Importer Ateco Automotive has launched the LDV Deliver 9 onto the Australian 3.5 to 8.0-tonne commercial vehicle market.
The Deliver 9 is an all-new van with an all-new 2.0-litre engine designed to replace the ageing V80 van. The V80 was launched in early 2013 and has been one of the mainstays of the LDV LCV range.
The new LDV van is destined to compete with rivals such as the Renault Master, Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the latter being the market leader in the segment with a 31.7 per cent share.
And according to the message from today’s virtual launch, it’s the Sprinter that LDV is benchmarking its new vehicle against.
Three variants make up the Deliver 9 van range: the standard wheelbase MR (mid roof); the long wheelbase MR; and the long wheelbase HR (high roof). A cab chassis option, and 11 or 14-seat bus configurations (in mid and long wheelbase, plus mid and high roof guises) are also available.
All are powered by the new 2.0-litre engine which has outputs of 110kW and 375Nm at 1500 to 2400rpm. This replaces the old 2.5 mill in the V80, which had outputs of 100kW and 330Nm.
Styling-wise you’d be forgiven for thinking that the person who designed the Deliver 9 was the same bloke who designed the latest Ford Transit. It has the same low waistline, same snout, very similar front light treatment and even a similar horizontal-bar grille. But that aside, it’s not a bad-looking van.
It’s certainly modern-looking, somewhat aerodynamic and has an appealing flow to it.
Inside, it’s anything but antiquated and quite unlike the van it replaces. The dash is dominated by a big central screen with Bluetooth connectivity and Apple CarPlay screen mirroring, but no Android audio that we could see. The dash looks well laid out and there are steering-wheel-mounted controls for the cruise control (adaptive in auto versions), phone and audio settings.
The driver gets an eight-way adjustable seat while the left-hand side has a two-person bench.
Safety features include AEB, lane departure warning, Bosch stability control, six air bags and a reversing camera.
In the cargo area there are eight sturdy-looking tie-down points, LED lighting and a rubberised floor. There’s a 1.2-metre sliding door (single only) and 180-degree opening barn doors at the rear but these can be optioned to 236 degrees.
According to the media presentation the LWB Mid-Roof variant can take two standard Australian pallets in the rear, has 10.97 cubic metres of space and a payload of 1670kg.
Speaking at the launch, LDV General Manager Dinesh Chinnappa said: “The all-new LDV Deliver 9 wins on three key product truths: it carries for less, it’s loaded with technology and safety and it’s the segment price leader.
“We know our value proposition is better than the opposition and we’re more than comparable across a range of key criteria – which is why the all-new Deliver delivers more for Australian Businesses.”
LWB Cab/Chassis: $42.095 (man) $44726 (auto)
MWB Mid Roof: $43,148 (auto)
LWB Mid Roof: $42,095 (man) $44,726 (auto)
LWB High Roof: $44,200 (man) $46,831 (auto)
MWB Mid Roof 11-seat bus: $55,779 (auto)
LWB Mid Roof 14-seat bus: $57,884 (auto)
LWB High Roof 14-set bus: $59,990 (auto)