The car gets off the line very quickly and it surprises you how fast this big SUV moves. Cruising at 80 or 100 km/h is effortless and overtaking is very easy.
Driving the Mahindra XEV 9e
As mentioned earlier, there are 2 battery options available with the XEV 9e â 59 kWh and 79 kWh. Mahindra is currently using the battery packs with blade cells from BYD. They are assembled in India at the Chakan plant in Pune. As we know, these battery packs from BYD have high packing efficiency. Conventionally, the batteries have battery cells packed into modules first and then each module is packed into battery packs. However, the BYD battery has a cell-to-pack structure and there is no module. This helps to pack more cells in the given space. The LFP battery has an energy density of 141.5 Wh/kg. Mahindra is offering a lifetime warranty on the battery pack which is applicable for the first owner of the vehicle (private registration). In case there is an ownership transfer, the warranty on the battery will be 10 years or 200,000 km from the vehicle delivery date.
Talking about the powertrain, the motor (79 kWh variant) produces 282 BHP and 380 Nm. It has 3 components packed into 1, namely the motor, transmission and charger (AC-DC converter). The motor sits on the rear axle and powers the rear wheels only. The 0-100 km/h acceleration time is claimed to be 6.8 seconds. From on paper specs to on-road behaviour. We got to drive the 79 kWh battery pack variant with the 282 BHP motor.
The XEV 9e gets off the line in a smooth manner as you would expect from an EV. Driving around in the âEverydayâ mode gives you a good mix of power and comfort. The power delivery is linear and the car gets up to speed very quickly. Driving around in the city is pretty enjoyable and comfortable. The tall seating position, light steering wheel, and linear power delivery mean that you wonât mind being in the driverâs seat while in the city. The motor delivers torque instantly for you to close the gap to the car in front and make those quick overtakes as well. You can even switch to the Range mode for a smoother power delivery. The good news is that thereâs enough pep in Range mode to help you keep up with the traffic.
On some open road, you will be able to unleash the 282 BHP motor. The claimed acceleration time of under 7 seconds is very much believable. The car gets off the line very quickly and it surprises you how fast this big SUV moves. There is also a boost function which can be activated with a button on the steering wheel. This function gives you 10 seconds of additional power for a faster launch.
Cruising at 80 or 100 km/h is effortless and overtaking is very easy. You donât even have to switch to Race mode. You can make almost all overtakes in either the Range mode or the Everyday mode. EVs are known to have a weak top-end since the motor rpms are limited to conserve the battery. Thatâs why you will see most EVs have their top-speed limited. Well, the Mahindra XEV 9e has a top speed of 202 km/h which is a lot for an EV. We got to drive on the high-speed track in the Mahindra facility and the car managed to touch 200 km/h with ease. The progress from 150 km/h to 200 km/h was obviously slow, but the car managed to do it.
There are 3 driving modes to choose from. Thereâs some difference between these modes as they alter the accelerator pedal response and also the steering weight.
⢠Range Mode: This is the mode when you want to extract maximum range or even want to enjoy a smooth drive. You wonât feel that the car is lacking power in this mode. It has enough grunt to keep up with the traffic and make those quick overtakes. We found this mode to be the best for driving in the city.
⢠Everyday Mode: This is the default mode to drive in and it works well in the city as well as on the highway. It provides a good balance between power and economy. The throttle response is a bit sharper than the Range mode.
⢠Race Mode: The throttle response gets noticeably sharper in this mode and the car feels ready to fly. The power delivery is still pretty linear which is a good thing. You wonât find this mode to be too jerky and with smooth throttle inputs, you can drive around comfortably in this mode as well. The steering gets noticeably heavier in this mode. It’s good as the heft is something enthusiasts will appreciate.
Regenerative Braking
Mahindra has covered all the bases with regenerative braking. There are 3 levels of regeneration that can be adjusted via the buttons on the steering wheel. I found Level 1 to be the most comfortable with very IC engine-like engine braking. Level 2 was also okay, but in the maximum level of regeneration, there is a noticeable jerk on lift-off. There is a Level 0 as well where the car just keeps rolling when you lift off the accelerator. If you are a fan of one-pedal driving, Mahindra has integrated it with the XEV 9e. Thereâs a button on the steering wheel to engage “One-Pedal Drive”. Once engaged, the regeneration level is automatically cranked up to Level 3.
Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)
EVs are inherently silent, which is why, all the other aspects like wind noise and tyre noise get amplified inside the cabin. Mahindra has installed acoustic and UV protective windows and windshields to keep the noise levels down. On normal roads, the wind noise starts creeping in at 90 km/h. The Goodyear ElectricDrive tyres have foam inside them to reduce tyre noise and that works. Overall, the noise inside the cabin is well controlled.
Range
The XEV 9e with the 79 kWh battery pack has an ARAI-certified range of 656 km and the WLTP in-house tested range is 533 km. Mahindra has also claimed to have done real-world driving range tests in different metros across the country. According to the results across different cities, they got an average of 500 km real-world range with AC ON. The least they got was 491 km in Jaipur and the highest range they got was 559 km in Coimbatore. Some of the other cities that were also tested are Bangalore (508 km), Chennai (529 km), Hyderabad (504 km), Pune (503), Chandigarh (539 km), Delhi (515 km), Mumbai (497 km), Goa (553 km) and more. Weâll wait for some ownership reviews for more real-world range figures.
Charging
The INGLO platform on which the BE 6e and the XEV 9e are based allows 2C fast charging. The 79 kWh battery pack can charge from 20-80% in just 20 minutes using a 175 kW DC fast charger. As 175 kW DC fast chargers arenât very common, here are charging times for more common chargers for charging the battery from 5â80% – 27 minutes for 150 kW, 45 minutes for 90 kW and 65 minutes for 60 kW.
You can also use an AC wall charger which is available in 2 options â 11 kW and 7.2 kW. The 79 kWh battery pack charges from 0-100% in 8 hours using an 11 kW charger and in 11.7 hours using a 7.2 kW charger.
Charging port has been placed within the tail-lamp cluster:
Suspension
Ride Comfort
The Mahindra XEV 9e is equipped with a McPherson strut suspension at front and a 5-link independent suspension at the rear. It gets a stabilizer bar at the front and rear. One of the features that Mahindra highlighted was that the dampers are semi-active. In essence, there are displacement sensors at each wheel and an IMU Sensor (Inertial Measurement Unit) that calculates in real-time, the variation in road conditions and adjusts the damping force accordingly. There is a solenoid valve at the bottom that controls the flow of oil in the damper. The system calculates the damping force based on various inputs like vehicle speed, wheel displacement, body movement, brake and steering and speed breaker inputs.
While driving, the first thought you will have is that the suspension is tuned for comfort. The ride quality is good in the city and the suspension feels absorbent. You can glide over small to medium-sized potholes without having to worry about the suspension. It is a Mahindra after all. It doesnât feel fragile over bad roads. Large potholes do register themselves inside the cabin, but the car doesnât lose its composure. But given that this is an EV with a heavy battery pack on the floor, there is an inherent stiffness to the suspension setup. You will feel quite a bit of side-to-side movement when driving on rough patches of road. The 20-inch optional wheels are also a contributor to this. Variants with 19-inch wheels should have a slightly better ride.
Handling & Dynamics
Straight-line stability is good and the XEV 9e feels stable till 120 km/h on normal roads. There is a hint of vertical movement at speed, but it is never unnerving. While most of the road undulations at high speed are handled well, the ride isnât completely flat. On a well-laid tarmac like the Mahindra SUV Proving Track, the car felt very stable. Even at 150-160 km/h, the car didnât feel nervous. Above that, you have to be careful. Note that these speeds were done at a closed high-speed track and not on public roads.
Try to throw the car around some corners and you feel the bulk around you. The chassis, however, is capable and the car manages to hold its line pretty well. That said, there is some body roll and it is not a car you would want to go attacking corners with. The weight distribution is also well-managed, which gives you more confidence in the corners. However, as mentioned earlier, this is a car thatâs best for comfort driving.
Steering
Mahindra has equipped the steering system with a Variable Gear Ratio (VGR). The steering rack has different pitches, which means that the feel is different in the middle as compared to the end lock. Basically, the rack has a narrow pitch in the middle. This helps when driving at high speeds, where the slightest of movements wonât steer the vehicle in a direction. There is a neutral zone in the middle which is good for high speeds. On the sides of the steering rack, the pitch gets wider which means that the steering response increases. This is more useful when you want to take sharp turns or U-turns. You donât have to keep rotating the steering wheel. The wheel angle tightens progressively. Due to this, the XEV 9e has a turning circle of 10 meters. Thanks to the ADAS level 2+, the steering system also has some added functions for auto park assist and lane keep assist. When it comes to driving, the steering feels direct and gives good feedback. It weighs up well as the speed increases and also in Race mode. It is fairly light and easy to use in Range and Everyday modes.
Braking
All-wheel disc brakes are offered as standard. Mahindra has also equipped the XEV 9e with brake by wire. The traditional booster has been replaced by an integrated electronic booster. What this does is that before applying the mechanical brakes, the system uses regeneration to slow down the vehicle. If more force is needed, then the mechanical brakes are applied. This system is claimed to give a range benefit of up to 18%. The brakes felt sharp and responsive. The brake pressure was linear and progressive which helped in slowing down the vehicle in a predictable manner.
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