After a successful run with BE 6 and XEV 9e, Mahindra has just launched its third Electric Origin SUV in the form of XEV 9S. This is the first 3-row electric mainstream SUV launched in India and it will carve out a niche for itself. Mahindra XEV 9S has been launched at a starting price of Rs 19.95 lakh (Ex-sh).
Mahindra is quite proud of the fact that even the top-spec Pack Three Above trim has been priced below the Rs 30 lakh (Ex-sh) price point. You can add XEV 9S as a preference on Mahindra app starting from 14th December 2025, test drives start from 5th January 2026, bookings open on 14th January 2026 and deliveries start on 23rd January 2026.
[embedded content]
Hearing the name XEV 9S and the fact that it is a 3-row SUV, one might think that it is a 9-Seater, but it is a 7-seater. The 9S in its name denotes Silhouette, Stance, Seamless, Scintillating, Striking, Space, Scenic, Sensuous and Sci Fi. We drove the new XEV 9S in Bengaluru and here is what we think about Mahindra’s latest Electric Origin SUV.
Mahindra XEV 9S First Drive Review
The BE 6 and XEV 9e established Mahindra as a major EV manufacturer producing premium and enthusiastic Electric Origin SUVs to the mainstream. The company has managed to sell over 30,000 units within a span of around 7 months. Now, the Mahindra Electric Origin SUV lineup has been expanded with XEV 9S. The launch price of Mahindra XEV 9S is Rs 19.95 lakh (Ex-sh) and is expected to be well received by Indian SUV buyers.
In typical Mahindra fashion, there is a lot of value for intended buyers as Mahindra is bundling quite a lot of features and creature comforts including the 7-seater layout, the triple 12.3-inch dashboard, a panoramic Skyroof, 150L frunk, independent suspension with Frequency Dependant Dampers (FDD) and more.
Even the laminated glass and foam inlays in the tyre for a quiet cabin, BYOD rear seat entertainment system, auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, electronic parking brake, 5G connectivity and other features are offered as standard. With the top-spec Pack Three Above, the bells and whistles get overwhelming.
Exterior Design
Where design is concerned, XEV 9S continues to a striking and futuristic SUV like BE 6 and XEV 9S. It is positioned on the same INGLO platform as the other two and bears a lot of design semblances with other SUVs from the brand’s stables, both ICE and EV. From the front, XEV 9S gets a unique grille when compared to XEV 9e, but most other elements are common between both vehicles.
At the sides, R18 alloy wheels with aero design are new, but the rest of sheet metal and exoskeleton is shared with its ICE stablemate XUV700, which might be renamed XUV7XO with a facelift. The flush door handles continue which also pop out automatically. At the rear, most of the sheet metal is shared with XUV700, but gets revised LED tail light signature and LED turn indicators, which could make their way to XUV700 facelift (XUV7XO) soon.
The paint quality is quite premium and there weren’t any major panel gaps and other anomalies to be seen. Because we drove the XEV 9S in the evening, we even experienced its LED Bi-LED headlights, which were more than adequate for intended highway speeds. Even the cornering lights feature is present, integrated into its fog lights.
India’s 1st 3-Row E-SUV
On the inside, the main highlight of Mahindra XEV 9S is its three-row layout, which is missing in XEV 9e, owing to its coupe roofline. In fact, XEV 9S is India’s first 3-row electric SUV for the mainstream market. This is likely to appeal to Indian buyers a lot as the third-row seats bring a level of versatility and future-proofing not present in 2-row SUVs even though the last row is probably never used.
These third row seats are kind-of usable even for adults, but this statement comes with an asterisk, given the trip is short and 2nd-row seats are pushed forward. Still, good to have, one would say. On the surface, the third-row seats look like the main distinction with XEV 9S over XEV 9e. Looking closer, it is evident that 2nd row seats of XEV 9S are the primary distinction.
We say this because XEV 9e was sort-of a chauffeur-driven vehicle, but XEV 9S is a definitive chauffeur-driven vehicle. This is because XEV 9S packs additional features over XEV 9e that will make a big difference to the chauffeur-driven audience. For starters, XEV 9S gets ventilated seats for 2nd-Row passengers, which elevates daily commutes and long hauls by a couple of notches.
Because the co-driver seat is now powered, it has unlocked Powered Boss Mode, which is a more elegant and effortless solution than doing it manually. The BYOD system Mahindra is offering, allows users to bring any tablets of their choice and then connect it to seamlessly integrate it with the car’s main system. Also specific to XEV 9S, we now get an openable sunroof if you want to let the elements inside the cabin.
Chauffeur-Driven Vehicle
Second row passengers get individual tray tables which can be deployed at will and then pushed back when not in use. This allows for a luxury car feeling for chauffeur-driven buyers. Second row seats can also be moved forward and backward and then reclined for optimum comfort. Other elements to pamper second row occupants include rear AC vents, 65W USB Type-C ports, centre armrest with cupholders, a wireless charging pad below rear AC vents and more.
