What, an LDV? That’s right, another Chinese Bakkie is on the showroom floors hoping to tap into our predilection of all things double cab.
Without boring you with too much of its detail, LDV is owned by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC Motor) and with more than 5-million vehicles sold last year is a serious player in the global automotive industry.
SAIC Motor is also the Chinese vehicle partner to General Motors and Volkswagen.
There are 10 double cab variants starting at R480,000 to the top of the range Max Luxe 4x4 automatic we had on test priced at R790,000 which is a shot across the bows of South Africa’s big three; Toyota, Ford and Isuzu as well as Nissan, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Peugeot.
It’s also almost R100,000 more expensive than the Chinese manufactured P-Series which has a steady South African following and R130,000 more than the JAC T9 Super Lux auto 4x4, so they’re clearly ready to rumble with the big dogs.
They have also thrown down the gauntlet with the 2.0-litre dual-turbo diesel engine producing 160kW and 500Nm coupled to an eight speed ZF automatic gearbox.
As a reminder Ford’s bi-turbo 2.0-litre makes 154kW and 500Nm and Toyota’s 2.8 GD-6 150kW and 500Nm.
Like some of its Chinese competition it’s no shrinking violet when it comes to the front view with a large grille dominating, thin LED headlights and daytime running lights flanking the grille making it quite good looking.
It has a polyurethane sports bar, a rubberised load bin,tonneau cover, a soft-close tailgate, black roof rails, dark fender mouldings and stands on black 19-inch alloys.
The interior is a bit of a hit and miss affair.
It has a more sedate 10.25-inch infotainment system compared to some other double cabs and the same size digital instrument cluster that are easy enough to configure.
There’s various black and silver inserts and plastics that range in quality and while the steering wheel and seats have full leather trim the combination is difficult to get into a comfortable driving position with the seat limited to how low it goes and the steering to how high it goes. I found the seats bordering on hard which is fine for short stints but on long stretches for people with bones for a backside it’s likely to become uncomfortable after a few hours.
Frustrating too are touch-sensitive icons on the infotainment system and no buttons or dials for volume or air conditioning.
While the LDV has a powerful 2.0-litre diesel engine it doesn’t always feel like it and it also sounds rather agricultural.
Despite a second turbo there’s still lag on pull off and it also takes a bit of time for the engine to have a conversation with the gearbox when asked to pass slower traffic.
That’s purely a calibration issue because the ZF gearbox found in manufacturers like BMW, Ineos Grenadier and Jaguar Land Rover are sublime.
Once it hits cruising speed there are no issues and it’s happy to stay there in its default Auto Mode.
The ride is on the stiff and bumpy side over corrugations but with a load or canopy on the 730kg payload loadbin this will improve.
It also has a decent towing capacity at 3 500kg, something South Africans are keenly aware of.
With a combination of gravel, tar, highway and suburban driving the LDV returned consumption figures of 9.6l/100km which is not bad at all.
As we have come to expect from Chinese manufacturers the LDV comes very well specced with keyless entry, push button start, wireless charger, folding electric mirrors, rain sense wipers and heated front seats. It also comes with paddle shifters which I’m not convinced are necessary for any diesel bakkie.
There’s a 360-degree surround view camera system, front and rear parking sensors cruise control, Lane Departure Warning, Hill Start Assist, Descent Control, Electronic Stability Control, Lane Keep Assist and Driver Attention Alert which would randomly pop up when I clearly didn’t need to be reminded.
It comes with a five-year/200 000km mechanical warranty and a five-year/100 000km service plan.
VERDICT
The LDV T60 Bi-Turbo double cab Max Luxe 4x4 auto is not a bad package but if it hopes to draw consumers from more established brands at that price point, it needs to be more refined.