90 LDV D2020 Review: Executive Gasoline 4WD

Cars are big business in China, and the huge market accounts for the lion's share of global new car sales.

But while China may be the world's largest and most profitable auto market, it's not necessarily home to the best automakers, as its homegrown brands often struggle with their South Korean, Japanese, German and American counterparts around the world.

Style, quality and advanced technology have rarely been at the forefront of cars from China, but that hasn't stopped several brands from trying to break into the ever-competitive Australian market.

One such marque making its way into Down Under is LDV (known as Maxus in the domestic Chinese market), which specializes in light commercial vehicles.

But this particular D90 SUV, which shares the same foundation as the T60 ute, could be LDV's best chance for mainstream success in a market that loves high-riding crossovers so much.

Will the D90 be able to resist the Chinese automotive trend and be a strong competitor to the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Isuzu D-Max? Read on to find out.

90 LDV D2020: Executive (4WD) Terrain Select
Safety Rating
engine's type	2.0 L turbo
fuel type	Regular unleaded gasoline
Fuel efficiency	10.9l / 100km
Landing	7 Places
Price from	$31,800

Is there anything interesting about its design? 8/10

The LDV D90 is barely perceptible, like a brick through a window, but don't get us wrong - this is not a criticism.

The wide front grille, boxy proportions and high ground clearance combine to create an imposing figure on the road, although our test car's black paint does a good job of hiding some of the bulk.

We love the fact that LDV has tried to differentiate the front of the D90 from its T60 ute sibling, with the former getting a horizontally slatted grille and slim headlights, while the latter has a vertical grille and shorter lighting elements.

LDV D90 is barely perceptible, like a brick through a window.

Contrasting satin silver highlights on the fog lamp surrounds, front fenders and roof racks also lean the D90 towards a more "refined" style rather than the "utilitarian" approach of something like the Isuzu M-UX.

Step inside and LDV has tried to make the cabin feel better with a woodgrain dashboard, black leather stripes with contrasting white stitching and large displays.

All this, of course, looks appropriate, but is slightly inferior in functionality (more on this below).

Some design elements are not to our taste, such as the strong faux wood sheen and the non-intuitive drive mode selector, but overall the cabin is pleasant enough.

How practical is the interior space? 10/10

With a length of 5005mm, a width of 1932mm, a height of 1875mm and a wheelbase of 2950mm, the LDV D90 is definitely on the larger side of the large SUV spectrum.

By comparison, the D90 is larger in every way than the Ford Everest, Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

This means the D90 is absolutely cavernous on the inside, no matter where you sit.

Front row passengers get large door pockets, a deep central storage compartment and a roomy glove box, although we note that the nook located in front of the gear shifter is quite small.

The D90 is absolutely cavernous on the inside, no matter where you sit.

Second-row space is once again excellent, providing tons of head, shoulder and legroom for my six-foot height, even with the driver's seat set to my driving position.

The normally unenviable middle seat is also usable in a car of this size, and we could easily imagine three adults sitting comfortably side by side (although we couldn't test this due to social distancing rules).

However, it's the third row where the D90 really shines. For the first time in any seven-seater we've tested, we actually fit in the very back seats - and quite comfortably at the same time!

It's perfect? Well, no, the raised floor meant adults would have knees and chests about the same height, but there was more than enough head and shoulder room, as well as vents and cup holders, to keep us comfortable for extended periods of time. .

The trunk is also roomy: at least 343 liters with all the seats in place. Fold down the third row and volume increases to a hefty 1350 liters, and with the seats folded down, you get 2382 liters.

Suffice to say, if you need an SUV to carry your family and enough gear, the D90 certainly fits the bill.

Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 8/10

Prices for the LDV D90 start at $35,990 for the entry-level model with rear-wheel drive, while the executive class 2WD can be purchased for $39,990WD.

Our test vehicle, however, is the flagship all-wheel-drive D90 Executive, which is priced at $43,990.

There's no getting around the fact that the D90 is great value for money, as the cheapest version undercuts all of its ute-based competitors. Ford Everest is $46,690, Isuzu's MU-X is $42,900, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is $46,990, SsangYong's Rexton is $39,990, and Toyota Fortuner is $45,965.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that the D90 is an excellent value for money.

The icing on the cake, however, is that the D90 comes standard with seven seats, whereas you'll need to move up from the base class in a Mitsubishi or pay extra in a Ford for third-row seats.

And that's not to say LDV has skimped on equipment to drive down its price: Our D90 Executive test car features 19-inch wheels, keyless entry, push button start, electronically folding side mirrors, LED headlights, sunroof, headlights, electric rear door, three-zone climate control and leather interior.

Driving information is displayed on an 8.0-inch screen flanked by two analog dials with a tachometer that rotates counterclockwise - just like an Aston Martin!

Our D90 Executive test car was fitted with 19-inch wheels.

In terms of multimedia features, the dashboard features a 12.0-inch touchscreen with three USB ports, an eight-speaker audio system, Bluetooth connectivity and Apple CarPlay support.

While the D90 might tick all the boxes on paper, the use of some automotive technology can be a minor annoyance at best and an outright disappointment at worst.

For example, the 12.0-inch media screen is certainly large, but the display is terribly low resolution, touch input often fails to register, and it's tilted in such a way that bezels often cut screen corners off the screen. driver's seat.

