THE STARS ALIGN FOR IMPROVER
Crash-test score catapults Chinese ute into family-car contention
The first Chinese ute to score five stars for crash safety — the LDV T60 — arrived in showrooms this week.
It’s a marked improvement over the “poor” two-star scores for the Great Wall Motors utes introduced in 2009 and 2016, and the three-star score for the Foton Tunland in 2013.
The T60 has made this significant engineering leap while maintaining a sharp price.
Starting at $28,990 and topping out at $34,990 (both drive-away), it is still one of the cheapest double-cab utes on the market and yet it’s roughly the same size as a Toyota HiLux or Ford Ranger.
The only mainstream brand to get close on price is the Mitsubishi Triton, which starts at $33,990 drive-away with a $1000 factory bonus.
To entice buyers further to take a punt on the T60, it’s loaded with equipment, including some firsts for the class.
The Pro model aimed at tradies and the Luxe flagship aimed at families come with six airbags, rear view camera with guiding lines that turn with the steering, rear parking sensors and tyre pressure monitors.
Also standard are LED headlights that swivel in the direction of the steering, and blind-spot warning. Just one catch: the blind spot monitors didn’t work on the example we tested.
Comfort and convenience items include a 10-inch touchscreen — the biggest in the class — with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, cruise control, 17-inch alloy wheels, daytime running lights, front fog lights, heavy-duty tub liner (with six tie-down points), full-length side steps and four-wheel disc brakes in a class dominated by rear drums.
Only Volkswagen’s Amarok TDV6 also has four-wheel-discs in the double-cab ute class.
The Luxe gains a chrome grille, chrome mirror caps and chrome door handles, alloy sports bar, rear airconditioning vents, heated leather seats and rear diff lock.
A towbar is an option and an airbag-compatible bullbar is still being developed.
Warranty coverage is five years/130,000km (with five years’ roadside assistance) and service intervals are 15,000km or 12 months after the first oil change at 5000km. Unlike most rivals, there is no capped price servicing.
ON THE ROAD
The T60 is powered by a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel developed by Italy’s VM Motori but made in China.
It meets Euro 5 emissions standards and runs a diesel particulate filter, as per most rivals, so it needs the occasional hard run to purge the filter.
With 110kW of power and 360Nm of torque it has the least grunt among rivals — the topselling HiLux has 130kW/450Nm and the Triton 133kW/430Nm — yet is thirstier. The T60 tows 3000kg versus 3100-3500kg on most rivals.
The six-speed auto is a smooth operator with a good spread of ratios. The six-speed manual shifter has a long throw and isn’t too clunky — but second gear is so “tall” you need to rev it out in first before daring to grab second on a hill.
In sixth, the manual ticks along pretty efficiently at 2000rpm at 110km/h but there’s not much torque so a downshift is required for steep sections.
There is heavy duty suspension for the Pro and a more comfortable setting for the Luxe.
Both are jiggly — even by ute standards — over pockmarked country roads.
Oddly, the Luxe is set up to glide over bumps yet is less comfortable. It feels too floaty and less planted on the road than the Pro, which also doesn’t feel the most secure ride by class standards. On both versions, the steering is a touch too light and vague.
Payloads vary: 995kg-1025kg on the Pro and 815kg-875kg on the Luxe.
In water crossings the T60 goes only kneedeep with a wading depth of just 300mm. Most rivals can make it through 500mm-800mm.
The engine is comparatively noisy, although diesel lovers may appreciate the noticeable induction sound. The rear seat is among the roomiest in the class, though, and the fit and finish inside and out is fairly good.
Points for improvement: bring back the volume dial (it’s easier to use on bumpy roads than a button on the dash or the steering wheel), get a shorter ratio for second gear in the manual gearbox, and sort out the suspension and steering.