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LDV MAXUS
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Price: l 19.045 Engine:Euro-4, 2.5-litre. common-rail Power/torque: 134hp1330lArn Transmission: Five-speed manual frontwheel drive Payload: 1,515kg Load volume: 11.4m3 Wheelbase: 3,850mm Standard equipment:ABS with EBD: remotecontrol central locking, powered wlndows, CD player
There was a time when the mere mention of LDV would prompt a call to a recovery company. The Maxus, launched in 2005, aimed to dispel those negatives with a modern design, new engine, and competitive build quality. Recently bought by Russian investors, the company aims to build on the vehicle's fairly warm initial reception and take on the mainstream competition Our test vehicle came with 135hp under the bonnet from its VM-sourced engine and a modern exterior that should stop it dating too early.
Driveline
It might have had extra horses under the bonnet compared to the competition, but the engine's refinement, or lack of it, didn't go down well with several testers who commented on its injector hiss. There was some relief thanks to the easy five-speed gearshift, though the lack of an extra cog was a wasted opportunity to take maximum advantage of the torquey nature of the power plant.
Dynamics Compared with its predecessors the Maxus was a veritable hot hatch thanks to its positive cornering ability and overall ride which failed to be ruffled, but it also lacked finesse compared to the likes of the Ford and Mercedes.
The suspension could have been a touch more compliant, failing to suppress the road conditions entering the cab.
Cabin
The dominating factor in the LDV's interior was the central instrument layout ; apparently it's a low-cost way of switching between left and right-hand drive. This took a Mlle to get used but this was a minor niggle compared with the cramped driving position and lack of sound insulation. Road and engine noise became intrusive above 40mph, in an unpleasant contrast to the LDV's decent low-speed refinement.
There were some practical touches for storage and the controls were attractively designed, particularly the heater, but the plastics and the standard of build let it down once again. One key factor in deciding a vehicles success is the investment put Into its development, and if that was the sole requirement for our test the Sprinter would have won hands down. Starting from the key fob up the latest version has quality written all over it.
Driveline The engine and gearbox combination in this vehicle was almost faultless. Power delivery was smooth and there was plenty of torque on hand to cope with most road conditions, The six-speed manual felt solid and transmitted the power to the rear wheels without any fuss; noise levels were also very low.
One issue was raised on the motorway section of our route: the sixth gear ratio was slightly short, with the engine revving just a bit too low at 70mph. Other than this there were no complaints.
Dynamics One tester described the drive as "sophisticated". The ride was certainly comfortable and the journey slipped by without any fuss. Steering felt solid and responsive and the van felt firmly attached to the road even round tight bends.
It's always easier to describe the bad points of a vehicle, which makes this van quite tricky to write about. We can simply say that driver input is effortless for an excellent drive.
Cabin This is the only part of the van that we could find fault with. This has nothing to do with the layout, build quality or design it is almost too nice. But people buying this van for messy jobs might find that they worry about getting it dirty. The dash layout is similar to that of a C-class -the controls are plentiful and easy to use and the driving position is ergonomically sound. One tester commented on the incredibly comfortable driving seat. The only negative comment to be made was that there was a sun visor gap, which meant sun was getting through into the driver's eyes. But for the UK market that will rarely be a problem.