The LDV Deliver 9 undercuts the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Renault Master and its other competitors by a big chunk of money, but is this Chinese-made van up to the task? Paul Maric reviews the 2021 LDV Deliver 9 LWB mid-roof to see if the numbers stack up and whether it's a step up over the previous generation LDV van.
Hardness tester results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE
Read the full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2021-ldv-deliver-9-review/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=review&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=single-car-review
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:58
Cargo Space: 03:17
Interior: 04:13
Infotainment: 05:26
Safety Tech: 06:23
Practicality: 07:36
On the road: 09:49
Verdict: 13:34
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
Paul Maric:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMaric
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric
#ldv #review #deliver9
Hardness tester results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE
Read the full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2021-ldv-deliver-9-review/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=review&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=single-car-review
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:58
Cargo Space: 03:17
Interior: 04:13
Infotainment: 05:26
Safety Tech: 06:23
Practicality: 07:36
On the road: 09:49
Verdict: 13:34
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
Paul Maric:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMaric
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric
#ldv #review #deliver9
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00 G'day, I'm Paul.
00:00 So you may drive a dual cab ute or an SUV in your spare time,
00:05 but if you're a working person,
00:07 you're probably gonna have one of these
00:09 around the place as well.
00:10 It's a van, a big van in this case.
00:12 This is the all new LDV Deliver 9.
00:15 This has been poised and priced at a point
00:17 where it's going to undercut
00:19 a lot of its major competitors.
00:20 This right here is the long wheelbase mid-roof version.
00:23 It's priced at just under $45,000.
00:26 Now, that is incredibly significant,
00:28 and I'll explain later on why that pricing
00:31 is such a big point about this car.
00:33 It competes with vehicles like the Renault Master,
00:35 the Ford Transit, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter,
00:38 and the Volkswagen Crafter.
00:40 Today, we're going to do a detailed review
00:42 of the LDV Deliver 9.
00:43 If you do wanna skip ahead to other parts of this review,
00:45 you can use the time codes up on the screen there,
00:47 or if you're on YouTube,
00:48 just scroll down and use the chapters below.
00:51 And if you haven't done so already,
00:52 I'd love it if you could hit subscribe
00:54 and also press the bell icon
00:55 so you can see when we drive different stuff.
00:58 Let's talk about the exterior.
00:59 You've got two colors to choose from,
01:01 which makes life easy, white or blue.
01:03 And the blue actually doesn't look too bad.
01:05 Now, what about the design?
01:06 Look, it's interesting because these, I don't know,
01:09 they don't need to look all that special or all that fancy,
01:12 but I think a lot of effort has gone
01:13 into making this look quite bold and less cheap,
01:17 should I say?
01:18 I don't know, Chinese cars used to look quite cheap
01:20 and chintzy, and I think they've actually realized now
01:22 that design is an important part to ownership,
01:24 even of a van.
01:26 So I think they've done a good job here.
01:27 This is an enormous grill with an enormous logo as well,
01:30 but you can see some of the highlights like these lights.
01:33 You've got LED daytime running lights in there
01:34 with a halogen projector beam.
01:36 Down here, you've got fog lights,
01:38 but also this kind of air inlet
01:40 that then gets spat out just near the wheels.
01:43 So it's an interesting design.
01:44 You wonder if that is actually aerodynamic in some way,
01:48 but I am a fan of the design
01:49 and I think it looks nice and bold.
01:50 If we jump around to the side here,
01:51 it's a fairly basic setup in terms of your wheels.
01:54 16-inch steel wheels are standard.
01:56 Got these big wig mirrors
01:58 with your indicator built into them.
02:00 Now, interesting point over here, the fuel cap.
02:03 Quite a clever little contraption there.
02:07 And then you have one sliding door on the passenger side.
02:10 You don't get one on the driver's side.
02:12 That clips into position,
02:13 and you also have a handle there to jump in if you need to.
