Hello all,

Anyone here bought and/or using the Weststar Maxus G10?

I am asking because I actually just bought one and I am looking for a support group or car club to share stories or experiences.

Pleased to hear feedback from all.

This post has been edited by McF7y: Jul 6 2017, 09:03 AM

Bump?

Anyone?

Personal owner, not sure whether there's any. Maxus G10 is sort of too big to get into home parking space. Company or commercial use, I've seen few. Don't think you can find owners in LYF. There are few here who tested the behemoth MPV. Things will be better if its 2.0L petrol engine is fitted twinscroll turbocharger that could activate at 1200rpm.

Hey man,

Thanks for replying.

So you own one? How long have you had it for and how do you find it so far?

I got mine just a few days before Raya and so far so good. So far I've brought her to Lanchang, Cameron Highlands and Singapore. The wife and kids love it for the space and I'm happy that they are all comfortable. I have three kids ranging in age from 7 years to 3 months, so they all have their own car seat for safety. That was one of the reasons I decided to get an MPV. Also we pack a lot when we travel long distance.

I use it as my daily car too because I had to trade in my old car to get this one. I go for meetings a lot and parking in office buildings can be quite an effort, not to mention scary when the space it tight!

Fuel wise, it definitely takes up a lot more than my old KIA but city driving has so far been pretty good. It has a big tank anyway and full tank is at least RM140 I think.

You mention the twinscroll turbocharger that could activate at 1200rpm. Do you know if that is something that can be retrofitted?

What has your experience been like?

Pleased to hear.

No, he doesn't own one, and he is too snobbish to think of other brands other than japanese.

Great that you enjoyed the car, the space is really gigantic. Saw 1 unit near my area, doesn't look too shabby on real metal.

Need to correct his twinscroll turbocharger comment a bit, there is no such thing as "activate" at 1200rpm. Turbochargers, regardless of what type or what size, will start running the moment when the car starts and when exhaust is produced. What it should mean is that the peak torque can arrive starting 1200rpm.

Here is the reality, the only marque that have a 2L turbocharged car that have peak torque starting as low as 1200rpm is mercedes. The next best for mainstream marque is the kia optima GT which arrives the peak torque starting 1350rpm. Number aside, you can retrofit any turbocharger you want. But for it to work harmoniously with the engine and at it's best efficiency, quite some major things to look into :

1) intake/exhaust headers
2) intake/exhaust valve timing
3) fuel injection flow rate and timing
4) spark timing
5) ECU reprogramming
6) transmission reprogramming
7) throttle control
8) wastegate adjustment

So it is not just a simple retrofit and the cost of it may not be worth it unless you like the experimentation and modding process. And best of all, a really good turbocharger unit itself can costs starting a minimum of RM5000.

There is an alternative, you can try approaching those people that have experience tuning mitsubishi engines as this engine is a mitsubishi block. But whether the ECU is easily accessible, that is a question that you need to find out your own. Another is whether you dare take the risk of their experimentation. Real expert tuners are hard to come by on our soil.

This post has been edited by wkc5657: Jul 11 2017, 04:13 PM

Thanks for the reply man.

I re-read the earlier reply and I just realised what he meant, it was me who mis-read or misunderstood the first part of his comment.

Seems like there is a lot to look into if I want to retro-fit the twinscroll turbocharger and like you mentioned, I am not sure I'm willing to take the risk. Plus it costs quite a bit.

Out of curiosity, what colour was the unit near your area?

Here's some news about the Maxus G10 turbo.

http://autobuzz.my/2017/06/20/maxus-g10-se...ts-just-rm158k/

Appreciate the share man.

Just to clarify, there are three variants for the Maxus G10. I bought the most basic model due to budgetary constraints, but still, we are well pleased with what is on offer.

u go to singapore in 2nd week of raya is it? i think i saw ur car in the morning, weekday, can't remember the date. woodland checkpoint. i noticed it since ur car really stand out from the rest

Dude, I actually just came back from Singapore on Monday and I used Tuas Checkpoint instead.

But wow, what a coincidence if it was me.

Actually, cars are made more and more mod unfriendly compared to the past. It needs the experience of a really good aftermarket specialist and also a gutsy owner to be willing to let the mechanic experiment. It is a really rare skill on our shore.

I don't remember what colour but i saw that unit in Johor, But i can confirm remember that the passenger side tail light not working As i was directly tailing it.

Man, I hope he got the tail light fixed

I don't own one but I sat in one during an Uber ride. When the app says MAXUS G10, I was puzzled!!! First time I heard the brand and name.

I took the ride with my family of 5 for quite a short distance. I must say that I'm quite impressed. Spoke to the driver, he says it belongs to the company and his boss asked him to use it for Uber! haha... However, he says petrol is a killer. 1 full tank can last only 250km!

