India’s renewable energy ambitions are impossible to miss now. Solar farms stretch across highways, charging stations are steadily becoming part of the roadside landscape, and somewhere outside Satara, hundreds of wind turbines quietly power vast sections of Maharashtra’s grid. The shift towards green mobility no longer feels theoretical. Increasingly, it feels normal. Which is precisely what made this drive interesting.
Waiting in Mumbai’s sultry summer heat were two cars that underline sustainable mobility from very different angles: the urbane VinFast VF 6 and the more performance-focused VF 7 AWD. Both mark VinFast’s first steps in India, arriving at a time when the EV conversation itself is beginning to mature. Buyers are no longer asking whether electric cars can handle long-distance journeys. Instead, the more interesting question has become what kind of long-distance experience they offer.
And with a near-300km drive to the Chalkewadi wind farm near Satara ahead of us, there was probably no better way to find out.
The plan was simple. The VF 6 would stick to the highway route towards Satara, tackling the sort of driving conditions most EV owners are likely to encounter regularly – long stints on expressways, traffic bottlenecks and steady-distance cruising. The VF 7, meanwhile, would head through Mahabaleshwar before descending towards Satara via some of Maharashtra’s best driving roads.
Out on the highway, the VF 6 immediately impresses with how easy it is to drive. Visibility is excellent, the controls feel intuitive, and there is a welcome simplicity to the cabin layout. Like most modern EVs, the interior adopts a minimalist approach without compromising usability.
Dominating the dashboard is a crisp 12.9-inch infotainment display that houses nearly every major vehicle function, while the head-up display relays useful information cleanly without overwhelming the driver.
At highway speeds, refinement becomes one of the VF 6’s strongest qualities. Wind and road noise are well suppressed, the ride remains composed over broken surfaces, and there is a calmness to the way the car covers distance that quickly becomes one of its defining traits. And realistically, that matters more than outright performance on drives like these.
The VF 6’s Level 2 ADAS suite further reinforces that relaxed character, easing the workload on well-marked highway stretches and making long-distance cruising feel remarkably effortless.
The VF 7 approaches the same journey from an entirely different perspective.
The climb towards Mahabaleshwar remains one of Maharashtra’s genuinely rewarding driving roads. Elevation changes arrive quickly, corners tighten unexpectedly, and surfaces vary enough to expose weaknesses in a chassis setup almost immediately. Yet within a few kilometres, the VF 7 starts to feel entirely at home here.
With over 350hp on tap, performance is immediate even by EV standards. Overtakes require very little planning, and short bursts of throttle between corners arrive with real urgency. But what stands out more is the VF 7’s composure.
The all-wheel-drive setup gives it a planted, reassuring feel through faster sections, while the low-mounted battery helps keep body movement impressively controlled through quick direction changes. Crucially, it never feels tiring.
That balance is often difficult to achieve in heavier electric SUVs. Some prioritise comfort at the expense of body control, while others lean too heavily into firmness in pursuit of sportiness. The VF 7 manages to strike a convincing middle ground. It feels genuinely rewarding on a good road, yet settles comfortably into long-distance cruising the moment the road straightens out.
Inside, the cabin mirrors that more premium positioning. Like the VF 6, it features a slick 12.9-inch infotainment screen, though the overall ambience feels a notch above.
By the time both routes began converging outside Satara, the differences between the two SUVs felt remarkably clear.
The VF 6 prioritises usability above everything else. It is intuitive, refined and extremely easy to live with. The VF 7, meanwhile, feels aimed at drivers who still value engagement. It is sharper, quicker and noticeably more enthusiastic when the road opens up, while still retaining the comfort and refinement expected of a modern long-distance EV. Importantly, neither approach feels compromised.
After nearly 300 kilometres on the road, both SUVs rolled into Satara comfortably, with more than enough range remaining after a brief charging stop earlier in the drive. And that charging stop itself felt telling. Not long ago, charging during an intercity journey still carried a sense of uncertainty. Increasingly now, it simply feels like another short pause along the route.
Standing beneath the towering wind turbines at Chalkewadi, that broader shift becomes difficult to ignore. The conversation around EVs in India is evolving quickly. The question is no longer whether electric cars are capable of handling drives like this. Cars like these have already answered that.
Instead, what is becoming far more interesting is how differently manufacturers are beginning to interpret the experience itself. And in that sense, the VF 6 and VF 7 feel less like variations of the same formula and more like two entirely distinct approaches to modern electric mobility. One prioritises calmness, ease and everyday usability. The other leans more heavily into performance, composure and driver involvement.
Yet both arrived at Satara in exactly the same way: quietly, comfortably and without ever making the journey feel complicated. Electric vehicles are now simply becoming cars, shaped less by their powertrain and more by the kind of driving experience they want to offer. And perhaps that is the biggest shift of all.