√2023 LDV T60 Max review
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?
2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe
The 2023 LDV T60 Max is the pinnacle of the T60 range in Australia. Last year, the T60 Max received a midlife refresh with a more powerful 2.0-litre turbo diesel and a styling revamp that brought the Chinese-built ute into line with some of its rivals.
But, time never stands still, and the MY23 update is now here. But, unlike the previous refresh, this new-for-2023 update is largely equipment-based. And price.
LDV has long traded on offering an affordable dual-cab alternative to the heavy hitters from Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu et al.
As the price disparity between the mainstream brands and the budget end of the market increased, evermore buyers gravitated towards brands like LDV looking to extract the most bang for their buck.
This 2023 update remains faithful to that value equation, but as the saying goes, nothing in life is free.
How much does the LDV T60 cost in Australia?
The 2023 LDV T60 Max range comprises three variants – Pro, Luxe and Mega Tub – with Pro and Luxe trim levels available with a choice of either a manual or automatic transmission. The Mega Tub is only available with an automatic.
Prices start at $41,042 drive-away for the T60 Max Pro manual and tops out at $49,463 drive-away for the T60 Max Mega Tub for private buyers, ABN holders get access to slightly lower pricing.
Australian drive-away pricing for the entire T60 Max range is as follows:
- T60 Max Pro manual – $38,990 (ABN holders) / $41,042 (private buyers)
- T60 Max Pro auto – $40,990 / $43,148
- T60 Max Luxe manual – $43,490 / $45,779
- T60 Max Luxe auto – $45,490 / $47,884
- T60 Mega Tub auto – $46,990 / $49,463
But, LDV hasn’t indiscriminately hiked the price of its best-selling vehicle in Australia, this update bringing some extra equipment across the range.
The 2023 model year T60 Max Pro variants score newly designed wide side steps, a chrome sports bar and roof rails, an updated leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, and a soft-release tailgate.
New equipment in the T60 Max Luxe variant runs to 19-inch black alloy wheels shod in Continental rubber, body-coloured door mirrors, black flared wheel arches, side steps and roof rails, and a black sail-plane sports bar. The Luxe also scores the updated leather steering wheel with paddle shifters and a soft-release tailgate newly minted in the Pro variant.
Standard equipment levels are decent across both trim levels, with a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, automatic LED headlights and LED daytime running lights, rain-sensing wipers, climate-control air-conditioning, rear parking sensors with a rear-view camera, spray-in tub liner, and cruise control.
The T60 Max Luxe trim brings, as you’d expect, a few extra niceties such as leather seats (replacing the Pro’s cloth trim), a 360-degree camera (against the Pro’s rearward-facing camera only), six-way electric seat adjustment with seat heating, keyless entry and start, lane-departure warning, an ‘on-demand’ rear differential lock, a black grille, and auto-folding door mirrors.
While the big boys slug it out at the top of the segment for overall honours, the budget-conscious end of the segment is also a hotbed of competition, and the T60 facing challenges from the likes of the GWM-Haval Ute (from $35,990 drive-away) and SsangYong Musso (from $35,790 drive-away). Leading the charge from established brands, the Mitsubishi Triton in 4×4 dual-cab trim starts at $44,240 drive-away.
| Key details | 2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe |
| Price | $47,884 (drive-away) |
| Colour of test car | Blanc White |
| Options | None |
| Price as tested | $47,884 (drive-away) |
| Drive-away price | $47,884 |
| Rivals | GWM Ute | SsangYong Musso | Mitsubishi Triton |
How much space does the LDV T60 have inside?
We sampled only a single highly specified variant at launch, the T60 Max Luxe. As such, its interior fit-out is pretty decent, if not outstanding.
Leather upholstery greets occupants and is finished with contrast red stitching. There’s still a sea of hard plastics, although some of the key touchpoints have been softened off with more yielding materials.
The new leather-wrapped steering wheel feels nice in hand, with a decent heft to it that is reassuring.
Storage items include a couple of cupholders, a lockable glovebox, and a central storage bin (with padded lid), while the door pockets are decent in terms of size.
The second row is roomy enough, although we found the bench a touch on the firm side. There are not a lot of creature comforts back there, with air vents, a single 12V plug (no USB charging options) and a pair of cupholders in the fold-down armrest. Visibility from the second row is good thanks to sitting up quite high on that firm bench.
Out back, a new soft-open tailgate adds some plushness to the load-lugging experience. The tub is lined with spray-on material and measures in at 1485mm long, 1510mm wide (1131mm between the wheel arches), and 530mm high.
Payload for the T60 Max Luxe is rated at 750kg, down on the 925kg rating in the Max Pro.
| 2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe | |
| Seats | Five |
| Cargo Area | 1510mm width 1131mm width (between wheel arches) 1485mm long 530mm high |
| Payload | 750kg |
| Length | 5365mm |
| Width | 2145mm |
| Height | 1809mm |
| Wheelbase | 3155mm |
Does the LDV T60 have Apple CarPlay?
A 10.25-inch touchscreen anchors the T60 Max’s infotainment system. It’s a slick-looking unit integrated nicely into the T60’s dash. But, while a stylish graphical interface looks the business, in terms of functionality the set-up is found a little wanting.
While Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring is a welcome inclusion, those who use Android-based phones will be left feeling a little bereft, Android Auto technology conspicuous by its absence. It’s a big misstep, we feel, in an age where having the ability to mirror your phone, no matter the operating system, is increasingly expected and crucial.
Other missing items include satellite navigation (meaning if you’re an Android phone user you have no route guidance available to you at all) and digital radio, with only AM/FM available for your listening pleasure. Two USB points up front keep devices topped up.
