The BE6 is among the most popular electric coupe SUVs from the Indian automobile giant, along with the XEV 9e
In this feature, we explore the ownership experience of Mr. Ashish, a Pune-based owner of the Mahindra BE6. Positioned as one of Mahindra’s most advanced electric SUVs, the BE6 showcases cutting-edge technology, contemporary design, and robust performance—all built on the global INGLO platform. After around five months behind the wheel, Mr. Ashish shares his insights on living with the BE6 and what sets it apart in the fast-evolving EV landscape.
Mahindra BE6 Ownership Experience
Q. What made you choose the BE6 over other EVs or SUVs in this price range?
A. I have owned multiple cars for around 10 years now. These include petrol and diesel (for lower running costs) models. So, I had thought for a long time that my next car would be electric for environmental and other reasons. My previous car was already a Mahindra, and I had a certain amount of familiarity with the brand, including service centres. Secondly, I was drawn to the design of the car, which is absolutely stunning in my opinion. There is nothing like this on the roads. Thirdly, the technological aspect is pretty strong as well. This includes efficient Blade Battery, which is quite reassuring. Other bits include 5 radar sensors for ADAS, which I think no one else is offering at this price point. Hence, the car is future-proof.
Q. How has the real-world range been compared to the official claim?
A. My typical usage is 70% city and 30% highways. I am averaging somewhere between 470 to 510 km on a single charge. The city conditions include bumper-to-bumper driving and heavy congestion.
Q. What is your daily route like – do you use home charging, or rely on public fast chargers?
A. I have the 11 kW home charger from Mahindra. That is what I mostly use.
Q. Have you used the ADAS features, and how confident do you feel while relying on them in city or highway traffic?
A. I typically keep all the assists on while driving, apart from the Lane Keep Assist, because there is a lot of work going on in my city. Hence, the lane markings are not consistent. All the other features, like Autonomous Emergency Braking, etc., are always on and I don’t face any problems with them. On the highway, I have tried out all the Adaptive Cruise Control features and I am fully confident about that.
Q. The BE 6 has a bold, futuristic design. How do people react to it, and how do you feel driving it every day?
A. My car is from the first batch of deliveries. Since the colour of my car is orange, in the first month of using it, I saw people literally turning around on the roads to have a look at my car. I have had strangers approach me and ask about the car. Initially, I didn’t have the home charger installed and so I was charging at this Shell charging station. One car owner pulled over and came to me just to talk about the car. Hence, the car attracts a lot of attention, especially since I have the orange colour.
Q. What’s the cabin experience like – in terms of space, comfort, and practicality for daily use?
A. My typical usage contains 2-3 people in the car. Therefore, the front two seats were my absolute priority. There is no space issue with that. However, it took a little getting used to the sloping roofline. Still, the easy entry and exit features are helpful. Hence, the ingress and egress are pretty sorted. I have not used the rear seats that much, but for short drives, it is fine. The moon roof certainly helps make the cabin feel airy. I knew that the coupe SUV shape will result in the back seat space not being the best, but it is not a big problem for me.
Q. Are there any tech features that genuinely improve your driving experience, or feel like gimmicks?
A. So, I use Adaptive Cruise Control during bumper-to-bumper traffic and the car does a great job of just following the traffic. Even I hadn’t imagined that I would be using this feature in the city traffic.
Q. How’s the boot space and overall practicality for family use or weekend trips?
A. I have been on a couple of short trips since I got the car. Generally, we were very happy. The comfort levels are good. For our use case, the car fits the bill with things like ventilated seats, a strong AC, decent rear AC vents, etc. For 2-3 people, the boot space is more than enough. Even if that runs out, we have the frunk. You can’t really fall short of storage space.
Q. Have you faced any issues, glitches, or visits to the service centre yet?
A. One issue I faced in the initial days, the DRL was slightly glitchy, but it wasn’t anything too serious. I talked to the Mahindra representative. He got me a complete replacement in a single day. That was the only unplanned visit to the service centre. Apart from that, I just made one other random visit to the service centre when the software update for Apple CarPlay was rolled out. There were only a couple of software bugs, but these didn’t hamper using the car at all. Simply restarting the car resolves any minor inconsistencies.
Q. Looking back, would you still make the same purchase decision today?
A. Absolutely!
Q. Which tech features have genuinely impressed you – Auto park, MAIA voice assistant, Sonic Studio by Harman Kardon, AR-HUD, ambient modes by A.R. Rahman – what, as per you, is the biggest game-changer?
A. Auto park is not a feature I thought I would use, but I ended up using it quite a lot. At the end of a long day, I sometimes load off the parking duties to the auto park. The office parking can be a bit cramped sometimes. Hence, I let the car do the parking for me in just a few seconds.
Also Read: Mahindra XEV 9e and BE6 Pack 2 Detailed on Tape
