Autocar India
8h

Hello, I am planning to buy an EV that I need for a daily commute 170 km out which 80 km is on expressway. Rest is on state highway and city with heavy vehicle traffic. I am looking for a comfortable 7-seater for long term for at least next 8-10 years. I am inclined towards MG Tomahawk top trim and XEV 9s pack two Above 70kWh. Please advise.

Verified
4m

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

MG Hector Tomahawk EV

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2d

I currently drive a Kia Carens iMT diesel, with monthly running of around 1,000km. About 820km, or 82%, is in the city, while the remaining 180km is on the highway. Most of my city trips are short, often just 2-4 km, with speeds generally below 40-50kph. The car is chauffeur-driven six days a week and usually carries my family of five: my wife, mother, son and daughter. My priorities are clear: excellent ride comfort over Chennai's potholes and broken roads, very comfortable seating for five adults, especially in the second row, minimal lateral and fore-aft body movement over bad roads, good low-speed manoeuvrability, a quiet and smooth drivetrain, low running and total ownership costs over five years, and enough boot space for shopping and family luggage. My son is already 5'7" at 14 and is still growing, so I don't want to compromise on his seating comfort. My maximum budget is Rs 27 lakh on-road in Chennai. I don't particularly value ADAS, sunroofs or touchscreen-heavy controls and prefer physical controls and a car that is fundamentally comfortable rather than gadget-heavy. I am not really looking for a seven-seater. I want a car that can carry five people in genuine, long-term comfort, with the flexibility of a seven-seater when required. Given that 82% of my usage is short-distance urban driving, ride quality, low-speed comfort, easy manoeuvrability, second-row space and low running costs matter more to me than outright performance or highway dynamics. Which car would suit me best?

Verified
1d

Given your usage and priorities, the Mahindra XEV 9S seems like the best fit. This Mahindra car’s biggest strength is its ride comfort over broken roads and potholes, which is exactly what you're looking for. The second row is genuinely spacious, with a wide bench and good legroom, so your son will be comfortable as he grows. The car is very easy to manoeuvre in the city, and the electric powertrain will ensure smooth and quiet performance, and with home charging, your running costs will be very low.It is a genuine comfortable 5-seater, and it gives you the flexibility of a third row. When the third row is folded down, it also has enough boot space for family luggage. The car is fundamentally comfortable but is also gadget-heavy, with plenty of screens and features on offer, something that you're against. Still, we'd recommend you consider it, as it is genuinely a well-rounded option.

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4d

The MG Hector Tomahawk EV has a 69.2kWh battery, which is 10.2kWh larger than the 59kWh unit in the Mahindra XEV 9S, yet both have almost identical claimed ranges of around 517km and 521km, respectively. What is the main reason for this difference: lower vehicle efficiency, aerodynamics, powertrain efficiency or battery characteristics? Based on your testing, would you expect the Tomahawk’s real-world range to be higher or lower than that of the XEV 9S 59kWh?

Verified
3d

The MG Hector Tomahawk EV’s larger 69.2 kWh battery, delivering a similar claimed range to the Mahindra XEV 9S Pack One Above 59kWh (517 km vs 521 km) is primarily a reflection of vehicle efficiency rather than battery chemistry. The Hector Tomahawk EV is a larger, heavier SUV with a more upright body and a less aerodynamic shape, which naturally increases energy consumption per kilometre. The XEV 9S, while still a large SUV, is a more modern, ground-up EV with a sleeker design and a more efficient powertrain, allowing it to extract more range from a smaller battery.In real-world testing, we would expect the Hector Tomahawk EV to deliver a slightly higher absolute range than the XEV 9S 59 kWh, simply because of the larger battery. However, the difference is unlikely to be dramatic, and the Mahindra will remain the more efficient vehicle in terms of energy consumed per kilometre. The Hector Tomahawk EV’s advantage is range, not efficiency.

VehicleMG Hector Tomahawk EV
VehicleMahindra XEV 9S

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Posted on: 23 Sept 2026