LDV T60 2019 Overview: Trailrider

There are many big names that dominate the Australian sales charts. You know, I'm talking about HiLux, Ranger and Triton. And it's fair to say that "T60" isn't one of those household names. Anyway, not yet. 

The LDV T60 was released back in 2017, but now the Chinese-made ute is Australian-inspired. This version of the T60 is a bit like a local Chinese takeaway that features chicken chow mein and lamb chops on the menu.

That's because we're testing a new limited-edition Trailrider with Australian-specific Walkinshaw ride and handling tuning. Yes, the same gang that built HSVs and hot Commodores for decades.

Only 650 copies of the tricked Trailrider will be sold, but the Walkinshaw's fine-tuned suspension and handling tuning could be extended to regular models.

So what's it like? Let's find out.

LDV T60 2019: Trailer (4X4)
Safety Rating
engine's type	2.8 L turbo
fuel type	Diesel
Fuel efficiency	9.6l / 100km
Landing	5 Places
Price from	$29,900

Is there anything interesting about its design? 8/10

No, this is not a Holden Colorado, although the special edition decals on the hood, doors, and tailgate are very similar to those we've seen on the other model.

But it's more than just stickers: The Trailrider also gets 19-inch alloy wheels, a black grille, black running board, black side steps, a black sports bathtub bar, and a flip-top closable tray lid.

That's in addition to adaptive LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, a beefy body and a bulky frame. It's a big beast, after all: at 5365mm long (with a 3155mm wheelbase), 1887mm high and 1900mm wide, the LDV T60 is one of the largest double cab vehicles.

And those hefty dimensions translate into impressive interior dimensions: check out the interior images to see what I'm talking about.

The cabin is pretty nice.

How practical is the interior space? 8/10

The cockpit of the LDV T60 is definitely one of those moments where you think to yourself, “Wow, I didn’t expect this!”

This is partly because the fit and finish is better than many other well-known brands, and also because all double cab LDV models come with the benchmark media screen in the ute segment, the 10.0-inch unit, which is the largest. still in the shade. 

It looks amazing - the size is good, the colors are bright, the display is clear ... But then you try it and use it. And things get bad.

It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but I spent over two hours trying to figure out how to "properly" get the screen to play along with my phone. Once it was connected, it was great - until it was. It's buggy and frustrating. And regular OSDs have one of the worst UX designs I've ever come across. I'd put a Lexus touchpad on it, which is saying something.

The 10.0-inch multimedia screen is the largest in the ute segment.

There is no satellite navigation and no digital radio. But you have a Bluetooth phone and streaming audio (another one you might have to look up in the user manual to figure it out), plus two USB ports, one labeled for smartphone mirroring and one labeled for charging only. . The screen is also prone to glare.

Screen aside, the cockpit is actually quite pleasant. The seats are firm yet comfortable, and the quality of the materials is as good as in a car in this price range. 

It's well thought out too - there are cup holders down between the seats, another pair of retractable cup holders on the top edges of the dashboard, and large door pockets with bottle holders. The rear seat has large door pockets, a pair of map pockets and a fold-down armrest with cup holders. And if you need more storage space, you can fold down the rear seat for an extra 705 liters of cargo space.

If you need more storage space, folding down the rear seats will give you an additional 705 liters of cargo space.

Rear seat space is exceptional - I'm six feet tall and with the driver's seat in my position I had more legroom, headroom and toe room than in the double cab HiLux, Ranger and Triton - I have been jumping between these four bikes and the LDV is really good and it has air vents for the rear seats. But the seat is a little flat and the base is a little short, so if you are tall you will have to sit with your knees up. 

In addition, there are two ISOFIX child seat anchor points and three top tether anchor points, but as with many things, installing a child kit can take some effort. 

If you need more storage space, folding down the rear seats will give you an additional 705 liters of cargo space.

Now the dimensions of the tub: the standard tray with liner is 1525mm long at the base, 1510mm wide (and 1131mm between the arcs - unfortunately 34mm too narrow for an Aussie standard tray - but wider than many competitors) and deep. bathtub 530 mm. There is a rear step bumper and the bathtub floor is 819mm off the ground with the tailgate open.

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

As mentioned in the design section above, the price and specifications of the LDV T60 Trailrider are based on the Luxe model with additional equipment to distinguish it from the more affordable models in this line. In fact, you can consider him a black pack. And those big wheels are wearing Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV tires. Impressive!

The manual T60 Trailrider list price is $36,990 plus travel expenses, but ABN owners can get it for $36,990 on the road. Non-ABN holders will have to pay $38,937K for check-out.

The six-speed automatic version we test costs $38,990 (again, that's the price for ABN owners, while non-ABN customers pay $41,042). 

Since this model is based on the high-end T60 Luxe, you get leather-trimmed seats with power-adjustable front seats, as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel, single-zone climate control, air conditioning, and keyless entry with push-button start.

Inside leather seats with power front seats.

The Trailrider variant is limited to just 650 units.

LDV Automotive offers a range of accessories such as rubber floor mats, polished aluminum rail, tow bar, ladder rack installation, color coded canopy and convertible awning. A bull bar is also in development.

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

The LDV T60 is powered by a 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine, but it's no power hero when it comes to engine performance.

The four-cylinder powertrain delivers 110kW (at 3400rpm) and 360Nm (1600 to 2800rpm) of torque, making it about 40% less grouchy than the Holden Colorado, which is the torque benchmark for a four-cylinder engine. with an identical 500 Nm engine in automotive form.

