MG motors enter Thai pickup market with powerful Extender

The British automotive marque, MG has taken the wraps off the new pickup truck, Extender, for the Thai market. With this, the automaker has entered the local pickup market. It looks like the pickup is a rebadged Maxus T70. The striking thing of the pickup is its powerful engine. 

It comes equipped with a 2.0-litre common rail direct injection oil burners, which are built by SAIC. With the single-turbo configuration, the base mill can make a maximum power of 161 hp along with a peak torque of 375 Nm. 

On the other hand, adding another turbo to the base version, the maximum power goes to 214 hp, and the peak torque is 480 Nm. This makes the pickup better than the Ranger Raptor. As per the transmission duties, there are six-speed manual as well as a six-speed automatic gearbox available. However, the all-wheel-drive model comes with a locking rear differential.

In the Chinese market, MG Extender comes with an electric power steering, while the Thai-spec version comes with a traditional hydraulically-assisted rack steering. It is built on an FSF (Full Space Frame) chassis structure, that makes it ultra-rigid. It rides on R 18 wheels that are wrapped in 255/60 wheels. The turning radius of the pickup is quite large at 6.3 meters. It comes with disc brakes on all the wheels as the standard feature.

As for the features, there are LED headlight with DRLs, push-button engine start/stop, automatic climate control having rear vents, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with six speakers and leather seating. The safety features include ABS with EBD, tire pressure monitors, a rear-view camera, stability control, six airbags, hill start, and descent assist.

The double cab version of the MG Extender has a starting price tag of 759,000 Baht (AED 90,748.20). The top-end version costs 1,029,000 Baht (AED 123,030.17).