The Maxi-van that can

As the atmosphere in the automotive industry is becoming more and more competitive, auto brands compensate and keep their edge by coming up with vehicles that fulfill previously unnoticed niches in the market.

Such is the one for oversized vans or people movers that aren’t quite the size of a minibus, but definitely larger than your typical van. Auto brand Maxus has an entry to that category, and it’s called the V80 Comfort.

While it’s not the largest of the Supervans (allow me to coin that term) that include the Toyota Grandia, the Hyundai H350 and the upcoming Ford Transit, the Maxus V80 Comfort offers an attractive price/comfort/features proposition.

It has a 13-seat capacity (including the driver’s), two seats less than the maximum of 15 from the others, and it’s priced at P1.57 million—a bit less than Toyota’s entry level Hiace Commuter that has bench-style seating versus the V80 Comfort’s regular cushy seats at the 2nd and 3rd rows, all in a more spacious cabin with a higher ceiling. I guess that’s where the trade-off of seating for two went—for added comfort for the V80’s 12 passengers plus driver, hence its namesake.

I felt it’d make more sense test-driving the V80 Comfort for what it’s configured for, as a practical and spacious people mover, so I intentionally booked a unit on the day I took my students from my Multiplatform Journalism class in the University of Asia and the Pacific on a field exercise.

Well, the V80 Comfort was able to accommodate most of them at least, and we merrily rode with the rest in convoy from Ortigas Center to Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila at the height of a weekday’s rush hour traffic. At full capacity, its 2.5-liter CRDi engine provided more than ample torque at the get go, and sustained effortless cruising whenever traffic cleared-up. I felt the 6-speed manual transmission was just apt for it, for if an A/T option were made available for it (and it isn’t), the power wouldn’t be as impressive.

Good NVH

I was able to squeeze in parts of my lecture on street Photography and Photojournalism while in transit, which means the noise/vibration/harshness (NVH) levels were quite good, but the cool dual-zone air conditioning rendered some of them droopy-eyed, so I held off until we got there. We got to our destination relatively fresh and relaxed from quite a comfortable ride.

They remarked about things I didn’t initially pay much attention to on the days I drove solo in the V80 Comfort, and it was about the airy feel from the rear due to the large panoramic windows and high ceiling. And as I observed, ingress and egress were effortless through the large sliding door, from not having to stoop down, and with the aid of a step platform that extended and retracted automatically.

It’s an advantage that the Maxus V80 Comfort didn’t have as huge a footprint as its closest competition, so though I still wouldn’t drive it through an indoor mall parking building, its size isn’t as unwieldy as the others in its class. It’ll still fit in larger garages, it won’t be a hindrance when parked along the curb, and it doesn’t take much to get used to driving around with its dimensions. I actually enjoyed its rather agile handling when I drove it alone, except when I got piercing stares from commuters hunting for rides home while I was basically sifting through Edsa in a bedroom on wheels.

It’s evident that the Maxus V80 Comfort is positioned as an ideal people transporter for small- to medium-sized businesses with its good looks, comfortable ride and value-oriented packaging and cost, but it’ll also make for a practical and fun weekend vehicle for those people with large families… and yes, those who enjoy a maxing it out with a good ride with tons of space.