The double cab LDV T60 range is available with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions, and both have a choice of all-wheel drive. 

Under the hood is a 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine with 110 kW/360 Nm.

Payload is rated at 815kg, while lower-end models can offer payloads of up to 1025kg. Some other high-tech double cab models offer payload levels in the XNUMX-kilogram range, so it's not the worst, but slightly below average.

The double cab LDV5 T60 has a towing capacity of 750kg for an unbraked trailer and 3000kg for a braked trailer – so it lags a bit behind the rest in that regard. 

Gross vehicle weight for the T60 ranges from 3050 kg to 2950 kg, depending on the model, with curb weight ranging from 1950 kg at its lightest to 2060 kg at its heaviest (excluding accessories).

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How much fuel does it consume? 7/10

Claimed fuel consumption for the T60 is 9.6 liters per 100 kilometers, which is slightly higher than some of its main competitors. 

But, surprisingly, we saw little better than the claim in our (admittedly tough highway) test cycle, which included a run along the south coast for some distance and a load test courtesy of our mates at Agriwest Rural CRT Bomaderry. More on this soon.

We saw an average fuel consumption on the test of 9.1 l/100 km, which I consider decent, if not exceptional.

What is it like to drive? 7/10

This is not a comparison test, but I had the opportunity to run the T60 Trailrider on the same loop as the Ford Ranger XLT and Toyota HiLux SR5 Rogue and it didn't stay after those tests, but it did. t fully match them across the board when it comes to suspension and steering.

With Walkinshaw tuned suspension designed for better control and comfort, I'd love to be able to ride a "regular" T60 to compare it to it. The standard T60 line has two different suspension settings - a firmer, heavy-duty setting in the Pro model; and softer suspension designed more for comfort in the Luxe. All T60 models have double wishbone front suspension and leaf spring rear suspension. 

However, without testing any of these models, I can say that overall the T60's fit is good - even better than a few well-known players. It does not crash on bumps, but you can feel a lot of small bumps in the road surface. It handles larger clumps - speed bumps and the like - very well. 

The diesel engine doesn't set any new benchmarks, but the locally tuned suspension is pretty good.

The steering is decent - nothing has changed in its setup, but the front suspension has been changed, which has a geometric effect on the front end and how it handles turns. For the most part, it steers well: at lower speeds, it's too slow, which means you twist your arms a little more than you'd like if you maneuver a lot in a parking space, but at higher speeds, it's precise and predictable. And the Continental rubber, which was unexpected for this affordable model, also provided good cornering grip. 

The diesel engine doesn't set any new benchmarks and is, in fact, a little behind the times in terms of performance and refinement, but it gets the job done whether you're running around town with nothing in the trunk or with a load. with several hundred kilograms in the tub. 

We did just that by loading 550kg of lime from our farmer friends at the Agriwest Rural CRT in Bomaderry and the T60 handled the load well.

And during our busy road loop, we found the T60 Trailrider to handle what we consider an average double cab load. The ride calmed down a bit, but still picked up small bumps in the road.

The engine did the job despite its modest power output, but it was noisy no matter how much weight was on board.

Unlike many other cars, the T60 has four-wheel disc brakes (most still have rear drum brakes) and worked well without a load, but with a load on the rear axle, the brake pedal got a little soft and a little long. 

All in all, I enjoyed driving the T60 a lot more than I thought. So much so that I ended up driving it for another 1000 km and I actually drove off clinging only to the media screen, which ruined my test three or four times. 

If you're hoping for an off-road view, unfortunately there wasn't one this time. Our main goal for this test was to see what it's like as a daily driver and of course how it handles the load.

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? 8/10

The LDV T60 is well equipped with safety equipment at an affordable price. In fact, it hits harder than some well-known models like the Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.

It has a five-star ANCAP rating in 2017 testing, is equipped with six airbags (driver and front passenger, front side, full-length curtain) and includes a host of safety technologies including ABS, EBA, ESC, rear view camera and rear parking sensors, "Hill Descent Control", "Hill Start Assist" and tire pressure monitoring system. 

In addition, there is blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, and new to the T60 as part of the 2019 model year changes are lane departure warning and a surround view camera system – both of which we understand will be deployed on T60 models. Luxe. , too much. However, there is no automatic emergency braking (AEB), so it is inferior in this respect to vehicles such as the Ford Ranger, Mercedes-Benz X-Class and Mitsubishi Triton.

It has two ISOFIX points and two top tether points at the rear.

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

The LDV T60 range is covered by a five-year warranty or 130,000 miles, and you get the same length of coverage for roadside assistance. In addition, LDV provides a 10-year rust-through body warranty. 

The brand requires initial service at 5000 km (oil change) and then intervals every 15,000 km. 

Unfortunately, there is no fixed price service plan and the dealer network is currently quite sparse. 

Worried about problems, questions, complaints? Visit our LDV T60 issues page.

Verdict

If you want a budget car with lots of gear, the LDV T60 Trailrider might be a good option for you. Of course, the reliability and resale factor is a little unknown. And a simpler - and, according to the author, the best - option would be the Mitsubishi Triton GLX +, the price of which is very, very similar to this model.

But for a first time LDV should be happy with this poop. With a few more tweaks, additions and adjustments, it could become a real contender not only among budget models, but also among mass models. 

Thanks again to the Agriwest Rural CRT Bomaderry team for helping with the stress test.

Would you buy the T60 instead of its competitors? Let us know about it in the comments.