LDV G10 Auto Review

Name: LDV G10 Auto Review
Brand: LDV

Our tester comes away surprised after a few days in the LDV G10

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to be in a press conference in China with a local truck builder.

As the company’s truck looked exactly like the current Australian market leader except for the badges, the ‘elephant-in-the-room’ question was asked directly: "It’s clear, isn’t it, that you are copying successful competitive products to speed your entry into the market?"

The answer was simple: "We don’t copy, we digest!"

The LDV van story is another strategy entirely, and brings a curious case of reverse copying into Australia.

It is rumoured that Hyundai’s ultra-successful iLoad van took design hints from the then-UK owned LDV van of several years ago. The result was a market hit and converted a huge number of Toyota HiAce addicts to the benefits of having the engine in front of, instead of underneath, the driver.

If the rumours are true, then one of the benchmark vans analysed by Hyundai is now in Australia in its own right, and ready to compete head-on with its clone.

LDV is here after Chinese giant SAIC bought the LDV company, moved all the plant to China (after government and unions were under the impression it would be kept in Britain – but that’s another story), and set about localising a European market leader into the Asian market.

The original LDV van was a product of the European Leyland/DAF company. SAIC bought it lock, stock and machine tools when the company fell on hard times, then moved it to home base. Since then, SAIC has widened the range by adding a multi-cultural smorgasbord of engines and gearboxes from the German ZF, Italian VM Motori (the original engine), Korean Hyundai and Japanese Mitsubishi-licensed units as well as its own Chinese designs.

I admit to a wariness about Chinese sourced commercial vehicles after the late and lamented JAC light truck price advantage was overwhelmed by disastrous quality and driveability.

On the road

My first drive of the LDV van range from SAIC in 2014 left me carefully optimistic, but having driven the bread-and-butter model for a few days now, I am surprised and impressed all at once.

So here are the key surprises. The G10 van is the most comfortable and driver-centric van I’ve driven, bar none – and I’ve driven all of them, including the European award winners. The seat is well formed and not too firm as the Germans insist, the legroom allows a full leg stretch instead of the bent knees demanded by the HiAce, the torque is instant and strong and the six-speed auto box never hesitates. With the armrest folded down, it really is a relaxed affair, and I found I could happily do either short commutes or big distances in the LDV.

From a delivery point of view, I used the van on some personal business that had me hopping in and out several times in one morning. The access is wide, flanked with grab-handles and has a broad step that you can’t miss.

The only complaint I could muster was that the centre console unit is very wide, and most drivers will have their left leg resting up against it most of the time. But the features included in the console and the out-front legroom compensate fully for this.

There are plenty of storage nooks and crannies, plus two slide-out drink holders at the bottom of the console that are adjustable for various sized containers.

The French vans have their quirky attractions, and Italy’s Iveco Daily is a heavier-duty unit. But spending a few days in the LDV showed it offers a completely rounded package of easy access, excellent vision, outstanding driveability and a feature package that leaves little to order in options.

The G10 competes head-on with the petrol Hyundai iLoad and packages a full range of standard equipment, including rear camera with park assist, digital radio, CD with USB and SD ports, Bluetooth, and a 7-inch touch screen LCD. Cruise control, air conditioning, power windows and mirrors and keyless entry also help. The dash is uncluttered and avoids looking like a video game. It’s practical, with a rev counter, speedo plus a digital speed readout in the centre.

The 2.0-litre engine in the auto delivers punchy performance and has an extra 38kWs and a thumping 106Nms over the petrol Hyundai. I found I was using part throttle to get everywhere, even when I was in a bit of a hurry. The engine is not as noisy as most light commercial fours, and if you have to give it heaps, it responds instantly, delivering sparkling performance for a delivery commercial.

That extra urge will cost you a bit more in fuel though. The published combined fuel figure is between five and ten per cent higher than the Hyundai.

The LDV-built transmission does the basics very well. It always had the right gear, locks up rapidly and never left me waiting for the selection to catch up with the throttle.

The ratios are well spread and sixth gear is a very tall overdrive – the van lopes along at just 1750rpm at 100km/h.

Payload-wise, the LDV is line-ball with the Hyundai for weight capacity but has 5.2 cubic metres of space vs the Hyundai’s 4.4. Both units will accept a pallet via the rear door, but these are the vans usually bought for delivery work and will usually have loose freight.

All that adds up to even worse news for Toyota’s HiAce, which remains the last-man-standing in cab-overs, and I suspect it’s going to see its share attacked until the Toyota’s Euro-style Proace arrives.

Safety is the LDV’s singular weakness at present. Its bigger brother, the V80 copped a caning at its ANCAP test and got only two stars. One of its failures was the lack of electronic stability control (ESC), which is standard on the G10. However, the Hyundai got four stars to top the van market for safety rating. HiAce has three, which isn’t bad for a cab-over configuration.

What would I change? The rear floor is soft-covered but should still be ribbed. Loading flat items offers no chance of getting fingers underneath to lift and move.

The small windows forward of the A pillar are supposed to improve vision when cornering, but as the dash obscures them they are pointless – an exterior styling item only. You can look forward to collecting dead moths, parking receipts and old Minties there.

I’d also put a cargo barrier behind the seats – or at least make it an option. It’s more valued than semi-walk through in this weight range.

Finally, I couldn’t get the Bluetooth to connect no matter what I did. It has to be switched on in settings, but even with that done the screen options remained greyed-out. That would need to be fixed before delivery as Bluetooth access is essential these days.

As with most commercial purchases, the bottom line is price. The regular price for the LDV G10 is $29,990 drive-away, but a glance at the website at the time of writing revealed that for ABN owners, the price was listed at $25,990 drive-away, which the importer says makes it the "best value one-tonne van in Australia' – and that's a fact that is hard to dispute.

The LDV G10 arrives with a three-year 100,000km warranty plus roadside assistance. Only time will tell if that support will be needed earlier than its competition. Presently, the early owner reports appear to be positive.

That aside, right now the LDV is a van I would definitely have on my shopping list for a fleet or subbie purchase. I didn’t see that coming!

Model: LDV G10 Auto

Price: From $25,990 drive-away

Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol

Output: 165kW and 330Nm

Transmission: ZF six-speed auto
Fuel capacity: 75 litres

Fuel consumption: 11.7 litres/100km (ADR Combined)

Payload: 1093kg

Towing: 1500kg

Volume: 5.2 cubic metres

Warranty: Three-year/100,000kms with roadside assist