Maxus Mifa 7 review: A large Chinese electric MPV that bucks the luxury trend, Lifestyle News

AsiaOne

24-05-2025

One interesting trend that we've noted in the flood of Chinese carmakers entering our market over the past year is that many of these brands seem to like large, luxurious MPVs.
We've seen the likes of the Denza D9, GAC E9, Zeekr 009 and Xpeng X9 all debuting here within the last few months, and the thing they all have in common (other than the obvious numerical connection) is that they are all huge people carriers that pile on the luxe.
But what if you just wanted a simple, no-frills family MPV at a reasonable price? Well, that's where the Maxus Mifa 7 steps in to fill the gap. What is Maxus?
Maxus is one of the many Chinese car brands now available in Singapore, but they have a relatively low-key presence as compared to the ones that arrived over the past year with much fanfare.
One reason is that Maxus does have a rather limited and specialised product lineup. The brand was actually introduced in Singapore all the way back in 2015, but its initial focus was on commercial vehicles, so it didn't exactly make much of a dent among consumers here.
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It was only until 2023 that Maxus launched its first passenger car here, the gargantuan Mifa 9 electric MPV. While initially popular thanks to its excellent value proposition, its massive size meant that it wasn't the most ideal fit for Singapore's roads.
A year later, Maxus introduced the Mifa 7, a slightly smaller MPV that the brand hopes would suit the Singaporean car buyer's palate better. How does the Mifa 7 fare then?
Although the Mifa 7 is supposed to be a 'smaller' MPV, it's still a pretty sizeable car.
The car measures in at over 4.9 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, and while it isn't quite like the gigantic Mifa 9 which is over 5.2 metres long and 2 metres wide, the Mifa 7 is still a relatively big MPV nonetheless.
That said, it does feel rather manageable, thanks to handy 360-degree panoramic camera that's really rather useful when you need to manoeuvre around tight carparks.
The car itself is fairly straightforward to drive too, once you get used to its dimensions. The steering is light and easy, though uncommunicative, and the car doesn't feel too cumbersome as you go round corners, although of course you can still sense its bulk and heft.
The ride quality too is just about on par with what you would expect from a car like this. It's generally comfortable over most roads, but it doesn't exactly sooth you with the kind of plush sophistication that you get from its more luxurious rivals.
Power comes from the single electric motor that drives the front wheels, and produces 241hp and 350Nm of torque. It's just about adequate to get the car moving, with the usual instantaneous EV torque that makes acceleration a relative breeze, but again this is a fairly large and heavy car, so don't expect it to blaze any trails on the road.
All in all, the Mifa 7's overall driving experience can probably be probably best described as capable, in that it gets the job done without too much fuss, but it doesn't stand out in any particular manner either. Is the Mifa 7 worth the money then?
Well, it does have a few things going for it. The interior packaging is superb, with the 3,200mm long wheelbase translating into lots and lots of cabin space for passengers, even for those consigned to the third row of seats.
Again, this is not meant to be an ultra-luxurious MPV, so most of the standout features are more functional in nature rather than being posh. The sliding doors, for example, have a fairly wide opening, and there are grab handles and a wide step for easy access to the cabin.
Up front, you get a simple and minimalist dashboard, dominated by the dual 12.3-inch driver instrument panel and infotainment control touchscreen, combined to look like one giant panoramic display.
The lack of physical controls can be a touch distracting, but there are a set of touch-sensitive switches on the centre console ahead of the wireless charging pad that operates simple functions like locking and unlocking the doors, and operating the rear sliding doors, for example.
Probably the standout premium feature on the car is the 8-speaker JBL sound system, but our test car's Luxury trim also comes without a number of features that one would expect in a car like this, such as ventilated and memory seats. You can get those on the more expensive Premium trim, but that's gonna cost you an additional $5,000.
Nevertheless, that's still a fairly reasonable price for what is a relatively competent family MPV. Sure, it does without much of the luxurious trappings of some of the other large Chinese MPVs on the market, but its price tag of $228,999 inclusive of COE (as of May 2025) for the Luxury trim does undercut those offerings significantly.
And if you want to save even more, Maxus has recently introduced a version of the Mifa 7 with a detuned power output of 145hp, allowing it to qualify for a Category A COE. Go for those and you're looking at a starting price of $208,999 with COE, which is an absolute steal for such a spacious people carrier.
If all you're looking for is an easy drive and lots of interior room, and can do without premium frills, then the Maxus Mifa 7 should be very much right up your alley.
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