Really spacious car and pretty value for money!

kinda expected for a 2L huge van. I expect it to be around 5-7km/L

Glad to hear that you and the family enjoyed the ride.

I am in no way a representative from Maxus or Weststar (the Malaysian company that brought in the brand), I am just trying to gauge personal experiences from those who own one or have ridden in one.

I've had mine less than a month and yes petrol is a killer but I'm saying so based on my trips which so far have been balik kampung trips to Lanchang, Camerons and Singapore.

I had it for a week in KL and the nature of my job is I go out a lot to meet clients/potential clients and since I had to trade in my old car to get this one, the G10 is now my daily car. I had half a tank and it lasted the entire week without me needing to top up. Now that the Raya/balik kampung season is over I can get a better understanding of what the fuel consumption is like. Previous reviews on Paul Tan and DSF had good comments on the fuel consumption. Full tank from my experience actually goes a lot further, at least 300KM++ if I'm not wrong (I can't remember the exact figure). I drove to Singapore (from PJ) on a full tank, did some driving there to visit family and friends and only topped up at Gelang Patah on my journey back.

The link shared by earlier poster kluseng features the Special Edition model which is the mid-range model. The dealer I bought my unit from said there's an even more expensive top of the range model selling at RM231K!

I could only afford the basic model that cost me RM117K, no power doors but when I have a reverse camera, automatic sun-roof, 7-inch LCD infotainment screen, 15-inch DVD screen (for the kids at the back), leather seats etc, the lack of power doors wasn't a deal breaker to me at least.

At the end of the day, I was on a budget but my family was expanding and I wanted them to be able to travel in comfort. Reconned Alphards, Starex's with their 2.5 L engines were costing a bomb and the insurance would've killed. I'm glad I came across the Maxus G10 actually, thankfully so far so good.

Looking forward to hear from others

Edit: I forgot to mention, the Malaysian versions come in either 7 or 10 seater options. I requested for the 7 seater option to maximize boot space but I also asked that they let me keep the third row bench in case I ever needed to switch to a 10 seater option

This post has been edited by McF7y: Jul 12 2017, 01:43 PM

Whoa...they actually let you keep the last row of seats....

did you mange to check its mileage in terms of km/L or L/100km

Yea, the dealer was nice enough to accommodate to my request.

It would've been the same price regardless of the seating combination so I figured why not just keep the last row and get it fitted when I do need a 10 seater.

I think on Paul Tan, DSF and even a Youtube (Malaysian) review it was around 12-15 litres per 100KM or so. I can't remember exactly but on the way home earlier I was averaging about 13 litres per 100KM. But that was just me in the car, it might drop considerably once there's a full load of people and luggage.

Thanks...ya still fine for its size...its worth it!

No worries man.

Yea I think for the size, it's doing quite well for fuel consumption.

Hope there are more users who will comment

Sorry for the late reply. I don't own the maxus g10, only tested the MPV. Hope to see China cars expand further 1 day.

Paul Tan website info mostly never tested in full details as they are nothing more than just amateur bloggers.

For MPV that big, you're getting 13L/100km or 7.6-7.7km/L is considered good. You just keep the MPV technical part original, don't bother to replace turbocharger or anything that will void warranty or affect trade in value. Compared to Sorento 2.4L engine which is getting only 6.9km/L in city driving.

Ignore that @wkc5657 that doesn't know how turbocharger operates, he should read wikipedia asap. If turbocharger works like his dumb concept that operates at all rpm, the air intake would create back pressure causing insufficient oxygen volume with too much unburned fuel which leads to serious buildup clogging the combustion chamber.

Correction to his concept, Peak torque of turbocharger is not fixed, if situation allows, it could be achieved at turbocharger minimum operating rpm for example 1800. Normally within 1800~4500rpm.

Lol

Since McF7y is not well verse, can get easily misinformed again. A turbo charger application is a science that requires careful calculation and balancing act :

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/...t-GTX-Gen2.aspx

From earlier reply. :

Here, i'm specifically addressing your comment on the "activation" of the turbocharger rpm range as what you say is misleading. Have you ever tried just using your fingers to flick the turbocharger's blade and see how easy it starts spinning? And that is still without the full pressure of oil lubricating it. Normal turbochargers at operation can spool more than 100,000rpm. How much more force would the car exhaust be generating even at idle. And it also seems like you have no understanding of reading the engine power/torque graph.



I'm using the 8AR-FTS power graph used in the NX and GS as an example. The torque curve is 1650-4000rpm. If really as per what you say that the turbocharger "activate" at 1650rpm, how come the torque curve is stuck flat around there till 4000rpm and after that drop ar??? Going by your thoughts, shouldn't the torque line shoot up sky high? Below 1650rpm, the turbocharger tutup valve and exhaust gas go straight to exhaust and not spooling the turbocharger??

