BE6 was one of the first born-electric SUVs from Mahindra to be launched in the Indian market. The eSUV caught the attention of many young buyers because of its unique exterior design along with premium features. Mahindra even launched the BE6 Batman Edition in the market for fans. After the regular and the Batman Edition, Mahindra also launched the Formula E Edition of the BE6 in the market last year. It is available in FE2 and FE3 trims. Prices for the Formula E Edition start at Rs 23.69 lakh, ex-showroom, and go all the way up to Rs 24.49 lakh, ex-showroom. Deliveries for the Formula E Edition have started, and we have now come across a video where a customer shares his experience with the Formula E Edition.
The video has been shared by Walk with Neff on his YouTube channel. In this video, the customer talks about the reasons why he bought the BE6 Formula E, the things he liked, and also the bits that he didn’t like that much. The owner mentioned that he owned a 17-year-old Maruti Dzire and is not someone who likes cars with flashy features and gimmicks.
He wants a car with features that make his life easier on a day-to-day basis. He only started thinking about another car when he began facing issues finding parts for his old car. While deciding what car to buy, safety was one of his major concerns. Having survived a major accident in a Mahindra XUV500 years ago, a 5-star safety rating was his absolute top priority.
He also mentioned that his wife suffers from a ligament issue, and that is the reason why he wanted an automatic car. He came to the decision to buy an EV after calculating the cost of ownership and running costs. When he compared the numbers with ICE vehicles like his old Maruti Dzire, he realised that he could save fuel worth Rs 10 lakh if he owned the EV for 15 years.
He originally intended to buy the standard Pack 3 Select variant but realised he didn't want ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), which he felt isn't fully ready for Indian road conditions. That is when Mahindra launched the FE Edition, which gave him a choice to skip ADAS while still getting upgraded premium features like adaptive suspension and larger wheels.
Even before buying the car, he rented one from Zoomcar and took it on a road trip to understand the challenges he might face. He took the smaller 59 kWh variant and, after returning, realised that there is enough support in terms of charging infrastructure and that the smaller battery pack was not suitable for him. He mentions in the video that he likes features such as adaptive suspension, the premium audio system, the practical cabin with a thoughtful storage layout, large bottle holders in all doors, a wireless charging pad, physical buttons, a cooled glove box, and so on. He also appreciates the 360-degree camera in the BE6, as it gives him a clear view of the surroundings and obstacles while manoeuvring the vehicle through narrow and crowded roads in Bangalore.
The owner also talked about things that he didn’t like in the vehicle. He mentions that the car often shows inaccurate range figures due to a software bug. He pointed out that it has a software calculation error where the displayed kilometres-per-kilowatt-hour (km/kWh) efficiency readings do not accurately match the actual drop in battery percentage.
He also mentions that the wireless phone charger overheats the phone, and he is disappointed that the car has all the cameras required for a "Secure 360" dashcam loop-recording feature, but Mahindra has not enabled the software feature for this variant.
The passenger seat doesn’t get height adjustment, and the remote window roll-down controls have not worked for him. He is currently happy with the driving experience and has been getting around 400 km of range. He mentions multiple times in the video that he is not driving the car for maximum range. He is having fun with the vehicle, and someone who wants to extract maximum range might get better figures from the same vehicle. He has also been using a home charger mostly to ensure better battery life.