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They say you don't have to be first to market to be the most succesful but to-date Maxus is the only brand that's launched not one, but two electric pick-up trucks and the lastest offering, the Maxus eTerron 9 is a vast improvement upon the last.
Unveiled as a world’s first at the IAA Hannover trade show, the Maxus eTerron 9 is the first one-tonne all-electric four-wheel-drive pick-up truck. That follows on from the Maxus T90 EV which was the first 4x2 rear-wheel-drive pick-up, when it was launched.
The big question now is, is the Maxus eTerron 9 a truck suitable for the real world?
Or should you consider Maxus’s other new model, the diesel-powered Maxus T60 Max pick-up.
Maxus has clearly been on a bit of a learning exercise in the time between the T90 and the launch of the eTerron 9. Many people, myself included, expected Maxus to simply launch a 4x4 version using their current chassis and design. How wrong we were.
Instead the new truck is not only a completely new model, with new appearance, styling and spec, it also has entirely new underpinnings. That includes two permanent magnet synchronous motors with 125kW at the front and 200kW at the rear. Together they deliver a combined output of 325kW or 442hp.
There's also plenty of torque too. Which isn't suprising for an electric car. Not only is it near-instant, but there's 450Nm on the rear axle and 250Nm at the front. That's a lot of grunt, even when split over a four-wheel-drive system.
For some context, the similar looking but petrol-powered Ford Ranger Raptor V6 gets just 289hp with 491Nm of torque.
It's powered by a 102kWh high-voltage battery, capable of up to 261 miles according to the WLTP combined test cycle.
Maxus says the battery can be charged from 20% to 80% in 40 minutes at speeds of up to 115kW.
Getting batteries into pick-up trucks has always been cited as the main problem for manufacturers.
The need to have a central driveshaft with power going to all four wheels has meant that packaging batteries around low- and high-range gearboxes, driveshafts and of course massive suspension setups made it a technical challenge few manufacturers have tried to tackle.
Maxus has combatted the problem with the introduction of special new Tetris lithium-ion phosphate batteries. These have been developed to minimise the amount of space they take up. The battery pack is cooled by a new 9-channel ventilation system and combined this is said to make its range in winter improve by 18% when compared to a conventional electric car battery.
The other main technical challenge manufacturers were facing was how to get something so big and heavy to behave itself on the road.
Maxus has opted for air suspension as standard on its early models - which as we'll talk about more in a moment, does very well at disguising its mass. With a kerbweight of 2889kg, the eTerron 9 is a heavy and bloated thing, but with so much power you'd hardly notice it.
The size of the truck is also a notable step up from the proportions of the T90 EV, but in the context of the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok, there's little difference.
All modern pick-up trucks are now vastly bigger than previous generations and while many still strive to hit the magic 1000kg payload treshhold needed for it to be a commercial vehicle for the benefit of tax, others don't.
The Raptor doesn't manage to meet that number and instead has a 652kg payload.
The Maxus eTerron 9 payload of 620kg therefore feels in line with what the market might need from a specialist and niche interest vehicle.
While the Raptor undoubtedly rules the roost for its own off-road and on-road ride comfort, the eTerron 9 doesn't do badly either.
Air suspension will be standard from launch, but later utility trim models will come with leaf springs at the rear that will see the payload increase beyond 1000kg.
For now, the air suspension is really the eTerron 9's ultimate party trick, surprising and delighting you with its comfort, quality and poise. There's no denying it feels like a heavy truck, and under braking you certainly notice the mass, but on turn-in, into a corner, there's a surprising amount of connection to the road.
Weight transfer as you pitch into a corner can make the nose feel particularly heavy, and there's a good deal of numbness in the steering when doing so, but in terms of comfort it's still top notch.
Maxus has a bit of a hit and miss reputation at present for its interiors. The T90EV feels cheap, poorly constructed and out-dated. But newer models have been improving. The Maxus eDeliver 7 van is a shining example of Maxus getting most of the interior design right.
