I am retired and plan to buy an EV primarily for limited daily use in the city. My budget is around ₹35 lakh (ex-showroom). I am considering the Mahindra XEV 9S and would like to know whether it would be a suitable choice for my requirements. If yes, could you please suggest which variant would make the most sense in terms of comfort, features, ease of ownership, and value for money?

autocar.india

•1d

With your 170km daily commute, including 80km on the expressway, the Tomahawk EV is a very strong fit. The 69.2kWh battery gives it a claimed 517km range, while our first drive review found it delivered 4.85km/kWh in a fast highway run, translating to around 336km of real-world range. That gives you a useful buffer for your daily commute.For your requirement of a comfortable 7-seater, the Tomahawk also has a spacious second row with excellent legroom, reclining seats and good third-row access. The third row is usable for adults on shorter journeys, although boot space with all three rows up is limited.The XEV 9S Pack Two Above 70 is the more sophisticated and performance-oriented option, but the Tomahawk's strengths are better aligned with your priorities: comfort, space and easy highway cruising. Our first drive also found it surprisingly easy to drive despite its size, with excellent visibility and light steering.The only concern is that the Tomahawk is a new EV, so there is no established 8–10 year ownership track record yet. An extended warranty would therefore be worth considering.

MG Hector Tomahawk EV

Mahindra XEV 9S

autocar.india

•9h

With only Rs 35,000-45,000 separating the Adventure X and Adventure X+ at the dealer, the X+ is the one to choose. The two Tata Harrier variants have the same 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and six-speed torque converter automatic, so there is no difference in performance or basic driving experience.The extra money on the X+ gets you Level 2 ADAS, electronic parking brake with Auto Hold and rear disc brakes. The Adventure X already gets the important equipment such as the panoramic sunroof, 17-inch alloys, 360-degree camera, digital instrument cluster and six airbags.For just Rs 35,000-45,000 more, the X+ additions are worthwhile, particularly Auto Hold for everyday traffic and the additional driver assistance features for highway use.

Tata Harrier

autocar.india

•4h

For this particular situation, waiting for the facelift does not make much sense. The current Toyota Innova Hycross is already a mature product, and the facelift is expected to bring styling, interior and feature updates rather than a fundamental change to the powertrain or mechanical package.The bigger issue is timing. Even with priority access through dealers, the Toyota Innova Hycross facelift is likely to be introduced with the higher trims being prioritised initially. Since GX(O) is the chosen variant, its availability could take longer. That creates a genuine risk of missing the February 2027 deadline, whereas a November delivery comfortably meets both requirements of having the car before Diwali and having it available by February.The facelift will naturally be newer and could bring some useful updates, but those benefits need to be weighed against an uncertain launch date, variant availability and potentially higher pricing. There is also little reason to expect the current Toyota car to suddenly become outdated from an ownership perspective.

Toyota Innova HyCross