Race and pure performance orientated cars aside, normal daily driven models need the peak torque limited due to :
- fuel efficiency concerns
- limit the turbocharger from operating out of it's efficiency range
- leading to reducing effective air mass (also means reducing your engine breathing efficiency)
- with overly heat soaked air,
- causing predetonation
- which leads to component failures

Normal non modified cars, the main portions that will create exhaust back pressure are :
- exhaust header design
- existence of catalytic converter
- exhaust pipe diameter
- muffler

Even if put a larger than required turbo charger, there won't be back pressure if the above are optimised with the engine. The turbocharger will still definitely spin, just outside of it's effective operating range or what some tuners call the surge line where the "push" is the most effective.

Seems like it is you who even fail to understand the proper concept of turbocharging with/without the help of wikipedia.

This post has been edited by wkc5657: Jul 16 2017, 01:54 AM

and there goes the g10 thread being a turbo discussion thread.

btw: the car looks handsome. was considering it for company car but finally went for grand starex..

Trying to save your shame by twisting story, lol! The valve only opens to draw air from turbocharger inlet into engine at its operating speed. When closed, the air will go through bypass inlet. Volvo and Honda turbocharger came up with amplifier to ensure enough dense air before letting it flow into engine to eliminate lag further. I refer my old engineering manual, unlike you only Google and post your own assumption. Got new stuff, replying you over Optima GT thread.

Thanks for confirming it further that the more "in depth" you discuss, the more "out of depth" the discussion can become. Great job for someone with approaching 40 years of industrial knowledge and numerous insider.

First time i got to use this

LMAO

saw Maxus G10 on North-south highway E1 yesterday, looks decent almost like alphard/starex first glance

jayraptor wkc5657

Whoa guys, whoaaaa. Please chill. I did not realise a discussion about turbo chargers could get this intense.

I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge about turbo chargers is close to none and yes wkc5657 I am not very well-versed at all about this topic.

A lot of what you guys commented on are very technical to an average user like me. It actually really impresses me the technical knowledge you guys have about turbo chargers and how you can discuss such details.

I think originally, it was a discussion about how if the turbo kicked in earlier (because it's a 2.0 engine) there would be more buyers for the car. And then it was suggested that I could get that retro-fitted?

Anyway, yes, the car does feel a little under-powered below 1,500 RPM but after that the turbo kicks in and it accelerates just fine, to me lah at least.

Really, I hope you guys get to discuss this and come to a resolution somehow. I mean, it sounds to me like each of you have your evidences for the opinions you hold about turbos and how they work so maybe can agree to disagree? There's always difference of opinion right?

I actually like the Starex too, but because of my budget and the Starex being a 2.5L engine (correct me if I'm wrong) it would mean more to splash out for insurance. At the end of the day, the Maxus was the best option for me in terms of my budget - most bang for my buck I guess.

Do you remember what colour it was by any chance?

I'm asking because the dealer I dealt with said that for the basic model, they only had Blanc White available. My first choice was Champagne Gold and second would've been the Obssidian Black.

Apparently they sold quite a number of their basic models during the puasa month so only white was available come my turn. And because we needed a car to balik kampung with, I did not have a choice really haha. But overall it still looks good. Wife and kids are happy so I am too haha.

This post has been edited by McF7y: Jul 17 2017, 08:51 AM

if not mistaken, it was white in color.

Not to worry, I have already shifted the debate to the other thread with him. Just that I don't tolerate with people that fool customers with lies and marketing talk.

If Maxus SAIC fitted twinscroll turbocharger that could activate from as low as 1200rpm would be perfect like BMW 1.6T engine pulling the heavy 3 series. SAIC bought technology from Germans and Americans. Comparing your Maxus G10 to Starex, the maxus looks nicer, better design on the looks, bigger interior space apart from lower road tax and insurance. Hope SAIC expand it's business here further by bringing more models and set up more SC branches.

This post has been edited by jayraptor: Jul 17 2017, 10:12 PM

I see.

Haven't seen too many on the road since Raya period. I think many use it as the weekend family/long distance car. Which makes sense actually.

I sincerely hope that you manage to resolve the situation somehow with him.

Regarding SAIC, it would be nice to see them bring over cars to Malaysia as well. If their price-point is similar to the Maxus G10 where you get pretty good features at moderate prices then it would probably be a game-changer.

Only issue is that re-sale value will still be hard to match the Japanese makes I think.

Actually, around the area of my residences, quite a number of ambulances are converted maxus commercial vans. So it is not as rare as it seems

Yup, I've seen a few on the road too. I think it's the Maxus V80 vans right?

It would be nice to convert one into a mobile-home too.

I'm always inspired by the conversions the Americans do with their VW T3s- T5s and their GMC vans, those vehicles are huge man.

