Photography: Shenith Bhandary
It’s now half a decade since we laid the foundation of TURBOCHARGED, put together by a bunch of enthusiastic and hard-working petrolheads trying to live a dream. Our daily lives revolve around embargoed timelines, travel, riding and driving the newest of two-wheelers and cars for a living and of course, reporting on the automotive industry. Most importantly, we aim at bringing our audiences storytelling and visuals that make you go wow, across mediums, digital and offline. Now, fifth anniversaries are rather special, whether a marriage anniversary, or that of an energetic, enthusiast-centric publication like ours and call for special celebrations. And being the drama king that he can be, Abhay decided to announce the celebrations in his trademark manner.
Ed entered the office with a long face, stress dripping from his forehead, to throw the team into a tizzy. But turns out, he wanted to surprise us and announced that we would celebrate TURBOCHARGED’s fifth anniversary in Goa! Given that we are an automotive publication, it was kind of obvious we wouldn’t be taking a flight or train to Goa, and the first thought in my head was, what cars would we drive to Goa in. And before I could ask him, Abhay mentioned we would be driving the Mahindra XEV 9e to Goa. And then, with his trademark smirk, he proclaimed we would be doing it on a single charge! Eyebrows went up, since a full-house with luggage, and the 450km drive on a single charge meant the XEV 9e would see a charging gun only once we got to Goa!
I was excited, but also a little concerned. I like challenges, but this one right at the edge. What if we ran out of charge just after the climbing the steep and beautiful Anuskura ghat? Unlike the dino-juice that other SUVs guzzle, the XEV 9e only likes its watts and volts, which meant we would have to be more mindful than we would in an internal combustion engine-powered SUV. Or would we, considering that the XEV 9e packs in a massive, 79kWh battery pack and boasts a claimed range of 656km per charge, which also translates to over 500km in the real world? Maybe I was overthinking it, because Pune to Goa is just about 450km.
Destination decided and route set, the Mahindra XEV 9e was all charged up and so were we, ready to take on a mix of four lane highways, narrow country roads, the charming Sahyadri mountains and some off-road sections. All this, with four people and their luggage on board (including camping gear for us to enjoy the great outdoors!) on a single charge. As we left Pune city, the optimist that he is, Mrinmoy was not only confident we would make it to Goa on a single charge, but also have enough charge left for us to power our devices, given that the 79kWh battery pack powering the Mahindra XEV 9e is among the largest in the country, which ensures range anxiety is a thing of the past. In fact the XEV 9e has just won the highly coveted Green Car by ICOTY award, which speaks volumes about Mahindra’s engineering and how good the SUV is overall!
The XEV 9e was in its element on the highway courtesy its outputs of 285PS and 380Nm and was helping us munch miles at a pace rapid enough to shame luxury SUVs that cost twice as much! After all, with its design, packaging, space and exhaustive list of features the XEV 9e can embarass luxury SUVs costing twice! Barely four hours and a quick pit stop later we were ready to exit not-so-smooth NH48 and turn onto some country roads in search of hills. But besides its performance and sporty handling that enable a feverish pace on open roads, its excellent comfort is yet another aspect that makes the XEV 9e apt for road trips. And that is besides the luxurious cabin. The triple screen layout is a class act, and sitting in the front passenger seat I had a crisp and bright looking 12.3-inch display to myself, to watch some of my favourite videos, while Abhay used the other two screens, both 12.3-inch units, one for navigation and the other as the driver display. This, while Mrinmoy sat grumpily in the second row, staring outside.
That was because Mrinmoy had forgotten to carry his iPad along, which had he done, he would have been able to make the most of the XEV 9e’s BYOD or ‘Bring Your Own Device’ feature that allows you to mount a phone/tablet onto the front seatback and also charge it using 65W Type-C USB port beneath it. On that note, the XEV 9e comes with more fast charging Type-C USB ports than seats, which ensures you’re never out of charging options, besides the wireless charger upfront. And besides wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which helps for smartphone connectivity and thus navigation, the XEV 9e also has a detailed heads-up display. Abhay pointed out that it offers critical information including navigation with AI-generated prompts, charge status and range and more, without him needing to taking his eyes off the road.
My favourite bit though was the XEV 9e’s 16-speaker Harman Kardon music system with Dolby Atmos given its excellent acoustics. What stood out for Mrinmoy though was the Sonic Suite, which allows the XEV 9e to even mimic the roar of a V8 through the speakers. Another unique feature we appreciated together is the roof-mounted selfie camera just above the IRVM, which also enables video calling and virtual meetings on the go! Of course, as future-ready SUV the XEV 9e comes with an onboard internet connection too, which you can even tether to your smartphone, a feature that helped me when my phone network was patchy.
And powering all this wizardry is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8295 chipset, with an enviable 24GB of RAM! The processor is capable of 51 trillion operations per second, and Mahindra Artificial Intelligence Architecture (MAIA), the brain behind the XEV 9e’s excellent computing, helps you make the most of this chip. It powers and controls the SUV’s infotainment system, internet access, vehicle diagnostics, vehicle information and also the five radars and 12 sensors that are part of its Level 2 ADAS. Simply put, the XEV 9e packs in more firepower than some of the latest smartphones! As we approached the hills, we still had more than 70 percent charge left, and less than 300km to get to Goa, which was phenomenal! But as we approached Anuskura Ghat, the sceptic in me sprang out yet again given the steep inclines ahead, though the rest of the team, especially Abhay, seemed very confident.
The XEV 9e was quick on its feet through the hills too and made light of the task, and also felt engaging thanks to its rear wheel drive setup. Its 19-inch wheels shod with 245-section tyres were helping but the star of its show was the XEV 9e’s brilliant suspension which features frequency dependent damping with the multi-tuned valve concentric land technology that smoothens rough patches to offer a stellar ride quality while also endowing it with excellent handling prowess. The XEV 9e was thus going from corner to corner with minimum inputs and effort and minimal body roll, offering the best of both worlds.
And once on top, the XEV 9e’s multiple regen levels, especially single pedal mode with the strongest regenerative braking came to the fore, helping us recover charge lost on the way up quickly. This is something only EVs can allow – extend range by simply braking, which is sheer genuis! We even engaged in an off-road excursion, and while it is no off-roader, the XEV 9e impressed with its ability to tread off tarmac, thanks to its suspension and 218mm ground clearance. Once back on tarmac and past the hills, I took over the driving from Abhay. That’s when I got a taste of how brutally quick the XEV 9e can be. In Race mode, 285 horses are sent to the rear wheels faster than you can think and before you know it, you are pinned to your seatback! The XEV 9e also impressed me with its rock-solid stability and steering response, weighing up well as per speeds.
We were soon past the 300km mark, and still had a shade under 50 percent charge left, meaning getting to Goa on a single charge was a given. By the time we got there, the sun had lowered its gaze and was looking stunning, with the shimmering waters of the Arabian Sea in the foreground. As we rolled to a stop by the cliff, we had made it with 17 percent left, after driving for 479km. But this wasn’t just about us driving from Pune to Goa on a single charge. It was also about Mahindra’s excellent engineering and the XEV 9e’s brilliant BMS, besides our fifth anniversary. Most would deem what we had just accomplished impossible, but that’s the beauty of modern engineering. It lets you achieve feats beyond imagination, and modern-day electric SUVs like the Mahindra XEV 9e are a shining beacon of such engineering feats!
