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By Jonathan Crouch

Maxus turns up the style with this lower-mid-sized model, the eDeliver 5. Jonathan Crouch checks out what's on offer.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 31

The Maxus eDeliver 5 targets those who might like a lower mid-sized electric van with extra space and style. But can this Chinese contender be more than just a budget Buzz?

Backgroundword count: 137

'The Buzz stops here'. So says Chinese maker Maxus, referring to the impact its mid-sized eDeliver 5 electric van is going to make on sales of its biggest Volkswagen rival, the ID.Buzz cargo. Over-ambitious? Here, we'll see. The Buzz is supplementary to the small, medium and large-sized vans in the VW Commercial range. As is the eDeliver 5 which (as its name suggests) is positioned between the eDeliver 3 and the eDeliver 7 in a niche you wouldn't have thought needed filling. But then again, some businesses might like the idea of an electric LCV that's big enough to be big and small enough to be small. The Buzz doesn't quite meet that remit because of its high price and relatively restricted cargo area but on paper, the eDeliver 5 promises more. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experienceword count: 216

There's a single powertrain option here which sees a 161bhp motor drive the front wheels with 240Nm of torque. This is energised by a 64kWh battery pack supposed to be WLTP-rated for 208 miles, though we doubt if you'd get close to that with a full load in the back. The EV range figure drops to 190 miles with the high roof version. For perspective, that's about the same as a Ford E-Transit Custom (209 miles) but some way off a VW ID.Buzz Cargo (276 miles). Three brake regen settings are available, with the fiercest offering almost a 'one-pedal' set-up where you hardly ever need to touch the brake. Don't expect the kind of really polished ride and handling package you'd get in those rival VW or Ford models, but that won't be a deal-breaker for many likely operators. The eDeliver 5 should better the crude ride of earlier Maxus models though, thanks to its purpose-built MILA all-electric platform (the same as is used by the eDeliver 7). Mindful that the eDeliver 5 will be used on the highway as well as the town, Maxus has been ramping up its camera drive assist tech. Features available here include a front collision warning system, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and an emergency lane keeping assist system.

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