Maxus T90

That’s what leads us to today’s vehicle, the Maxus T90 pickup truck. It’s brought to us by Prestige EV, part of Prestige Automobile. Having some memories of the older T60 that I drove in China in 2019, I’m eager to see how far things have come. After all, the T90 was released in 2022, and comes in turbodiesel as well as electric forms. Today, we’ve got the Biturbo diesel-powered variant to test. Actually we’ve got two trucks, since Prestige has given us two eye-catching colours for our photo-shoot. Both trucks are identical in spec, since there’s only one spec on offer for Sri Lanka. Let’s get on, then…

Exterior

We’ve got two trucks for our test, dressed in Jewelry Blue and Chinese Red respectively. Other colours include Blanc White, Metal Black, Competitive Orange and Metal Ash. Yes, six colours of which three aren’t monochrome shades. That’s great, given that many vehicles nowadays tend to be less adventurous in their colour palettes. Regardless of which colour you pick, you get a set of black 18-inch alloy wheels with 265/60-section tires. A steel-rimmed spare wheel is also standard.

At the front, you’re greeted by an imposing grille with the MAXUS script flanked by LED headlamps and fog-lamps. Moving on to the side profile, the front flanks feature a pseudo air vent with the BiTurbo script, telling onlookers what’s under the hood. Black mirrors, black lower cladding and a black sports bar are present. Then, the tailgate features a large black swathe of plastic with MAXUS moulded into it, with LED taillamps on either side. SAIC Motor and T90 badges are present too. A closer look at the rear bumper reveals two cutouts. What are they for? Well, they serve a surprisingly simple purpose – for you to place your foot inside and swing yourself into the truck bed. Mahen and I really enjoyed this feature as we climbed up myriad times for video shooting, as well as just for kicks. Because, why not?

Mech & Tech

Ten years ago, 200 horsepower from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel mill wasn’t easy to come by. Especially in a pickup truck. And yet, here we are in 2025, with the BiTurbo unit in the Maxus T90 making 214 horsepower and 500 Newton-Metres of torque from its Large-Coca-Cola-Bottle-esque displacement. The T90 isn’t unique to the 200-horse club; some of its competitors are there as well, but around 5-10 horses behind. Gears are handled by a slick 8-speed ZF autobox which is something also found in luxury vehicles so that’s nice to see. Not all competitors have this many ratios; some do.

The T90 is four-wheel drive with high and low ranges plus a differential lock, and the system is controlled via a knob on the centre console. It’s also got disc brakes for all four wheels, another factor that not all competitors offer. The front suspension is a double wishbone set-up while the rear employs a comfort-oriented multi-link configuration. This is promising as it means that this truck should ride more pliantly and comfortably than its leaf-sprung brethren from other mothers. We’ll still be testing that out to see if it rings true. Steering assistance is electric, as you’d expect on almost all modern vehicles nowadays – hydraulic power steering is all but gone from the industry.

Driving the Maxus T90

It’s a bit of a climb into the power-adjustable driver seat but that means you’ve got a commanding view ahead. One of the first things I notice when looking out of the windscreen is the bonnet. It’s a nice thing to see on a modern vehicle and lends a sense of towering over the road. In fact, you do tower over the road; riding next to the Altos and WagonRs and even smaller SUVs really demonstrates this height advantage. I’m glad that the side steps and grab handles aid entry and access. 

Call up Drive via the column-mounted shifter, release the electric parking brake (if auto release is disabled) and the T90 smoothly creeps away as you come off the brake. There’s a bit of gravelly turbodiesel rumble audible in the cabin, albeit at a very low level. I like this, because it tells you that internal combustion is what propels this truck. Even as I wring out the engine to its limiter, the sound never increases in volume. The 8-speed box does its thing unobtrusively, but I can control it via the steering wheel paddles if I choose. Speaking of the steering wheel, it’s a chunky leather-wrapped affair with the paddles, multifunction controls and red contrast stitching. Once again, not something you’d expect to see in a pickup truck. Another thing you wouldn’t expect in a pickup truck is the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, seamlessly integrated within a single design element. 

Accelerate from a standstill and the T90 responds strongly. There’s more than enough urge for the cut and thrust of spirited driving in Colombo traffic, even amidst today’s nippy EVs with their instantaneous torque. Prestige says that the 0-100km/h time should be around 10.5 seconds in most cases. Given that we’re running unladen but with two to three adults on board, it feels accurate. Meanwhile, the ride is quite pliant and smooth. Given the height of the thing, you do sometimes feel a little bit of the road imperfections but they’re never vulgar; rather they’re well damped and rounded off as much as possible. The ride is even better when you’re a passenger as you’re not gripping the steering wheel. That tells me that even though the T90 uses an electric rack, it’s still communicating quite a bit of feedback to the driver through the steering wheel. That’s great for keen drivers who don’t enjoy the lifelessness of many electric racks – myself included.

