Maxus’s innovative T90 shows rest an electric pair of heels

Andrew Walker was lucky enough to be invited to Ireland in March to take part in a Maxus electric driving challenge. It gave him a chance to fully evaluate the electric options on this increasingly well-received range....

First up was the Maxus T90 electric pick-up, which didn’t disappoint. First seen at the 2022 CV Show, it’s the first electric pick-up for the UK market.

Practicality

It may be an electric pick-up, meaning there is a heavy battery fitted underneath the cab and load floor, but this doesn’t prevent it from offering a one-tonne payload and towing up to 1,500 kg.

Looking at its length, width, height and load bed dimensions, they mirror a standard diesel pick-up, so it’s competitive (see panel).

Maxus T90 Dimensions

Length: 5365mm

Width: 1900mm

Height: 1809mm

Wheelbase: 3155mm

Cargo bed area: 1510mm long x 1485mm wide x 530mm high

Electric range and battery

Maxus’s figures gives the T90 a 220-mile range, courtesy of its 88.5kWh battery. It produces 201bhp and powers a rear-wheel drive set up, which does means off-road capabilities could be affected.

Exterior

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 on an Isuzu D-Max.

The tailgate is heavy and closes with a nice clunk. There’s a large Maxus logo right across the rear, a high mounted stop light, with 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.

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Inside

Quality-wise, it’s pretty good, with the fixtures and fittings in keeping with those found on the Isuzu D-Max, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi L200. If you’re expecting the more upmarket interiors found on a Ford Ranger Wildtrak or Volkswagen Amarok, however, you’ll be disappointed. It’s built to do a job, not to make a statement about your 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 also 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 seat finishes are artificial leather.

Space in the rear is really good, so three adults should find it comfortable.

Equipment and safety

Plenty of safety 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.

Extras

T90 can be spruced up with, among other items, the addition of a 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.

Charging

T90 has a large battery giving it an excellent range. The caveat, though, is that it will take longer to charge, approximately 12 hours from 0-100% on a 7kWh home charger.

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

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For recharging, the Maxus T90 is supplied with a five-metre Type 2 charging cable. The external charging cap is 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.

Driving and range

We drove from Dublin to Mayo, a course that took the T90 on a variety of urban roads, the motorway and then some country lanes.

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 but comfortable for all that. In the rear it’s a better ride than you’d expect, particularly if being driven unladen. With a diesel pick-up all the weight of the vehicle, if unladen, is located at the front, which always makes for a bouncy ride if you are sat at the back.

However, with the electric T90 the battery is stored underneath the cabin floor, evening out the weight and ensuring a more comfortable for those travelling in the rear.

Indeed, it’s very difficult to complain about anything that the T90 does on road. The cabin is quiet and comfortable, the dashboard and switches are easy to use and to understand. Having a left-hand wiper stalk took some getting used to though!

On the down side, our test T90 didn’t feature cruise control and we found the headlights weren’t very bright.

Charging on a fast charger added 60 miles in just 20 minutes and in a cold March with snow, the claimed range of 220 miles was most likely 150 miles with two adults on board. It will be interesting to see how it performs off-road in terms of both handliong and its electric range performance.

All 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. SatNav too.

Pros

First electric pick-up you can buy in the UK. Decent payload and load bed area. Electric range is impressive. Well equipped, quiet and surprisingly comfortable.

Cons

Weak headlights, range in cold weather drops considerably. We’ve yet to take it off-road and perhaps the low hanging motor-battery combo may affect ground clearance.

Conclusion

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 its electric eDeliver 3 and eDeliver 9 leading the charge.

There are still no signs of an electric pick-up from Ford, Toyota, Isuzu or Volkswagen for that matter, giving Maxus a massive opportunity to make hay. Our only reservations are over off-road performance, as we haven’t tested it.

But it’s definitely worth a look, particularly as Maxus has just announced a special offer, available until September 30, in which customers who purchase a T90 will receive £6,000 Ice Age support, a free home charger and free metallic paint.

CC&V VERDICT

Chinese-backed Maxus has the first UK electric pick-up and although we’re not sure how it drives off-road, for on-road driving, it’s really rather good.

CC&V RATING: