First-gen Toyota Fortuner owner test drives a Mahindra XEV 9e

Took a small 2km test drive of the Mahindra XEV 9e. I drive a Gen 1 Toyota Fortuner and this was my first time driving an EV. Some impressions:

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1. There was no rush at the showroom. Its a Tier 3 capital city. There are 2 dealerships in my city.

2. Initial response to a customer entering the showroom was lackadaisical. However the SA assigned was decently knowledgeable.

3. The vehicle looks striking and the build quality appeared solid.

4. The outside piano black cladding already had minor scratches with wiping from cloth.

5. The inside 3 screen setup was beautiful.

6. The front seats were great. The rear seats required a bit of inclination adjustment to get better under thigh support.

7. Don't understand Mahindra's fixation with white colored seats. They were already spoiled after only a couple of days of TD. Will be a real eyesore every time one gets into the car.

8. I drove in everyday mode which is more than quick for city conditions. Started with regen level 2 and then switched to level 1 as i felt more comfortable in it.

9. The drive was super silent. My daily drive is a gen 1 Fortuner. Felt like moving from the humdrum of a fish market to a pin drop silence room

10. The suspension is compliant and felt like floating on clouds compared to my Fortuner.

11. Switched off all ADAS functions since it was a city drive and i am not used to these functions.

12. The biggest bummer for me was rear visibility. As I looked into the rear view mirror I could only see through a band in the mirror. First I thought that there is some issue with this electronic mirror. But then I realised that this is what you are to get in this design of vehicle . Now I really like to see those pesky bikers sneaking around left and right from behind. You will definitely miss them.

13. Somehow could not get a sharp focused image of the HUD. Maybe it was due to the progressive lenses i wear. Found the HUD a bit distracting.

Overall a brilliant product from Mahindra. However they will really have to up their service levels for such a complex vehicle. My next car would definitely be an EV, but will wait for couple of years for things to stabilize with our Indian manufacturers.

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