Let me share my FC of my 1.6L , 205NM , Exora Turbo MPV which weights 1.5 Tons kerb weight (no humans).
It is supposed to have similar power out of a 2.2L N/A .

on RON 97, fill up RM 55 at Petron Taman Sri Gombak before embarking on a journey up Genting.
Note that this is not a full tank cause I dont need so much RON 97.

Go up Genting in race mode (drove it like I stole it) , come down Genting and back in super gentle, super fuel saving driving mode, plus drove to Klang few days later and back home before it finally asked for fill up.

Done 232.2KM at 11.2L / 100KM

Then after filling up again with Petron but this time, RON 95, and couple of times drove like I stole it , the FC shot up to 13.8L/100KM at 138KM (haven't empty yet).

So my conclusion? Turbo petrol engines are good at torque (and tempting) but thirsty when in race mode. If you want best of both worlds, have to drive a diesel.
Otherwise go easy on the gas pedal.

Hahaha same like mine but preve
Cucuk mode, fuel drop so fast but if drive like obedient citizen, fuel consumption not that bad
My fc consumption maintain 9.4l/100km

Won't resolve with him. He won't thank me for pointing out his mistake which saves him from shaming himself further on his claim on how turbocharger works. Just like those typical failed marketing staff in Korean companies and Nissan. Very kiasu and politics type of people. Your test on your turbocharged g10 proves to him that he's wrong. You came in at right time.

SAIC is 1 of the prominent China carmakers focus on quality to compete with Koreans, Japanese, European marques. They would pump in capital if they wanted to go big here. As long as the car has acceptable looks, technical and maintenance with good after sales and most important hire real good strategists, it would sell. The Koreans managed to sell in 2010-2013 also because of few ace strategists spoonfeeding them free strategies. Resale value can be fixed if proper players running the game.

Fyi, SAIC MG6 alone beats Korean car sales in Thailand.

This post has been edited by jayraptor: Jul 18 2017, 10:48 PM

I didn't realise that SAIC bought over MG too.

These guys are going big man!

Yes, they are going big. They brought in maxus g10 here is part of their market research plan. Think they need to bring in mg6 to sell at less than rm70k, maybe can sell. It works well in Thailand. They can wait for the upcoming variant with nicer grille and headlights. The Thai version mg6 has pre-facelift Altis style grille, can't find the photo on Google.

This post has been edited by jayraptor: Jul 19 2017, 10:47 PM


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Wow, this is actually quite interesting. It's nice to know that we are getting a variety of cars here in Malaysia to suit the budget of various people.

Since Geely has bought p1, they'll likely bring in more China cars in later on as rebadged.

The new Geely/Proton SUV doesn't look to shabby actually. I'd say it is impressive!

This post has been edited by McF7y: Jul 25 2017, 01:07 PM

Well wait and see how it goes. I find Geely more like lenovo, design not so nice. Hope they could come up with better design models later on.

Hi McF7y!

Hope you and the family are keeping well!
Was looking up Maxus and found your thread.
So how are things with the G10?

How's the aftersales service been? Service/parts/reliability etc.

I'm considering getting a MPV and the G10 is on the list of MPV I'm considering.

Have an expanding family - wife, a kiddo and another bun in the oven + my parents and a sister. So that's already 7(ish) at the moment.

Would appreciate your first hand user experience review here.

Thanks mate!

Just a question... how do you install the third row bench? Plug and play? Can ah like that?

Hi Jiffy22,

Doing well thanks!

Congratulations on the incoming new family member

I'd strongly recommend you give it a test drive to get a feel of the size and weight dude.

To be honest, so far the car has been great. I've clocked nearly 17,000KM on her since I got her in June of last year. I travel a lot to Singapore and Cameron Highlands because I have family there and the kids and wife love it for the space and comfort. Basically since all my 3 kids are under 10 so we still use a car seat for them. And there's enough space for my wife an we usually bring our helper as well - so everyone is comfortable. Plus I took the 7-seater configuration so we have a lot of boot space which is good because we're the type of family that packs a lot haha.

There's a ton of air-conditioning vents all the way to the last row so everyone is comfortable - in fact, most of the time, they complain it's too cold so I have to adjust the temperature or fan speed.

I've sent it in for servicing twice so far (first three are free) and the service centre I go to at Glenmarie has been very good so far, very informative and they listen to my queries about the car whenever I have any. They also give a free wash after every servicing - not sure if they will continue this once I start paying for servicing. I have a friend who works at Ford Malaysia and he said that Maxus' V80 van is a competitor to their Ford Transit and he said that the G10 was a good choice because many government organisations use the V80 for emergency vehicles, ambulances etc and since they are serving the government, they have to maintain a certain level of competency - so basically he said I did not have to worry about service centre reliability and parts.