We saved the first row seats for last as they are vastly similar to what we saw with XEV 9e. Unique to XEV 9S is front co-driver powered seat as mentioned above and the triple 12.3-inch displays continue to dominate the dashboard while offering slick and responsive UI powered by MAIA. There is dual-zone climate control, wireless charging pad, 2-spoke steering wheel with illuminated Mahindra logo, toggle type switches on steering wheel, the multi-function multimedia scroll wheel continues, which is a good thing. Only co-driver gets a vanity mirror and vanity light.
The only gripe we had was with the touch pad to control various controls like hazard light and others. This is powered by a haptic engine and it was vastly inconsistent. Sometimes it could activate with a feather touch and sometimes it took a big press and there were significantly more misses than hits.
All the goodies from BE 6 and XEV 9e like 1400W 16-speaker Harman Kardon speakers, Level-2+ ADAS, Auto Park, Groove mode, auto-dimming IRVM, Remote Key Parking and other shenanigans are present in XEV 9S. The boot space is quite generous too, with 527L when third row seats are folded and an additional 150L in the frunk.
Performance & Powertrains
Where powertrain options are concerned, Mahindra XEV 9S is more versatile than BE 6 and XEV 9e. That is because Mahindra has formulated a new 70 kWh battery pack on top of the previous 59 kWh and 79 kWh options. This allows Mahindra to better diversify the variant lineup of XEV 9S to reach more audience than it did before.
As of now, this new 70 kWh battery pack is bundled only with Mahindra XEV 9S Pack Two Above trim level and more could follow in the future. This new 70 kWh battery pack gets a peak DC charging of 160 kW and a single electric motor rated at 241 bhp and 380 Nm, driving rear wheels.
At the media drive, we drove the top-spec Pack Three Above trim with a 79 kWh battery pack, capable of 175 kW DC fast charging and might deliver a real world range of over 500 km with AC on. Same as before as promised with XEV 9e. Despite what the leaked infographics suggested, a dual-motor AWD setup for XEV 9S was not announced at launch.
In single motor RWD configuration, the peak power is 282 bhp and peak torque is 380 Nm. XEV 9S can sprint to 100 km/h from standstill in 7 seconds, a smidge under XEV 9e’s 6.8 seconds. Without a leash, XEV 9S will hit a top speed of 200 km/h in Boost Mode. An exact range figure was not disclosed and it could be slightly different when compared to XEV 9e owing to different wheel size and unsprung mass, expected higher sprung mass and different aerodynamic performance.
Ride Comfort
Electric powertrains deliver all of their torque instantly at 0 RPM and XEV 9S is no different. It picks up pace quite instantly and the acceleration it offers is addictive. All this performance is delivered in a whisper quiet manner, quite literally. XEV 9S’ acoustic glass and the special foam lined tyres cut out the ambient noise remarkably. Even the wind whistles from ORVMs and A Pillars can hardly be heard inside.
Mechanically, most of the components doing duties in XEV 9S are shared with XEV 9e including the INGLO platform, the intelligent and independent adaptive suspension and more. That said, there are a few variations that give XEV 9S a slightly different driving character. These variations include the size and weight along with the smaller 18-inch alloy wheels with skinnier tyres.
Overall drive quality is vastly similar to XEV 9e, but XEV 9S felt a little plusher. However, the difference is likely to be very minimal. One would have to drive both XEV 9e and XEV 9S back-to-back to derive a definite conclusion. XEV 9S cannot escape the body roll, but it is surprisingly controlled. It is not a sporty machine and it shouldn’t be treated like one.
The way XEV 9S tackles Indian roads and potholes is quite commendable. Even the braking performance is quite good with most of the heavy lifting done by adjustable regen modes and Single Pedal Drive mode which is a boon in chalk-a-block traffic. Overall sense of SUV-ness and robustness is present in XEV 9S, which Indian buyers are likely to appreciate.
With XEV 9S, Mahindra promises an SUV-like ride height and driving position. The ground clearance is 219 mm and the driver’s eye point is rather high at 1,476 mm, as revealed by Mahindra.
Conclusion
Mahindra XEV 9S offers quite a lot more features and technology which look like they are tailor made for Indian SUV buyers than XEV 9e. It even offers more versatility with its three-row seating which XEV 9e does not get. Despite offering more, XEV 9S costs less than XEV 9e by up to Rs 2 lakh, which makes it more VFM than XEV 9e. So, how did Mahindra pull off this pricing?
The answer lies in mass production and economies of scale, which favours XEV 9S as it shares most of its elements with other Mahindra vehicles. Which is not a bad thing, in our opinion. XEV 9S gets an almost identical fascia as XEV 9e and almost identical exoskeleton and rear design as XUV700 (which could be renamed XUV7XO).
Dashboard and door trims are almost identical to XEV 9e and seating layout is almost identical to XUV700 facelift or XUV7XO. We wouldn’t be surprised if the new tail lights seen on XEV 9S went on XUV700 facelift or XUV7XO. After experiencing Mahindra XEV 9S in Bengaluru, we were thoroughly impressed with the overall packaging Mahindra has pulled out with its third Electric Origin SUV.
For Mahindra, XEV 9S has all the ingredients to become the best selling Electric Origin SUV when sales commence. So, what would be your choice? XEV 9e’s Coupe aura and style or XEV 9S’ overall packaging? Either way, it is great that Mahindra is offering you both.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