However, the Maxus eDeliver 5 took a step backwards with its budget friendly approach.
The eTerron 9 is definitely at the upper end of the spectrum. It's trying to be plush like a Ford Ranger Platinum in terms of its specification and appearance. Amazingly it also manages it well.
Fake leather, vegan leather, plastic leather or pleather, call it what you will... it's actually very good. So too are the oddly printed and textured plastics. It's definitely not boring.
There's an expansive multimedia screen that controls most of the funcationality - annoyingly it's also where the driving modes and regenerative brake settings are, which prohibits you from playing around with them too often - and to our amasement it also appears to work a lot better than the systems in the other Maxus models. Early vans like the Maxus eDeliver 3 were riddled with glitches and systems that crashed or froze. Our early experiences show that this system seemed to have none of that.
Seats are comfortable, with the option of an eight-way electrically adjustable driver's seat on the top model - that also adds a panoramic roof. The seats also get ventilation and a massage function.
Another party trick is that the two front seats can also be lowered to make an almost flat sleeping area that measures 170 cm long.
In the cabin you'll find plenty of storage points with 20 stowage areas.
It's also a massively open feeling cabin, so the eTerron 9 feels like there's plenty of space for both you and your possessions.
When it comes to the usable space in the load bed and elsewhere, Maxus has done well with the eTerron 9 to produce something very practical.
Unlike the 620kg payload which makes it not the most useful of pick-ups, it does have a standard sized load bed. There's also a 236-litre “frunk” for additional storag.
The most intriguing feature, though, is the folding bulkhead that creates a load length of up to 2.4m when collapsed flat.
There's also an Easy Load mode, which uses the air suspension to lower the loading height by 60mm and there’s a Great Surround-Terrain Lighting System, using high-beam headlights to give more than 400m of visibility.
As an electric vehicle it wouldn't be complete with vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging which gives 2.2kW sockets in the front trunk and on the pick-up bed for powering items like tools. There’s also a more powerful 6.6 kW connection.
We've not yet been able to test it off-road, but some spirited driving over residential speed bumps gave us a clue as to the quality of the suspension when in the rough.
There's a bit of rebound as the air suspension deals with the shock, but it shows promise.
Like the Raptor, it also gets multiple driving modes, with six presets to enable the suspension to cope with different types of terrain.
It's possible to configure the steering, as well as the engine power and stability to the driver's individual preferences. The amount of energy recovery can also be changed, as can the braking. Finally, different settings have different ride heights for the suspension. Overall Maxus says the eTerron 9 has more than 400 different combinations.
Yes. Amazingly for such a big electric vehicle it does have the ability to tow.
Not many electric vehicles are designed for towing but Maxus has realised pick-up truck customers are more likely than most to need to tow something.
The Maxus eTerron 9 towing capacity is 3.5-tonnes which makes it just as good as many diesel equivalents.
The Maxus eTerron 9 has been given a 5-star Euro NCAP rating, making it one of the safest vehicles in its class.
Maxus says it has used a high proportion of ultra-high-strength steel - 73% to be precise. Which has been used in the A-, B- and C-pillars.
For a first attempt at an electric pick-up truck, the Maxus eTerron 9 is a pretty strong effort.
With its air suspension its definitely comfortable, and the level of equipment, and safety rating are all positives.
The 620kg payload may be of concern for some, and it will have an impact on reclaiming the VAT - unless something is done to change this for electric vehicles.
However, with the benefit in kind rules changing - taxing double cab pick-ups as passenger cars from April 2025 - now couldn't be a better time for a fully electric pick-up truck to hit the market.
There's much to like about the eTerron 9 and in the top spec or the mid-range level, with its air suspension, we expect it will find a number of happy customers.
Is it a sensible alternative to anything from Ford or Volkswagen? No, probably not. But then no other brands offers a 4x4 electric truck. That alone makes the Maxus eTerron 9 a bit special. Not special like a Ranger Raptor, but special in an equally positive way.
