I’m not afraid to admit that I love a good van. The politically correct word here would be an MPV, or multi-purpose vehicle. Interestingly, it’s a market segment in India that appears to be on the rise, piping the sedans, which honestly, feels a little sad. However, I have more compassion towards MPVs than I do towards some of the ‘SUVs’ in our market. That’s because there’s an honesty in their approach towards a consumer. It’s meant to be a people carrier for paved roads, a crusader for commuters. But, as is the case with most things, some MPVs are equal than others. I’d broadly fit the Kia Carnival, Toyota Vellfire and Lexus LM in said category. Now, there’s a new player added to the mix, and if the Windsor is anything to go by, they know a thing or two about EVs. What’s more, there are diesel, hybrid and now electric offerings, which means the spoilt are spoilt for choice. So, what’s the M9 all about and what does it have to offer? Let’s kick things off with the design language.

There’s no denying the fact that the M9 is a large vehicle. In terms of dimensions, it’s 5,270mm long, 1,840mm tall and 2,000mm wide. The wheelbase measures in at 3,200mm, which, as I said before, makes it big, bold and beautiful. There’s understatedness to the overall design language, with minimal chrome inserts around the front, sides and rear. Up front, there’s a significant trapezoidal grille, along with the radar for the Level 2 of ADAS present on the M9. There are sleek DRLs as well with the headlamps mounted down below, which is almost the norm of sorts these days. However, it’s at the rear where things feel most well-settled in terms of looks. The waterfall-inspired design for the rear LED tail lamps looks lovely, and so does the ‘M9 EV’ badge. Also, there’s a decent amount of boot space with all three rows, and there’s a neat 55-litre frunk, which happens to be a segment first. It’s from the side that the M9 makes its presence felt. Those large electrically-operated doors make ingress and egress easy, and there’s a large grab handle to aid this process. Since we’re on the topic, let’s first talk about the third row of seats.

Once again, it’s easy to get into the third row, thanks to the healthy space between the second row of captain seats. Underthigh support isn’t great, and this is strictly a two-seater at the back, since there isn’t a headrest for the middle seat. On the plus side, there is some distance between the headrests and the rear windshield. In terms of amenities, there are Type-A charging points, cup holders and phone storage spaces on each side, along with speakers. I would’ve appreciated a sun blind here as well, maybe a hinge-operated opening for the window itself like the Toyota Innova, which is another stalwart of the MPV space in India. All in all, it is compromised, as most third-row seats are, but it isn’t too bad at all. Time, though, for the real business end of the M9 – the second row. These are ottoman seats, which are 16-way adjustable, come with heated, cooled and massaging functions. There are eight different types of massage settings, which is great. What’s not so great is the fact that the screen is rather tiny, and it, like a smartphone, has this swipe gesture to unlock, which gets cumbersome after the third or fourth time. It also sits flat, making it difficult to use if the seats are reclined, and not very legible under direct sunlight. That neatly brings us along to the other issue, manual sunblinds, which honestly feels like a big miss for a big car like the M9. Its operation feels flimsy, and a discerning customer surely isn’t expected to operate it themselves.

That’s pretty much it, though, everything else the M9 does with grace and panache. The brown leather feels upmarket, and the suede finish is a chef’s kiss in my opinion. It’s small inserts in and around the cabin, but they go a long way in enhancing the cabin feel significantly. There’s also a foldable storage space for a wallet or a smaller phone in the armrest, along with Type-A and C charging points, too. The M9 doesn’t lack when it comes to storage spaces either. There’s one under the 220V charging point, which will come in handy when storing magazines or other knick-knacks. Just like the third row, there are phone folders in the seat along with a fold-out cup holder, as well. The bottle holder on each of the doors felt it might not be able to hold a larger bottle. Apart from this, there’s also an overhead console to control the sunshade and the fairly large dual-pane sunroof, along with the HVAC controls.

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