If there were any issues with the car, I would say is that it's a 2.0 litre engine (with turbo) and therefore carrying a full load, you do feel the weight/strain at times, even with the turbo. Many a time I felt it when going up Camerons; but it does have the manual mode or treptonic mode so you can actually switch to that and drop gear or move up a gear depending on the situation - so that does help when you need that extra boost.

The other thing is that the reverse camera sensor has failed on me a couple of times but miraculously come back again even before I had a chance to get it checked at the service centre. Basically what happens is when I put the car in reverse gear, the screen initially shows a black image and then a prompt appears saying 'no camera input', but the reverse sensors work so you do hear the beeps. I did bring it to the service centre once to get it checked but they said it would be a whole day affair because they have to check the connection all the way from the front to the back - and at the time I didn't have the luxury of leaving it there for so long. So I said I'd bring it back another time - a few days later the camera worked again haha.

For me, I got it because I was on a budget but needed an Alphard/Starex sized car. It's a 2.0 liter engine which means I'd be paying the same for road tax as I did my previous Kia Forte. Big difference compared to the Alphard/Starex which is I think a 2.5/3.0 liter if I'm not wrong?

I was sceptical at first to be honest, seeing that the car was from China, but when I read that it was Weststar that brought the brand in, plus the parent company, SAIC bought LDV in the UK and supplies parts to several European car makers - that kind of gave me more confidence.

We had already put down a deposit on the Mazda Biante a few weeks before we saw the G10, but when we saw this car and the dealer managed to get a good deal for us (at the time) we went for it.

You know there are 3 variants for the G10 ya? I got the basic model which means quite a number of luxuries are not available but I can live without them, such as power doors, moon roof (the basic model does come with a sun roof however), birds eye view parking camera and some others I forgot. When I bought mine, they included an LCD/DVD player for free too.

Anyway, sorry if it was a bit long, hope my review helped and just PM me if you have any other questions - or just ask away in here.

Thanks!

Yea they let me keep the third row but I will have to bring it to the service centre to get it attached because they will have to change the configuration around. The bench is seriously heavy.

Thank you for the kind wishes + the prompt & detailed response mate!
Takes patience and time that! haha

Yes will certainly take her out for her spin before deciding. But there are quite a few options now eh

Kia Carnival
Nissan Serena
Hyundai Starex

But obviously they would stretch the budget! Go big or go home does not apply to one's finances eh

A recond Alphard/Vellfire were part of the consideration, however the downside was I would be limited to a max of 7/8, would be getting an older used vehicle and heard the booth space is quite limited.

Sorry about your reverse cam, must not be easy parking her!

How's the leg room @ the back rows though ?

And yes, the review certainly helped! Thanks again!

no power door

cant wind down the rear window for rear pax.its van type glass

Hey no worries man, pleasure is mine. I'm glad to share and help where I can.

It is true, there are a number of options in the market just like you suggested. I personally like the KIA Carnival too; but alas, my budget does not allow for it hehe.

We also considered recond and second hand MPVs, but at the time, I did not realise that second hand car interest rate was much higher than buying a new car, plus 100% loan was a lot harder too for second hand cars. In the end, it all worked out well for the G10; the Biante which we put a deposit for - we were not able to get a 100% loan. Actually we did not get a 100% loan for the G10 either but it was close, we got 95% but because I made money selling my KIA and my insurance amount was 100% transferable since I had not used it, I combined the money made off my Kia Forte + the insurance and it made up for the 5%.

Regarding parking her, it can be a challenge without the reverse camera but during the times the camera failed, I've managed to get by. One thing I forgot to mention was parking lots in general, the G10 stands 1.9++cm, height-wise is not much of a problem but I had issues coming out of parking areas, especially at G-Tower and UOA Bangsar. Their parking is built such that it is a spiral entering and exiting, entering is not so bad, but exiting, that's where things get VERY tight. I almost scrapped the wall with the left side of the G10 at those locations, I had to reverse and re-adjust before exiting - quite scary!

Leg room wise it depends, for my kids and family it's big enough, the last row can be shifted front and back so we make adjustments as we pack our stuff in the boot to allow comfortable leg room.

If you want to go premium, I think the other two upper model variants of the G10 have leg rests on the second row; almost like the Mazda 8 - very nice.

Feel free to ask away dude if you have other questions.

Joe,

Dunno if you remember me, Azmir here.

You brought the G10 to test drive at my place in Kelana Jaya last year during Ramadhan. That sold it for me.

Anyway guys, if you are interested, I HIGHLY recommend dealing with Joe. Solid, sincere and trustworthy dealer with good after sales service.

bro, now i only saw g10se in maxus website. does ur car model available for sell?

I'm not sure about the base model that I bought. Should still be available I think.

