Maxus Euniq6 - no need to worry about range
Maxus is still little known on the Polish market, but the Chinese manufacturer is doing its best to get the brand on the lips of everyone considering an electric car as quickly as possible. The car has solid engineering and pleasing looks, and it proves that a future buyer need not worry about its range.
Although Maxus's distributor calls it an SUV, it seems closer to cars that are indeed raised but 'flirt' with the estate segment. Measuring 473.5 cm in length, 186 cm in width and 173.6 cm in height, the car looks rather like a Mitsubishi Outlander.
To complete the technical data, the car has a wheelbase of 276 cm and a ground clearance of 19 cm. Drive goes to the front wheels and comes from an electric motor producing 177 hp and 310 Nm. The car has an attractive silhouette, with the MAXUS name 'shouting' from the front in large letters. At the rear, the eye is caught by the elaborate housing of the rear wiper. It turns out that this is where the button for the electric tailgate has been placed. As a result it gets less dirty and is easy to press.
Interior, regenerative braking and equipment
It is hard to fault the ergonomics of the interior, although not everyone will like the way it is finished. The steering wheel does have stitching, but it is made of plastic, and some may find the large 'seams' joining the plastic expanses of the front of the cabin and the top of the dashboard pretentious. On the other hand, the interior gains a great deal from the ambient lighting, which subtly illuminates the cabin in a choice of colours selected by the driver.
The visually attractive drive selector sits where the gear lever would normally be and, when in its far-right position, lets you set the regeneration level between 0 and 3.
The car's top speed is 160 km/h, but don't try to take corners too quickly, as the lateral support of the seats leaves a lot to be desired.
The car is well equipped and can easily serve as a family car. The package includes adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree parking camera, blind spot warning, front and rear parking sensors and a 12.3-inch touchscreen. The screen is a nod to Tesla, which is fond of fitting big 'tablets' inside its cars. Heated seats (two levels), 18-inch alloy wheels and an emergency braking system for when a collision threatens are also standard.
354 km of range and a winter test in Norway
The lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 77 kWh, which translates into a range of 354 kilometres (WLTP). And this is where the most interesting story about the Maxus begins, as this Chinese product has won the approval of the demanding Norwegians. After all, both China and Norway are leaders in sales of zero-emission vehicles. While China leads in overall sales volume, Norway has the largest share of electric cars (almost 90% in 2022). It is therefore worth watching the Norwegian market as the most demanding and experienced in Europe (fittingly, the car's settings menu includes Norwegian, alongside English and... Hebrew)
So let's go back to Norway. Journalists from the local magazine Motor organised the fourth edition of their EV test. Twenty-nine vehicles from Europe, Asia and the United States took part, and the winner was to be the one whose real-world range deviated least from the official WLTP figures. During the test the cars faced truly wintry temperatures, as low as -19 degrees Celsius. The Norwegians covered 317 kilometres in the Maxus Euniq6, a deviation of just one tenth from the WLTP figure (354 kilometres), leaving other, well-established brands behind.
Test summary
The Maxus is a proposition for bolder buyers who are not afraid to invest in a brand that is still unknown. On the other hand, China is the leader in electromobility, and its brands have already been thoroughly tested in the Middle Kingdom. If you do decide to buy a Maxus, the car will repay you with a spacious interior, attractive styling and a solid range that is not afraid even of a harsh winter.
