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Maxus T60 4×2 Pro AT review: Affordable off-roader with smart features

Gone are the days when pickup trucks are only used as workhorses with their hauling capabilities and generally rugged disposition. Today, the best-selling trucks are also those that offer comfort features only previously seen in premium sedans. But as these new creature comforts rolled in, they also drove up the price which is just expected.

Enter the Maxus T60 4×2. This is not yet the top-of-the-line model but it already has a couple of features that should further make your trips more enjoyable and comfortable. The best thing about it? It’s priced affordably compared to its competition.

Priced in the Philippines at PhP 1,028,000 for this variant, let’s check what the Maxus T60 4×2 Pro AT offers in this review.

Exterior

The Maxus T60 has a very commanding presence especially when viewed from up front. It has this prominent grille with chrome edges as well as the company’s logo in the same chrome finish. A pair of halogen headlamps are also here accompanied by a complete set of halogen fog lamps in front and even at the back.

From this angle as well, you’ll notice that it’s got muscular elements that simply make it look bulky — like an animal making itself look bigger to intimidate others — and I think it’s able to do so effectively.

Heading towards the rest of its body, it comes with repeater signals on its side mirrors next to its T60 badge just below the vehicle’s A-pillar.

Up top, it also comes with roof rails so you could use it to haul additional cargo on top and tie them to the railings.

For its rear, the Maxus logo also appears here together with another set of badges on the lower right. There’s nothing too unique back here and you have your pair of tail lights stacked on both corners.

I personally enjoy the overall exterior of the T60 with its sharp corners and flared wheel arches. It simply exudes a sturdy look fit for a pickup.

Rounding up the exterior are its 17-inch alloy wheels in this matte silver finish — bringing a nice contrast to its shiny chrome trims around the body.

The T60 comes in a slew of colors specific for the models but for this variant right here there’s Lava Gray, Obsidian Black, Blanc White, and Agate Red which is what we have here.

Interior

The interior isn’t the most sophisticated we’ve seen on a pickup and it keeps things simple and straightforward. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing since it still covers the important aspects like well-bolstered fabric seats, a six-way manual driver’s seat, and a head unit with a touch display that spans seven inches diagonally.

A multi-function layout of buttons is on the steering wheel and it provides access to your music, calls, as well as for the vehicle’s Cruise Control.

For instrumentations, the tachometer, speedometer, engine temp, and fuel gauge are all analog while a small digital panel can be seen in the middle to display additional info like average fuel consumption, vehicle settings, and more. Warnings and detail are easily seen and are legible even during sunny days.

As mentioned earlier, it comes with a 7-inch touch-enabled infotainment system and it’s loaded with Apple CarPlay but no Android Auto. Instead, it goes for Mirror Link that isn’t as intuitive and easy to use as Android Auto, but it’s still a way to mirror your Android phone to the vehicle’s system.

In addition to controlling music, the head unit also displays useful data about your vehicle like your current mileage, service information, and overall vehicle status.

Apart from its touch panel, there are also buttons for quick navigation which I like since it doesn’t require you to take your eyes off the road just to perform some functions.

For connectivity, it has two USB ports — one for charging and the other for connecting a device to either Apple CarPlay or Mirror Link.

Situated in the center console just beside its airconditioning controls are buttons for its two driving modes — ECO and Power. Obviously, Eco Mode conserves less fuel by limiting available power, while Power Mode lets you pull more out of its turbocharged engine at the expense of burning more fuel.

The seats are comfortable even after a few hours spent on the road. You do get that bouncy feel while driving that’s common in pickup trucks but the seats make things bearable as they effectively cushion bumps along the way. The cabin is also spacious even for passengers at the back and they even have their own air vent back here along with a power outlet.

Again, the overall design inside feels basic with mostly plastic all around but it’s done neatly and comes across as no-frills and straight to the point. It does look neat and simple so that’s good enough for me.

And adding to its features, the Maxus T60 comes with a handful of bells and whistles to help make your driving experience easier and more enjoyable. This model comes with keyless entry, reverse sensors and camera, rain-sensing wipers, and while it skips on LED lights, it does come with Auto Headlights that detect when it’s dark to illuminate your path automatically.

You can consider these small things but they help make the T60 feel more premium as a whole.

Performance and safety

Enough about its features and let’s go to how it performs on the road.

The Maxus T60 and its 2.8-liter diesel engine don’t fall short of power, no doubt, but don’t really deliver it with total finesse either. With its 6-speed automatic transmission, gear shifts are sometimes not flawless and give the vehicle a bit of jerk. These don’t happen a lot, though, but I believe is something that should be noted.

Overall, it’s a very torquey ride and delivers that oomph prefaced by its muscular exterior. I was actually able to attend its official launch here in the Philippines and the company demonstrated its capabilities by attaching a tractor to it to pull around the venue. It’s that powerful.

Meanwhile, its suspension feels solid especially when paved roads run out but things get jerky back on the road with even the slightest bumps. But as I mentioned, good thing its seats are comfortable enough to absorb some of the impact.

The Maxus T60 also comes with a slew of safety features. To kick things off, it’s equipped with Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution so sudden brakes are done in a controlled manner.

It’s also equipped with driver and front passenger airbags, ISOFIX for toddlers on board, and even a tire pressure monitoring system that can be viewed on its digital panel.

Creature Feature

As always, in our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in what we review that make them worth having — its Creature Feature. For the Maxus T60 4×2 Pro, it would have to be its inclusion of small but important features that are not usually in this price point.

You have Cruise Control, reverse camera and sensors, auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and more for a really competitive price. It’s actually hard to beat that.

Final Thoughts

By fronting its British heritage proudly while using the automotive expertise of Chinese-owned SAIC Motor, Maxus presents a very appealing offer with the T60. Either you get the entry-level 4×2 Pro MT (priced at PhP 948K), 4×2 Pro AT that we have here (PhP 1.028M), and the top variant 4×4 Elite AT (PhP 1.278M), you definitely get more features compared to its peers.

It doesn’t have the most seamless performance especially with its sometimes clunky transmission, but at those price points, it’s something that’s easy to dismiss.

So if you’re on the market for a straight-up reliable pickup that doesn’t break the bank, the Maxus T60 is something that’s definitely worth considering.