BUILT TO THE MAX

Saic’s Maxus Mifa 9 is one for cruising

WHEN I first started writing about cars, for our sister newspaper the Irish Mail On Sunday back in 2001, one of the most popular body styles was the MPV, or multi-purpose vehicle. Everywhere you looked, there was a Citroën C4 Picasso, an Opel Zafira, or a Renault Espace.

Of course, in the years since, the MPV shape has languished as the SUV and crossover models soared, so it’s nice to welcome a new one to the fold, albeit a pretty expensive one. Before we get to talking about the price of the SAIC Maxus Mifa 9, though, we have to talk about the design, which is divisive to say the least.

As you can see here, my test car came in black and that rather unfortunately saw many compare it to a hearse. I think that’s a little unfair, because in a motoring world in which everything is smooth and rounded, and often just a little fey, I liked the nononsense bulk of the Mifa 9, and its unapologetically sharp angles on the front, like two pincers on a pretty large crab.

Unlike many of the MPVs of old, which had sharply raked snouts, this also has a proper bonnet, and the integrated daytime running lights give it a nice width that links it into the side profile. Chrome detailing elongates what already is a very long car at 5.7 metres, almost too long for my driveway, and there’s also a chunky chrome bumper at the rear.

I don’t see this really selling in volume as a family car, more as a courtesy vehicle for visiting VIPs, or as an upmarket taxi. The reason why is very simple — the middle seats. The car comes in a 2-23 configuration, with lots of rooms for seven passengers, but the two in the middle get the best deal.

These are captain chairs with armrests, and the inbuilt mini-tablet controls mean that the occupants can move their seats forward and back, and to the left and the right. There’s an electric recline function, and heating or cooling depending on the season and, in the armrest, one of those tray tables you get on aeroplanes, the ones that pop up and open out.

The rear bench also slides backwards and forwards for more cargo space, which is 466 litres with all the seats in use, 1,702 litres with the rear bench folded, and a staggering 2,017 litres with all five rear seats folded flat. If you brought this to France, you could bring back enough wine for a large family wedding.

The car comes with a 90kWh battery, and that means WLTP range of 430km in the combined urban/extra-urban cycle, and 565km around town in this Premium spec. You’ll do a little better in the Elite entry-level model, at 440km and 595km respectively, though in winter, I reckon you can lop a third off the top of that. Charging on a high-speed DC public charger takes around 30 minutes to get from 20-80% battery capacity.

For a car of its bulk, the Maxus Mifa 9, built by the State-owned SAIC company in China, handles well, and is very quiet on the open road, but it’s not startlingly fast off the blocks, at 9.9 seconds for 0-100kph, and the ride and handling are exactly as you’d expect in a boxy, bulky car.

This is one for the long cruise, not throwing it between the ditches in rural Ireland.

Premium comes with extra toys over Elite, include remote sliding door and tailgate operation, and a massive double sunroof with tilt-andslide functionality. The front seats have eight-way electric adjustable position, four-way lumbar support, heating and ventilation, and massage function. The steering wheel also is heated, which was a huge bonus this week.

I wasn’t wild about the infotainment system, which is a little clumsy, and the lane departure warning system is more skittish than your maiden great-aunt after two glasses of sherry, but the car really does bristle with safety features, including its excellent adaptive cruise control.

The Maxus Mifa 9 comes with an eight-year/200,000km battery warranty, and fiveyear/100,000km whole vehicle warranty, which offers some peace of mind for EV adopters. Only the price feels like a deterrent, at €79,950 for the Elite version, and a whopping €98,500 for the one I drove.

With the Harris Group in Ireland behind it, and given that company’s years of experience, I have no doubt it will get a strong marketing push across a strong dealer network, but it may yet prove a hard sell in a niche market.

For me, though, it’s a car I very much enjoyed, although think I’d rather be a passenger in that second row, and leave the driving to someone else.