Consumers have been spoilt for choice in the electric SUV market recently. The sub-20 Lakh EV space has been red hot, with Tata Motors and Mahindra, the frontrunners of the Indian automotive market, recently launching two “coupe” style electric SUVs that bring style, and performance, to the masses. Electric vehicles appeal to environmentally conscious consumers, and those looking for unparalleled acceleration and performance.
Both electric vehicles boast strong performance, class-leading safety and build quality, and good road manners, not to mention they’re loaded to the absolute brim with all the latest goodies and convenience features
The Curvv EV has a mature, angular look, with smooth lines throughout the design. There are no “loud” elements, and nothing is too out-of-the-ordinary.
This is in stark contrast to the BE 6, which has a design best described as polarizing, with sharp lines, and a futuristic look – the car looks at least 15 years newer than the Curvv. It’ll surely grab eyeballs on the road, unlike the sober yet mature Curvv from Tata.
Between the two, the BE 6 is longer, wider, has more ground clearance and is more spacious in the backseat. Headroom is poor in both cars owing to the “coupe” body styling.
Both Mahindra and Tata have done a fantastic job loading the cars to the brim with many segment-first features. They get six airbags, ventilated seats in the front, 360-degree cameras, connected car technology, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, a digital cockpit, Level 2 ADAS and fully LED lights.
The BE 6 has a better infotainment system, with larger, brighter and higher quality displays, more in-built apps, and a more modern-feeling interface. It also comes with larger alloy wheels (this might affect the ride quality negatively) and multi-link suspension at the rear, in contrast to the Curvv.
The Tata Curvv EV is based on the same platform as the more affordable Punch EV, Tata’s acti.ev platform, which is a purely electric platform and not a conversion from an ICE platform. The SUV can be optioned with both 45kWh and 55kWh battery packs. Powering the Curvv is a permanent magnet liquid-cooled motor producing 148 BHP when paired with the 45 kWh battery pack, and 165 BHP when paired with the 55 kWh battery pack. The smaller battery pack uses cylindrical cells while the larger pack gets prismatic cells that are 8% more energy dense.
The Mahindra BE 6 is based on Mahindra’s new “born electric” platform, the INGLO architecture. There are two battery options available – a 59 kWh cell, and the larger 79 kWh cell. Mahindra is using BYD’s Blade technology with these batteries. The smaller battery is mated to a motor mounted on the rear axle producing 228 BHP, while the larger battery gets a 282 BHP motor.
The Curvv offers a claimed real-world range of up to 400-425 kms (55 kWh battery pack), while the BE 6 has a claimed real-world range of 500 kms (79 kWh battery pack).
You can’t go wrong with either car. They’re both great packages, offering great performance and safety at a relatively affordable price. The Curvv EV has less complex electronics, has a less polarizing design, offering a great mix of practicality, safety and performance. The BE 6 however, is special too, offering a much more fun-to-drive experience with rear-wheel drive (RWD), longer range, multi-link suspension and a significantly more powerful motor. The styling is funky and gives off futuristic vibes, however, which might not appeal to everyone. It is a highly complex car full of electronics, which might be more difficult to maintain than the Curvv EV.
Will you go for the more youthful, funky, and more powerful BE 6, or the less polarizing Curvv EV?