Can ask Joe the dealer who posted a couple of posts ago. He's good.

thanks for your sharing... really appreciate all the effort... since you mention the last row can be removed, i wonder whether can the 3rd row be removed too?

also without the last bench, is the floor flat?

i am asking because am considering MPVs/SUVs/Van that size as a camper... do you think if the last bench and 3rd row remove there's enough length to sleep on the floor?

No worries man. I'm more than happy to get the word out on this MPV. Love it so far.

About your question on the third row; I think it is possible to have it removed too. This is because the seating configuration, to a certain extent, is a bit flexible. If I remember correctly, the original 10-seater seating configuration is:

1. First row - driver & front passenger (this one cannot be removed obviously haha)
2. Second row - 3 seater bench
3. Third row - 2 separate seats (with an aisle in the middle)
4. Fourth row - another 3 seater bench.

But for me, I removed the fourth row and switched the second and third row around. So my second row is the two separate seats and my third row is the 3 seater bench.

To answer your question, the rails on the floor of the MPV are flush with the floor too so there's nothing sticking out as far as i remember and is quite flat. So yea if you removed the third and fourth rows, or heck ALL the back seat rows, then yea you could have a pretty neat camper van with enough space for two to sleep.

However, just as alternatives, if you are looking to do something like that, you could go with a few other options:

1. Maxus' own V80 van - You may see MBPJ, Massimo bread and some emergency vehicles use this van.
2. Ford Transit - Looks a lot like the V80.
3. Toyota HiAce - I hear in Thailand, they really go to town with this van as it is highly modifiable in terms of the seat configuration etc.

Anyway that's my 2 cents and limited knowledge on this hehe. I'd one day like to explore this camper van/mobile home thing more.

This post has been edited by McF7y: May 26 2018, 10:28 AM

thanks for the feedback sir...

1 n 2. dont want a commercial setup as the suspension can be inferior.. same reason for the transit but i did considered the transit due to better engine avail
3. dont want a van... hahaha

yea, do consider and if you're not ready but prepared to dump the kids to someone else once in a while you can just remove seats and bring a long some sleeping bags... internal cabinets not needed... so far looking at starex, carnival... just saw maxus too.. i wonder whether a santa fe will work too or not

santa fe 3rd row cannot be removed. However can be folded down giving you a flush flat rear boot space with plenty of storage space. Fold the 2nd row will be relatively flush with slight incline.

i know.. 2nd n 3rd folder will give an almost flatbed... good enough for sleeping i think but then it will be more of a car sleepover rather than a camper van due to the limited head space.. if only they had given the starex the engine from santa fe/carnival... haih

whats the problem with starex engine?

inferior in a couple of aspects compared to the one in carnival/santa fe

Just old tech. But the performance figure is the same.

when santa fe got the better engine, starex i guess was only 3 years old.. but 5 years later when the aus version of the starex got an engine upgrade, the local one didnt.. that's sad

You mean the R-line generation which is the staple for all korean diesel engines? Well the difference on starex were CC, WGT, and rubbish delphi injectors. Don't worship this R-line diesel engine. The core of its power comes from aggressive boosting. Pop your pipings, the car barely can accelerate or climb a slope. the 2.2 liter engine is really weak when running Naturally aspirated. However the tuning potential is there. Starex engine is no slouch either. My only gripe is for a MPV with FWD, the torque is too much. Running 4x4 would be better.

p.s, I was told the starex block shares the same blue print as some of the older gen merc engine. not sure if this is true or not.

wgt no longer used in our starex, you mean vgt? dont the starex also use those injectors too?

lol... piping, if the same happens for starex also no power too ler

i thought starex is rwd?

isnt that ssangyong?

Hmm. I need to ask my mechanic. The last time I asked him the same thing showing him the spec but he told me the physical turbo is WGT. Yeah.FR . Santa Fe uses Bosch high impedance piezo injectors . Down side is not serviceable. However the new sorento uses Delphi.

cannot be wgt, unless its parallel import from aus which i doubt... wgt is a step backwards... hmm, doubt people service injectors these days, at most an oil flush...

well let me visit him and see the picture myself.

injectors can be serviced by couple of ways. one is dismantle clean and replace parts that are worn. Another is run through a injector cleaning machine to clean for those that are not serviceable. commonrail injectors are not cheap. each piece would set you back around 1k. That's 4-5k for baseline replacement.

wa... 1 k... thanks for the info.. cant be helped... most modern engines run on that

Hahaha, yea a bit tough to leave the kids with someone else, would always want to bring them with us.

If only mobile homes or RVs were more available and affordable here in Malaysia.

Well. You just need to make sure you use those injector cleaner additive or agent.

Mobile RV are too difficult as our road condition are too small and we do not have the facility to discharge all waste

Ahh yes, that's right, we don't have the proper facilities too.

