LDV T60

The MY 2023 LDV T60 Max has launched with extra equipment and price rises across the range. But is the extra cash money well spent?

A subset of Chinese utes is threatening the established dual-cab ute market on value and equipment. We put the LDV T60 and GWM Ute head-to-head.

With a new 160kW/500Nm turbo diesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, the updated LDV T60 Max has the potential to be a real cat amongst the pigeons.

The outgoing LDV T60 impressed with its mix of standard features and value. An impressive effort means the new version has big shoes to fill.

Chinese utes have kicked off the year with head-to-head drive-away deals and savings of up to $2000.

Most LDV models have gone up by between $1000 and $1500, however the LDV T60 ute is up to $4200 dearer.

Australians bought a record number of utes last year – for work and play. Here's how they ranked on the sales charts.

Loadspace is arguably the most crucial part of a ute’s definition. While their base function is still the same, there are a lot of different feature these days that can set them apart. From bare bones, all the way to electric roller covers, let's see what's available to you.

Shopping at the sharp end of the dual-cab market has become more competitive of late...

Did some research and after careful consideration including looking at used utes, this ute is fantastic and easily the best value for your money. Other used utes with 80,000klm on the clock and three years older were asking the same price as the LDV, so it was a no brainer. The 5 years warranty was also a big incentive and with a $5000 trade in of my rusted out Ford Ranger I drove it away for $28,000. with an added tow bar. Plus it isn't ugly and it gets a 5 star safety rating. My wife and I have just driven to Tennant Creek where we will be working and living, from Newcastle in 3 and a half days with a small camper trailer, 3 dogs, ute packed to the roof, plus two kayaks and a large roof pod which I tie down on the camper. Averaged 10.6klm fuel economy sitting on 100klm per hour. Not the greatest torque for a ute but well capable of overtaking road trains and slower Van's. Did notice if you push it over 115klm an hour, the fuel economy dips considerably. The auto transmission is geared well and drops down when needed. The six speed obviously helps in fuel economy and you also have the option of using it as a manual. The ride is also very good, towing the camper trailer over a few non brilliant road way sections wasn't an issue and we arrived in pretty good shape at the ed of the day. The ute is very comfy and air conditioning works brilliant within a very short time. Good vision and a comfortable ride made it a pleasure to drive and the cruise control made it so much easier and maintained its speed with no problems. The blue tooth is great for podcasts and music and the screen is massive and easy to navigate. Another good point is the room and how comfortable it is for passengers in the back seat. One bad point is the night lights, they are pretty useless. I added a bar light which certainly improved the driving at night, but when the high beam went off it was pretty dim. I put the fog lamps on which helped a bit but still recommend adding extra lights. All up I have now done over 10,000klm and am very pleased with the Ute. Reliability is always going to be the big question which only time will tell but so far this Chinese dragon is certainly keeping me, the three dogs, and of course my wife all very happy. This is my fith ute that I have owned and at the moment would highly recommend taking one for a test drive and giving it a go.

Great vehicle , ride is a little stiff but smooths a little after a bit of use ! Rides better with a load , when towing press the power button and it will perform as good as the best ,cabin controls are in all the right places ,it pays to read the book as with the new technology etc it pays to know what th he limitations are (blind spot detection etc, these things are good but false blind spot detection at low speed happens ) the quality of the build both underbody and indside seems to equal its rivals could possibly have less hard plastics in cabin. The price attracted me but i only bought this vehicle after researching and climbing under other cheap dual cab 4x4's on the market ,The LDV t60 just didnt have any indicaters of a cheap car , and to top it off it looks good ! I have only done 5000 klms and only tried it it 4x4 once but i can say that it steers and handles well on most roads (hates the larger corrigations in dirt roads )better to slow down for them ! its enjoyable to drive now and i look forward to the weekends when i can get out and about , it loves the open road and the 2.8 Turbo doesnt feel like its working hard at 100 -110 klms you can manual shift or put it in pwr mode or a combination of both ,the T60 has no turbo lag and power is smooth right through the rev range. (Cruise control works great ,vehicle maintains constant speed set , except the steeper decents when it gains a little speed) as for the fuel economy I'm very happy ,getting about 750 to 800 out of a tank of Diesel , the sound system Air Con and heater work great , phone works good on the 10" screen although I'm trying to use a car play app for android and its proving to be difficult for me to set up (probably my fault )my previous car was a falcon ute on lpg gas but it was tired and this LDV T60 is doing everything i need so far ! the requirement was to have a ute that was economical , could be used as a family car, could tow the boat and go remote places on holidays and also work work around here on our 7 acre property carting water and small trailer etc . The T60 is doing that fine !

Hi CarAdvice.com My name is Sam and I own an LDV T60 pro manual. I purchased the car to replace my old work vehicle. I’m in the electrical industry and I travel about 1200km per week of mixed driving from job to job, so fuel consumption and reliability is very important to me. The T60 has now got 15,000km since I bought it in January and so far has proven to be a very reliable addition to my business. It gets on average 750-850km per tank. It is very comfortable to drive and always feels effortless when taking off at the lights and getting around town. The Ute is no race car and lacks power when needed however day to day driving suits me just fine. The gearbox feels solid and precise when shifting unlike some other utes that feels like the shifter just sloshes around. Suspension wise the Ute can easily take big loads without sagging in the rear and doesn’t feel like it has any load in it. However the suspension feels a bit boaty at times. Diving and dipping a bit on bumpy roads. The one time I have taken the Ute off road it was more than capable and felt at home on unsurfaced roads and rugged terrain. When I bought the Ute I had to think about the future and having the extra seating for a child seat was very important but most importantly was the safety aspect of a car. The T60 has a 5 stay safety rating which puts me and most importantly my wife at ease. The car has departure warning and driver fatigue warning among other great safety features. The car is also packed with tech like a massive 10inch touch screen which is very handy especially when you have your iPhone connected and using maps to get around. The 6 speaker stereo isn’t the greatest LDV call it “ thumping” however it isn’t. In saying that there arnt too many utility vehicles that have great sound systems. The car ( in my opinion ) looks great. I get comments on how great it looks almost daily from my customers. It’s big it has day time running lights and fantastic deep looking paint. The inside looks great also ( for a Ute ) the interior has hard plastic EVERYWHERE some people would turn their nose up about that, but for me and what I use the car for is perfect. It is fit for purpose. I feel that LDV got it right with this Ute. The value for money is fantastic, it has a lot of standard equipment that you would expect to pay big dollars for. Some aspects of the Ute that could be improved would be power and handling. But seeing as there is such a huge market for aftermarket modifications it wouldn’t cost much to truly make the T60 Ute perfect. Lastly I’d like to say that Chinese cars have a a reputaion to be cheap and nasty. This car doesn’t fall into that at all l. You can see LDV are making the effort to make their utes and vans into serious contenders. Years ago People would hang crap on Kia but now they are proven to be a serious manufacturer. Thank you for the opportunity to have a say Sam