Maxus T60 Max pickup review (2025): a lot of truck for your money

• 215hp 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine
• Performance is adequate rather than impressive
• Easy but not exceptional to drive

In some respects, budget pickup trucks don’t have much expectation to live up to when it comes to the driving experience. After all, with the possible exceptions of the latest Ranger and VW Amarok (which are the same truck underneath), pickups never offer the most polished on-road performance.

Considered in this manner, the T60 Max is more than acceptable. Powered by a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine rated at 215hp and 500Nm of torque (pulling power), it has selectable four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard. This is the same ZF unit that’s used right across the car and van industries by many manufacturers, complete with paddleshifters on the steering wheel for additional control.

Performance didn’t feel quite as strong to us as those power and torque figures might suggest, but driven unloaded it quickly gets up to motorway speeds and is swift enough away from traffic lights. Gearshifts are smooth when the automatic gearbox is left to its own devices, and actioned rapidly when the driver uses the paddles.

However, it’s not especially refined, with a rather thin and reedy engine noise pervading the cabin regardless of speed. And as is typical of most pickups, the unladen ride comfort has that ticklish, constantly jiggling motion – which may become tiresome over longer journeys.

It doesn’t bang too harshly over bumps, though, and the steering and body control seem fine for the speeds it’s sensible to travel at when driving one of these. But the driving position is compromised, as we’ll explain in the next section.

• Modern, screen-dominated cab design
• Useful back seat area
• Driving position lacks adjustment

First impressions of the interior are very positive. With its twin 12.3-inch digital screens curving across the top of the dashboard, the T60 Max is modern inside and appears to be made from materials of higher quality than the price might lead you to expect. It’s certainly more luxurious than an entry-level D-Max, and there’s a reasonable amount of storage available to front passengers as well.

We’re not so keen on so many of the interior controls – including many related to the standard air-conditioning system – being incorporated into the central touchscreen. But this is at least logical to navigate, and we were able to find our way around it quite quickly. Plus, there’s still an easy-to-use rotary controller for the four-wheel-drive system mounted adjacent to the wireless phone charger.

You get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard, and other useful features include a 360-degree camera system. The front seats are six-way electrically adjustable, while the rear seats have a fold-down backrest and a fold-up seat base, making that area more practical for secure storage, should the need arise.

Compromised driving position

What impressed us less, however, was the limited amount of height adjustment for the driver’s seat – we would have liked it to go lower – and that the steering wheel adjustment is restricted to the angle of the wheel only. There is no reach adjustment, so you may be forced to compromise your driving position to get close enough to it.

• BIK no longer the bargain it was for pickups
• Claimed 31mph unlikely in the real world
• Lots of standard equipment

According to the WLTP figures, the Maxus T60 returns 31.0mpg combined, with CO2 emissions of 239g/km. We haven’t yet been able to drive it for long enough to see how accurate that fuel economy claim is in the real world, but you should expect around 25mpg at best to be on the safe side.

Until the pickup truck tax changes in 2025, the CO2 emissions would have been of little significance to anything except the owner’s conscience. But now double-cab pickups no longer pay company car benefit-in-kind tax at the same fixed rate as vans, and are instead judged on their emissions as cars are. That means a much heftier bill for anyone planning to run one of these via a business.

This has already started to have an impact on the sales of diesel-powered double-cabs, but you are at least still able to claim the VAT back, and road tax remains fixed at the same rate as vans.

Maxus T60 Max warranty and servicing

As with all Maxus vehicles the T60 Max comes with a five-year / 100,000-mile warranty.

The service intervals for the T60 are every 12 months or 12,500 miles, whichever comes first.

Maxus T60 Max standard equipment

As we’ve already mentioned, while there’s only a single trim-level to choose from, the T60 comes very will equipped. Here are some of the highlights:

• Dual 12.3-inch screens
• DAB radio
• Apple Car Play
• Android Auto
• Wireless phone charging
• 360-degree camera system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Air-conditioning
• Leather upholstery
• Heated steering wheel
• Front seats with six-way electric adjustment
• Automatic lights and wipers
• LED headlights
• Electric heated and folding door mirrors
• Black Sport Bar
• Side Steps
• Roof rails
• Lift assistance for the tailgate

Maxus has something of a mixed reputation when it comes to reliability – but it does have repeat fleet customers, and some of its electric vans have proven very dependable.

The T60 Max is still new to the UK at the time of writing, so we’ll update this if alarm bells start ringing.

• All the latest safety requirements met
• Standard alarm and immobiliser

As with the creature comforts, the T60 Max comes well-equipped with a lot of the very latest safety equipment as standard.

Maxus T60 Max safety

All the latest safety requirements are met by the T60 Max. All of the following are fitted as standard:

• Forward collision warning
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Lane keeping assistance
• Lane departure warning
• Tyre pressure monitors
• Six airbags
• Seatbelt reminders
• Electronic stability control and electronic brake assist

There’s also adaptive cruise control, an electronic parking brake with auto-hold function, and a rear differential lock as part of the four-wheel drive system. This last will be most helpful off-road, but is definitely good to have.

In addition to this, an earlier version of the T60 did achieve a maximum five-star rating in Australian crash-testing. The criteria has gotten tougher since but that still speaks of competent fundamental engineering.

Maxus T60 Max security

The T60 comes with an alarm and an immobiliser as standard.