The smart little Mahindra Reva E2O is an intriguing machine for the onlookers. On the road, while some do make out that it’s ‘that electrical vehicle’ from Mahindra, others simply get curious about its unorthodox looks, angular lines, and cute little form. While the earlier Reva-i (or the G-Wiz) was a pioneer of sorts, everyone knew its range and space related limitations. In its latest 4 seater avatar, the E2O has addressed both of those problems to a large extent.
So, while in theory it all seems fine, the eco friendly tag, the cute looks, the enhanced space – how well does this EV fare in the real world? Can you actually use it for your daily commute to work? How well does it drive? Does it have enough power? How easy or difficult is it to charge it? Our minds too were as swamped with these questions as yours before we got this cute little car for a review. Over a period of the next three days, we drove this machine around the city, ferrying our friends and family around to figure how good or bad a commuter tool it was.
Now, since the E2O is an unusual machine, and since everyone has too many questions to ask about it, we decided to write this review in a question and answer format – trying to answer as many questions about the car as we could. So here goes
What does it look like in the real word?
In one word – unusual! It stands out from the crowd, and it grabs massive attention. And the eyeballs its grabs are not just from the people who know it’s an EV, but everyone is intrigued by its angular, oddball shaped. We had some people following the car only to have a closer look at it, and comparing it with the Tata Nano on more than one occasions. Whether they understood the car or not, it had their attention.
What makes it look so different?
Well, a small car with two doors and such an angular design is a new concept for our part of the world. Be it the tiny little squar-ish snout, the chrome-less black grille, the wraparound stretched back headlamps or the fixed glass rear window, the E2O oozes distinctiveness. It may not be the most beautifully designed car, but it most definitely is bold, and it’s different. Even from behind, the monstrous bumper with the two little reflectors, the tail lamps with their dotted grid and the grey panel below the rear windscreen are some totally distinctive elements.
You look closely, and the E2O has plenty of details to stand it out from the crowd. Heck, even the door panels have a pronounced bulge which wouldn’t probably be a misfit on an American muscle car. And those wheel arches – they’re flared enough to put a soft roader to shame. This thing is unique in its concept, and thus the rules of normal car design don’t apply to it. It yells character and is proud of its uniqueness, whether you like it or not.
It is an expensive car for its size. Is the interior plush enough to make up for the lack of girth on the outside?
Since you have asked about the plushness, we’ll restrict our answer only to that aspect and talk about the space at a later point. The interior has its high and low points, but in general, it’s been put together well. If you are a Gizmo-freak, you’ll love the blue backlit digital instrument console. It looks really cool, and can give some expensive cars a run for their money for its tech appeal.
The E2O also features a Start / Stop button, with a fancy activation feature which requires you to touch the key fob to it to activate the car. Unless you do that, the car wouldn’t start.
The audio system is a very advanced unit which, apart from playing your music via various sources can also take care of many more things. It has a heavy repository of videos on how to use the car – answering many questions that users may have. It has a GPS unit for navigation, a detailed menu for setting up your audio, a graphic displaying car’s remaining charge and range, and a button for REVIVE function, which gives you about 10km extra when your car is has run out of charge.
The seats up front and at the rear are of average quality, and so is the dashboard which shares some of its bits from the Verito / Vibe. The four spoke steering wheel is unique to the E2O. The use of chrome in minimal inside the cabin, only on the door handles. The materials used are not of any exceptional quality, but they look decent enough and have been put together well. The doors feel light while being opened and shut, but that’s because they are made of a polycarbonate material and not steel for keeping the weight down.
Do you recommend this car ?
Will it really be able to replace a petrol car for short ranges ofcourse ??