02:16 Now, I'll run you through some of the features
02:18 and the cargo area in just a second,
02:20 but before then, come around to the back.
02:22 We've got these vertical taillights here.
02:24 Now, this may look like a spy drone,
02:26 but don't panic, that is the reversing camera.
02:29 It is the most random thing I've ever seen.
02:31 Normally, they're mounted quite low,
02:33 but it kind of makes sense.
02:34 If you're reversing with these doors open,
02:36 you still wanna have vision.
02:37 If the camera was mounted here,
02:38 you wouldn't be able to see anything.
02:40 Now, in terms of these doors,
02:41 you've got two different options available.
02:43 This is the standard setup,
02:44 which opens the doors up to 180 degrees.
02:47 And the thing I find interesting is this
02:49 kind of sticks out there.
02:50 It's, you don't wanna whack your head on it,
02:52 but 180 degrees aperture on the doors.
02:55 Got a little handle there to open this side.
02:58 You do have a $1,500 option package
03:00 that adds a proximity sensing key, blind spot monitoring,
03:03 but most importantly,
03:04 the ability to swing these doors 236 degrees.
03:07 So that's gonna be important for some trades
03:09 where you need universal access
03:11 around the side of the vehicle,
03:12 but I think a lot of people are going to be able
03:13 to get away with simply having 180 degree doors.
03:16 Now, what about the dimensions and the cargo area?
03:19 This one being the long wheelbase mid-roof
03:21 means that you get 1,640 kilograms of payload,
03:25 1,800 millimeters of width,
03:27 and that's up to 1,366 mil between the wheel arches,
03:30 1792 millimeters tall, 3,413 millimeters long,
03:34 and has a total cargo volume of 10.97 cubic meters.
03:39 Okay, let's have a proper look here.
03:40 So along the bed, you have these hooks built into the floor,
03:44 and then you have this non-slip floor as well.
03:47 As I hop in, you've got LED lights along the back there.
03:50 So these will provide a bit more vision
03:51 and ease of use at nighttime.
03:53 And then up the front here,
03:54 you also have storage above the driver and front passengers.
03:58 So if you do have particularly long items,
03:59 you can put them in.
04:00 And there are plenty of spots along here
04:02 to actually integrate shelving and other things
04:04 that you actually need to attach to the vehicle.
04:06 So it is a fairly practical space.
04:08 And as you can see here with the mid-roof,
04:09 you've got more than enough room
04:10 to load everything you need inside the cargo area.
04:13 Right over inside the Deliver Nine,
04:15 start off with the key.
04:17 You get two keys.
04:18 One is just a standard key with nothing on it.
04:19 And then you have this guy here with a flip out key.
04:23 Lock, unlock, and then boot, unlock.
04:25 On the back, you just have the LDV symbol.
04:27 This isn't a proximity sensing key.
04:29 So you need to put that into the key slot and turn it.
04:31 But keep in mind, you can option a proximity sensing key
04:34 that brings with it a start button.
04:36 Now, what about styling?
04:38 Well, look, I mean, it's a van,
04:39 so it doesn't need to be the last word on styling,
04:41 but I think they've done a decent job with this.
04:42 It flows nicely.
04:44 You've got these faux carbon fiber weave type things
04:48 installed along the dashboard.
04:49 In terms of the material, it's all pretty scratchy stuff,
04:52 but again, it's a van.
04:53 You kind of want it to be hard wearing.
04:55 You're gonna be rough and tumble in here.
04:57 Things will be scratching all these surfaces,
04:59 so you may as well have it nice and durable and sturdy.
05:01 Right, this is the point
05:02 where I'd normally get the durometer,
05:03 but there's no point.
05:04 It is literally hard everywhere,
05:06 but there is one soft surface and it's one that matters.
05:08 It's the armrests that can be positioned to your desire.
05:12 And that's all nice and soft
05:13 and should make driving an easy task.
05:14 Now, what about build quality?
05:16 It actually feels nice and sturdy.
