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After a series of financial upheavals, LDV is now in
Page 17
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the hands of Russian manufacturer Gaz. It has publicly voiced its commitment to the Birmingham-based manufacturer and to developing the Maxus range; hence the recent announcement that a battery-powered version will shortly be introduced.
Gaz has also acquired a 50% stake in VM of Italy, which makes the engines LDV uses.
While Maxus remains some way behind Mercedes-Benz's Sprinter and Volkswagen's Crafter, it offers a respectable payload capacities range from approaching a tonne to almost 1.6 tonnes and is competitively priced. The current models are much better built than the ones that first rolled off the production line.
On-the-road performance is adequate, but not outstanding. Maxus wins marks for surprisingly good handling, but promptly loses them again as a consequence of excessive engine noise.
It is good to see that a chassis cab is available alongside the van, and the company's special vehicles operation (SVO) remains an almost unique selling point. Whatever you want done to your Maxus to meet your particular needs, it will find a way of doing it.