LDV G10: Review

Name: LDV G10: Review
Brand: LDV

Australia’s most affordable one-tonne van is now available with diesel power with manual or auto gearboxes

The LDV G10 was launched onto our market in mid-2015 with an automatic petrol variant. The lack of a diesel in the range brought some criticism, but we were told that the oiler was on the way… and here it is, not only that, but there’s a six-speed manual on offer as well.

To say that LDV has had a colourful history would be an exercise in automotive understatement. Originally part of the Leyland group which merged with DAF and formed Leyland DAF Vans Limited (hence LDV). The company was bought by the Russian GAZ group and still manufactured vans out of its Birmingham plant.

Following a few attempts to rescue the company, production stopped in 2008 and the company’s assets were sold to a Chinese company and then again on-sold to the giant SAIC Group, China’s largest auto manufacturer.

The LDV G10 was introduced here in Australia in 2015 with its main thrust being the most affordable one-tonne van on the market, going up against the likes of Toyota’s HiAce, Volkswagen Transporter, Hyundai iLoad and the Ford Transit.

Despite rumblings about longevity and safety, the G10 sold 471 units in 2016, its first full year of sales. And in February, 2017 the company had sold 76 G10s compared to 42 for the same month last year (an 81% increase), or 128 for the year-to-date verses 73 last year (75% increase) indicating that the sales of the Chinese-built van were on the up-and-up.

The inclusion of the diesel variant will no doubt boost sales further as will the price which is still sub-$30K for a one-tone van that has some pretty good inclusions.

What you get

The G10 diesel is powered by a four-cylinder 1.9-litre turbo-diesel with outputs of 106kW and 350Nm. Transmission on the test vehicle was a six-speed manual while a six-speed automatic is also available.

Payload is quoted as 1030kg for the manual and 1010kg for the auto while maximum towing weight is 1500kg. Interestingly, the manual version gets a leaf-sprung rear end while the auto gets a five-link setup with coil springs. Both have MacPherson struts on the front.

Inside, the G10 is pretty well appointed given its ‘entry-level’ pricing. The seats are comfortable and covered in a durable-looking cloth upholstery and both feature fold-down arm rests. The steering wheel is reasonably adjustable, and there are large powered mirrors giving a good view aft.

There’s also a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors. There’s an adequate stereo and Bluetooth for your phone. The trip computer also includes such goodies as tyre pressure monitoring, but the manual version misses out on the cruise control which is reserved for the automatic models.

In terms of safety, the G10 gets all the usual things you’d expect in a modern van including ABS, EBD, stability control, emergency brake assist and rollover movement intervention (RMI), but still there’s only two airbags – something that won’t endear the G10 to the boys at ANCAP when it comes to dishing out the stars.

Down the back

The cargo area of the LDV is a mixed bag. The vehicle gets good points for its dual sliding doors and the option of rear barn doors rather than a lift-gate, but it loses out for its weirdly-placed tie-down points which are a hangover from its roots as a people mover.

It does have some outboard tie-down points but most are inboard, obviously where the mounts for the rear seats would be.

That said, access is good with side door opening width of 820mm and height of 1165. The rear door is 1370mm at its widest point and a height of 1179mm. Overall, there’s 5.2 cubic metres of room in the back.

There’s a tough-looking floor covering throughout the cargo area and a lining that goes half way up the side walls. And there are four lights in the load area along with an integrated step on both sides.

On the Road

The G10 is quite a nice vehicle to drive. The seating position is high and fairly upright giving a good view of the road ahead and the big mirrors give a great view behind. Ergonomics are a bit of a mixed bag but I soon got used to where everything was placed with a minor gripe being the reach to the left for the audio controls.

The gearshift is dash-mounted and falls nicely to hand. The throw of the shift is longish but it slots positively into each gear and I never found ‘lost’ in the gearbox.

The transmission was well suited to the output with the two overdrive gears great for highway work.

LDV quotes the fuel consumption as 8.3 litres/100kms for the diesel with manual transmission and our real-world figure makes that highly pessimistic. We achieved an overall total for our week of commuting and running around the city and suburbs of 7.0 litres/100kms which is terrific for a one-tonne van (albeit lightly loaded).

That gives this model G10 a range of just on 1000 kilometres from its 75-litre tank.

Handling for a van is great whether or unladen or not. We only got to try it with a couple of hundred kilos in the back, but for a van with leaf springs, it was very well sorted.

Getting in and out of the G10 is a breeze with a wide step on each side and well-placed grab handles.

The wrap

The LDV G10 is not for everyone. There are more sophisticated and more modern vans out there. The G10 is an entry-level van. In fact it’s the most affordable new van on the market, but that’s not to say it’s cheap. It’s well appointed, has some good inclusions and is a good load hauler.

The new diesel engine will broaden the appeal of the G10 as will the choice of auto or manual gear boxes. And its economy we found to be fantastic, so the full cost of ownership will be as low as possible.

However, there are still a few questions over its longevity but the importer is offering a three-year 100,000km warranty with roadside assist which indicates they’re confident in the product.

2017 LDV G10 Diesel pricing and specifications:

Price: $28,990 (Drive away)

Engine: 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel

Output: 106kW/350Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual

Fuel: 8.3L/100km (ADR Combined)

CO2: 218g/km (ADR Combined)

Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:

>> 2017 Toyota HiAce LWB Diesel manual (from $37,530)

>> Volkswagen Transporter TDI340 six-speed manual (from $41,835)

What we liked: