China is turning up the quality and performance wick, judging by the Maxus van. SAIC's Maxus brand - barely a year in production at a brand new factory at Wuxi about 180km out of Shanghai - hits the nail with quality and performance.
On expectations, the price of about $32,000 could wound its immediate rival, the Hyundai iLoad and iMax duo and dent more expensive players.
"It's a bigger van than the iLoad so the price will be a bit above Hyundai,'' says Maxus spokesman Jon Thomson on behalf of Australian importers WMC. "But it will be below Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz.''
Maxus will have about nine models of the V80 here in October, ranging from delivery vans and nine to 16-seater passenger versions in short, medium or long wheelbases and with low, medium or high rooflines. An expected 15-20 per cent of Maxus sales will be the passenger versions.
The Maxus V80 is a UK-developed vehicle from the now deceased Leyland-DAF venture (LDV). It was one of the assets grouped within collapsed vehicle marques including Rover and MG that were onsold to Chinese interests.
Most have been revised under ownership of China's biggest car company, SAIC (Shanghai Automotive), which has huge joint venture factories with companies including Volkswagen and General Motors, and a string of its domestic vehicle makers each with their own factories in China.
The Maxus retains the UK-designed and developed 100kW/330Nm 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, now driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. Thomson says Australian demand for automatic transmissions will see a five-speed Aisin gearbox added "soon''.
SAIC testing claims 9 l/100km average for the van but Thomson says he won't confirm that figure until tests have been done in Australia and to the Australian standard. The monocoque chassis is conventional with MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a solid axle arrangement with leaf springs at the rear.
The brakes are four-wheel discs with standard ABS, EBD and brake assist. There is no electronic stability control, even as an option. The van version has cargo space ranging from 6.9 cubic metres (3100mm short wheelbase, low roof) to 11.6cu.m for the 3850mm long wheelbase high roof version.
Payload can go up to 1.8 tonnes - depending on the van variant - with a maximum interior ceiling height of 1.925m. It gets barn doors - which open to 180-degrees - and either double or single side sliding doors. The van will be joined by a cab-chassis single-cab model - using a ladder-frame subframe for the rear - later this year, and a smaller van in early 2015.
DRIVING
Two passenger vans were offered for a brief drive around the factory block. The LHD model was new, reflected in its engine tardiness. The 3000km-plus RHD tester was one destined for South Africa or Malaysia and typifies what Australia will get.
The good news is that the van is taut with a body that didn't creak or feel flimsy. The engine was surprisingly responsive - potentially belying the lethargic 22-second 0-100km/h acceleration claim - and the short-through gear shift was accurate and light. The basic rear suspension surprised everyone because it was compliant and didn't jar or thump over damaged bitumen. The steering, however, was vague and the brakes felt like a sponge.
It's a basic, yet honest van. The materials and fit and finish were good - certainly up to the Ford Transit that's built in Turkey - and the colours chosen for the plastics were creams and browns which hinted more at a European vehicle that one from China.
A third Maxus van - this time a deluxe, leather-trimmed model - was used for the 180km road trip to the Shanghai airport and proved as quiet, comfort able and as neatly-fitted as any of its rivals. The airport chauffeur also didn't spare the van, sitting on 120km/h-plus at less than 3000rpm and with very little drivetrain noise intrusion.
Chinese SAIC Maxus van
Price: $32,000
Engine: 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine
Transmission: five-speed manual transmission
Outputs: 100kW/330Nm
Thirst: 9L/100km
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