Powering a 201 bhp and 310 Nm electric motor, we have a 71.8 kWh battery on BYD eMAX7 and is capable of sprinting from 0-100 km/h in 8.6s
There is something about people movers that has captivated many of the Asian markets, making them a popular car genre. India is no different. We have a love affair with MPVs as they appeal to large families. However, there has been just one electric MPV in India which has undergone a massive overhaul recently.
We’re talking about BYD eMAX7, the spiritual successor of e6 electric MPV. BYD has significantly increased the appeal of this electric MPV by a massive design overhaul and updated interiors to modernize it. We drove the eMAX7 in Chennai as part of national media drive arranged by BYD India and here is what we think about the latest iteration of this electric MPV.
BYD eMAX7 First Drive Review
As part of the national media drive hosted by BYD India, the company provided Rushlane with a top-spec eMAX7 Superior trim with 7-seater configuration finished in a subtle Harbour Grey shade. There are two trim levels offered with two seating configurations yielding a total of 4 variants. Pricing for eMAX7 starts from Rs 26.9 lakh (Ex-sh).
At this price, the main MPV rivals for BYD eMAX7 are Toyota Innova Crysta, Innova Hycross and its Maruti counterpart, Invicto. Innova Hycross and Invicto are more fitting rivals than Crysta, considering the monocoque chassis and electrification in their powertrains. There is a strong case for BYD eMAX7 with fleet operators in commercial sector as well, just like Innova Hycross.
Understated Design
Where design is concerned, BYD eMAX7 looks a lot better than its predecessor e6. BYD calls it a dragon face design owing to their Chinese origin, but it looks more like shark face to me. Regardless, we liked the way it looks and is not flashy or in-your-face like a few rivals. eMAX7 doesn’t try to look like an SUV, lending it sophisticated appeal and understated elegance.
Front has a sloping bonnet with a few creases for character. The bonnet is hydraulically assisted. Headlights look classy with 5 projector elements with LEDs illuminating them. LED DRLs are integrated into these headlights. A satin silver element connects these headlights and gets a BYD logo sitting proudly. There are no fog lights here, but eMAX7 gets active air curtains in the front bumper to smoothen the airflow and improve aerodynamic efficiency.
Side profile has a strong belt line that directs one’s vision towards eMAX7’s 4,710 mm length and 2,800 mm long wheelbase. The ORVMs are aerodynamic in shape and BYD is quite proud of this design. Car’s window line is accentuated with chrome, lending a premium appeal. There is a chrome strip on the running board as well. Only fly in the ointment here are the 17-inch alloy wheels that look rather small on this vehicle. 18-inchers would have looked swanky.
At the rear, we get a shark fin antenna, connected LED tail lights, a roof spoiler, a body-coloured bumper and chrome strips across tail light and bumper. The paint quality is commendable too. BYD opted to offer a fixed glass roof with eMAX7, which is the more logical choice amidst OEMs offering panoramic sunroofs where kids and adults end up sticking their heads and torsos out.
Well-designed Interiors
Being a Rs 30 lakh vehicle, one would expect a premium experience on the inside and BYD eMAX7 does not disappoint in this regard. For starters, there is a well-designed and laid-out dashboard. There are impressive soft-touch materials on all four door pads and on the centre console where driver’s and front passenger’s knees would graze. These elements are properly soft to the touch, which is not often the case with vehicles in this price range.
Dashboard only gets hard plastics and an interesting open-pore wood-like effect. The glovebox is damped and so are the interior grab rails. Materials used for seat upholstery are of good quality and so is the leather wrapped on steering wheel. The rockers, dials and buttons on centre console and steering wheel are of good quality too. There is a single wireless charger in eMAX7’s centre console.
Seats are reasonably sized and offer good support for a full-grown adult like myself. But the seat base lacks under-thigh support in all three rows. Front seats are electrically adjustable, while rear seats are manually adjustable for sliding, reclining and folding. Steering wheel is adjustable for tilt and reach, allowing for driver to get a comfortable driving position. 2nd row seats could have offered more space, especially where width is concerned.
When two adults sat in 2nd-row seats, our elbows grazed, which is not a good sign. I think the 7-seater variant makes very little sense as there is no shoulder room to even put a baby in the middle. Even knee room for 2nd-row occupants is nothing to write home about. Accessing third-row seats is fairly easy, but the space here is only acceptable for kids. AC vents are roof-mounted for 2nd-row and 3rd-row occupants.
