BYD eMAX 7 first drive review – powerful people mover system

BYD’s latest product in India, the BYD eMAX 7 electric MPV, has great advantages. The product is designed to leverage its first-mover advantage in the electric MPV segment, which currently has only one car: the eMAX 7

Story: Scientific Ethics
Photography: Sanjay Lekha

BYD entered the Indian market in 2021 with the e6 MPV, which will be sold exclusively to fleet operators for a year before going on sale to the general public in 2022. We now have a direct replacement for the e6, the BYD eMAX 7 electric MPV, which aims to fill a gap in the market and continue BYD’s success story in India. In a way, this is their most important launch yet, and BYD certainly hopes this car has the ability to single-handedly establish an entirely new segment. We drove to Chennai.

The BYD eMAX 7, known as the BYD M6 in other markets, looks good but doesn’t hurt. It’s not going to make anyone fall in love with it just because of its looks, but it’s not designed to make anyone stop thinking about buying it because of its style. The front end now has a more modern look compared to the e6, with jewel-like elements in the headlight clusters. BYD calls it the “Dragon Face” design; but they are not the angry dragons of Western mythology, but the kind and benevolent dragons of the East. From the side, it’s almost identical to the e6, but the rear end gets a new taillight with a continuous strip connecting the left and right elements. I also like the wheel design, which bucks the trend of asymmetric diamond-cut alloys in favor of elegant symmetrical wheels. It’s slightly longer and taller than the e6, but both models share the same width, wheelbase and ground clearance.

The biggest change is inside, which adds a third row of seats compared to the five-seat e6. The BYD eMAX 7 is available in six- or seven-seat configurations. This takes up some luggage space, but it’s only 180 liters in the third row; but with the third row folded, it increases to 580 liters, the same as the e6. Instead of the e6’s all-black color, the interior opts for a warmer brown hue, and all three rows get their own air-conditioning vents. Those vents kept us cool in the Chennai heat, helped by ventilated seats for the driver and front passenger, both of which were power-adjustable on the Premium trim we drove. The e6’s fixed infotainment screen is replaced by BYD’s signature rotating touchscreen, which comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The minimalist theme of the interior gives it a futuristic feel. However, like the e6, the driver’s console is analog, with a multifunction display between the two dials. The premium interior also comes with ADAS and a panoramic glass sunroof.

Speaking of the Superior trim, it comes with a 150kW (204hp) electric motor and 310Nm, which gives the 1.9-tonne vehicle a 0-100km/h time of 8.6 seconds. The three driving modes adjust throttle response accordingly, and in Sport mode there’s typical EV acceleration when you press the pedal loudly, locking you into the seatback, which is not what one would expect from a car. Got it in an innocuous-looking MPV. BYD claims a top speed of 180 km/h. The Premium model is equipped with a 120 kW (163 hp) electric motor, which takes about one and a half seconds longer to accelerate to 100 km/h. In most electric cars, people shy away from using Sport mode because of range anxiety, but the 55.4 kWh Premium model has a range of 420 kilometers and the 71.8 kWh Superior Sport mode has a range of 530 kilometers (both NEDC ranges). To create something that can be used all the time, that’s what we do. According to the manufacturer, using a 7 kW car charger, a typical household AC outlet will take approximately 13 hours to fully charge the battery.

The BYD eMAX 7’s front-wheel-drive platform gives it predictable handling, and the suspension keeps it stable around rounded corners. Despite the high stance, there’s very little body roll; but that doesn’t come at the expense of ride quality, as most of the roads we drove on were pretty smooth and we had to reserve judgment on how it handled really rough pavement. Braking power is impressive, especially when regeneration is dialed into the higher of the two settings. Furthermore, due to the way the accelerator pedal is calibrated, driving in stop-and-go city traffic is completely fatigue-free thanks to the regeneration function.

The e6 was launched three years ago and is priced at Rs 29.15 lakh (ex-showroom). BYD eMAX 7 is priced at Rs 26.90 lakh for the premium version and Rs 29.30 lakh for the premium version (both ex-showroom prices). These prices are for six-seater cars, with seven-seater cars costing an additional Rs 60,000. Even the most affordable BYD eMAX 7 is much better value for money than the e6, with more seats and the flexibility to choose the seat options you want, not to mention more powerful motors and a better interior, without sacrificing practicality and comfort, and built with original quality, making it a successful sales success in India and popular among fleet operators.

Considering that the BYD eMAX 7 falls into the six/seven-seat electric MPV category that BYD is creating in the market, we think the company has suffered another blow.

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