BYD eMAX7 Review: A True Innova Rival?

The eMAX 7 offers a more sophisticated, versatile, feature-loaded and powerful package over the outgoing model at no extra cost. So where’s the catch?

The BYD eMAX7 is the facelifted avatar of the outgoing e6 electric MPV. This update gives it  fresh styling, a new interior theme with new features and additional row of seats, and a more powerful powertrain as well. 

With prices ranging between Rs 26.90 lakh and Rs 29.90 lakh (ex-showroom), the eMAX7 can be considered as an electric rival to the Toyota Innova Hycross, because unlike before with the e6, this facelift has been targeted towards private buyers from day one. So has BYD successfully made that transition or are there still some gaps to be filled? Why or why shouldn’t you buy this for your family? Let’s find out in this review.

Design

It is pretty evident that the eMAX 7 is a facelift and not a new-gen model. Design changes might be modest, but their impact is significant enough to give this MPV a more premium and attractive look.

The nose is now more conventional with a regular bumper design that gets vents towards the lower section. The headlights might have a similar outline as the outgoing model, but the elements within it are new, and a lot more detailed than before. These revised lights also get connected via a chrome strip that will remind you of the Atto 3 SUV. 

The sense of familiarity is very strong in profile where the only difference are the new 17-inch alloy wheels, which look a lot sportier than before. The styling is of a typical MPV, but it sits only 170mm above the ground, and has a rather sporty stance for a family mover. What’s not sporty is the ‘space’ wording on the rear quarter glass, and we’ll soon find out how spacious it really is.

The rear looks a lot more premium than the outgoing model. The blacked out bumpers are now finished in body colour only and the taillights have jumped on the bandwagon of connected styling. They also are a lot more detailed than before and look quite similar to the one found on the Audi A8L. Don’t you think so?

Overall, the eMAX 7’s styling has a sense of elegance and european sophistication in it, which is something that’s missing in its rivals. It might not be as butch or brawny as others, but that’s where its charm lies. Even the colour options on offer are elegant with four monotone shades, namely Cosmos Black, Crystal White, Harbour Grey (looks more brown than grey), and Quartz Blue.

Boot Space

 One of the biggest changes with this facelift of the eMAX 7 is the additional row of seating. So with the third row up, you get 180-litres of stowage space, which can gobble up around 3 to 4 laptop bags. You might have to recline the seat backs to store cabin luggage in there. But fold the third row all the way down and you’ll free up 580-litres of storage, which as you’d expect, is a lot of space. Seats fold flat and the loading lip isn’t too high as well, so storing or taking out luggage doesn’t take a lot of effort. Surprisingly, it doesn’t get a frunk up front.

Interior 

Just like the exterior, the styling of the interior isn’t too big of a step away from the outgoing model. That being said, you now get a dual tone black and brown theme, which gives the cabin a rich feel. The dashboard design is untouched, save for the bigger 12.8-inch infotainment system, which juts out of the central panel. Further adding to the richer theme is the tweaked steering that makes use of contrasting piano black and silver elements, which looks a lot better than the old drab-looking steering.

The central console has also been reworked with a new gear lever surrounded by multiple buttons. The lever itself is rather thick and feels premium to look at and despite the numerous buttons, the console doesn’t look cluttered, but rather clean. 

The quality of materials used has taken a step in the right direction with soft touch materials on the central console, armrest and on the door pads. Yes, the dashboard still gets plastic elements, but they feel smooth to touch, and we like the faux blackwood finish on the dashboard. So the premium quotient box is ticked, and so is the space and practicality part of things.

You get all the storage spaces right where you’d expect them to be, with 1-litre door pockets (all-four doors), two cup holders along with a slot for your phone in the central console, an open space beside the charging pad, and a decent-sized glovebox. Oh, and the central armrest gets a rather accommodating space as well, good enough for your wallet, keys, powerbank and Rs 20 water bottle – all together. There’s also a space to store your sunglasses on the roof. 

