2014 Mahindra Reva e2o T2: Review

The first thing that comes to one’s mind when you say Mahindra is a big burly diesel munching SUV that seem to be the favorites of the common man. Which is why Mahindra buying Bangalore based electric car manufacturer, Maini Motors did come as a pleasant surprise to many of us. What was even more surprising though was when Mahindra Reva launched an all-new electric car, the e2o about a year and a half ago. And now, the Indian automotive giant has launched an upgraded and premium T2 version of the e2o, with more gadgetry, better batteries and most importantly, more range.

Exterior styling

The Mahindra e2o (pronounced ‘e’-‘two’-‘ohh’) at first glance is quite a quaint little car that does manage to turn a lot of heads, with its tiny upright proportions and funky styling. What does strikes one about the e2o is the fact that it is much bigger than its predecessor, the original Reva and at 3280mm, longer than the Tata Nano too. The e2o though still stays loyal to the older Reva design cues by maintaining its 2-door status.

The front of the e2o features a two-barrel headlamp with a projector setup and a large honeycomb grille behind which hides the AC condenser unit. The rear too gets a very distinctive step design festooned with LED taillights. The side profile is further accentuated by a distinctive design element that uses a chink in the window line of the e2o turning it into a rather handsome styling feature. 

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The body is still made of a polycarbonate based plastic and is attached to the space frame structure with glue rather than being bolted on to save on weight. The panels are impregnated with the colour during their manufacturing process, making them virtually scratch and dent proof to impacts of up to 15 kph.  The e2o then feels more like a proper car than the older Reva ever did-in the looks department at least.

Score:  3/5

Interior & space

Moving to the interior, the ‘carlike’ design continues. In fact, the e2o T2 is very well appointed with enough space to comfortably fit 4 full sized adults. It comes with well-designed leather seats that are quite comfortable and offer great support. Legspace in the front is a little compromised though due to the battery storage compartments on which the seats are mounted.

The bucket seats fold down by pulling on a lever allowing considerably easy access to the rear row. The rear row too has enough headroom and legroom for an adult and will be more than comfortable for short haul trips that the e2o T2 is meant for. The boot is tiny compared to other hatchbacks but it enough to hold an office bag or all your weekly shopping. And if you do need more storage room, the rear seats fold down in a 50-50 split too.

Score:  3/5

Features & Equipment

The dashboard features a 6.2-inch touch screen infotainment display that features inbuilt GPS navigation, a DVD player and an information display that shows how the power from the batteries is being utilized. The speedometer console, essentially a large LCD screen by itself, also features information like charge percentage, approximate range, current ambient and cabin temperature and of course, your speed and odometer readings. 

The e2o  also comes with keyless entry and a start stop button instead of a conventional key. However, we found that unless the key fob is physically near the ‘Start-Stop’ button, the e2o refuses to start which is our opinion is quite inconvenient.

Score:  4/5

Ride and ease of driving

The ride quality is a little on the bouncier side especially which traveling over broken roads and the Mahindra Reva e2o does feel much stiffer than most other hatchbacks. That said, it isn’t exactly uncomfortable and it does tend to offer a level of sophistication and normality that the original Reva never really had. The e2o is also possibly one of the easiest cars one can drive and now with electric power steering thrown in, it is also one of the most relaxing. The e2o’s turning radius of a mere 3.9 meters too is superb especially while trying to fit into tight parking spots and navigating through crowded streets.

Score:  4/5

Engines & performance

In a normal petrol or diesel powered car, if you start running out of fuel, you simply have to go to a fuel pump, buy some more and you are on your way. In an electric car, the basic principles and timelines of mobility take on a new dimension with the issue of the time taken to completely charge up the car’s batteries. The new 2014 Mahindra Reva e2o T2 betters the cheaper T1 variant in terms of battery power by about 20 per cent. Its 48-volt batteries take around 5 hours to attain 100% charge and offer a range of around 120 kilometers (as compared to 100km in the T1 version) if driven sedately.

The electric motor, which produces 26PS of peak power and 54Nm of peak torque is mated to an automatic transmission that offers two driving modes, one for normal driving, the other for more power. The Mahindra e2o T2 goes from 0-50kmph in about 4.3-seconds and on to claimed top speed of 81 kph which gives it adequate performance for a typically crowded Indian metro city. It actually feels rather sprightly although one does have to get used to the quiet electric motor.

The charge point for the e2o T2 is located below its tailgate, which apart from looking neatly concealed also means that you can lock the charging wire into place and not risk a miscreant playing mischief with it. One must be vary of the fact that the e2o T2 does need a 15-ampere charge point and not the usual household 5-ampere one. This does make finding a charge point in an emergency quite a tedious task. In fact, most places we visited, including malls, office buildings and even residential areas had no provisions of a 15-ampere plug point.

Score:  3/5

Handling & braking

The Mahindra Reva e2o T2 is an electric car and obviously isn’t made to handle as well as a regular petrol hatchback. However, it left us pleasantly surprised by how nimble and spirited it felt while weaving in and out of Mumbai’s crazy traffic with its MacPherson strut suspension in the front and coil springs in the rear. With disc brakes in the front and drums in the back, the e2o T2 does stop well too but the spongy brakes might deter drivers from performing heavy braking every now and then.

Score:  3/5

Price and Fuel efficiency

The Mahindra Reva e2o is priced at a considerably premium price point of Rs 5.91 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) for the fully loaded version. That said, the overall savings of running an electric car do seem to have long term benefits especially if your daily running is exclusively urban. As we mentioned earlier, the e2o takes about 5 hours to charge up its batteries that will give it a range of about 120 kilometers. The e2o also comes with a Quick2Charge feature that can help charge the car up in just one hour.

Score:  2/5

Verdict

As we have mentioned, the e2o feels like a normal everyday car. With Mahindra-Reva installing quick charge points across several major cities across India and offering a Solar powered charge point at subsidized rates to potential customers, the e2o makes a lot of sense as a second or third car. In fact for those who commute short distances it could even be their first one.

Although the Mahindra Reva e2o is priced at a substantial Rs 5.91 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) which puts it at the same price level as a top of the line petrol powered Maruti Suzuki Swift, we must look at the bigger picture here. Electric cars may very well be the future of motoring as we know it and the e2o offers the future, now. That said, the new government really should step in and start improving infrastructure for electric vehicles and offer companies tax breaks which will in turn reduce costs and be beneficial to all.

Overall Score:  3/5