05:18 Everything is in position
05:20 and it doesn't feel like it's moving around.
05:21 So it's a big tick for, again,
05:23 something that you are going to be living in day to day.
05:26 Let's move on to infotainment.
05:27 You get this 10.1 inch screen.
05:29 It's pretty impressive looking because it is nice and big,
05:31 but the functionality is fairly limited.
05:34 You've got AM/FM radio.
05:36 There's no DAB digital radio there.
05:38 You can stream through a Bluetooth device
05:41 or through the connected USB device.
05:43 And then if you go to your car settings,
05:45 you've got details here on the particulate filter,
05:47 along with all the settings
05:48 for the driver assistance functions
05:50 and also the comfort and convenience controls.
05:52 It does have smartphone mirroring,
05:53 but only for Apple and Apple CarPlay.
05:57 So it's a wired system.
05:58 You've got to plug it up.
05:59 And then once it does plug up,
06:00 it is an entire full screen takeover.
06:03 And as you can see here, it's actually not that bad.
06:05 It is a tiny bit laggy as it transitions,
06:07 but for the most part,
06:08 this is going to do all the work for you.
06:09 And it interacts with the voice recognition,
06:11 which doesn't do anything
06:12 unless you have your smartphone connected.
06:14 And in terms of connectivity,
06:15 you've just got the one USB port,
06:17 which you're going to be using for your Apple CarPlay.
06:20 It also charges phones,
06:21 and then you have a 12 volt outlet hidden in here.
06:23 Let's move on to safety.
06:25 If you're going to be spending your entire day
06:27 in this vehicle, you need it to be safe.
06:29 Even if you're putting your apprentices in it,
06:30 you want it to be safe.
06:31 So this hasn't been crash tested yet.
06:33 So I preface all of what I'm about to say with that,
06:36 but given the amount of safety tech they've put in it,
06:38 I think they're anticipating a decent score.
06:40 So autonomous emergency braking is fitted across the range.
06:43 It's going to stop the vehicle if you don't.
06:45 You also get a lane departure warning.
06:47 It's not a lane departure assistant
06:49 because this vehicle has hydraulic steering.
06:51 It doesn't have an electrically assisted steering rack.
06:53 Then in addition to that,
06:54 you have a full suite of airbags
06:56 covering the front of the cabin, plus radar cruise control.
06:59 The only downside with this radar cruise control,
07:01 does sound great that it has it,
07:02 but it just doesn't really work that well.
07:04 It's quite indecisive.
07:05 It doesn't gap the vehicle in front the same every time.
07:08 And it just sort of doesn't know
07:10 whether it's coming or going.
07:11 So it's a little bit disappointing
07:12 that it doesn't work all that well.
07:13 Then in terms of parking,
07:15 you have a reverse view camera and rear parking sensors.
07:17 Now, let's have a look at what that reverse view camera
07:19 looks like.
07:20 That is terrible.
07:21 The quality of that is very poor,
07:24 but you do have guidelines there
07:25 and you can also see the layout
07:27 for the reverse parking sensors.
07:29 It's super low quality.
07:30 And while it's fine here during the daytime,
07:33 I suspect at nighttime,
07:34 that's going to be really hard to see anything.
07:36 Okay, moving on to practicality.
07:37 This is important because you need to be able
07:38 to put your things somewhere.
07:40 Your phone, where's that going to live?
07:41 So you can stick it here in the ashtray
07:45 because when it is connected to USB
07:47 it needs to sit somewhere,
07:48 but it's not really the best spot
07:50 because you have a big phone like that,
07:51 it's just going to fall out.
07:52 So it is a little bit frustrating.
07:53 You can't actually put this anywhere in particular
07:55 while it is plugged in.
07:57 Then you have a litany of storage spaces around here.
08:00 So you've got this one to close the door,
08:02 just give you an idea of how big that is.
08:03 You have another one to close the door beneath it.
08:06 Also an idea to show you how big that is.
