Chinese Persuasion

The LDV T60 is the latest 4x4 ute to arrive in Australia, but will it make an impact where previous Chinese-made utes have failed?

- Fraser Stronach

THE ‘L’ and the ‘D’ in LDV nominally stand for Leyland and DAF respectively; although, the LDV T60 ute you see here has little to do with either, which in the case of the former British manufacturer Leyland is probably a good thing. 

However, there remains a strong European flavour (and a DAF connection) with the powertrain, despite the whole thing being built in China.

The LDV T60 is currently only offered as a dual-cab 4x4 pick-up, but it comes in two spec levels and with the choice of manual or automatic gearboxes, both six-speeds. Single-cab, extra-cab and 4x2 models will follow. Significantly, it’s the first Chinese ute to come with a five-star ANCAP safety rating and is otherwise extremely well-equipped given the budget prices, which start around $30K (less for ABN holders).

The T60 is a relatively big and seemingly substantial ute. Among its mainstream dual-cab competitors, only the Ranger and BT-50 have a longer wheelbase and only the Amarok has a wider track, while the 6050kg Gross Combined Mass figure is actually a tad higher than Ranger, Amarok V6 etc., even if the 3000kg towing limit is lower than most in class.

POWERTRAIN AND PERFORMANCE

POWERING the big but relatively light LDV T60 (kerb weight 1950-2060kg) is a 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel built under licence from Italian engine specialist VM Motori. It’s from the same engine ‘family’ as the 2.8-litre diesel in Holden’s Colorado and Trailblazer, and Jeep’s Wrangler.