The quartet of disc brakes do an ample job of hauling the T9 down from the sometimes silly speeds we pushed it to. They work well with no discernible fade even after repeated high-speed stops. They’re also quite progressive; at no point did we find them over-eager, resulting in nodding head syndrome. 

For most of our drive, we kept the T90 in Auto mode – which allows the truck’s computer to discern if rear-wheel drive is adequate or send power to the front axle if needed. The other modes are 2WD, 4WD High Range and 4WD Low Range. Auto is enough in most situations. The only time we changed it was into 4WD High Range for some fun in the sand, where once again, the T90 handled well on its all-terrain tires.

Living With The T90

The T90 is quite roomy on the inside, regardless of whether you’re up front or in the rear. The front passenger gets a power-adjustable seat too. Mahen and I took a rear-seat ride later during our time with the vehicle, and were amazed at how much head, leg and knee room was available. We were also able to experience the rear-seat ride comfort of the multi-link rear suspension on asphalt, gravel and loose stones thanks to the kind folks at Prestige. In that regard, we’ve got to say that the Maxus T90 definitely ranks in the top three of the most comfortable 2025 model year pickup trucks that we’ve tested so far. Its ride is comfortable enough to convert pickup truck hating passengers, of which nearly every family has some. So there you go – take the naysayers for a test drive if you need to convince them that pickup trucks are no longer bumpy, spine-rattling affairs.

Single-zone automatic climate control with rear passenger air vents keeps everyone chilled and comfortable, even with the sun relentlessly trying to fry us to a crisp. I’m glad to see some physical controls for the system although they’re capacitive touch points rather than real buttons and knobs. It’s still better than having to interact with a touchscreen for HVAC control. The T90 also has wireless phone charging (which worked very well with our iPhone), as well as front plus rear USB charging ports to please the entire family. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported, while a 6-speaker sound system offers adequate quality for regular people. Audiophiles of course will look to upgrade, but then again this isn’t a luxury vehicle with a high-end sound system. You can adjust some equalizer parameters too, to tailor the sound to your liking, too, so there’s that.

What about storage? Well, there’s enough of it inside, in the form of cubbies, compartments and pockets. There’s even some hidden storage behind the rear seat backs. And of course, there’s the cargo bed out back that offers a 1,000-kilogram payload capacity – pretty decent for a multi-link suspension truck! As for a cover, Heinz Reuter, the owner of Prestige Automobiles informed us that they are working with Elcardo Industries to develop a locally-manufactured cargo bed cover for the T90, at a competitive price point.

Safety & ADAS Features

The Maxus T90 is well-equipped with a comprehensive suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. There’s collision avoidance-assist, front and rear park assist, over-speed warning, lane assist and a speed limit alarm. We also find a tire pressure monitor, a 360-degree camera system and cruise control. Plus, the vehicle has got the expected suite of airbags, anti-lock brakes and stability control systems.

Fuel Economy

The Maxus T90 hasn’t been properly tested in Sri Lankan driving conditions to glean a proper fuel economy figure, but around 10km/l in city driving should be reasonable. Outstation and highway driving should see better figures, perhaps towards 15km/l or more depending on your driving style. The fuel tank is 70 litres, which is pretty decent for the class.

Price & Warranty

At the time of testing, the Maxus T90 retails for Rs. 21,490,000. Prestige EV offers a 3-year/100,000-kilometre warranty on the vehicle. Also thrown in are two labour-free inspections at 5,000 and 10,000 kilometres.

Final Words

The Maxus T90 comes into a rather crowded pickup truck market, given that there are over eight choices that I can count right now, off the top of my head, on my fingers. I’m sure I’m missing one or two as well. These choices include EVs as well as turbodiesels Given that sort of a playing field, it boils down to whether you want EV or turbodiesel in your pickup truck. If you’ve selected turbodiesel, you should definitely check out the T90. It’s got a nice, punchy powertrain, a well-equipped interior, and feels quite durable too. While you’ve got nice, soft-touch surfaces, they also seem sturdy enough to handle the knocks and kicks of family life, especially if you’ve got toddlers, teenagers or anyone else who can’t be classed as an adult to carry around. So, give the T90 a try and see how it feels.