Hi McF7y

Hope this post finds you, your family, and your G10 in good health

Seems this thread has gone quiet for a bit. Like some of the others here I had been looking at the G10 and stumbled upon this thread. After reading through however I noticed no one else apart from you appear to be G10 owners, at least from the line of questioning or feedback. Am hoping by now there are others reading this who are G10 owners who could also share their experience.

Anyway, my wife and I had viewed and test driven the car, so I have some idea of the features and what the car is like. We also looked at the Kia Grand Carnival, which would have been my choice (build quality, torquey engine, more established brand), but my wife is very 'sold' on the space the G10 has over the Carnival, so here I am.

So, if you could humour me a bit, I have few "concerns" and would love to hear if you have any opinion, knowledge or experience based on your 2-year or so (I infer) ownership thus far regarding the following:

- Overall reliability, durability, wear, how is it holding up, from a mechanical as well as interior fitment standpoint (are part failing, breaking, falling off, prematurely wearing, fading)
- After-market parts availability? Either accessories or 3rd party replacement parts? Not so much a concern but would like to hear if you had any experience in this area.
- Fuel consumption - approximately how far (and how many $$) does a full tank get you town driving and highway driving
- Cost of ownership - cost of servicing, parts pricing and availability
- Service center - professionalism, quality of work, overall customer experience. You earlier mentioned good experience with the Glenmarie service center, is this still your opinion today?

That's quite a load of questions there, so not expecting answers to all. I'd just be glad to hear whatever you have to share with your experience to-date.

Thank you in advance.

Hi Revolt,

I'm in the same situation as well, I'm between G10 Exec or wait for Grand Carnival (facelift) in Sep (most probably with SST). I was previously interested in CX-8 since Paultan had earlier indicated it to be launched in Q3 this year, but another update from The Edge mentions that its due in Q3 2019, so have to drop that.

I found a G10 user group in FB, perhaps you can check in there for more information as well. Which Variant are you interested in?

So far I've test-driven it 3 times, took about 35km in total on different routes (havent tested it on a free highway, so max speed was only 90+). Only downside I see so far, is that the nearest service centre near my place is around 20km (half an hour drive) away, and that it only has 2 air-bags. The flat pick-up after a full stop still more or less acceptable. What are your thoughts so far on this model?

Engine wise, it uses the venerable mitsubishi 4B series engine. Lots of mechanics are quite familiar with it.

Transmission if the ZF 6 speed, not exactly sure about which series, but not something that is exotic to the point it is difficult to fix.

Hi Castreal

I wasn't aware of an impending Grand Carnival facelift here, seen a video of the 2019 Grand Carnival (maybe Australian) and to me it looked quite identical save for a few bits here and there, the only notable item I recall was the electric parking brake (but only on the higher spec model). So I didn't think it was a worthwhile wait and potentially miss the tax holiday, granted its a bummer if a facelift comes right along after we make a purchase.

The G10 variant I am looking at is the SE, and for Carnival the KX.

I test drove the G10 maybe less than 5km around Ampang Hilir & Jalan Ampang, so not much to form a reliable impression but I thought it had pretty decent get up and go, then again my expectations might not be as high as others. Instead I'm relying on local professional YouTube reviews to be informed where performance matters. However we did spend quite a bit of time fiddling the cars (all 3 variants) in the showroom. My thoughts:
- Build and finish quality - cheap plasticky feel is what immediately comes to mind
- Large boot (assume 7-seater configuration)
- Sunroof & rear panoramic glass roofs a nice touch but wonder how the fabric shades will fare over time
- Like the 360 camera for what it does, but feels like 1st gen tech
- Tire pressure monitoring another nice feature
- 220V power socket nice but hope it does not end up being some kind of hazard (again my reliability concerns)
- Given all the kit on this car I'm surprised no auto chromatic rear view mirror and no power folding mirrors (SE)
- Hardly the prettiest car on the road, does not stand out, does not make a statement (my own opinion)
- I think resale will be poor given the stigma on Chinese cars

That pretty much sums up my thoughts. So some negatives there but in the end I suppose its about how it makes us feel when we're in it.


wkc5657, thanks for the additional background info.

I was told by a quite reliable KIA source that the current Holiday promo Grand Carnival are all sold out/booked. Next batch that comes in will be the new facelifted models. Which variant still unsure (maybe don't want to disclose yet). Whether it is subject to SST is still unknown.

The facelifted Kia Carnival in general gains a series of interior enhancements, more safety tech and an eight-speed automatic gearbox for its 3.3-litre V6.
- Reconfigured nose and bumper design, and a fresh headlight configuration with distinctive LED headlamps and “ice cube” fog-lights.
- Centre console featuring a wireless phone charging pad, sunglasses bin, and an electrically activated parking brake.
- Safety wise: autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist technology.

I would think with SST, this would probably cost around 200k it's moving on to a separate category already, more luxurious category.

