Mahindra BE 6 special feature: The great driving roads of Tamhini Ghat

A decade ago, our favourite driving road was the hill climb to Lavasa. We tested every car on that road, learning the nuances of suspension design, car agility and how a solid chassis could inspire confidence. A good engine and gearbox stood apart from an average powertrain on that road like chalk and cheese. And then came its downfall. From a pristine black satin ribbon of tarmac, it transformed into an unpredictable, pothole-ridden stretch of mountain road, and the Lavasa hill climb slowly lost its importance for enthusiasts.

We were desperately searching for a road that could replace it for some spirited driving in the Mahindra BE 6, and the road leading up to Tamhini presented itself. It’s the quickest route connecting Pune to the beaches on the western coast and it winds through arguably the most beautiful sections of the Sahyadris. Within no time, it had climbed to the top of our list for its fast and flowing corners, a great mix of wide and narrow sections, hairpins and constant elevation changes, and even a sprinkling of straights where you can properly wring the performance out of your sportscar. In the monsoons, you also get a few dozen waterfalls for dramatic effect, the spray misting your windscreen in passing. Somewhere along the way, we drove a little further, crossed Tamhini, reached the highway on the other side, and then switched back onto the road leading to Mahabaleshwar before finally heading home. The boys at the office now call it the Enthusiast’s Loop, and every car staking its claim to be a driver’s car must be taken here to prove its worth. Three hundred and thirty-five kilometres that can be broken down into six parts.

Part one

I wanted the battery at 100 per cent. The Pack Three gives a theoretical 683km on a single charge with its 79kWh battery, but that number is exactly that – theoretical, and only comparable by industry standards. In the real world, you need real numbers, and I was expecting about 400km in a single charge without any compromise on driving. Comfortable enough to complete the loop, but would it let me use all of its performance most of the time? With that thought, we rolled out of the office gate early in the morning to skip Pune’s chaos.

Pune’s roads are like links in a chain between speed breakers. Even in the early hours, you can’t make much time because you are constantly forced to brake for yet another giant hump. The ride was smooth, ironing out imperfections as we left the city. The quiet cabin felt almost unnatural, so I turned up some V8 tribute music from the Sonicsuite programmed in the BE 6. I like that it’s called a tribute – it knows exactly what an enthusiast wants to hear early in the morning, before the coffee has done its work.

Pune now extends far beyond what it used to, spilling over the outskirts and creeping steadily towards the hills that lead to Tamhini. While the city slept, getting out early felt wise, and as I traced the familiar route, I wanted this first leg over with before the sun rose above the treeline. Starting at dawn feels different in an EV. There’s no cold start bark, no idle thrum to mask your anticipation. Just the quiet spin of a motor and the soft hum of readiness.

Part two

Effort is part of the game. The crappy city roads teach you restraint so that when the switchbacks finally arrive, you value them all the more. Focus kicks in, and the BE 6’s quick steering shows exactly how much fun this day was going to be. Today, though, I could barely see the treeline. Clouds had gathered and held fast, making this perhaps the wettest day of the monsoon. Tamhini was wetter than Cherrapunji.

The wipers were working hard, and I was concentrating harder than I’m accustomed to. In this weather, I wouldn’t dare bring a sportscar onto this loop. Anything with over 200 horsepower feels overkill when the tarmac is as slippery as soap. Yet the BE 6, with 282 horses, never felt like it was out of its depth. Despite the driver-focused cockpit and the sense of latent aggression, I had 207mm of ground clearance to cope with any unannounced crater.

The ESP was firmly on, but you could still feel its rear-wheel-drive character pushing gently at the limits of adhesion. When a car pushes instead of pulls, when the front wheels are left only to steer, every drive becomes that much more special. The dynamics change completely. There’s a light squat at full throttle, a beautiful rotation around tight corners, and buckets of torque to slingshot you onto the next straight. Very satisfying. Very addictive.

