Mahindra BE 6e : Our observations after a day of driving

The weight distribution makes it fun to drive around corners. It also helps in chicanes where you have to change direction quickly and even during lane changes.

Driving the Mahindra BE 6e

Underpinning the BE 6e is the same platform as the XEV 9e. So, you have 2 battery options available - 59 kWh and 79 kWh. Mahindra will start manufacturing its batteries soon, but as of now, they are using battery packs with blade cells from BYD. The battery has a cell-to-pack structure which means there is no module in the pack. This helps 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 6.7 seconds which is a tenth of a second faster than the XEV 9e.

We’ve established that the BE 6e is the more driver-focused of the two cars, so let’s talk about how it drives. Using the aeroplane cockpit-inspired transmission mode selector, shift to D and you get off the line smoothly. The car starts in ‘Everyday’ mode as default which gives you a mix of power and comfort. The car feels light on its feet and agile while driving around in the city. You can keep up with the traffic easily and the motor’s instant torque will help you quickly overtake slow-moving traffic. It doesn’t feel jerky when going on and off the throttle and you can drive this car smoothly in the city. If you want a smoother driver, switch to Range mode which dulls the throttle response a bit. It doesn’t mean that the Range mode is underpowered by any means. There’s enough power on tap even in the Range mode.

Get out of the city and onto the highways and you can enjoy the performance on offer. There’s 282 BHP on tap that will take you from 0-100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds. That is quick for sure and you will leave some people startled at traffic signals when you launch the car. 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. The power delivery is very linear and once you get used to the throttle response, you can modulate it as required. To further fine-tune your driving experience, you can also adjust the regen mode to replicate engine braking as per your liking. With a predictable pedal response and power delivery, you can have fun while pushing the BE 6e around corners.

EVs are known to have a weak top-end since the motor rpms are limited to conserve the battery. That’s why you will see most EVs have their top-speed limited. Well, the Mahindra BE 6e has a top speed of 202 km/h which is a lot for an EV. On a drive on the high-speed track at the Mahindra facility, the car managed to touch 200 km/h. The progress from 150 km/h to 200 km/h was obviously slow, but it was faster than the bigger and heavier XEV 9e.

On occasions when you have to cruise on the highway, the car feels very relaxed. Overtaking is also not an issue. With the amount of power on tap, you can manage to overtake cars when cruising at 80 km/h or 100 km/h. You don’t even need to switch to Race mode. You can make almost all overtakes in either the Range mode or the Everyday mode. You can also engage adaptive cruise control on the highways and let ADAS do its work. The BE 6e and the XEV 9e are equipped with ADAS Level 2+ which has 5 radars and one camera. Mahindra claims that it can detect cows, pedestrians, barricades and different types of vehicles and that it has been tuned for the complexities of Indian road conditions.

There are 3 driving modes to choose from. There’s 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 won’t 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 won’t 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 BE 6e. There’s 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, 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 BE 6e with the 79 kWh battery pack has an ARAI-certified range of 682 km and the WLTP in-house tested range is 550 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 A/C ON. We’ll 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 aren’t very common, here are charging times for some more common chargers for charging from 5–80% - 27 minutes for 150 kW, 45 minutes for 90 kW and 65 minutes for 60 kW.

You can also use an A/C wall charger which is available in 2 options – 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 is placed on the rear left quarter panel, just above the wheel. It also has a battery status indicator:

Suspension

Ride Comfort

The Mahindra BE 6e gets the same suspension setup as the XEV 9e. You have McPherson struts at the front and a 5-link independent suspension at the rear. It also gets semi-active dampers on all 4 wheels. 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.

Right off the bat, you will notice that this is a suspension tune that focuses on handling. There is a stark difference in the ride quality of the bigger XEV 9e and the BE 6e. While driving at city speeds, small potholes and bumps register themselves in the cabin. The good thing is that it has the Mahindra DNA and the suspension feels sturdy. You can go over potholes without having to worry about breaking something. Large potholes are felt in the cabin sharply, so best to be careful over these. The suspension setup is on the firmer side and due to the heavy battery pack in the floor, it feels even stiffer. The chassis is tight and you get noticeable side-to-side movement in the cabin when driving over bad patches of road. The big 19-inch wheels also contribute to the stiffness of the ride. Even in the front passenger seat or in the back seat, you can always feel the road and there is always some movement which makes the ride feel busy.

Handling & Dynamics

If you look at the stance of the car you will notice that it has very short overhangs. Moreover, it is quite wide as well which gives the car a wide front and rear track. Basically, the 4 wheels are very close to the 4 edges of the car which gives it a very wide and stable footprint. Just looking at it you can tell that it has a very stable stance. It’s not very high and given the heavy battery pack in the floor, the centre of gravity is also low. All these factors in theory should contribute positively to the handling characteristics of the BE 6e and they definitely do. At high speeds, the car feels well-planted and stable with very little vertical movement. On the highway, there is no bounciness and the car doesn’t feel nervous. As a driver, you will enjoy being behind the wheel for its dynamics.

If you’re used to driving cars with a heavier front end, you will need to recalibrate yourself slightly. The turn-in is sharp and it holds the line very well. If you get too enthusiastic on the exit of a corner, you will feel the rear wanting to step out, but then traction control reigns you in. The weight distribution makes it fun to drive around corners. It also helps in chicanes where you have to change direction quickly and even during lane changes. This is a very nice handling package, which I’m sure, a lot of the enthusiasts will enjoy.

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. In terms of feel, it is very direct and offers good feedback. There is good heft to the steering wheel in Race mode which allows you to attack corners more confidently. The steering feels connected and not vague like most EPS units. It is light at city speeds and in Everyday or Range modes. It weighs up adequately at high speeds. The BE 6e 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.

Braking

All-wheel disc brakes are offered as standard. Mahindra has also equipped the BE 6e 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. Even under hard braking, the car didn’t lose its composure.

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