PUMP UP THE VOLUME

New diesel option lifts appeal of Chinese SUV

The LDV D90 could be the perfect car for our crazy modern times.

With about 1.9 metres between the front seats and the third row there’s ample room for social distancing.

Size is a big part of the sales pitch for the cutprice Chinese-built SUV aimed at “hardworking Australian families”. That is marketing speak for people who are more concerned about value than the badge on the bonnet.

At more than five metres long and 1.9 metres wide the D90 is bigger than the Ford Everest and Isuzu D-Max. It’s also a smidgen larger than the Toyota Prado that dominates its segment. It can also tow 3100kg, equal to the class best. Middle-row seat space is generous and you’ll even coax a flexible adult into the third row, where headroom is thoroughly respectable and roof-mounted vents send air rearward.

All three rows have USB and 12-volt power for smartphones and other devices, which helps to keep the kids happy on long trips.

Priced from $35,990 drive-away for the petrol model that’s been on sale since 2017 it’s one of the most affordable seven-seaters on the market. It’s also the only one below $40K that can easily accommodate seven people regularly — and have enough room for a few soft bags behind the third row.

New to the line-up is a 2.0-litre diesel engine with outputs of 160kW and 480Nm, matched to a four-wheel drive system.

Available only in top-of-the-range

Executive trim level it’s $47,990 drive-away, a big step up from its price-leading petrol sibling — and bang in the middle of seven-seaters from bigger brands.

It outpunches key rivals with standard fare that includes 19-inch alloy wheels, partial leather trim, sunroof, powered tailgate, heated steering wheel and a 12-inch infotainment screen incorporating Apple CarPlay and a bespoke connection for other smartphones.

Safety equipment incorporates blind-spot detection and autonomous emergency braking, which helped it gain a five-star ANCAP rating. Materials and finishes are generally good, too.

There’s the occasional omission and evidence of cost cutting, though. No digital radio tuning, for example, and the eightspeaker audio system has a muddy sound. There are also frustrations with that snazzy touchscreen. No volume dial, for example, means adjustment from the steering wheel or touching the screen (sometimes on multiple occasions) to bring up a virtual slider. And after a CarPlay phone call you have to wake the radio with a tap to bring back sound.

That hit and miss approach flows through to the driving experience.

Designed and made by LDV, the engine is low revving but gruff and strong, aided by an eight-speed auto with ratios closely spaced.

The auto transmission dishes up well-timed shifts, but there’s notable turbo lag when taking off and ours had an occasional hiccup on moderate acceleration.

Fuel use is claimed at 9.1 litres per 100km and 11-ish figures in the real world are respectable. The radar cruise control could do with slicker calibration, too; it slows too much on freeway corners and is inconsistent in traffic.

While LDV is also targeting other affordable seven-seat SUVs — think Mazda CX-8, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe — it lacks the car-like construction of those underneath.

Instead there’s a truck-like ladder frame chassis akin to that under a Prado or MUX.

With a live axle rear suspension it’s roly-poly through corners and there’s shimmying over bumps.

Good Continental tyres mask some inadequacies and it fends off speed humps confidently, part of the rugged DNA of its basic makeup that also endows it with respectable off-road performance; it’s in between the carbased seven-seaters and the known off-roaders for capability.

That said, limitations to ground clearance and traction control that gets flustered in tricky terrain means it won’t follow the big boys into the bush. While no space saver, the spare tyre is a different brand and smaller than those fitted to the rest on the car.

From a rough-roading perspective, think of the D90 diesel as a step down from the likes of a Prado but a step ahead of the car-based rivals.

That appraisal, to some extent, sums up the rest of the car. Mediocre road manners are offset by a strong but compromised diesel engine.

Size is arguably the D90’s greatest asset, delivering plenty of metal for the dollars, now with a more efficient diesel.