BYD eMAX 7 Driven: 5 Things You Should Know

The eMAX 7 proves to be a great commuter for your family with ample amount of space, practicality and usable city range, but there is still room for improvement

Amidst the rise of EVs in India, the Chinese brand BYD has taken the market by storm with two major launches this year, the last one being the BYD eMAX 7. Essentially the facelifted e6, the eMAX 7 offers space for up to 7 people, and tries to seal the deal with its modern design, feature rich cabin, and usable city range.

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We recently drove the electric MPV, and after spending some time with the car, we’ve come to some conclusions, which you should know if you are planning to buy the eMAX 7.

Eye Catching Design

While the BYD eMAX 7 is a chinese product, its exterior design reflects the specifications of European cars. The MPV sports sharp lines on all corners, specially at the front, where the lines from the bonnet, headlamps, and bumper all converge at the nose, giving the eMAX 7 a sleek and elegant look. The detailed headlamps and the subtle chrome touches also add a hint of sophistication.

However, while it is very eye-catching, it does not have a very dominating or muscular road presence like the Innova Hycross, which you can get at a similar price. This is partially due to the low stance of the BYD MPV.

A Contrast In The Cabin

BYD wants the eMAX 7 to cater to a big family, and in terms of space, it manages to do that with no major compromises. The second row gets the option of either a bench of individual captain seats, both of which offer an ample amount of space for the passengers, and even the third row can easily accommodate adults comfortably for small city commutes. During longer journeys, the third row passengers can start to feel the absence of adequate underthigh support.

However, you do feel the need of a better cabin quality. It's not like there are cheap materials, in fact, you get soft touch padding on the doors and wooden inserts on the dashboard along with leatherette seats. But, the plastic on the dashboard feels hard and if you are paying close to Rs 30 lakh for a family car, you would want it to have more premium materials on the touchpoints, which the eMAX 7 does not offer.

Enough Features For The Money

While the cabin quality could have been better for the price, the feature list is more than enough. It gets a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system which rotates by the touch of a button. There is a 5-inch digital driver’s display, a panoramic glass roof, a wireless phone charger, an electric tailgate, and vehicle to load support. It also gets a 6-way powered driver seat, a 4-way powered front passenger seat, and a 6-speaker sound system, but the latter is average at best.

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Even in terms of safety, the eMAX 7 does not disappoint as it offers 6 standard airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a high-resolution 360-degree camera, and level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) features like lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and autonomous emergency braking.

Sadly though, we can’t comment on the ADAS features being India-friendly or not, as we didn’t get enough time to test them out.

Needs Improvement In The Middle

As we mentioned above, there is no lack of space in the eMAX, but the experience of the second row could have been better. If you go for the 6-seater variant which comes with captain seats. you do not get any cupholders for the second-row passengers, which creates an issue in the practicality.

Given the price of this car, it also misses out on sunshades, which should have been present alongside winged headrests (6-seater) for added comfort. Lastly, since we are nitpicking, an ottoman function for the captain seats would have also been a nice addition.

Effortless Drive & Enough Range

The eMAX 7 delivers a relaxed and effortless drive in the city, if you just want to go out with your family. But, if you want to take it on the highway, and enjoy your drive, it can do that too. Its powerful electric motor claims to take you from 0 to 100 kmph in just 8.6 seconds, and when we tested it with two passengers, it managed to do that in just 8.2 seconds.

And with this performance, you also get a claimed range of 530 km, which is enough for your city and even your long distance highway commutes. BYD’s Blade battery tech is far more advanced than most other carmaker’s, due to which the real world range is pretty close to the claimed and indicated one. And while most other brands would ask you to not fast charge their EVs repeatedly, that’s not the case with BYD, as you can fast charge the eMAX 7 over and over again without damaging the cells.

These were our observations after driving the BYD eMAX 7, and you can find the detailed review of the electric MPV here. Let us know what you think about the eMAX 7, and would you consider it as your next family car.

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