2nd row

Getting into the second row is fairly simple as the floor isn’t too high. Unlike before, BYD now offers the option of captain seats or a full bench for the second row. Talking about the former, they feel comfortable and accommodating for people of all shapes and sizes. The side supports don’t feel intrusive but hold you fairly well. There’s no shortage of space either. Two six footers can be seated back to back with space to spare for the third row. 

Footroom can feel a bit restricted if the driver seat is at the lowest setting, which can also have an affect on the underthigh support that is just about adequate for those who aren’t particularly tall. But headroom is plenty and the sense of space is even better with the large windows and the addition of the huge fixed glass roof. 

Amenities have also been improved with dedicated AC vents with fan speed control, Type A & C charging ports, and adjustable armrests (captain seats only). Although, they could’ve gone a step ahead and offered support for the headrests and rear sun shades, which would’ve improved comfort on long roadtrips.

But you won’t miss those two features as much as you’ll miss the non-existent cup holders and ventilated seats. Ventilated seats are still a feel-good feature, but cup holders are a must-have, especially for a car that will primarily be chauffeur driven. 

Third row

Given that BYD has offered a third row of seating with this update, one-touch fold and tumble function should’ve also been offered. But thankfully, the rails of the second row are pretty long, so the seats can be pushed all the way forward and reclined to make for a big enough passage inside the third row. Alternatively, you can also use the passage between the captain seats, but it won’t be as smooth and effortless, ofcourse. 

Surprisingly, the third row feels rather accommodating in terms of knee room. Adults can travel here, but only for short city journeys because they sit in a knee-up position, which isn’t great for long distance journeys. It is best reserved for kids who will appreciate the big quarter glass window that offers a good view out, and dedicated AC vents, which will keep them cooled. Although, they might have a grouse about no charging ports in the third row.

Features

There have been significant improvements in this aspect, because while the e6 had a clear focus on functional features, the eMAX 7 goes beyond just the basics with its new feel-good features. The features list now includes a bigger screen, powered and ventilated seats, heated and electric ORVMs, second and third row AC vents, air filter, wireless phone charger, keyless entry and one touch up and down for all windows. 

As you’d expect, the 12.8-inch infotainment is the highlight here with its rotating functionality. Not sure how useful it actually is, but it definitely is amusing. Apart from its rotating shenanigans, it works flawlessly. The graphics are crisp and there’s virtually no delay in response times. BYD’s UI/UX might not be the best in business, but you’ll be using Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for the most part, which is easy to connect.

The driver gets a display too, but it's a much smaller 5-inch TFT display. It gets the job done, but it does look a tad too busy with all the details that it tries to relay all at once. There are different themes as per your driving mode and while some might prefer a fully digital layout, I still quite like this mixture of analogue and digital. 

Beyond the regular list of features, the eMAX 7 benefits from being a born EV with its V2L or vehicle-to-load technology. Not a novel feature anymore, but is something that could come in use when you go on a picnic in remote areas, where you can use it to power your other electronic appliances. 

The 360-degree camera has been well executed with a nice and crisp resolution and multiple viewing modes, which can be accessed at the tap of a button. 

But despite such a step up in the experience, BYD has left a few stones unturned. Apart from the cupholders and ventilated seats that are missing in the second row , the IRVM (inside rear view mirror) is still manual, and the 6-speaker sound system is average at best. Both aren’t a deal breaker, but would’ve definitely made the package that much better.

Safety

Improvements made to its features list carry into the eMAX 7’s safety kit as well. 6 airbags are offered as standard, and the full list now includes a tyre pressure monitoring system, ISOFIX mounts, bunch of electronics like hill hold control, electronic stability program, traction control, 360-degree camera and a level-2 ADAS suite. The latter gets adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking, blind spot detection, lane keep assist… the works. 

