AT THE WHEEL
MISS ENGLAND HANGS UP HER CROWN IN FAVOUR OF SCRUBS
April 7, 2020
LIVING APRIL
April 8, 2020
MODEL
A large people mover from Chinese manufacturer SAIC Motor has its sights set on conquering a market that’s currently dominated by Japanese and South Korean vehicles. The Maxus G10, originally named for its 10 person seating capacity, is now available as a seven, nine or 10 seater – depending on where you live.
Trust us when we say we’ve experienced products that deserve to be driven from the dealership to a wrecking yard. Not very long ago, we steered readers away from anything with wheels made in China.
But as with Japanese cars in the 1970s and South Korean vehicles a couple of decades later, things are slowly changing for the better in the People’s Republic. State owned SAIC Motor Corporation is China’s largest manufacturer of vehicles and it’s expanding at a rapid rate. One of its strategies is to acquire failing Western marques… and pump new life into them.
SAIC acquired Leyland DAF Vans (LDV) and pumped new life into it. And now, it is riding the wave of a brand that doesn’t need to reestablish itself in a market where it’s already known. It also bought the rights to South Korean brand Daewoo when it was on the verge of collapse – and promptly adopted Daewoo’s Maxus. The Maxus G10 is gradually being introduced worldwide and has already started selling well in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.
Not being a budget market, Singapore hasn’t jumped on board as readily but this may change based on long-term reliability. The G10’s chief rival is Hyundai’s Starex, which stacks up very close to the G10 upon comparison. As a Hyundai, it’s also built reasonably well.
Journalists have hailed the G10 as an ‘Alphard Killer.’ But we wouldn’t go that far since Toyota’s Alphard and Vellfire are in a far superior league, in our opinion. Externally, the G10 resembles the Starex with elements of the Kia Carnival. In terms of design, the overall shape is boxy although some effort has gone into creating creases and character lines to add some interest. The company says its superior design was created by Torino Design in Turin.
We’re not sure whether to call it a ‘superior design’ because even though it isn’t bad looking, it’s certainly no Alfa Romeo Giulia. While the side profile tapers down as it moves to the rear, the side glass makes the roof appear to be floating. The lights have a cutout shape that mirrors an attempt to incorporate more design based aesthetics. In reality, it’s a big bulky full-size people mover like an Alphard or Mercedes Vito/Viano.
The interior has been laid out rather thoughtfully. Seats are upholstered in genuine leather and with extra padding on the cushions. And there’s a triple glass sunroof while the air-con vents are scattered on either side of the roof for efficient cooling.
Mounted centrally on the dash is a dual screen display; on the left is an LCD clock and on the right, there’s a 10 inch display that brings up the 360 degree parking camera system. This feature is only available in the higher end model – the base model makes do with only a rear camera.
The beautifully laid out dash that gives the G10’s cabin a premium look is let down by the use of cheap scratchy plastics on almost every surface you touch except the seats. Maybe costs have to be cut somewhere since this is a budget conscious MPV.
Upon settling into the captain’s chair on the G10 and cruising down a few city streets, this MPV turns out to be surprisingly agile for a house on wheels! It’s reasonably softly sprung and you do feel the bulk as you take corners. That said, this comes as no surprise. The G10 can be used by tour or transport companies and we believe it’s ideal for that purpose since it comes without the added burden of a high price tag as is the case with the Mercedes Vito.
So yes, this is a good buy; and the Maxus is one of the better built automobiles to come out of China so the chances are that it will last longer than say a Chery QQ, which left us rather disappointed.
As for spare parts and secondhand value, we’ll have to wait and see. Look out for more Maxus branded models such as the G50 and RG10 in the near future.