On the G10, the SE version do have quite some big differences compared to Exec, that's is why i thought it might be worth the price upgrade.
- Build and finish quality - cheap plasticky feel is what immediately comes to mind. I didn't really notice that to be honest, there are brands out there that cost more or less the same with plastiky parts. Estima for example, Vellfire to a certain extend still looks a bit cheap with the plastics. The G10 Exec variant does feel more luxurious in terms of the captain seats.
- Large boot (assume 7-seater configuration) Agree
- Sunroof & rear panoramic glass roofs a nice touch but wonder how the fabric shades will fare over time. i don't plan to use them as often, should be fine I guess.
- Like the 360 camera for what it does, but feels like 1st gen tech. The video quality is crap, i agree. but the way it stiches the 360 its done better than a lot of other models.
- Tire pressure monitoring another nice feature. I like this very much, my passat only warns me the pressure is low, doesn't tell me which tyre and what pressure.
- 220V power socket nice but hope it does not end up being some kind of hazard (again my reliability concerns). So far feedback from other owners, this is still fine, just don't overload it.
- Given all the kit on this car I'm surprised no auto chromatic rear view mirror and no power folding mirrors (SE). EXEC has power folding mirrors, didnt really notice the Chromatic tho
- Hardly the prettiest car on the road, does not stand out, does not make a statement (my own opinion). This looks so much better than Serena Hybrid and Biante, even Sharan to a certain extend. If you tint the rear passenger windows all black, it does make it look a bit Estima'ish
- I think resale will be poor given the stigma on Chinese cars. I think of it as a Conti Designed, Chinese manufactured car

Hey Castreal,

thanks for the info on the Carnival, so lots of additional tech with the facelift now I see why it could be worth the wait. And yes I was half expecting the current stock might be sold out judging from the atmosphere around the Kia showroom, so info from your source is no surprise.

And thanks for sharing your thoughts against each of mine, nice to know alternate views. On build and finish quality if you think it's not bad that might sway my opinion and I might see it in a different light now. My wife didn't think it was bad either and I was puzzled, so maybe its just me. With regards to looks its more a personal thing but I totally agree wrt Serena Hybrid, that thing has just got proportions wrong IMO. And if I had to be totally honest though the G10 is not too bad looking, certainly can live with it.

Hi Fat & Fluffy,
thanks for sharing the video but it's one of the several reviews I've watched. Thanks anyway.

i think its a good car... but wait for the new starex... i believe these both is better than a vellfire/alphard

Whether its worth the wait is one thing, price is the main concern! When it goes beyond 200k, its in a separate category already, at least for me.
Interior wise, if you had taken a look at Recon Estimas, you would know this has a better looking cabin At this price range, the only competitor would be Starex & Grand Carnival. Both have good looking cabins, but for me Starex just screams "I'm a Van!" too much for me, and Grand Carnival, if they offer it at G10 Exec Price, I wouldn't mind (just no captain seats tho, but i'm the driver anyway).

For Serena, specs wise looks good (tho fake hybrid), but I really cannot look eye to eye at the MPV, let alone admit if I'm driving one so taste wise on the same page for Serena.

So I saw a post in the Maxus G10 Owner FB Group that there is an owners meet up this Saturday. If really interested perhaps can drop by and ask for their experience & feedback. It's a bit far for me, but see how it goes.


I'm not sure if its better than Vellfire/Alphard, price wise is a big difference! Can get 3 G10 with a brand new Alphard.
Just saw this video, seems that the facelifted model still looks a lot like a boxy van exterior wise, interior looks nice though.

This post has been edited by Castreal: Jul 26 2018, 12:37 PM

all vans la, nothing to shout about...

serena is a class below, the soft hybrid is to beat the eev import duty

Vellfire/Alphard high px tag is because they are brought in as a passenger car and with that big engine, most of the px you're paying is going to gov coffers

while g10 and starex is imported as commercial vehicles like pickup while serena is dodging it via eev

haha, ya all Vans la, people mover, soccer mom cars... just some more nicer looking van only.

Hi Revolt,

Sincere apologies for the late reply. It's been an uncharacteristically busy week for me these last few days and while I did see your query much earlier, I just did not have the time to formulate a proper reply.

Anyway, thanks for your queries and I've answered them in bold below, I hope you are OK with that. I feel that it addresses your queries better.

Thanks for your honest experience

actually, i went to test their Exec model and i fell in love with it compared to Nissan Serena hybrid

i mean you got more the packaged then Serena

not keen for carnival because no captain seat

regarding the driving experience, i do agree on it. the power came a bit late after stop n go traffic

i notice something on their reverse cam

the backup reverse camera screen looks dated but their 360* look clear/okay to me

weird, tho

going to inquire more details regarding trade-in value and discount for the Exec with the SA.