The thing about Tamhini is that you can’t ever settle into a rhythm. No two corners are the same, so you’re constantly recalibrating your inputs, learning the speeds you can carry, identifying braking points on instinct alone. And in an electric car, you’re managing the regen settings as much as the throttle. Anyone who’s driven an EV up a long climb knows how brutal it is on range. You watch the numbers drop at an alarming rate, then claw some of it back on the descent.

But I was here chasing a simple answer – could the BE 6 be genuinely fun on this loop? To answer that, I had to drive it as I would any other car. That meant pushing, trusting, committing. If the range suffered, so be it. But as the kilometres ticked by, I felt a growing confidence in the readout. We’d lost just six per cent charge by the time the hills arrived, and another twenty by the time I reached the top of Tamhini. The way down was all gains, the regen working silently in the background.

Part three

So much so that as we approached the Mumbai–Goa highway, I felt no anxiety about range whatsoever. This stretch takes you through brilliant country roads, past tiny villages waking up to a damp dawn, before turning left at NH66. The revelation, once we hit the highway, was how effortlessly the BE 6 could hold triple-digit speeds. No 200+ horsepower car struggles to maintain pace on a modern highway, but few feel so unbothered by it. The effortlessness here came in how little the motor seemed to demand from the battery. Under twenty per cent power draw was enough to keep up a steady 100kmph cruise, with quick overtakes requiring barely any additional input.

And the highway itself is a gem—three-lane flyovers, wide dual carriageways, and just enough shoulder to give everyone room. In the rains, it all turns into a corridor of emerald green. A reminder that the Western Ghats are never really tamed. By the time I’d turned left towards Mahad, we’d driven over 200km, and the battery still held strong at 55 per cent. Nowhere, and I mean nowhere, had I driven with the thought of conserving range. Fast where it was fun, brisk where it was practical. I know for a fact any other made-in- India EV would have needed a top-up by this point. Not the BE 6.

Part four

A pleasant surprise, despite the hammering rain, was how the mountain roads up to Mahabaleshwar had held up. Unlike Tamhini, there’s hardly a moment to relax here. You’re constantly flowing in and out of corners, working the steering as you climb. It’s here the BE 6’s powertrain calibration shone brightest. The throttle was a smooth, measured squeeze, always delivering power progressively. The regen worked so well I hardly touched the brake pedal the entire ascent.

The cockpit itself does something to your head. You feel sheltered, focused, more intent on the drive. It was hard not to grin as we gapped everything else on the road – sedans, crossovers, the usual suspects. The 60km run to the top took about ninety minutes, and the low centre of gravity was a gift. Body roll is what tires you on long drives more than the distance, but here, there was none of it. The BE 6 felt settled, composed, and unflappable.

Part five

A great driving road is about the sprint to the top, but also about managing the descent. Petrol cars strain their brakes. In an EV, the game is to work the regen so you save your discs and gain every extra kilometre of range. I took the slightly longer route from Panchgani towards Satara, skipping the shortcut through Wai to avoid the roadworks that turn it into a car-swallowing slush pit. The extra kilometres were no concern – I was only gaining range on the way down. From thirty per cent and 140km of range, I ended up with thirty-four per cent and about 165km showing.

Part six

The last leg back to Pune was unremarkable in the best way. This is the point in most drives where fatigue seeps in and the car starts to feel less enjoyable. But the BE 6 stayed eager, settled, and quietly confident. The driver’s seat, with its bolstering, remained comfortable. The ride, despite the big wheels and sporty set-up, was supple enough to take the sting out of broken tarmac. And even after a long day of chasing corners, the BE 6 felt like it had reserves to spare. Pulling back into the office with 14 per cent charge left, I realised two things. The Enthusiast’s Loop still matters. And the BE 6 isn’t just an electric SUV that happens to be quick – it’s a driver’s car that happens to be electric. That, to me, is worth more than any range figure.