Maxus Mifa 7 180kW Elite 7 Seat 77kWh 5dr Auto

Ten Second Review

The Maxus MIFA 7 is a seven-seat all-electric MPV that aims to blend luxury and comfort with cutting-edge technology and efficiency. If you've a growing family and you're ready to go all-electric, it's worth a look.

Background

It took the car industry quite a long time to get around to bringing us a seven-seat family-sized full-electric model that wasn't a glorified airport shuttle bus. But in 2024, two such models arrived, the Peugeot E-5008 and the subject of this test, the Maxus MIFA 7. It's the Maxus you're less likely to have heard of, a Chinese brand sold here by an Irish importer (The Harris Group). Until early 2024, the company sold only vans in the UK, but then expanded into the passenger car market with the MIFA 9, a huge Mercedes V-Class-like MPV with an interior like a luxury limo. The MIFA 7, as its name suggests, is that top model's only slightly smaller, more affordably accessible showroom stablemate. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

MIFA 7 customers choose between two battery sizes, a standard 77kWh one offering up to 255 miles of range. And a larger 'high density' 'One Pack' 90kWh version, offering up to 298 miles from a single charge. All versions use the same 245PS electric motor, which offers 350Nm of torque, so you won't be short of pulling power. With all models there are three driving modes - 'Normal', 'Eco' and 'Sport'; and three steering settings ('Standard', 'Sport' and 'Comfort'); plus two brake feel levels ('Standard' and 'Sport'). As with a lot of Chinese cars, don't expect a particularly involving driving experience. And stand by for a range of often fairly intrusive camera safety systems. Body roll isn't quite as bad through fast tight turns as you might fear, thanks to the usual EV ultra-low centre of gravity. But given the 2.8-tonne kerb weight and slab-sided profile, you won't be surprised to hear that the MIFA 7 doesn't enjoy being hustled along. Its speciality is of course highway cruising - though that's not as silent as you might hope and will certainly not be unless you can disable the constant lane assist system beeping. Plus the substantial body width will take some getting used to on a typical British country road. Top speed is 112mph.

Design and Build

Some EVs visually ease you into the electric era. This isn't one of them. Particularly from the front, where the MIFA 7 has a space age other-worldly look. In profile, there's quite an interesting kick up in the glass line around the C-pillar and the wheels are relatively big 18-inchers. This model's 400mm shorter than its MIFA 9 showroom stablemate but it's still a pretty sizeable thing, measuring in at 4,907mm long. Top-spec 'Premium' trim's identifiable by its roof rails and rear privacy glass. Inside, thanks to the lengthy 2,975mm wheelbase length, it feels impressively spacious wherever you sit. Up front, there's the expected screen-fest with two 12.3-inch displays in a single housing and a big centre console. Full-width vents and sculpted door cards add a stylish touch. And there's loads of upper and lower storage between the seats, including a covered box, cupholders and a wireless charging mat. The middle row - which has digital climate controls and twin USB-C ports - is accessed by sliding doors, which may or may not be power-operated, depending on the spec chosen. Inside, there are two 'captains chairs', with ample room between to get to the three seats at the very back. The outer third row seats are just about OK for adults, but the middle pew is almost unusable as the seat belt buckles are so close together. As for luggage room, well as usual, there's not much of it (280-litres) with the third row in situ, but with the rearmost seats folded, there's a generous 760-litres.

Market and Model

Prices start from around £43,000; that's for base 'Elite' trim with the standard 77kWh battery. That same battery can also be had with plusher 'Luxury' spec. Or there's a top 'Premium' spec model with a larger 90kWh battery costing just under £49,000. A rival Peugeot E-5008 starts at about £48,000. Whatever MIFA 7 model you choose, you'll find it well equipped. Base 'Elite'-spec gives you 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and LED tail lamps. Inside, there's leatherette upholstery, a power-adjustable driver's seat, front and rear air conditioning and a 360-degree camera system. The dual screen dashboard set-up includes a 12.3-inch central infotainment display with a 6-speaker DAB audio system and 'apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring. Safety features include an autonomous emergency braking system, Lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, emergent lane keeping, rear collision avoidance assist, Blind Spot Assist, intelligent High Beam Control and rear cross traffic alert. Plus there are the usual twin front and side airbags, along with a curtain airbag, plus a far side airbag, all linked to an e-call system. Mid-level 'Luxury' trim adds power operation for one of the sliding side doors (the left) and power-folding mirrors. Top 'Premium' trim gets you roof rails, a heat pump, a panorama sunroof, a powered tailgate, a powered sliding right hand door, heated and ventilated front seats and front passenger seat powered adjustment. Plus the V2L system that allows you to power external devices from the drive battery.

Cost of Ownership

We gave you this car's total 255 mile combined driving range figure earlier - that's for the standard 77kWh battery versions. It's 298 miles for the 90kWh 'Luxury' model. Obviously, if you use this MPV exclusively around the city, as with every EV, the range figure will rise - to as much as 343 miles with the 77kWh version and up to 394 miles with the 'Premium' 90kWh model. A heat pump is included on that top 'Premium' version to preserve driving range in particularly cold weather. This draws heat from the surrounding air, reducing the energy strain on the climate fan. This MPV should DC charge from 5% to 80% in about 40 minutes. The AC charging time (5% to 80%) using an 11kWh wallbox is 9.5 hours for both batteries. You will need peace of mind in buying from an unfamiliar brand. To that end, Maxus provides a 5 year / 100,000 mile warranty, with an additional 8 year / 125,000 mile package covering the battery.

Summary

Maxus calls itself a 'disruptor', but not too much disruption is necessary if you're campaigning with products in sparsely-populated market segments - as is the case with the MIFA 7. Maxus seems to specialise in this kind of thing, already selling an EV luxury shuttle MPV (the MIFA 9), a style-conscious mid-sized van (the eDeliver 5) and an electric pick-up (the eTerron 9). With the MIFA 7, as with those products, it's hard to see too much direct competition. So it doesn't actually have to be as good as it is, compensating for the fact that it's not much more affordable than its key rival, the Peugeot E-5008, but significantly bigger inside and better equipped. It will still feel very much a Chinese market product to drive and to sit in. But if you don't mind that, there's potentially lots to like here.