2021 Maxus T60 Pro 4×2 – An Affordable Alternative Pick-Up Truck

The pick-up truck segment is one of the most popular vehicle segments in the Philippine market. This is evidenced by increased sales the past few years, attributed to more affordable pricing as this segment was not affected by the infamous TRAIN Law of the current Philippine government administration. 3 out of the 10 best-selling models in the country for 2020 were pick-up trucks and there are plenty of choices for buyers in the segment. Nearly every mainstream brand has a pick-up truck and let’s not go into how many variants there are to choose from.

Last year, just a week before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc in the country, one brand joined the pick-up truck battle and that’s Maxus. The Chinese brand with British heritage known for its utility vehicles is aiming to take a slice of the segment with the T60. 

How does it fare with all the choices out there? Let’s take a look at the 2021 Maxus T60 Pro 4×2, the mid-variant and see how it does.

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Exterior

Exterior-wise, it’s nowhere as rugged as a Ford Ranger Raptor, at the same time nowhere as sleek as the Mitsubishi Strada, but it has the look of what a pick-up truck should be like. It’s very simple but with a hint of ruggedness and sportiness. The front fascia is dominated by a huge grille with vertical slats with a huge Maxus logo in the middle. Compared to the top-spec Elite 4×4, the grille is a combination of mostly black and chrome versus fully chrome. I personally prefer the one here on the Pro as it gives a more rugged look.. Headlights are also large and in this case are multi-reflector halogens. The Elite 4×4 gets better LED projectors with DRLs but the halogens do work well.

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The side is your typical truck with its clean lines and chubby fenders. Standard on all variants are a set of 17-inch alloy wheels which look really good. The rear end is probably the most simple part of this vehicle with its horizontal lights and rather small taillights. You will find that it comes standard with a reverse camera and parking sensors which is quite a necessity when it comes to driving these pick-up trucks. There are also small step areas to help you when you need to get into the bed.

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The overall exterior look of the Maxus T60 Pro is quite good and is something I really like. Its simple appearance will definitely allow it to stand the test of time. Maxus surely did a good job in that regard.

Interior

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Getting inside the T60 reveals a similar simplicity as with the exterior. The tall dashboard looks really well designed as well as the steering wheel which I really like. Materials are mostly hard-touch plastics but that’s okay for a vehicle like this. You wouldn’t want to see your leather-padded dashboard damaged would you? We saw some parts shared with Chevrolet but that’s not surprising as Maxus’ parent company, SAIC Motor also builds Chevrolet vehicles. Build quality by the way is also really good.

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The seats are wrapped in fabric and while they feel a bit on the firmer side, are comfortable for longer drives. We took the T60 to our family’s province for a perfect shoot backdrop, about 3 hours from Metro Manila and we had no complaints with seat comfort. Same goes for the backseat which was decent.

Practicality

Interior storage is decent with a good amount of cubby holes in the dashboard and cupholders around the vehicle. Two of the cupholders can be found by the air vents which should help cool your cup when you’re driving. There is also storage on top of the dashboard just like on other pick-up trucks which should come in handy during times like this pandemic where you can put your face mask on top of the dashboard. 

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Interior space is also excellent especially in the backseats where legroom is more than enough for someone like me who stands at 5’7”. Same goes for the headroom. The T60 has to be one of the most spacious in the segment. There are also rear A/C vents which should help cool the cabin on a hot day.

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The T60’s bed is actually one of the widest you can find among mid-size pick-up trucks. A bedliner is standard on all variants. We don’t have exact dimensions or capacity in liters but the T60 can carry a payload of 1,010 kg and can also tow 2,500 kg.

Technology and Safety

The T60 is decently equipped for its price point. As this is the middle variant of the T60 lineup, it does not come with the 10-inch infotainment system from the Elite 4×4 variant. In its place is a smaller 7-inch touchscreen unit that does thankfully still come equipped with Apple CarPlay. I must say though that the thick bezels do cheapen out the interior quite a bit and some controls may be difficult to touch. Thankfully Maxus has placed physical buttons to fix that problem.

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The T60 Pro also does not come with features like push-button start. Instead, you turn the key in the ignition the traditional way. I’m not complaining though as there is still a little bit of charm in doing things the way it has been for many many years.

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In terms of safety, the Maxus T60 Pro 4×2 comes equipped with dual front airbags, reverse camera with parking sensors, anti-lock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution, tire pressure monitoring system, and ISOFIX tethers. 

Engine

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Under the hood, the T60 is equipped with one of the larger displacement engines in the segment. It is powered by a 2.8-liter inline-4 cylinder diesel engine with variable geometry turbo or VGT. This puts the engine size on par with the likes of the Toyota Hilux, Chevrolet Colorado, and Isuzu D-MAX. Output is quite lower than those though as the T60’s engine only produces 148 horsepower and 360 Nm of torque. Shifting is done through a 6-speed automatic transmission and being that this is the 4×2 variant, power is sent to the rear wheels.

Driving and Comfort

Once you get into driving the T60, the first thing you’ll notice is its size. It’s actually a little bit bigger than a Ford Ranger but thankfully, that won’t really bother you as much as you probably think it would. Another thing that suggests that this is a larger truck is the steering feel which is on the heavier side. It’s nowhere as light as a Ford Ranger with its electronic power-assisted steering but it does still have good feel at least. Ride quality is on the firmer side but that’s expected from a pick-up truck. It does smoothen out very well once you’re on the highway which is excellent. NVH insulation is also quite good with minimal road noise and an acceptable amount of wind noise entering the cabin.

Now as mentioned earlier, while the T60 has one of the larger engines in the segment, output is on the lower-end of the class but that also thankfully does not hamper performance as it does perform quite decently. Power is surely not lacking even when driving on steep uphill roads. What isn’t so good is the transmission which seemed to jerk whenever shifting from 3rd to 2nd gear especially when driving on lower speeds.

For fuel economy, the T60 is still a decent performer. Inside the city in a mix of light and heavy traffic, we were able to get around 11 km/l. On the highway, we were able to achieve 15 km/l on a drive from Manila City to Bataan. Expect those numbers to be just a bit lower on the top-spec Elite 4×4 variant.

Conclusion

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Without the DTI safeguard tariff, the 2021 Maxus T60 Pro 4×2 can be had for just Php 1,078,000 which is extremely affordable considering what it has to offer compared to other trucks. You’ll definitely get good value and quality with the T60. Like other pick-up trucks, it can do its job very well plus surprisingly good performance. It definitely isn’t as modern as other trucks especially with new versions popping-up left and right but it still does offer what a pick-up truck should and what it should be. The Maxus T60 is definitely worth considering.

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