It doesn’t get a blind spot monitor though, and we sadly couldn’t put the ADAS systems to test in our short first drive, so we can’t really comment on them being India-friendly or not. As for crash test rating, the eMAX 7 hasn’t been crash tested by any crash agency yet.

Drive experience

With this facelift, BYD has made the eMAX 7 available with two battery packs: a 55.4kWh and a 71.8kWh unit. Our first drive review was done with the top-spec variant, packing the bigger 71.8kWh battery pack.

Now driving a family MPV shouldn’t feel like a task, and it doesn’t with the eMAX 7. There’s loads of adjustability on offer, so you can get into a comfortable driving position, and while you can’t see the end of the bonnet, the overall visibility is still pretty good. And with an output of 204PS and 310Nm on offer, you bet the performance is good as well.

It definitely feels quick, but not scare-your-passengers quick because it builds up speed in a linear manner. The performance, even with a full load, is enough for all your city and highway overtakes. Interestingly, BYD claims a 0-100kmph time of 8.6 seconds and naturally, we had to go test that claim. And surprise! According to the onboard computer, we did the 0-100kmph run in just 8.2 seconds, beating the claimed time by nearly half a second! Now that’s quick for a family MPV.

But when you’re not going that quick, the eMAX 7 feels relaxed and easy to drive. It doesn’t jump ahead while crawling and feels very smooth to drive overall. Even the regen modes are rather soft and smooth in the way it drops speed, even at the highest setting. There are only two modes on offer: Standard and Larger. Both don’t feel intrusive at all, and the standard mode is so light in fact, that you might not feel any regen at all. 

We didn’t get the chance to drive the smaller battery powered eMAX 7, but with 163PS/310Nm on offer, we reckon there won't be any driveability issues with that either.

But beyond its performance, the highlight here has to be the claimed range figure of 530km. The highlight isn’t the number itself, but how close the real-world range of the eMAX 7 can get to that indicated figure. Now we haven’t done a full on range test, but from what we saw with the pre-facelift e6 and even at the drive of the eMAX 7 is that the indicated range is actually pretty close to what the car will do in the real-world too. 

So Mumbai to Pune and back in under one full charge is very much doable with range to spare for pottering around in the city. Moreover, every charging cycle of the eMAX 7 can be a DC fast charge, and with a capacity of up to 115kW, it can charge the battery from 0-80% in just 37 minutes. That is if you can find a fast charger everytime. If not, you get a 7kW AC charger for your home. 

Ride and handling

Following the footsteps of the e6, the eMAX 7 is a very comfortable car at low speeds and on smooth flowing roads. Admittedly, our short drive was mostly made up of smooth flowing tarmac, where the MPV felt rock solid at speeds of 80-100kmph. Any undulation or highway expansion joints were soaked up beautifully, with negligible movement inside the cabin. 

We only encountered a couple of bad patches, and those too were ironed out pretty well. But with a ground clearance of 170mm, you will have to be mindful of those commonly abnormal speed breakers that could scrape the car underneath when driving with a full load. Otherwise, it’ll clear most speed breakers without the driver having to slow down. 

Verdict

BYD’s intent of targeting the eMAX 7 towards private buyers from day one is very much clear in the package. It already was a refined, comfortable and practical vehicle. But with its design changes, additional row of seats, more features and improved performance, this update has made it more premium, versatile and effortless to drive. 

Additionally, it puts range anxiety to rest with both its battery packs offering plenty of range for long distance road trips, and its fast charging capabilities further add to that ease of ownership. Of course, you will have to map your road trips ahead, but that’s just part and parcel of owning an EV in today’s day and age.

I really do wish BYD offered a couple of more convenience features in the second row of the eMAX 7, after which, its feature and technology package would’ve been second best to none. It’s true that if you want an uncompromised second and third row experience with the maximum possible space, the Innova Hycross will be the better option for you. But if you’re one to prioritise refinement and are ready to trade some of the space on offer, then the eMAX 7 might just be the right pick for you, especially if you want something that’s new and unique.