08:08 Over here, you have another two slots,
08:10 bottle holders there.
08:11 You've also got storage down the bottom
08:14 plus additional storage next to that.
08:16 Then on top of that, you've got storage for papers
08:18 and parking fines up here,
08:20 sunglass holder in here, a center armrest.
08:24 Show you what that looks like.
08:25 That's got two cup holders in it as well,
08:27 plus an elastic band for any papers or bits and pieces.
08:31 And finally you have a glove box here,
08:33 but it is absolutely tiny.
08:34 So you can't really fit anything in there.
08:36 I guess it sort of does fit in there.
08:38 And then this little slot as well.
08:39 So plenty of storage, but there is a secret storage spot.
08:42 Let me show you.
08:43 If you have any valuables you want to keep away
08:45 from prying eyes, you basically lift this up,
08:48 that falls forward and you do the same on this side.
08:51 It's not the easiest system in the world to use,
08:52 but it presents you with a big box here
08:55 that you won't be able to see from the outside.
08:57 And it just gives you the opportunity
08:58 to store bits and pieces.
08:59 Let's talk about comfort.
09:00 You've got single zone air conditioning,
09:02 no automatic settings here,
09:04 and just the one zone of climate.
09:06 And then in terms of seating,
09:07 you can move your chair forwards, backwards.
09:09 You also have the ability to adjust the height
09:11 of the base of it.
09:12 And then you can also adjust the actual height
09:15 of the seat as well, in addition to this lovely armrest too.
09:19 So there's a fair bit of customizability there,
09:21 but there are some downsides.
09:23 So steering wheel, no reach adjustment.
09:24 You can only go up and down.
09:26 Then the other problem is while you're driving,
09:28 all this stuff is actually really hard to reach.
09:30 So if you do need to make any changes,
09:32 you've got to actually tilt forward,
09:34 press a button and then scroll through menus.
09:36 There's no real easy way to just reach everything
09:39 while you're seated here.
09:40 So that is a little bit of a downside.
09:42 But aside from that, it is a nice place to be seated.
09:45 And the steering wheel is kind of big enough
09:46 to make light work of driving in and around the city.
09:49 We're on the road in the LDV Deliver 9.
09:54 So powering this is a two litre turbocharged diesel engine.
09:57 It makes 110 kilowatts of power and 375 newton metres
10:02 of torque.
10:03 Now in this particular example,
10:04 it's made into a six speed automatic,
10:05 but you can get a six speed manual.
10:08 So what does it all feel like?
10:09 Let's give it a little kick here.
10:11 (engine revving)
10:14 Yeah, look, it's not terrible.
10:16 I was actually expecting it to be pretty nasty,
10:17 but the gearbox is compliant.
10:19 It drops down gears fairly quickly.
10:21 It's not overly noisy either.
10:23 It's just getting the job done.
10:25 I think the ultimate test would be once you've got this
10:27 full to the brim with stuff, or perhaps you're towing,
10:30 that's when this would be a real test to this engine.
10:32 But this is a big step forward over its predecessor.
10:35 The other interesting thing here as well
10:36 is that it's rear wheel drive.
10:38 So that, I don't know, in my opinion,
10:40 gives you a bit more surety out on the road
10:42 because once you do put more weight over those rear wheels,
10:44 it's going to be more sure-footed
10:46 and it'll be able to get that torque to the ground easier.
10:48 Okay, I know it's a van, but let's test the zero to 100.
10:51 We'll see what it's like.
10:52 So come to a stop here,
10:54 load it up a bit and then give it a punch.
10:56 (engine revving)
10:59 (engine revving)
11:02 So it's quite leisurely.
11:14 What about fuel economy?
11:15 Well, there isn't an official figure.
11:17 This van is literally brand new,
11:19 so it hasn't been tested yet,
11:20 but I can tell you what we're averaging.
11:21 We're currently sitting on 11.6 litres per 100 kilometres.
11:26 So to put some context into that,
11:28 this has been unladen.
