The LDV T60 is a double cab 4WD ute which is making the traditional ute manufacturers sit up and take notice because it’s loaded with features and comes at nearly half the prices of some of the more popular utes. Ashley Lucas has the story.

The name LDV may be of European descent but it is built by the Shanghai Automobile and Industrial Corporation (SAIC) a state-owned manufacturing company and largest automobile manufacturer in China.

If you have been around for a while with a few grey hairs, like I have, then you will be familiar with the LDV brand.  LDV (formerly known as Leyland DAF Vehicles) suffered financial troubles and was purchased by SAIC in 2010.  SAIC has formed joint ventures with other companies and builds vehicles for the likes of Volkswagen, Skoda and Iveco.

SAIC have grown the LDV brand, initially with the van range and now with the introduction of the T60 ute that is marketed to a number of countries around the world.

Big impact

Traditionally New Zealanders are slow at taking Chinese vehicles but the LDV range has made a big impact here and rattled a few cages, especially with its pricing.  NZ4WD was fortunate in that we managed to get our hands on a T60 as the importer had all but sold out of the first shipment.  In fact the test vehicle, a Luxury model with 6-speed manual transmission was sold and due to be delivered to it new owner the week after our test.

The LDV ute is available in two models, the T60 which is the more basic model and workhorse ute and the T60 Luxury which is more for the family and a little more car like due to the features and softer rear suspension.  Both models are available with 6-speed manual or automatic transmission and for our test we had the T60 Luxury in manual.

Picking up the T60 in Auckland, this was never going to be a test drive on Auckland’s clogged roads but one where we headed for rural New Zealand and off the beaten track. 

Sound familiar?

If the VM Motori (Italian) sourced 2.8 litre diesel engine seems familiar it should be as it is basically the same engine used in previous (Holden) Colorado models. In the T60 it produces 110kW at 3400 rpm and 360Nm at 1600-2800 rpm.  With it’s with variable geometry turbo (VGT) it pulls away reasonably smoothly and cruises comfortably on the road.  The gear change initially took a little getting used to and felt as though it wasn’t directly into the gearbox but through remote linkages which meant it didn’t feel as precise as it could have been.

Of course, it didn’t take long before it was second nature and not given another thought!

In the past it seemed that anything Korean or Chinese wasn’t particularly well built or had much in the way of safety features. However, LDV has well and truly laid that myth to rest with the T60, the company earning a 5-star ANCAP safety rating on the first attempt.

Safety first

The list of safety features in the T60 is indeed long, too long to detail in full here but includes ABS braking, Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) which is standard across the range along with six airbags including full length side curtain airbags.

It also has a list of driver assist features like blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning (T60 Luxury only), reversing camera, rear parking sensors and an adaptive front lighting system where the headlights come on automatically and will also dip for oncoming traffic.

With all these ‘driver assist’ features I do wonder if it does make us ‘lazy’ drivers and too reliant on electronics to be fully aware of our surroundings.  If it wasn’t for the clutch and changing gear I felt almost redundant behind the steering wheel.

Out on the back country the T60 handled the winding roads and hills to our destination with third or fourth gear able to be held on the tighter stuff. However once on to the winding metal roads it took some time to work out the best settings. 

Being a part time four wheel drive, I tried 4WD high, selectable on the move, but it wasn’t until I turned off the stability control and selected the Power mode that it settled down and drove the corners nicely. However occasionally the Blind Spot monitoring system would put up a warning on corners that it was unavailable and the warning beep was somewhat distracting.

Farm work

Off road we would be traversing three separate properties going cross country which included two steam crossings and negotiating rutted tracks made by the tractor during a wet winter.  Given the spell of fine weather the tracks were mostly dry and wheel placement was important if we weren’t to bottom out or become grounded.

