Ateco has launched the latest Chinese entrant into the local ute market and given it previous experience with Sino-utes, with both Great Wall and latterly Foton, the local independent distributors is looking for strong volume and a long term view.
Now, Ateco is distributing LDV, hopefully with more longevity and market success than it had with Foton and with more longevity with the arguably successful Great Wall brand. We went along to the launch to take a look at the new LDV T 60 utes.
In 2009 the LDV brand was bought by SAIC (Shanghai Automobile and Industrial Corporation); the largest and oldest automotive manufacturer in China and the largest auto company on China’s share market. 
SAIC sold more than six million vehicles in 2016 and has joint ventures with Volkswagen, IVECO and General Motors.
SAIC Motor’s business covers the research, production and sales of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It makes engines, gearboxes, powertrains, chassis and electronic components.
LDV Automotive has been selling LDV vans in Australia since 2015, with limited success.
“The LDV T60 will transform the position of LDV in the Australian market, not just in terms of sales volume but also geographically,” claimed Dinesh Chinnappa, General Manager of LDV Automotive.
“As a van brand, our business was largely limited to metropolitan areas, where the vast majority of vans are sold and used, and while we have secured five per cent of the van sector since our launch in 2015, this sector is comparatively small.
“With the LDV T60 ute we are moving into the fastest growing sector in the market and one that covers the whole country, as well as a sector that now routinely provides the number one bestselling vehicle in Australia.”
Initial LDV T60 ute models for Australia are double cab, four-wheel drive units, with a choice of six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes.
Safety features include blind-spot warning, six airbags, tyre pressure monitoring, hill holding and electronic stability and traction controls.
All versions have a 250mm touch screen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, plus alloy wheels, side steps and roof rails. Power windows, remote central locking, automatic height adjusting and turning headlights, reversing camera and aircon are also standard across the range.
The power plant is a 2.8-litre 110kW VM Motori turbo diesel engine and all versions have high and low range gearing.
There are two trim and equipment versions: Pro for the working ute and Luxe for the dual-purpose or family recreational model.
Luxe comes with additional equipment, including leather seats, an Eaton self-locking rear differential and different suspension settings, and is aimed at the recreational market. The Pro has a suspension set-up suitable for loaded work. All versions are rated to tow up to three tonnes.
The T60’s load tub is fitted with a durable liner, with a total of six load tie down points, four at low level and two on the tub rim. The Pro has a multi-bar headboard to protect the rear window and provide support for long loads, while the Luxe has a chromed sport bar.
The T60 LDV comes with a five-year/130,000km warranty, with a loan car program and 24/7 roadside assistance. LDV’s confidence in its latest model is also demonstrated by a 10-year body perforation rust warranty.
Pricing is keen: $28,990 drive-away for the LDV T60 Pro manual and, for the LDV T60 Luxe manual, $32,990.
The LDV T60 evaluation vehicles had very good fit and finish, and safety levels have been judged sufficient to score a five-star NCAP rating. These factors should help dispel the poor-quality image of Chinese vehicles.
LDV has opted for easy connectivity to android and Apple devices, so there’s no navigation system. Owners can use their phone systems that have familiar destinations and also get automatic mapping upgrades. That seems like a sensible idea, provided the mapping stays displayed when the phone loses cell coverage. Owners who have mapping software downloaded to their phones should have no problems.
Getting comfortable in both Pro and Luxe models was easy enough, thanks to adjustable driver’s seats – powered in the case of the Luxe – and tilting steering columns.
Mechanical and road noise levels were commendably low and there were no squeaks or rattles.
The climate-control aircon systems worked well, without excessive fan noise.
All the evaluation vehicles were unladen, but even without loads in their trays, modest engine grunt became immediately apparent.
LDV is using the VM Motor 2.8-litre, variable-geometry turbocharged, common rail, four-cylinder diesel in the T60, but it’s at a much lower state of tune than the versions in Holden Colorado and Jeep models. Figures of 110kW and 360Nm may well have been chosen in the interests of long-term durability and that could prove to be a wise decision.
Stirring those outputs along is a choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. The manual lever position showed LHD priority, being further away from the driver than the auto shifter.
The manual ratios seemed fine, but a loaded vehicle test is needed before we can be certain. The auto box has three operating modes: standard, economy and power, and there was marked difference in performance between the settings.
In ‘power’ the T60 held on to intermediate gears much longer and performed well during a test day that was more about checking behaviour than seeking the best economy. Despite some ‘press on’ driving by most of the journos the average fuel consumption of the auto models was around 11L/100km, so figures in the 8-9L/100km area should be possible for the lighter-footed.
We drove the Pro and Luxe models on four-lane roads and on lumpy secondary roads and dirt tracks. Obvious was serious under-damping that allowed wayward suspension action, so after-market shock absorbers are a necessity.
Off-roading was limited to steep, dusty farm tracks that didn’t test wheel travel, low-range gearing and diff-lock operation, but did confirm the value of the standard hill-holder and speed-adjustable hill descent control.
We’ll do some serious rock-hopping when we get hold of a longer-term test machine.