MAXUS T-90

We’re lucky enough to be based just 17 miles from the Maxus UK office in Birchwood, which means that when given a chance to pop over and take a look around the all-new Maxus T90 electric pick-up, it was too good a chance to miss.

The T90 was first seen at the 2022 CV Show, where the promise was of a right-hand drive version in late 2022.

It may be an electric pick up, meaning there’s a heavy battery fitted underneath the cab and load floor, but this doesn’t prevent it from being a highly practical vehicle. It offers a one-tonne payload and can tow up to 1,500 kg. See the panel right for dimensions.

Maxus claims that the T90 offers a 220-mile range, courtesy of its 88.5kWh battery which produces 201bhp.

It has a rear-wheel drive set up, which means that the motor and battery may affect its off-road capabilities.

The front features a massive chrome grille with the Maxus logo at the top. The side LED daytime running light intakes bear a passing resemblance to a Mitsubishi L200, while the rear load bed area is very similar to that found on an Isuzu D-Max. The tailgate is heavy and closes with a nice clunk.

There’s a large Maxus logo across the rear, a high mounted stop light and a step in the bumper to allow for easier access. The sides feature black steps and a chrome low door protector.

Front and rear bumpers are body coloured.

Quality wise, it’s pretty good, with the fixtures and fittings in keeping with those on the Isuzu D-Max, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi L200. However, if you’re expecting the more upmarket interiors found on a Ford Ranger Wildtrak or Volkswagen Amarok, you’ll be disappointed. It’s built to do a job, not for lifestyle.

There’s no gear lever. Instead, you’re presented with a cylindrical dial with a simple Reverse, Neutral or Drive option. Alongside this sit Power, Eco, Downhill and ASR buttons.

The four door pockets are sizeable with twin drinks holders located between the front seats, a centre armrest with storage underneath, although the glove box is small.

You get a neat 10.5” infotainment touch screen, an AM/FM radio and you can connect your Smartphone via Apple CarPlay, using one of the two front USBs that sit underneath. Separate climate controls are located underneath this with manual air-con fitted. You get a 12v socket up front, plus one in the rear as well as a 220v power outlet.

The front seats are electrically adjustable, while the seats are finished in artificial leather.

Rear space is really good and three adults should fit comfortably.

There’s plenty of safety kit in the form of ESP and EBA, driver and front passenger airbags and side airbags, with front to rear curtain airbags standard as well. You also get a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and rain sensing wipers.

Your T90 can be spruced up and personalised by adding one or more of a number of additional items of equipment and style touches: stainless steel sports bar, a roll lock cover, all terrain tyres, a mountain top/ roller top, a tow bar with electrics, a front bumper winch pack or a hard top box with rear tailgate wash wipe.

The key feature of any electric vehicle is range, and here the T90 scores highly, thanks to its large battery. The caveat is that it will take longer to charge: approximately 12 hours from 0-100% on a 7kWh home charger. That will take a little bit of logistics and planning.

Better news is that if you utilise its DC capabilities, a 20-80% charge will take only 45 minutes.

The T90 is supplied with a five-metre Type 2 charging cable with the external charging cap located on the rear left of the cab. As usual, our advice is to get a home charger, plug-in overnight when electricity is cheaper and get some chargers at your workplace, too. It’s a sound investment.

We only spent 30 minutes driving the T90 on urban roads but what we were able to ascertain from this was the following.

Apart from the electric whine when you first accelerate, the T90 is quiet, eerily so when compared to a standard diesel pick-up. Up front, the ride is quite firm. In the rear we’d guess that, unlike a diesel pick-up, where the weight is all located at the front, the T90, with a heavy battery underneath the cabin floor, won’t be as bouncy for rear passengers when unladen. It will be interesting to see how it performs off-road.

All of the dials and switches are easy to reach and to understand. The touchscreen is quite basic but the functions work well, and Apple CarPlay connected seamlessly. AM and FM radio are standard, but if you want DAB you’ll need to connect to your favourite station via your Smartphone Apps. There’s a SatNav, too.

It has the virtue of being the first electric pick-up you can buy in the UK. Even better, it comes with a decent payload and load bed area. Electric range is impressive and it is well equipped.

This was a fleeting glimpse of the T90’s capabilities and we’ve yet to take it off-road where there is a chance that the low hanging motor-battery combo may affect ground clearance.

One other point: at £49,950 + VAT, it’s not cheap.

In the UK, Maxus has won the race to get an electric pick-up to market. Utilising parent company SAIC’s battery know-how, Maxus has gone from selling 100 vans in 2017 to over 12,000 in 2021, with the electric eDeliver 3 and eDeliver 9 leading the charge. As I write this, Ford has an E-Transit out, but there are no signs of an electric pick-up from them, or from Toyota, Isuzu or Volkswagen. This gives Maxus a massive opportunity, with plenty of forward orders already confirmed.

Our only reservation is that it remains to be seen how the T90 performs off-road and price-wise, it’s expensive to buy outright, so leasing will be the best way to get into one. That being said, it’s definitely one for the future.

Being the first to achieve anything is always something to boast about, and Maxus should be congratulated on that feat. If pick-ups are your go-to vehicle for the workplace, the T90 gives you an electric option you can work with

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