The T60 is a large ute with its overall dimensions being fairly similar to the Ford Ranger although its 65mm shorter in the wheel base at 3155mm. The wellside doesn’t seem as high either making it somewhat easier to reach over the side or tailgate for items in the back. 

All models of the T60 ride on 17-inch alloy wheels with 245x65x17 tyres and comes standard with a full sized spare.  The chrome sports bar on the back tray is standard on the Luxury models while the base model gets a rear window protector and all models get the acrylic tray liner and tie-down points as standard.

Low range-country

The tracks and the hill we had to go over were definitely low range country and right from the start at the woolshed it was in low range with the simple turn of the dial.  The T60 has a respectable 215mm ground clearance but at times I needed more as the underneath touched a couple of times but it still kept going. 

The first stream crossing was looking a little washed out but wasn’t as bad as I first thought and the T60 edged into the stream no problems.  We certainly didn’t have to worry about the wading as the stream wasn’t going to get close to its 550mm wading depth.

Approach angle is 27 degrees (unladen) while the departure angle is 24.2 degrees. The tow bar on the rear did touch a couple of times but also provided protection to the rear body work. While we never put the suspension articulation to a real test it did flex up as well as could be expected for a double wishbone independent front set up with leaf springs at the rear.  In the base model the suspension is heavier duty.

At the top farm property it was off the tracks and up a steep grass paddock and once again there were no traction issues due to the dry conditions. Even if there had been there was traction control to assist and the Luxury model has an Electronic Differential Lock (EDL).  Which is an odd inclusion given that the more off road-focused base model lacks this feature. 

Also, the EDL is supposedly automatic engaging and at no time did I feel that the rear differential was actually locked in low range so wonder if it is more of a torque biasing differential rather than fully locked when low range is selected.  

Either way it did seem to work looking at some of the photos afterwards when both rear wheels were spinning in soft mud and sand coming out of the stream.

The Luxury with its large chrome front grille takes a little bit of getting used to, though that said it is not too dissimilar to that on a Toyota Prado.  It’s fair to say, too, that chrome features throughout the Luxury with chrome retractable mirrors as well as door handles along with alloy side steps.

As with many modern vehicles the T60 is equipped with Hill Descent Control and we put this to the test on a long and very steep grass hill as we made our way back to base.  In first low range the engine and electronics did a fantastic job of holding the ute back all the way to the bottom and never once felt as though it would take off on you.

The T60 It also has Hill Start Assist (HAS) but this wasn’t put to the test.

Under pressure

Due to the dry conditions I didn’t air the tyres down however all models come with a Tyre Pressure Monitoring system where you can keep an eye on tyre pressures from inside the cab from the a 10-inch touch screen entertainment system. 

Inside the Luxury gets a multifunction leather steering wheel and seats with the front seats being electrically adjustable and heated while other models have cloth.  All models get the premium six-speaker sound system which has smart phone integration with Apple CarPlay. 

One of the significant features LDV have apart from pricing is their five-year 130,000km warranty across the whole range as well as their factory backed 10 year anti perforation warranty.

Towing capacity across the range is 3000kgs braked and 750kgs unbraked and while the Luxury manual can carry a 875kg payload (815kg for auto) the lower spec model can carry 1025kgs (995kgs for auto).

On returning the Luxury T60 to the dealer I took the opportunity to take a basic T60 auto for a quick drive around the block.  This model has the slightly heavier rear springs for load carrying and felt a little firmer if not sportier in the handling and probably would be my preferred option, especially for off road.

It is easy to understand why the LDV T60 has made such an impact in a short space of time.  While it may not be quite up to the level of some of the mainstream competitors it’s a remarkably good package. 

Prices start at $28,990 (plus GST and ORC) for the T60 manual up to $34,990 (plus GST and ORC) for Luxury automatic.  Our test vehicle is $32,990 (plus GST and ORC costs) making it an attractive proposition compared to prices of some of the other utes available in New Zealand.

To read every story in the February 2018 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (Jan 20) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.