Mahindra e2o Plus First Drive Review

Mahindra launched the e2o in 2013 and projected it as the ultimate city commuter that not only saves fossil fuels but is also cheaper to run and saves the environment by being a non-polluting vehicle. However with a price of Rs. 5.96 lakh, it was too less a car with too big a price. Practicality was an issue too with limited range and just a 2 door version available which meant ingress and egress was a pain.

Now three years down the line, Mahindra after a lot of feedback has introduced the e2o Plus. As the name suggests, it is a plus sized version of the original e2o. But the ‘Plus’ moniker accounts for a lot changes apart from just the size. But let’s talk about the size first. The e2o Plus is a longer, wider and taller than the regular e2o. Even the wheelbase has got a considerable bump with the current car boasting 2258 mm compared to the earlier cars 1958 mm.

The car as a result of the increased length looks a lot more proportional than before. While the headlight design remains the same, there is an all-new signature toothy Mahindra grille and a redesigned bumper.

On the sides, the addition of the rear door is immediately noticeable which gets a nice window line that drops down like in the Honda Mobilio/BR-V. Overall, it’s a much better looking car than the standard e2o, but the quirky design still remains to be in the love it or hate it category.

Because of its tall boy design, getting in and out of the car is a very easy affair. Once in however, the e2o is surprisingly spacious for its size. Beige coloured seats and a large glass house means, it feels like a pretty airy cabin. The dashboard layout remains similar to the earlier car. There are four circular air-con vents with the center being dominated by the Blaupunkt touchscreen android infotainment system which gets Bluetooth, aux and the usual goodies.

It also doubles up as the screen for all the car information you need like the charge status, revive function and then some. Below the screen are the dials for air-con controls which are extremely simple to operate but have a slightly flimsy feel to them. There is a nice carbon-fibre insert around the screen and the air-con controls which tries to impart some premium-ness.

The steering wheel doesn’t impart a feel-good factor and we think is a tad to large compared to the size of the car and the cabin. It’s also got a bulge in the 4’o clock – 8’o clock position which we have no clue what it’s for.

The instrument console is pretty much the best highlight of the dash. With a bright blue back light, the console shows all the information like charge status, ambient temperature, gear and then some. It’s pretty easy to read too under all light conditions.

Talking about the seats, we were pretty comfy in the short drive with the driver getting height adjustability too. Driving position is pretty good but we found the foot-well to be a tad too narrow with the knee hitting the center console too often. Also since the e2o isn’t too wide, one keeps rubbing into the co-passenger as well.

At the back the extended wheelbase means there is plenty of knee room but again limited width means a slightly intimate seating and of course it’s strictly a four seater. When you do need to shove luggage at the back the seat fold down to make room but you do not get a 60:40 split.

So the good news with the e2o plus is that the electric motor gets a big plus too. So the P2/P4/P6 variants get 25 bhp motor with 70Nm of torque. But if you go for the top of the line P8 variant, the power is bumped up to 40 bhp and 91Nm of torque.

Push the start stop button and you are ready to go. No engine cranking nothing. Slot the gear into Forward and you are ready to go. It’s as simple as it gets. We were driving the P8 variant within closed confines and not on the public road, but it was enough to give us an idea about the motors potential. With the motor mounted at the wheel there is no transmission loss and response is immediate but this ain’t no Tesla so it’s not going to yank one’s head back.

But should you need the extra oomph for overtaking that annoying rickshaw or bus, you also have a boost mode wherein the car packs a nice dollop of torque to give it increased acceleration. But of course the more you use the boost mode the lesser you’re range gets. With the e2o plus that range is now 140 km as compared to the earlier cars 100 km. But we need to test it in the real world to see what the actual range is.

Braking is something that takes a while to get used to and needs quite a bit of effort as well. Yes it’s regenerative wherein every time you tap the brakes, energy is produced and help the battery recharge, but that still does not mean one has to put so much effort onto the brake pedal. The e2o Plus comes with a front disc rear drum set up but no ABS.

Coming to the ride quality, since it was a closed environment we couldn’t really gauge the ride and handling but first impressions show that it’s pretty nimble thanks to the light steering, compact dimensions and lightweight fibre body. Ride quality however, wasn’t too convincing. The 14 inch take in minor undulations well, but the moment it goes over anything worse, the car thuds over it with most of it filtering into the cabin as well. Even when seated at the back, ride quality feels quite stiff.

Because you want to save the environment or you’re a tech freak who loves to collect gadgets. The e2o is techy guys delight. You get a remote app for the e2o through which you can pretty much control most of the car features. You can stop/start charging, troubleshoot, heck you can even pre-cool the car by turning on the air-con remotely. Pretty neat.

Also if your commute is less than 100 km in a day in the city, the e2o is not only more easy to drive but also more economical than any car with an internal combustion engine. Also a full charge takes about eight to nine hours and there is also a quick charge that charges 95% of the battery in 90 min.

Actually nowhere. The e2o Plus being a fully electric car is a niche segment with no other competition. But considering the P8 variant is priced at a whopping Rs. 8.46 lakh ex-Delhi, it will go up against the likes of the VW Ameo, the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Hyundai i20 Elite and even the Ford Figo. But is it a worthy alternative to all these cars? We’ll just have to wait and find out!

Photos:Kapil Angane