Maxus MIFA 9 review: Taking an EV MPV to the max

As we know, there are all sorts of things that divide opinion – politicians, rock bands, books, colours, films…you name it.

Cars too can cause friction among argumentative types, but lately I had a tester which more or less unified people like nothing else I’ve ever come across. The only thing was, it united them in a uniquely horrified and disbelieving way – as in: “Jesus Christ, what the hell is that thing in your driveway.” 

The ‘thing’ in question is the Maxus MIFA 9 and, even without ever having seen it in the flesh, you’d be well entitled to ask: “What the hell is that?” 

Well, Maxus is something of a new brand in town and a subsidiary of the Chinese SAIC Motor Corp. (formerly the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) which is currently one of the biggest manufacturers of electric cars in the world and in responsible for brands which sell in this part of the world such as MG.

Back in the day and as well as having bought the rights to the failing English MG brand, it bought the rights to the failing former English van-maker LDV and started making electric vans, which it made quite a fist of.

In 2020 it changed the name of the marque to Maxus (presumably to try and rid it of the taint associated with LDV) and shortly thereafter the Irish distribution was snapped up by the Harris Group, possibly most famous for importing Hino trucks and Isuzu cars and commercial pick-ups.

The Harris Group has ambitious plans for expansion and its association with SAIC is partly the reason, but when Maxus unveiled the people-carrying MPV, the MIFA 9 in the relatively unglamorous surrounds of the UK Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham in 2022, it did not cause much of a stir.

But now that the Harris Group has established a dealer network for Maxus across Ireland, things are getting ramped up and there are great plans for a fleet of cars which will be marketed alongside their commercial products.

The MIFA 9 is a huge, extraordinary beast and, to be fair, it would be more than a little polite to describe it as ‘ugly.’ Indeed, it is uglier than a baby hippo and you could reasonably suggest it was designed by a four-year-old who was heavily influenced by cereal boxes.

Interestingly, the ‘MIFA’ acronym stands for ‘Maximum, Intelligent, Friendly and Artistic’ and while two of those words can be vividly seen to be applicable, the other two are something of a mystery; where friendliness and artistry fit into the equation, I’m not sure.

As we know, Asian manufacturers have a funny way with cars names and what might seem logical and pertinent to them, is ever a mystery to us Europeans.

But anyway, MIFA it is and it is a most unusual thing – an electric people carrier. Sure you have such as the cutesy VW ID. Buzz, but that is being marketed more as a commercial vehicle with a few seats than anything else. There are electric vans, of course, but no MPVs.

That makes the MIFA 9 something of a unique vehicle and while it might be comparable with such as the Mercedes V-Class which we reviewed a couple of weeks back – simply for the number of people it can carry (in considerable luxury, it has to be said) – it is a stand-out because it is an EV.

As such it will corner a small segment of an already small market because of its ‘green’ credentials. This is a small market because this is a car that will appeal to taxi firms, small bus operators, hotels, golf clubs and other touristy occupations, but very few private owners, apart from those with large families.

So, it’s a luxury MPV limo (priced accordingly, as you will see) and once you’re cossetted inside, you will marvel at what’s on offer. The test model was a seven-seater (you can get eight, if needs) with driver and passenger up front, two captain’s chairs in the middle row and three more across the back.

The front four seats are all electrically powered and have heating, ventilation and massage functions and the whole interior vibe is seriously luxurious, something which the Chinese seem to see as a necessary prerequisite to winning European hearts and minds.

It tells you something when you note that the middle seats which have colour touchscreens built into the armrests to allow you adjust them in every conceivable way. These things look like they’ve been taken directly from the Sultan of Brunei’s personal jet and they are as comfortable as the boul’ Sultan might wish.

There’s little by way of physical controls in the MIFA 9, and pretty much everything is operated via the large touchscreen in the centre of the dash – even the blind for the glass roof. It can be a little distracting when you’re on the move, but generally it’s a fairly intuitive system and it has loads of tricks up its sleeve.

The materials utilised here are of the highest order and the look and feel of the interior are top class and in notable contrast to the ghastly bland exterior, which is so truck-like and bulky that is must have been hard for the design team to add any subtle touches.

On the road, despite a three tonne weight, the car is surprisingly fleet. This is largely down to the 180 kW electric motor and the 90 kWh battery, both of which are quite large by car standards. They give the car a 245 bhp output, a sub-ten second 0-100 km/h time (just) and a top speed of 180 km/h.

The interesting thing, however, is the range; Maxus claim a capability here of 520 km and, by and large, it’s a fairly honest broker in this regard. May such claims are nearly fraudulent they are so wide of the reality of any given car’s capabilities, but the Maxus doesn’t tell too many porkies.

Our time with the car showed that a range of around 460 km was eminently possible, even when driving it fairly hard – well, as hard as is possible in a monster of this order.

On the road, one would have thought that a front wheel drive car of this magnitude would be a handling nightmare – all understeer and little real grip. But it was not at all as bad as one might have anticipated and, in fact, coped with the vicissitudes of the Irish road network with an aplomb that belied its monstrosity.

This is a very curious car indeed and while it will win bugger-all in terms of its terrible looks, it will find many friends both for it’s lap-of-luxury demeanour and its range honesty. It is far from being a cheap car and while it is impossible at this stage to speculate about residual values, it looks almost certain to be a popular and cheap second hand prospect.

The MIFA 9 is very much a curiosity and especially so given its nailed-on ugliness, but it does have a spirit and a character that will surprise you. Getting over the shock of seeing it in the flesh will be the hard part for most people, though.