For starters Maxximo is a mini commercial vehicle from Mahindra & Mahindra which has just gone into sales in the same segment as Tata’s Ace. Ace is the first of its kind creating this niche of CVs. It was soon followed by similar vehicles from Piaggio and Force motors but no one has been able to match Ace’s performance and productivity until now, but from the looks of it Ace has gotten itself a worthy adversary in Maxximo.
Maxximo’s design is governed by the standards set by Ace, so it was built from scratch to be a bit more better in every aspect from Ace. For instance Maxximo has a 900cc 2-cylinder engine with 4-valves per cylinder and dual over head camshafts (DOHC). This engine produces 25hp and 55Nm of torque, of the two torque is more relevant here as it is the pulling capacity of the vehicle. This is a step or two higher than Ace’s 700cc engine with a power output of 16hp. A bigger engine would mean the Maxximo would be a bit thirstier than Ace’s engine but M&M has gone out of the ways of this segment to save fuel.
For instance the accelerator is connected to the engine through drive-by-wire technology instead of mechanical linkages, this on top of an electronically controlled fuel pump increases mileage by controlled fuel supply. The gear shift again is not linked mechanically but by cables which make gear shifts smooth like cars. This is significant as one of the major advantages of mini trucks is their ability to squeeze through congested lanes which require constant gear change, it doesn’t mean Ace’s gear shift is a handful but this shows M&M has thought things through.
When it comes to driver pampering Maxximo stands out. A dead pedal to reduce fatigue, flat seats with no hindrance in the middle so the driver can lie down, the seats even get head rests. A neat instrument panel has in addition to the usuals a small digital display which has with in an odometer, a clock and 2 trip meter readability. The dashboard has a lockable storage cabin, provision for a music system and the most useful of them all a cell phone charger socket.
Maxximo load carrying capacity is 100kilos more than the Ace’s at 850kgs. It sure is powerful enough to pull more weight but is it tough enough? Well M&M says YES! The rear leaf spring suspension get 3 more leafs compared to the Ace and the wheel rims are made thicker to withstand heavy loading. Even at full load it can manage a top speed of 70kmph. If the Ace and Maxximo are lined in for a drag race between lights Maxximo would beat it by a significant distance.
It has a few technically witty stuffs like the starter motor which has a gear reduction to crank up the engine instantaneously. The other clever stuff it Maxximo’s braking system, which has load sensors on the rear wheels and according to load on either side wheels brake pressure is distributed for effective braking. Better than that the brake system has a booster which means more effective braking for lesser effort give to depress the brake pedal. Don’t really know if these will work but they seem to check technically.
On paper Maxximo is a lot more for the same money as both the Ace and Maxximo cost around Rs. 2.79lakhs ex-showroom. However it is real time practically which has put the Ace on top, whether Maxximo would bite as good as it barks we would have to wait and watch.
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Photo Courtesy: Team-Bhp