There’s no physical volume dial either, and while that can be adjusted via the steering wheel controls, passengers who want to fiddle with the loud button will have to click and swipe through a couple of screens to find the requisite controls. It’s a minor gripe. Unless you’re the passenger.
This top-spec T60 Max is equipped with a 360-degree camera, and while image clarity is decent enough, there’s a little too much fish-eye lens distortion to make the tech really useful.
The driver display feels a little dated by today’s standard. Traditional analogue dials flank a small TFT driver display that offers some useful information and driving data including, crucially for off-roaders, tyre pressures.
Is the LDV T60 a safe car?
The LDV T60 range wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating from when it was first launched back in 2017. But the caveat here is that if the T60 were to be tested today, it would almost certainly not attain the maximum rating, primarily for its lack of advanced safety technologies.
Missing in action are features commonplace in today’s dual-cab landscape – autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert are all absent.
The T60 Max Luxe does score lane-departure warning, but it’s exactly that, an audible warning. There’s no assistance in gently nudging the dual-cab back between the lines, as is common today with such systems.
It’s a misstep, for sure, from the Chinese carmaker. Dual-cabs such as this lifestyle-focussed T60 Max are increasingly being pressed into service as family haulers, and that’s resulted in a slew of the LDV’s rivals upping the ante in terms of safety systems. LDV hasn’t, in this instance, kept in step with the times.
| 2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2017) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
2023 LDV T60 Max Pro pictured above (grey)
How much does the LDV T60 cost to maintain?
There’s no question the LDV T60 Max brings a lot to the dual-cab table for the money. Smart looks, a decent cabin fit-out, and a powerful 2.0-litre turbo diesel under the snout all add up to a decent value proposition.
But, where once the T60 stood on the pedestal of value by itself, it’s now in a fight with several other makes, such as GWM, SsangYong and even Mitsubishi, in a budget-focussed contest.
The LDV T60 brings a seven-year/200,000km warranty to the table, up from the five years/130,000km surety afforded the model this MY23 update replaces. There’s also five years/130,000km of roadside assistance.
Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, although LDV remains something of an outlier by not offering capped-price servicing contracts.
Comprehensive insurance runs to $1692.79 per annum based on a comparative quote from a leading provider and based on a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe |
| Warranty | Seven years, 200,000km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | Capped-price servicing not available |
Is the LDV T60 fuel-efficient?
LDV claims a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 9.3L per 100km. That’s diesel, of course. Our very short test loops at launch didn’t really provide an accurate gauge of real-world diesel usage, although past experience with the LDV T60 with this 2.0-litre engine and auto transmission combo has seen returns of around 9.5L/100km.
The fuel tank measures in at 73L.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 9.3L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | Not recorded |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel tank size | 73L |
What is the LDV T60 like to drive?
While this MY23 update brings some added equipment levels to the LDV T60, the drivetrain remains unchanged. And that means the 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel under the bonnet makes the same 160kW and 500Nm it did in the outgoing T60 Max.
It’s mated to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission sending drive to all four wheels.
The 2.0-litre diesel stakes a claim as the most powerful four-cylinder engine in Australia’s ute segment. While some of its rivals match the T60’s 500Nm in the land of torque, none match the 160kW power output.
The T60 certainly doesn’t feel sluggish at take-off, the diesel working away nicely to push the dual-cab forward. It’s not a manic acceleration and nor is it likely the sharpest for the segment, but it’s decent enough and won’t leave you in too many acceleration holes, for the most part.
The eight-speed auto works away quietly, although it can sometimes feel a little out of whack with the prevailing conditions, caught out in a gear too high or too low, and then a smidge too late to respond to throttle demands.
Our short road loop did highlight the T60’s local suspension tune, which while okay, could be better still, feeling a little hard-edged at times, a little fussy. It’s comfortable enough, most of the time. But recent new arrivals in the dual-cab segment have widened the gap in terms of ride quality.
A short off-road blast highlighted the T60’s credentials, which remain decent. We tackled some pretty rocky, uneven, and muddy terrain and found little resistance.
Equipped with 2H, 4H and 4L drive modes, as well as an Auto mode that adapts to the prevailing conditions, the T60 Max tackled the rugged terrain without breaking out into a sweat. More rigorous off-road testing awaits.
Despite not spending a great deal of time behind the wheel, our launch loops did give us a taste of what to expect over a longer week-long garage review.
| Key details | 2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe |
| Engine | 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel |
| Power | 160kW @ 4000rpm |
| Torque | 500Nm @ 1500–2400rpm |
| Drive type | Four-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Eight-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 76.1kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 2150kg |
| Spare tyre type | Temporary |
| Tow rating | 3000kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 12.6m |
Should I buy an LDV T60?
The LDV T60 Max ticks a lot of boxes. It has the street-tough looks more and more buyers are wanting from their dual-cabs, its powerful 2.0-litre diesel lacks for little in terms of performance, and in this Luxe top-spec it presents a nice interior befitting the ‘lifestyle’ ute philosophy.
It’s a demonstration of how serious LDV is in its desire to become a mainstream brand in Australia. But, there’s still more work to do, certainly in terms of even some, what is by every measure today, basic equipment like Android connectivity.
Some further refinements to the powertrain and suspension will go a long way, but where the Chinese brand lags behind its rivals, even at the value end of the segment, is in terms of safety assistance systems, an area increasingly important to buyers in the dual-cab segment. The game has changed and more and more utes are being used as family haulers. And that means safety has to be a priority.
And with the latest round of price increases, even if they come with extra gear, we can’t help but think the extra money would have been better spent beefing up the T60’s safety credentials.
2023 LDV T60 Max Luxe above (orange)
2023 LDV T60 Max Pro above (grey)
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