11:30 We haven't done any load carrying.
11:31 We haven't done any towing.
11:32 So it is fairly thirsty, I think.
11:35 Once you start putting things in the back,
11:36 it's going to use a fair bit more fuel,
11:38 but we'd be keen to see what it's like
11:39 once the engine frees up a bit,
11:41 given this is a brand new van.
11:43 So I guess you're asking yourself,
11:44 why would you buy this over some of its,
11:46 I guess, well-known competitors?
11:48 Well, the answer to that is,
11:49 if you put resale value aside,
11:51 because it's still unknown with this vehicle,
11:53 if you put resale value to one side,
11:55 this, in some specifications,
11:57 is over $10,000 cheaper than its nearest competitor.
12:00 So given that it has all the latest safety bells
12:02 and whistles, and yes, it hasn't been safety tested yet,
12:05 you're giving your workers a safe vehicle,
12:08 presumably to drive,
12:09 that is much cheaper to own than its competitors.
12:13 And it does mean that if you do run it into the ground,
12:14 resale value really won't mean a great deal
12:16 once it is finally time to sell it.
12:18 Let's talk about the ride.
12:19 Now, this is the bit
12:20 that's probably the most impressive for me.
12:22 They've gone to a lot of effort here
12:23 to make sure this rides well unladen.
12:26 Often with these vans,
12:27 you need to have some weight in them
12:28 for them to feel civilized,
12:29 but this is doing a good job out here on country roads
12:32 of staying fairly composed.
12:34 The ride's soft enough as well,
12:35 so in and around the city,
12:36 you're not going to get too exhausted.
12:38 And with the amount of adjustments you have on the seat here,
12:40 it's not too hard to find a comfortable position
12:43 that's gonna work for you.
12:44 What about your turning circle?
12:45 Well, it comes in at 14.2 metres.
12:48 Obviously, this being the long wheelbase
12:50 means you are going to need a fair bit of room
12:52 to turn it around.
12:53 But if we flick it around here,
12:55 give yourself enough space, it turns tight enough.
12:59 It's not quite as good as the Toyota HiAce,
13:01 which can almost turn on itself,
13:03 but it's perfectly fine for a van this size.
13:06 What about visibility?
13:07 Well, these wing mirrors on the side are huge.
13:08 You've got good visibility down the side of the vehicle
13:11 and beyond it with the top mirror.
13:13 Then the bottom mirror gives you a close-up view
13:15 of your blind spot
13:16 and also the position just next to the car.
13:19 On top of that, you have the ability to also option
13:21 the $1,500 package that I mentioned in the intro
13:24 that also adds blind spot monitoring.
13:26 None of that's fitted to this van,
13:27 but for the most part, it is very easy to see out of.
13:29 And with a fairly short front end,
13:31 it's also easy to place it
13:33 when you are parking in tight spaces.
13:34 Righto, LDV Deliver9,
13:36 it doesn't lead the segment in any particular way,
13:38 but at the end of the day,
13:39 it is significantly cheaper than its competitors.
13:42 And for the most part, it just doesn't put a foot wrong.
13:45 The engine's decent, it's fairly efficient.
13:47 They've got all the latest bells and whistles
13:48 in terms of technology.
13:49 And while it hasn't been tested yet,
13:51 one would think that if they've gone to the effort
13:53 of putting all of that safety tech in it,
13:55 they're fairly confident
13:56 that it will get a decent crash rating.
13:57 So let me know in the comments section below,
13:59 would you go down the path of a Chinese van
14:02 as a work vehicle,
14:03 or are you gonna stick to those mainstream products
14:05 that you know very well and are dependable?
14:08 Let me know in the comments section below what you think.
14:10 And if you did enjoy this video,
14:11 make sure you hit the like button,
14:12 follow it up with the subscribe,
14:13 and also press the bell icon.
14:14 It's gonna tell you every single time we drive
14:17 something that is huge.
14:19 But until next time, take it easy.