If the Mahindra XEV 9e looks a bit more practical and real-world, the BE 6e is quite the opposite. With more radical styling that fits the definition of SUV coupe the closest, the Mahindra BE 6e is quite a looker. If you think the pictures look good, this car incredibly enough looks even better in front of you.
Built on the same Inglo platform as the XEV 9e, the Mahindra BE 6e manages to fit a smaller and sleeker body onto the same frame. It also doesn’t quite stretch as far beyond the wheelbase as the XEV 9e, almost feeling hatchback-like in some ways. Don’t mistake this for a hatchback though; the BE 6e is a big car, with a length of 4371mm.
ALSO SEE: Mahindra's sonic revolution
Like the XEV 9e, the BE 6e is a rear-wheel drive car with the electric motor mounted at the rear. This makes the boot a bit high and shallow, although you do still get a claimed 455L of capacity along with the 45L frunk at the front. Rear visibility is so little that I quickly stopped bothering even trying to look out the back. The rear seat row is comfortable and has some leg room, but the coupe-style design means that headroom isn’t much and the rear windows aren’t very big.
The front seats are where the Mahindra BE 6e really stands out. The car gets a cockpit-style front row, with the drivers’ seat surrounded by a halo-like division apparatus. There’s also the throttle-stick-like gear lever and joystick, and you’ll notice that there aren’t any dashboard controls for things below the infotainment display. Those buttons are mounted up top, just above the rear-view mirror, in very fighter-jet-like styling, while you get two Qi wireless charging pads below the AC vents.
I was initially a bit weirded out by the layout, but it quickly grew on me. The steering wheel shape, continuous wraparound dashboard, magnetic slot for the key fob, and out-of-sight USB ports all help make the Mahindra BE 6e feel like the most futuristic and adventurous car in the Indian market right now.
While the XEV 9e gets three display units as part of the infotainment system and instrument cluster, the Mahindra BE 6e gets a more traditional two displays. The left display is fully connected, supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and provides plenty of info on the car. Like the one on the XEV 9e, the software is in beta, and the experience is still a bit buggy and difficult to navigate. You also get the projected VisionX AR heads-up display (visible only to the driver) which projects basic info such as speed and navigation instructions virtually in front of you.
ALSO SEE: Mahindra XEV 9e and BE 6e electric SUVs launched, prices start at Rs. 21.90L and Rs. 18.90L
The entire system is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chipset, claimed to be the fastest for automobile infotainment systems. There’s also 24GB RAM, 128GB of storage, an Adreno GPU, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and embedded 5G connectivity to power the infotainment system.
Like on the XEV 9e, you get a full suite of apps which can be used when the car is stationary, including streaming services, news apps, shopping apps, and more. Interestingly, you can also take selfies with the cabin camera, which can also be used for security and monitoring when you aren’t in the car yourself, which will come a bit later through app support.
Of course, there is a 360-degree camera system for external monitoring as well, and ADAS Level 2+ features for detection and driver assistance. Lane keep assist worked well during my time with the car, along with various other warnings which helped to bring my attention to objects or animals on the road, cars in adjacent lanes, and more. Rather interesting is the auto-park feature, with which the BE 6e and XEV 9e can self park even without the driver sitting in the car; you can get out and control the parking with the key fob.
