MAX POWER CROWN

LDV HAS RELAUNCHED ITS T60 UTE AS THE T60 MAX, FEATURING A NEW LOOK, IMPROVED EQUIPMENT LEVELS AND A 160KW-500NM 2.0L BI-TURBO DIESEL ENGINE.

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

LDV has been making its presence felt in the hypercompetitive 4x4 ute segment, with its T60 pickup.

The T60 has been embraced by buyers as a more affordable alternative to the bigger names with more established models, and it has occasionally poked its name in to the monthly top-10 selling 4x4 vehicles throughout the past year.

Now the Chinese manufacturer of light commercial vehicles has upped the T60 ante by giving the ute a serious makeover with fresh styling inside and out and fitting the more powerful bi-turbo diesel engine from its D90 wagon model.

It’s calling the new model the T60 Max and offering it in two specifications: the T60 Max Pro, which is aimed more at the trade users; and the T60 Max Luxe, which is expected to have more appeal to recreational and family buyers.

The T60 Max models are priced from $33,990 drive away for the Pro with a manual gearbox, up to $40,490 for the Luxe automatic which we have here for review.

POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE

A BIG claim for the T60 Max is that it is equipped with the most powerful four-cylinder diesel engine in the ute class, producing 160kW of power that’s 3kW more than Ford’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel with an equal 500Nm of torque.

Like the Ford engine, LDV’s 2.0-litre motor uses a bi-turbo arrangement to extract the most performance from its relatively small capacity. They have squeezed a bit more out of it for the T60 ute, upping the D90 wagon’s 158kW and 480Nm to beat the Blue Oval’s numbers. The ‘Bi-Turbo’ vent badge on the front ’guards looks very familiar too.