In short
Electric utility
battery 77 or 88 kWh
Power 150 or 204 hp
From 41,990 euros excluding tax
Another new brand? Another Chinese start-up that we may not hear about in a year? Not really, at least not when it comes to the size of this company. Because Maxus is the utility subsidiary of the SAIC group (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) which produced 5.02 million cars last year and of which we know another brand very well here, since it is MG. Suffice to say that when the Chinese giant decides to invest in Europe, it gives itself the means.
And that’s what it intends to do with its utility vehicles. Already present in many European countries, Maxus arrived in France barely a year ago and already has 26 points of sale and three models.
Already three utilities in the catalog
In addition to the T90 EV electric pick-up and the large utility vehicle, still electric, eDeliver 9, a third thief has now been added to rub shoulders with the cream of wattage vans, namely the Peugeot e-Expert and the Renault Trafic E-Tech. On the technical side, it is in the lead of its rivals with two batteries of 77 or 88 kWh which display respectively 150 and 204 hp and a range (combined) of 318 and 370 km. It’s not easy, in this case, to stand out when you are unknown and to do so, and unlike its cousin MG, Maxus has not focused on great prices and a classic style.
To attract the favor of professionals, eDeliver prefers to offer them modern lines, maximum comfort and more extensive equipment at a price equivalent to the competition. Obviously, on the design side, the exercise has its limits. A utility vehicle is above all a beast of burden capable of storing as much space as possible. There remains the front, which each brand wants to personalize. So eDeliver went to see what was being done elsewhere, notably at Volkswagen and the seventh version of its Transporter. The result is rather coherent with a (fake) honeycomb grille and an integration of the lights and the logo in a rather successful VW-style crossbar.
But it is inside that the Chinese surprises his world. The dashboard, even if it is overflowing with hard plastic, is much closer, in its materials and in its assemblies, to those of a general sedan than to a van. Topstitching throughout and two levels of color also remind us that life at work does not necessarily have to be confined to a sad world. In addition, the 12.3-inch screen, the pockets set with real chrome plastic and the USB sockets reinforce this impression.
Subscribe to the Caradisiac newsletter
Receive all the automotive news
I agree to receive partner offers
Register
The email address provided in this form is processed by GROUPE LA CENTRALE as data controller.
This data is used to send you information about our offers, news and events (newsletters, alerts, invitations and other publications).
If you have accepted it, this data will be transmitted to our partners, as data controllers, to allow you to receive their communication electronically.
You have a right of access, rectification, deletion of this data, a right to limit processing, a right of opposition, the right to portability of your data and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (in France, the CNIL). You can also withdraw your consent to the processing of your data at any time. To find out more about the processing of your data: www.caradisiac.com/general/confidentialite/
A spoiled driver and punished passengers
Visually spoiled, the driver is also spoiled by the seat where, often, he will spend a long time. Between the buttons on the steering wheel, the very good driving position, perfectly adjustable, the excellent seating and the soft armrest, he is spoiled.
Much more than his two passengers in the cabin, which has three seats, who are punished. They will have the impression of having received a warning from HR by being treated in this way. Because not only do they inherit an ultra-vertical backrest, but also, the one sitting on the far right will be pressed against the door and will have to open the window to relax an arm. A drama that we haven’t seen since the old Land Rover Defender which mistreated its driver in the same way. He can console himself, if he is the only passenger, thanks to a tablet incorporated in the back of the middle seat and which cleverly unfolds.
This generosity of equipment is also found in the on-board technology through the 12.3-inch screen which concentrates numerous controls, except, fortunately, the air conditioning, accessible thanks to a clever dial. It has everything an honest utility user could dream of, including a very useful 360° vision without a usable interior mirror. It certainly lacks navigation, but the Carplay and Android interfaces will easily fill this gap, and will display their Waze and other Google Maps to do better (and more up to date) than on-board GPS.
But if the eDeliver presents itself well when stationary, it still has to behave well on the road to win the votes. Because it is on the asphalt that we judge the qualities, or faults, of a utility vehicle.