Features & Creature Comforts
Interior lighting is all LED, including the vanity lights with auto function for driver and front passenger. Glass roof is fixed and is treated to cut down on a few spectra of harmful sunlight. Sunshade is electrically operated. There are many USB ports for occupants to charge up their devices. With all the seats up, BYD eMAX7 does not have a lot of luggage space. With 3rd-row folded, there is around 580L of boot space, which can be further expanded by folding the 2nd-row seats. A missed opportunity for BYD is an absence of front storage as it looked like they could have extracted 100L of volumetric luggage space here.
The main highlight of BYD eAMX7’s interiors is that it offers a 12.8-inch rectangular display that can rotate to portrait or landscape orientations. However, many functions like Android Auto don’t work in portrait orientation. Speaking of, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are wireless on this vehicle. The screen also controls the dual-zone Auto AC and front ventilated seat function.
This screen acts as a monitor for 360-degree camera feature too and works very well on this vehicle. However, we would have liked it if BYD had a dedicated software for infotainment screen. The overall UI looked like it is from an aftermarket Android system and there even is an SD card reader under front center armrest to stream media. Steering has controls to operate an MID in the semi-digital instrument cluster.
There is an NFC key card that communicates through right ORVM. BYD eMAX7 also has ADAS suite, which does a decent job. Lane Keeping Assist was not functioning at times. Thus Auto Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control and other features needed more polish. There are six airbags on offer and disc brakes are offered on all four wheels along with ABS, EBD, TCS, ESP and more.
Performance and Dynamics
Being an electric vehicle is probably BYD eMAX7’s biggest strength. We say this because the performance is genuinely exhilarating with instant torque available at 0 RPM. The 71.8 kWh battery pack promises a range of 530 km on a single charge. This battery had 99% SOC when we received the car with 347 km on the odometer. After driving 152.8 km, SOC dropped to 41% with 500km on the odometer.
We used 58% of battery (41.644 kWh) to drive 152.8 km. So, we got 3.66 km/kWh efficiency with 263 km of range from a single charge. However, in real-life situations, one can expect BYD eMAX7 to return around 5 km/kWh and 360 km range, with normal driving styles in Eco Mode. Speaking of, there are three driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport, with a reasonable distinction between them. A 201 bhp 8-in-1 electric motor with 310 Nm of instant torque sips juice from this battery. It pulls cleanly and BYD quotes acceleration figures of 8.6 seconds.
The heavy battery allows for a composed ride with impressive stability at higher speeds. The suspension setup is commendable and does a very good job of absorbing the road undulations and imperfections. It doesn’t feel robust but comes very close. Another notable attribute of eMAX7 is its NVH, or the lack thereof. Cabin insulation is excellent with little to no wind noise from A-Pillars and ORVMs and minimal tyre noise from wheel wells.
Speaking of tyres, BYD is equipping eMAX7 with 225/55-R17 tyres from a brand called Giti Tires and it loses traction relatively easily. We would have liked stickier tyres with more grip, especially considering the acceleration it has. The 55% profile is also slightly concerning for Indian road conditions. Dynamically, BYD eMAX7 has a lot of body roll, decent steering feedback and some nose-diving under braking. The stopping power is impressive with good initial bite and progression.
Conclusion
Considering eMAX7 is a fully imported CBU, BYD has got the pricing right, making the locally manufactured rivals look like they’re “not aggressively priced” at all. We say this because the top-spec locally manufactured Innova Hycross with a tiny battery and negligible pure-EV range costs Rs 31 lakh (Ex-sh).
In comparison, top-spec BYD eMAX Superior 7S costs Rs 29.9 lakh (Ex-sh) offering a 71.8 kWh battery, 530 km range on a single charge and a 201 bhp electric motor that can sprint to 100 km/h in a claimed 8.6 seconds. So, one should just ignore the Toyota Innova Hycross in favour of BYD eMAX7. Right?
The answer to this question is not as easy as it sounds. BYD eMAX7 doesn’t have usable boot with 3rd-row up and it lacks cabin width for that “Seth Ji” feeling. The lack of an auto-dimming IRVM is a deal-breaker, according to me. Something that BYD should consider fixing in an update. Also, there is a lot of space under the bonnet, which BYD could have used for a front trunk. But there is isn’t one.
For small family with occasional need of 3rd-row and the owner/buyer wants exhilarating performance with a feature rich, premium and tech-savvy cabin, Yes. eMAX7 is an easy recommendation. However, if the buyer wants a good chauffeur-driven experience or needs genuine space to seat up to 8 people and have usable boot with 3rd-row up, the answer is no. But we recommend prospective buyers to keep BYD eMAX7 in the wishlist and take a test drive.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
