
The electric vehicle segment is growing fast, and every automaker is racing to bring out their flagship models.
Mahindra recently launched XEV 9e in the country at an introductory price of Rs 21.9 lakhs (ex-showroom).
This isn’t just an electric version of an existing model; it’s a purpose-built electric SUV riding on a cutting-edge architecture. News18 Auto had the chance to take it for a spin at the Mahindra Track in Chennai, and here’s our first-hand experience.
Design
The XEV 9e has a muscular presence that immediately grabs attention. Its design is sharp and angular. It gets sleek DRLs that stretch across the bumper, cutting across the bonnet. The concealed grille, combined with lower-positioned LED headlights, gives it an aggressive yet modern look. The vehicle further flaunts the new Infinity logo on the bonnet.
The XEV 9e being an electric vehicle gets a 150-litre frunk (front trunk) in the bonnet area. Looking at the side profile, the vehicle is slightly longer than the XUV700. Other features include 19-inch wheels (20-inch options available) and glossy wheel arches. The flush-fitting door handles and sleek coupe roofline gives the XEV 9e an athletic look. The rear of the vehicle features full-width LED lighting and a powered tailgate that opens to a spacious 663-litre boot.
Dimension
The car is 4,790mm long, 1,905mm wide, and 1,690mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,775mm, which gives it a spacious feel inside. The ground clearance is 207mm, making it great for rough roads, and it has a turning circle of 10 meters, so it’s easy to maneuver.
Interior
The cabin of the XEV 9e gives a modern look. The moment we sat inside the car, we were highly impressed by the three-screen setup: a 12.3-inch digital driver display, a large centre touchscreen, and a first-in-segment passenger screen. The steering wheel, with its illuminated logo, felt nice to grip. However, the touch operated buttons like the horn was not that smooth.
The front seats are quite comfortable. They come with good padding, power adjustment, and lumbar support. They also get the seat ventilation, controlled via the central touchscreen. The seat adjustment buttons can be found on the car door.
The cabin feels spacious, with ample legroom, especially in the back. The rear seats offer great comfort with good thigh support and reclining backrests. The “Boss Mode” feature lets you adjust the front passenger seat for extra legroom. The flat floor makes it easy for the middle passenger to sit comfortably.
However, taller passengers might find headroom a bit tight due to the coupe-like roofline. Besides this, the rear also boasts features like wireless charging, air conditioning vents, and a unique tablet dock.
Features
The XEV 9e comes loaded with tech, starting with the Mahindra Artificial Intelligence Architecture (MAIA). The 12.3-inch digital cluster offers a range of themes depending on the driving mode. The augmented reality head-up display is particularly cool, providing direction arrows during turns.
The touchscreen comes packed with features, including Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, video streaming apps, and a performance timer. Although the interface is a bit complicated, the inclusion of these features is impressive. The Mahindra XEV 9e gets a Driver and Occupant Monitoring System (DOMS) to monitor driver fatigue. This system is also used as a selfie camera for taking pictures and making video calls.
The car also offers a 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a 360-degree camera, and auto-parking feature. Furthermore, Mahindra has equipped the XEV 9e with ADAS Level 2.
Mahindra has moved almost all the controls for things like the AC, music, and drive modes to the infotainment screen. Luckily, there’s a knob and a few buttons on the center console, so we could still adjust some of these features without using the screen.
Engine
Under the hood, the XEV 9e offers two battery options — a 59kWh and a larger 79kWh pack. We drove the one that had the 79kWh battery that delivered 286 bhp power along with a torque of 380Nm. The engine provided instant torque, and the acceleration was seamless.
The rear-wheel-drive setup felt engaging, and even on the twisty corners of the track, the XEV 9e felt stable and composed. The 9e also offers three driving modes—Everyday, Range, and Race. We tested the Race mode which offered sharp throttle response. The Mahindra XEV 9e is built on Mahindra’s new INGLO platform for electric vehicles. This platform is pretty cool because it uses a flat battery pack and has the motor mounted on the rear axle.
Handling and Suspension
The suspension setup is well-calibrated, providing a comfortable ride even over uneven surfaces. Having said that, it gets a McPherson strut suspension at front and a 5-link independent suspension at the rear. The 207mm ground clearance ensures the car handles rough patches without any issues.
However, when we tried to push the car around some corners, we could feel its size and weight. But the chassis is solid, and it holds its line quite well. Also, there is some body roll, so it’s not the kind of car we’d want to aggressively tackle corners with. The weight distribution is handled well, which gives us more confidence while cornering.
While driving, we noticed that Mahindra has given the steering system a special feature called Variable Gear Ratio (VGR).
While driving, we felt the steering was very direct and gave good feedback. It gets heavier at higher speeds and in Race mode, which we liked for better control. In Range and Everyday modes, the steering feels light and easy to use.
Braking
The Mahindra XEV 9e comes with all-wheel disc brakes as standard, and it also features brake-by-wire technology. While driving, we found the brakes to be sharp and responsive. The pressure felt smooth and gradual, making it easy to slow down the car in a controlled and predictable way.
Verdict
After driving the Mahindra XEV 9e, it’s clear that Mahindra has made a bold statement in the electric SUV segment. The design is amazing, the interior is packed with tech, and the performance is nothing short of impressive. With a starting price of Rs 21.9 lakh (ex-showroom), it’s a fantastic value for anyone looking to step into the world of electric mobility without breaking the bank.
