LDV T60 4×4 Ute

You have to get a bit pragmatic when it comes to testing out a hard-nosed bloke’s new ute.  Taking a hard-headed approach sheds light on how good a ute is going to be in the real world, particularly when there is so much choice out there.  It’s a bit like having to choose between a good red and a fizzy white wine.  They both have their appeal, and taste great when combined with the right foods.  Does the new LDV T60 combine well to create the package needed on the builder’s site, as the farmer’s hack, and for the recreational weekender towing the boat or the caravan to a favourite getaway?  LDV have certainly got the pricing right, and the looks are smart too.  The outbreak of new utes to the market place has put a lot of onus on designers to get their product hitting a home run as soon as they are revealed.  You have to cut the mustard in a tough working ute’s world, where if you aren’t tough you won’t survive.

The LDV T60 certainly looks the goods.  A decent deck out the rear of the double cab T60 means that you can happily throw the work gear, chilly bin and cement bags onto the deck all in one go and still have room for a few cold ones for when you reach journey’s end.  The lashings of chrome around the grille, and the front and rear bumpers on the LDV T60 Luxury variants add a bit of class, and the new T60 certainly has a distinctive on-road presence that is accentuated by its LED daytime running lights.  The T60’s combination of tough and suave is appealing.  Larger-than-life features for the T60 Trailrider make the T60 ute look even tougher.

In a work ute world, heroism starts from under the hood.  So what lies beneath the LDV T60 bonnet is a plucky 2.8-litre, Variable Geometry Turbo-diesel that is capable of 110 kW of power at 3400 rpm.  Plenty of low down torque can be thrown at towing a tandem or passing a lorry, so the LDV T60 has 360 Nm of torque to play with and get the job done well with little fuss.  In the tough working environment this level of grunt feels plenty.  The VGT engine is designed by VM Motori, and they also produce engines for the Jeep Wrangler and the Holden Colorado.

The T60 can easily pull away from a standstill in second gear.  Out on the road you can hussle along swiftly when needed, as the engine is willing for any task.  Nice grip and composure at highway speeds combines well with the comfortable seats, an efficient engine and quiet cabin.  In sixth gear the engine ticks over at just 1525 rpm at 90 km/h, so the T60 cruises nicely when towing.  A braked trailer up to 3000 kg can be towed, while an unbraked 750 kg is the other towing alternative.

To go a little deeper on the towing front, the LDV T60 provides impressive features like rollover movement intervention, hill decent control and an electronic differential lock fitted on the T60 luxury models.  T60s also come with a shift-on-the-fly 4WD system with an electronic differential lock on the rear axle, and tyre pressure monitoring.  The T60 Luxury manual is well set up as a tool for the tradie with a payload capacity of 875 kg (815 kg for the six-speed automatic models) on the rear tray.  The tray also comes with a tough, fully washable plastic liner and four tie down points.  A cool interior feature that I really like is that the rear seats are not only comfortable, but the base of the second row of seats folds upright, allowing access to the cubbies underneath where you can store all manner of tools and gadgets.

Power, Eco and Standard driving modes can be selected, so your choice will come down to preference and driving habits.  Now we can start to see the LDV T60 has what it takes to muscle it on the job site.  This is a decent 4WD ute that’s designed for hard work in rough terrain, and it shows itself to be a very comfortable and capable off-road ride.  The T60 range-topping Luxury 4×4 Auto switches between 2WD and 4WD simply by twisting a dial on the centre console.

LDV T60 Ute 4×4 Interior

Spending a few hours on-board the LDV T60 is pleasant.  There is more than adequate space in the cabin for five burly blokes, and rear leg room in the second row is generous.  Luxury spec LDV T60 utes come with loads of decent features, so things like leather upholstery, heated front seats, a leather-bound steering wheel, climate control air-conditioning, a reversing camera, a strong 6-speaker audio system, phone connection, and a large 10-inch colour infotainment touchscreen that is as big as they get in the ute world.  The LDV T60 Luxury also provides keyless entry and start, as well as automatically retractable side mirrors with a demist function, cruise control, a multifunction steering wheel, and a blind spot information system.

Safety for the LDV T60 is comprehensive and impressive.  It comes with a 5-star ANCAP rating making it a really well-priced ute with all the safety features you’ll be wanting as part of the package.  Electronic stability control, hill descent control, hill start assist, roll movement intervention, a traction control system, electronic brake force distribution and emergency brake assist start the ball rolling.  Blind spot monitoring, full-length curtain airbags, fog lamps front and rear, a reversing camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system, and active headlights which will detect oncoming vehicles at night and automatically switch between high and low beam accordingly are very cool.

LDVs offer their new utes with a 5-year/130,000 km warranty that includes roadside assist.  In addition to the Luxe trim, LDV T60 vehicles offer the Pro in slightly less splendid trim.  Six-speed manual and six-speed automatic 4WD versions are offered.

New LDV T60 pricing is a big part of the appeal of owning one.  They look good too – take a look at how the new LDV T60 Trailrider looks with all the fancy exterior features like the 12-spoke 19-inch black alloy wheels, black nudge bar, black sports bar and black side steps.  Yes, the new LDV T60 is a decent ute for the real world, and one that will impress you.

LDV T60 4×4 Cab Chassis

The 2020 LDV T60 models include the:

• T60 Ute Dual Cab Pro 4×4
• T60 Ute Dual Cab Luxe 4×4
• T60 Ute Cab Chassis 4X4
• T60 Trailrider 4×4

For any more information on the new LDV T60 or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of LDV dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!