In the competitive ute segment, there will soon be a new powertrain player, bringing more kilowatts to the game than both the Ford Ranger 2.0-litre bi-turbo and the Toyota Hilux 2.8-litre.
LDV’s newly updated T60 has landed, with demonstrators recently arriving at dealerships and customer deliveries to kick off in September, with pricing starting at $42,538 plus on-road costs.
The heavily revised T60 brings a very different looking nose and a new dashboard layout. It also brings a new powertrain; a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder paired to either an eight-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.
Its power and torque are rated at 160kW and 480Nm, respectively. This is a quantum leap relative to the 110kW/360Nm from the outgoing T60, and places it at the pointy end for power output figures compared to the rest of the double-cab ute segment.
To put that into perspective, Ford’s 2.0-litre from the XLT, Wildtrak, and Raptor produces 157kW/500Nm. The Toyota 2.8, meanwhile, produces 150kW/500Nm, and the Mazda BT-50 and Isuzu D-Max twins extract 140kW/450Nm from their shared 3.0.
Of course, none of these can claim to be the most powerful ute on the market, period. That prize goes to the Volkswagen Amarok, with its 190kW/580Nm 3.0-litre V6. These are also inevitably dwarfed by the power outputs of the full-size American offerings from RAM and Chevrolet.
LDV New Zealand boasts that the model comes with suspension tuned by Australian firm Walkinshaw, a new infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and five available colours (Competition Orange, Jewel Blue, Blanc White, Lava Grey, and Obsidian Black).
It’s worth noting that the model’s cabin differs greatly from the plush premium-looking T90 cabin showed off earlier this year. The more utilitarian look is still new relative to the layout in the outgoing model, however.
Three models of T60 will be offered; the entry-level Elite Manual, the Elite Auto, and the Luxury Auto flagship. The trio are priced at $42,538, $45,988, and $50,588 respectively, plus on-road costs.
