Mahindra BE 6, XEV 9e Pack 2 79 kWh variants explained: What's different and what’s not

Mahindra has commenced the deliveries of its mid-spec Pack 2 variants of the XEV 9e and BE 6 electric SUVs across India. Good news here is that now you get to choose between two battery options: the standard 59 kWh and the new, larger 79 kWh unit. Earlier, the 79 kWh battery was limited only to the top-end Pack 3 trims, but that’s changed now.

​With this move, Mahindra has made the bigger battery more accessible. The BE 6 with the 79 kWh battery now starts at Rs 23.50 lakh, while the XEV 9e is priced at Rs 26.50 lakh, both ex-showroom. That’s significantly lower than before. For instance, the price for the long range XEV 9e with the 79 kWh battery is down by nearly Rs 4 lakh, making it more accessible than ever before. But does that mean these SUVs compromise on features? In this slideshow, we break down the value they offer and check out the similarities and differences between the 79 kWh variants of Pack 2 and Pack 3.
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To begin with, Mahindra isn’t calling this a stripped-down Pack 3. In fact, Pack 2 continues to offer most of the core features and performance specs from Pack 3, thus making it a strong value-for-money alternative. For customers that were eyeing both range and affordability, these trims are the only variant to offer both battery sizes.

Biggest highlight? Performance-wise, there’s no change. Both Pack 2 and Pack 3 use the same 210 hp electric motor paired with the 79 kWh battery, delivering a claimed real-world range of around 500 km. You also get rear-wheel drive, multiple regen levels, and five drive modes including Race and Snow.

What’s different is the level of tech and safety. Pack 3 gets a few extras: a 7th airbag, 360-degree camera, and a HUD. Pack 2, meanwhile, gets six airbags and a regular rear-view camera. Still, it covers all the basics well. In terms of materials and interiors, Pack 2 uses a green-grey mix of sustainable fabric and leatherette, while Pack 3 has ivory leatherette. You get the same 18-inch wheels, but Pack 2 gets covers instead of Pack 3’s alloys.

Speaking of the interiors, most features have been carried over. You get a triple-screen layout in the XEV 9e and a dual-screen in BE 6 - same as the top-spec variant. The audio setup remains the same too, with a 16-speaker Harman Kardon system. Wireless phone mirroring, a fixed glass roof(without LED patterns), and acoustic laminated windows are all present here. The model still gets ADAS functionalities, albeit sourced from the XUV 700.

The in-cabin experience is also packed, featuring voice assistants like Alexa and ChatGPT, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 5G connectivity, Level 2 ADAS, dual-zone climate control, rear AC vents, and USB-C ports. The tech offering remains strong no matter which variant you pick.

​While Pack 2 covers all the essentials, Pack 3 steps it up with some additional offerings to keep the exclusivity for the top-spec model. It gets a 7th airbag, a 360-degree camera, blind view monitor, and additional ADAS functions like rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot detection, autonomous emergency steering, and auto lane change etc.
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Visually, Pack 3 brings in sequential turn indicators, animated LED tail-lamps, “Night Trail” carpet lighting. It also adds powered front seats with memory, ventilated seats, passive keyless entry, auto parking via key fob or app, and an Augmented Reality HUD. Electrically deployed door handles are exclusive to Pack 3 too. Overall, these are all nice-to-have additions, but Pack 2 still has the same core performance and is still loaded with features and makes a great case for itself.