Vinfast VF7 vs Mahindra XEV 9e: How Do They Compare?
VinFast, the newest player in India’s EV market, has made quite an entrance with the VF7 electric SUV. It starts at Rs 20.89 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes up to Rs 25.49 lakh for the fully loaded AWD variant. This sharp pricing has rattled established rivals like the Tata Harrier.EV and Mahindra’s hot-selling XEV 9e. In this article, we compare the VF7 with the XEV 9e to see how the newcomer stacks up against the popular Indian SUV.
Dimensions
Let’s start by talking about dimensions. The XEV 9e spans 4789 mm in length, is 1907 mm wide, and 1694 mm tall. The electric SUV has a wheelbase of 2775 mm, and the ground clearance is 207 mm.
The VF7, on the other hand, is slightly smaller. Its length, width, and height are 4545 mm, 1890 mm and 1636 mm, respectively. It has a wheelbase of 2840 mm, and the ground clearance too is slightly lower- 190 mm.
Design
Both the VF7 and XEV 9e are good-looking SUVs. Like the VF6, the larger Vinfast has also been designed by Torino Design. Key highlights of its design are brushed aluminium elements in the bumper, 19-inch aero wheels, LED DRLs and uniquely styled headlamps, flush door handles, vertical tail lamps, prominent rear spoiler, and curated Chrome trims at various places. The VF7 shares its colour palette with the VF6 and comes in six shades.
The XEV 9e’s design packs more drama. The EV has more visual bulk. Key highlights of this design are all-LED lighting with animations, blanked-out grille, generous use of Piano Black trims, flush door handles, muscular shoulder line, and aero-optimised 20-inch alloy wheels (lower variants come with 19-inch units).
Interior And Features
The VF7 comes with a clutter-free cabin design which has a strong focus on functionality. The overall design resembles that of the VF6. Much like the smaller e-SUV, it gets a large 12.9-inch central touchscreen (which doubles as the driver information display) and a bunch of physical buttons. These are used to switch between drive modes- Drive, Reverse, and Neutral.
The feature list further consists of driver drowsiness detection, level 2 ADAS, head up display (HUD), heated ORVM with auto-dimming function, panoramic glass roof, dual-zone climate control, 360 camera, wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, selectable drive and regen modes, connected car technology, automatic headlamps, and rain-sensing wipers. The safety suite consists of ABS, EBD, stability control, traction control, and seven airbags.
The XEV 9e has a more complex cabin design. The biggest highlight is the massive triple screen setup- three 12.3-inch screens serving as displays for instrumentation, infotainment, and co-driver entertainment. The VF7 gets a three-spoke steering wheel while the XEV 9e has a two-spoke flat-bottom unit with an illuminated Mahindra logo.
Other features include an electronic parking brake, selectable drive modes, a panoramic sunroof, a 16-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with Dolby Atmos, HUD, connected car features, wireless Carplay and Android Auto, push button start, auto headlights and wipers, automatic AC with rear vents, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, and more.
Specifications
The XEV 9e comes with two battery pack choices- 59 kWh and 79 kWh- both sourced from BYD. The larger of these has an MIDC range of 656km. The 59 kWh unit has a range of 542km.
The 9e comes just as a Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) offering. The rear-mounted electric motor makes 286hp and 380Nm on the 79 kWh versions, and 231 hp with the smaller battery. The more powerful version can do 0-100 kph in just 6.8 seconds.
The VF7 offers both two-wheel drive (2WD) and all wheel drive (AWD) versions. The base trim offers 175hp and 250 Nm, and comes with a 52.6 kWh battery- same as the VF6. The second variant gets a 201 hp/ 310 Nm setup, powered by a 70.8 kWh battery.
The AWD version has an output of 350 hp and 500 Nm. It is faster than the XEV 9e and can do the 0-100 kph sprint in 5.8 seconds. The AWD variants have a claimed range of 510 Kms per charge. The 52.6 kWh variant has a range of 438 km per charge, and the 2WD 70.8 kWh version has a range of 532 Kms per charge.
Bottomline
On fronts like styling, size and kit levels, the XEV 9e has a clear upper hand over the VF7. However, the Vinfast has the advantage of having multiple configurations on offer, and the AWD versions are significantly faster than the XEV 9e. The Mahindra is priced in the range of Rs 21.90 - 31.25 lakh. This means that the top-end variant commands a significant premium over the AWD variants of the VF7. This adds a lot to its overall appeal and value offered.