The 12.0-inch media screen is large, but the display is terribly low resolution.

Now, if you have an iPhone, this might not be too much of a problem as you can just plug in your phone and have a much better interface. But I have a Samsung phone and the D90 does not support Android Auto.

Similarly, the 8.0-inch driver display can be nice to look at, but you often have to dig through menus to find the information you need on the display. The steering wheel buttons also feel cheap and spongy, without any satisfying push feedback.

While these may be minor niggles overall, keep in mind that these elements are the parts of the D90 that you will interact with the most.

What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 6/10

The LDV D90 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that sends 165kW/350Nm to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

A rear-wheel drive version is also available as standard, and all vehicles are equipped with idle start/stop technology.

Yes, you read that right, by the way, the D90 has a petrol engine, not a diesel like its off-road competitors.

This means that the D90 has less torque than the Toyota Fortuner (450 Nm) and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (430 Nm), but slightly more power.

We miss the power of a diesel engine, especially in an SUV that weighs a hefty 2330kg, but the petrol engine and six-speed gearbox are a smooth enough combination to drive at low speeds.

The problem, however, is getting up to highway speeds as the D90 begins to choke as the speedometer starts to hit triple digits.

We wouldn't go so far as to say that a 2.0-liter engine isn't a match for such a big and heavy car because the D90 is reasonably snappy in town, but it does show when its competitors offer a bit more power.

The D90 Executive also boasts 2000kg of braked towing capacity, which is less than diesel-powered competitors but should be enough for a small trailer.

LDV also introduced a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine for the D90 range for those who love diesel engines that develops a healthy 160kW/480Nm.

The diesel is connected to an eight-speed automatic that powers all four wheels and also boosts the D90's braked towing capacity to 3100kg, though the price also rises to $47,990.

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How much fuel does it consume? 7/10

The official fuel consumption figure for the LDV D90 Executive is 10.9L/100km, while we managed 11.3L/100km after one week of testing.

We drove mostly through downtown Melbourne, with big start/stop lanes, so we were impressed with how the D90 came up with the official numbers.

I must say that fuel consumption is slightly higher than that of competitors, primarily due to the gasoline engine.

What is it like to drive? 5/10

With a long list of equipment and a value-driven price tag, everything about the D90 may sound good on paper, but get behind the wheel and it becomes obvious where the LDV cuts corners to keep the price so low.

The high ground clearance and hefty mass mean the D90 will never feel like a corner-cutting Mazda CX-5, but the wobbly suspension makes it feel especially awkward in corners.

The firmer ride makes the cabin quite comfortable, but we'd rather sacrifice a little comfort for more confident and communicative handling.

Front and side visibility is excellent, which makes it much easier to maneuver forward.

While the D90's large size serves it well in terms of practicality, its size often gets in the way when maneuvering in a car park or driving through narrow city streets.

A surround view monitor would have made the D90 a bit more user friendly in this regard. Poor rearward visibility doesn't help either, as the high position of the second and third row seats means you won't see anything in the rearview mirror other than the headrests.

The rear window is also small and placed so high that all you can see from the next car is its roof and windshield.

However, we note that front and side visibility is excellent, which greatly facilitates forward maneuvering.

Warranty and safety rating

Basic Warranty

5 years / 130,000 km


guarantee

ANCAP Safety Rating

What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 9/10

The LDV D90 received the highest five-star ANCAP safety rating when tested in 2017 with a score of 35.05 out of 37 possible points.

The D90 comes standard with six airbags (including full-size curtain airbags), autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, hill descent control, hill start assist, blind spot monitoring, driver attention warning, lane exit, road traffic. sign recognition, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, tire pressure sensor and adaptive cruise control.

It's certainly a long list of equipment, which is especially impressive given the affordable price of the D90.

However, there were some problems with the safety equipment, which we found after one week of driving the car.

The adaptive cruise control will constantly be 2-3 km/h below the set speed, no matter what is in front of us. And the lane departure warning system would light up on the dashboard, but without audible noises or other signals telling us that we are deviating from the road.

The menus to control these systems are also hidden in the complex multimedia system, making them difficult to set up.

Although these are just minor annoyances, they are annoying nonetheless.

How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 7/10

The LDV D90 comes with a five year warranty or 130,000 miles with roadside assistance during the same period. It also has a 10-year body puncture warranty.

Service intervals for the D90 are every 12 months/15,000 km, whichever comes first.

The LDV D90 comes with a five-year warranty or 130,000 km with roadside assistance during the same period.

LDV does not offer a fixed price service plan for its vehicles, but did provide us with indicative prices for the first three years of ownership.

The first service is about $515, the second is $675, and the third is $513, although these numbers are estimates and will vary by dealership due to labor rates.

Verdict

The LDV D90 may not be the first or obvious choice when looking for a new seven-seater SUV, but it certainly makes a good reason to consider it.

The low price, long equipment list, and strong safety record mean the D90 will certainly tick a lot of boxes, but the below-average driving experience and rough infotainment system may hold some back.

It's also a shame because there are all the ingredients for a winning SUV that could compete with the more popular segment leaders, but a little more time spent polishing and refining could have gone a long way for the D90.

Of course, some of these issues can be fixed with an upgrade or a new generation model, but until then, the LDV D90's appeal is for those looking for the best value for money.