The Mahindra BE 6 is a very good looking vehicle when viewed in person with impressive performance and excellent power delivery
Bhpian shankar.balan recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Here are some blistering first impressions of my 45 minute interaction with the Mahindra BE 6 today. I am a bit adrenaline filled after the drive hence do forgive the relative incoherence.
When I reached home today, I got a call saying the Sireesh guys were in my vicinity and upon my confirmation, they were good enough to come to my place and give me a doorstep test drive. The vehicle is really something else!
I first sat in the back with their executive driving. Because I was concerned about rear headroom.
But Im glad to report plainly that my fears were unfounded – there is no problem with headroom at the rear and at the front despite my 6ft 2 inches height. Yes at rear maybe there is 3/4th inch between the top of my head and the roofline.
The Rear seat under thigh support though, is definitely lacking. Needs 3 inches more on the squab for sure. Front seats too, if they had increased under thigh support by just 2 inches it would have been heaven. But the support given by the seats is very good. I found them really comfortable and snug. Excellent for long distances. Lower back and shoulder support too seems adequate. I found the headrests cool and functional for my height. The vehicle offers plenty of legroom and one is very relaxed driving it. Driving comfort is further enhanced with the tilt and telescopic steering adjust which makes it just right.
Its a very good looking vehicle when viewed in person. Performance is really very good. Rear wheel drive so no torque steer. Excellent power delivery. Frankly the performance in ‘Everyday’ mode is more than adequate for normal folks.
The regen feels nice but is not as aggressive as in my Kona. Yes the Kona’s Torque from the get go is way more. That is absolutely clear the moment one presses the accelerator. But this BE6 is impressive all the same. Looks like the range is very worthy at 580kms. (Real world maybe 500) Can do Bangalore Madurai on one charge I think, which says a lot.
Ground clearance at approx 200mm is more than adequate for India. The giant 19 inch wheels make it look a bit ‘Hotwheels’. There is an option to go 20 inches too! Big 245 size tyres with tall sidewalls make the wheel wells look very well filled indeed.
Ride and handling are excellent. Takes curves fearlessly. Chassis tuning is really good – dare I invoke the hallowed name of ‘Lotus’? It eats the Bangalore bumps and sharp speed breakers with aplomb. Suspension tuning is really good.
Yes it’s a bit wide and large for our narrow streets and crowded areas. But if one can drive an MG Windsor, then one can drive this one too. I think it may eat the tyres up rather quickly because the natural tendency in this car is to ‘send it’ across all sorts of surfaces. But incidentally I didn’t ‘chirrup’ the rear tyres despite stomping on the throttle a bit.
Braking effect is linear and well controlled. ABS kicks in quick. Pedal firmness is comforting. No sponginess.
Be a bit careful around these city streets and parking lots because the A Pillar is real thick. So it’s a good idea to turn on the 360 degree camera always. I personally don’t like the heads up display on the windscreen so I prefer to switch it off.
Inside design may be polarising. I personally liked the cockpit styling inside. I rather like the separator from the passenger. But leaving aside the disco lighting gimmickry which I wont comment about, the sound system is wonderful. I was blasting some lovely Blues music and the audio effect is immersive! There are 2 screens and while on the move the driver and the passenger cannot watch things like videos and all. (Thank Heaven!)
The XEV9 on the other hand has three screens and the left most one in front of the passenger allows videos etc but is blacked out from the drivers view. (This is what the executive said)
There is a lot of piano black inside and many shiny surfaces which show fingerprints. The seat upholstery is of a sufficiently dark colour to reduce the dirt but it does show up on the test car all the same.
The pull tabs on the doors are a cool touch. The centre console is a cool thing. The steering control wheel is a bit like a plane. Very cool. Feels soft but also feels a little flimsy for some reason. There is definitely a ‘quality’ tactile feel to all the switchgear like indicators and all. On the test car there was no ‘play’ in the centre joystick – I had watched the MotorInc Video in which they commented about that but didnt experience it myself. The central circular control knob felt a bit plasticky though. Not as premium as BYD for example. The AC is adequately comfortable. The big moon roof gives one an impression of space and airiness. The boot is very large. With the rear seats folded down full one can literally sleep inside! One can carry 3 golf bags lying flat, horizontally placed.
While there was a little concern about the piano black on the outside, I think after some time one simply wont care.
The auto park facility is really very impressive as is the remote controlled forward and rearward drive movement. This will work when the person is within 4 feet of the car I believe so one can walk alongside while remote controlling the car! I made the executive demonstrate these two features for me – the auto park when I was sitting inside with him and the remote controlled movement when both he and I were standing outside the car.
This is actually a great value Sports Coupe SUV for anyone who likes a high performance, great handling, good looking and eye-catching vehicle which also has solid range and is well priced to boot. As many have said it is like a concept car come to life. And its price is at 32 lacs, a pretty decent deal.
There may be some initial niggles and all. And there is the question of servicing and service centre competence. But I think all of this will settle over the next 12 to 18 months. Mahindra has hit this one also straight out of the park, yet again.
My Kona looks and feels nice and I love it, but the BE6 is very tempting indeed. I think this is a very worthy car and deserves active consideration from anyone who is actively in the market at the moment.
Had I not bought my Kona last year, I’d certainly have considered this car. And as Tushar the big built gent from ZigWheels himself says he ‘can live with it’, I too can very easily do so, were I in the market.
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