LDV has added another option to its T60 line-up in the Max Plus. This is a decent update to the firm’s 4×4 double-cab ute, adding a new look up front, a refreshed interior and the addition of some active safety features.
Its arrival also coincides with a big warranty boost, now out to seven-year/200,000km. You get seven years of Roadside Assist and seven-years’ worth of Warrant of Fitness checks too.
The T60 is getting on in age, lacking the usual modern safety and convenience items, which is where the Max Plus steps in. Along with an updated grille and bumper, the Max has added those must-haves to the spec sheet. That includes a smart key for easy entry, with the start button positioned where the ignition barrel would be, making it easy to find. The new cabin includes two 12-inch screens, one for the infotainment (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto enabled) and the other for the driver display. The former is not the greatest you’ll encounter layout wise, but in terms of sensitivity, resolution and response, it functions okay. But why does the audio always mute itself on start up?
The driver display keeps tabs on the added driver assistance features, like lane keep assist and the adaptive cruise control with autonomous emergency braking. With its Chinese origins, you might be expecting a bing bong fest but that’s not the case. Kudos to LDV for tuning the lane keeping to work only when encountering the white line (rather than merely inching close to it) and the steering inventions are minimal too. The adaptive cruise is easy to set and manipulate, though could be smoother when regulating speed. But it’s good to have anyway. There is no speed limit recognition (so no overspeed warning either) and while there is said to be a Fatigue Reminder and Attention Assist, we didn’t hear anything from it. While blind spot monitoring didn’t make the list, there is a side view monitor, images displayed on the central screen. The 360 degree panoramic camera is a good addition too. Despite the safety upgrades, T60’s ANCAP rating expired late last year.
The centre console has been re-jigged as the gear selector is now placed on the steering column (an easy-to-use device too) with the wireless charge pad prominent. There’s storage aplenty, with interchangeable dividers in the console and a few extra USB sockets.
While the cabin looks a little more inviting, it’s still heavy with shiny plastics, the partially leather trimmed seats slippery and there’s still no reach adjustment at the wheel. Accommodations are good in the rear, even for a middle passenger, though the seat is a little upright.
It’s still the same utilitarian work truck out the back. The tray measures up at 1360mm wide at the tailgate (1100mm between the wheelarches) and is 1510mm long at its base. The tailgate has a gas strut to ease it down slowly but it still requires some muscle to lift it back in place. The work specs read 3.0 tonnes of tow and a payload of 830kg.
The T60 has a bi-turbo 2.0-litre diesel (Euro 5 emissions compliant) that churns out 160kW with 500Nm flowing from 1500rpm. There’s an eight-speed auto, and switchable 4×4 is standard. The diesel isn’t the quietest you’ll encounter in the sector and, despite the twin-turbo set-up, it’s slow to ramp up the torque. Once in the zone though, it gets along fine. The auto is smooth but a little tardy on the downshift, so you pick your moments carefully in traffic. Consumption is stated at 8.9L/100km (10.4L/100km rightcar.co.nz), while we saw an average of 11.5L/100km, mostly for around town running, completely unladen.
The T60 has a coil sprung rear axle, though it still has a jiggle to its progress. On the highway, it turns reasonably well; there’s not much in the way of sensation but neither is there too much bump steer, tracking quite faithfully through the curves. There’s some initial roll but then it holds on quite well. The steering is lightweight, though the turn around is typically ute large at 12.6m.
The 4×4 has an auto setting, sending drive to the front when traction demands it, though it is the reactive type in that the rears need to be spinning before it’ll hook up the fronts (usually with a bit of a clunk). There’s also a 4H and low range setting, though no diff lock.
As to pricing it sits at the top of the T60 grade walk (limited run Traverse aside). Where the Elite is $46,990 and the Lux is $49,990, this Max sits at $55,990. How does that stack up amongst the Chinese competition? The JAC T9 sports a similar spec but adds a top five-star ANCAP rating and has a special introductory price of $49,990. However, the real cat among the cranes is the revised GWM Cannon. It has a big spec with lots of safety and convenience features, a current five-star ANCAP rating, an unlimited kay warranty, 3.5 tonnes of tow and has come in at $43,990.
LDV T60 Max Plus 4×4
$55,990 / 10.4L/100km / 278g/km
0-100 km/h 10.7s
Engine 1996cc / IL4 / TDI
Max power 160kW@4000rpm
Max torque 500Nm@1500-2400rpm
Drivetrain 8-speed auto, selectable 4×4
Weight (claimed) 2220kg
