Mahindra Electric Reva E2O

Expert Review by Maxabout

Overview

Mahindra has launched their much hyped electric car, Reva e2o in Delhi. It’s the up-graded version of the original Reva and claims to be more stylish and powerful than the previous generation. Let’s check out this car in detail.

Mahindra Reva e2o Exterior

The two door car grabbed a lot of eyeballs when it was initially showcased at Auto Expo 2012 in Delhi. The new styling has completely changed the visual presence of this tiny electric machine. The new face of e2o features a wide black front grille which separates the bonnet from its bumper and also works as an air-dam. The extended clear lens headlights act as the new eyes of this car and give it a smoky look at the front. Sharp lines on its front bumper and bonnet look aerodynamic while the flared wheel arches add muscularity to this car. The new design of its alloy wheels and full size outside mirrors make a big difference to the look of new e2o. The swept back roof and angular side glass look sporty when seen from sideways. The sharp shoulder line also complements the short stance of this car. The tall rear section adds visual bulk to e2o and looks attractive with high positioned tail lights. Reva e2o has an extremely broad bumper which doesn’t look that attractive and features reflective lights on it. The grey finishing just below the rear glass features its name and complements the color scheme of this car.

Mahindra Reva e2o Interior and Passenger Space

Step into the new e2o and you can easily notice the drastic changes made to this car inside. The plastic and fabric quality has taken a big leap forward and the front and rear seats have become more spacious and comfortable than before. The car offers optimum amount of knee room and head room at the front. Obviously, being a two door hatch, it requires a little more effort from your side to reach the rear seats. We wish if it had the options to roll down the rear windows as well.

Comfort and Convenience

Reva e2o comes with an AC, front power windows, internally adjustable outside mirrors and central locking which enhances you comfort inside. The list doesn’t end here; it also comes with premium features like engine start/stop button and digital instrument console. It’s a feature rich car which promises you satisfactory level of comfort inside.

Dashboard and Storage

Reva e2o sports a brand new dashboard made of rich quality of plastic material which adds premium touch to this car. The positioning of things on this dashboard looks quite impressive as it features four circular AC vents surrounded by silver finish and an integrated touch screen interface in its central console. The quality of plastic buttons placed on this central console feels up-market. The circular speedometer with blue back lit looks cool with chrome ring around it and offers clear visibility. This dashboard also houses a roomy glove box which can carry your essentials. Other than this, there is not much storage space in this car and its small boot capacity is also disappointing.

Music System of Mahindra Reva e2o

The central console of Reva comes with an integrated CD/DVD player. A cool phone app connects your Reva with your phone which can start your AC and helps you to lock/unlock it. The car features Google maps which helps you to plan your trips and informs you to turn back before you run out of battery.

Engine and Gearbox

The car runs on Lithium ion batteries which are placed under its fronts seats. This 3phase induction motor sits at the back and produces a peak power of 19 KW (25.5 bhp) at 3750 rpm. The maximum torque output of 52 Nm arrives at 3400 rpm.

Acceleration and Performance

Acceleration and Performance, these two words prove to be a big task to achieve for e2o. Don’t expect any dramatic results from this car. It takes time to take off and as soon as it does, unfortunately, the power tapers off. It can reach the top speed of 81km/hr and it’s quite hard to achieve this speed with full load. The good news is that this motor makes no noise and pulls up power quite easily in city traffic. Put the gear selector on B (power boost) and you will notice certain improvement in the throttle reaction. The motor makes slight noise at high speeds but that’s not disturbing.

Mahindra Reva e2o Mileage and Safety Features

Running expenses are quite low with e2o. It takes around 5 hours to charge this car completely and after completion, it can run around 80-90 kilometres in real life conditions. With a quick charge of 15 minutes, the car can cover 25 kilometres. The car has passed all safety tests as it’s been crash tested in Spain and features 10 on board computers.

Suspension and Braking System

The car comes with an improved suspension and braking system. The anti-roll bar at front and coil springs at the back makes sure that you enjoy comfortable rides in this car. Reva e2o has discs at its front and drum brakes at the back.

Ride and Handling

It’s a tiny vehicle which proves to be a perfect option for city usage which can fit anywhere and can be parked easily. An additional power steering would have further enhanced the handling of this car in city traffic. The soft suspension system digests potholes easily and gives you bump free rides. The car is a bit scary around corners though due to its small wheels and short wheelbase of 1958 mm.

Shades, Variants and Warranty

The two variants of e2o are available in six different colors. E2o comes with a warranty of three years/60000kilometers.

Verdict

No, you can’t; you just can’t buy a car which is as small as e2o at a price of INR 5.96 (on-road, Delhi) just because it’s eco-friendly and saves your running expenses. Yes, it’s futuristic but it’s not practical to buy this car. When you can buy much powerful, spacious and stylish premium hatches and entry level sedans at this price then it makes no sense to buy this two door hatch which lacks power and comes with many limitations. For us, it’s certainly not a value for money car.