Ldv Maxus Van Range
Almost all the mainstream light commercial vehicle manufacturers are car manufacturers first and foremost. Visit the franchised dealerships representing these marques and the vans, if there are any, tend to be tucked away in a dingy corner of the forecourt playing second fiddle to the passenger-carrying models under the showroom spotlights. In the majority of cases, this has little bearing on the quality of the service being offered. Its just occasionally, that a business customer may feel the people hes dealing with arent fully tuned in to his needs.
With LDV this is less likely to happen. The company only make vans, so the whole focus of their business is van buyers and their specific requirements. Until recently, the problem was that the vans LDV made were long past their best but the arrival of the Maxus changed all that.
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The result of a £500m investment on the part of LDV, the Maxus is key to the companys long-term survival. Its a large panel van offered in short and long wheelbase form with three gross vehicle weights of 2.8, 3.2 and 3.
5 tonnes. Further scope for mixing and matching is provided by the three roof heights. The various bodystyle options give rise to load volumes ranging between 7m3 and 11.4m3 with the available payload falling within a 917kg to 1,616kg span.
The line-up should be diverse enough to let the Maxus meet the large panel van needs of most operators.
"Get behind the wheel and the engines refinement is well up to scratch"
One area where the old Convoy panel van was particularly below par was in the contents of its engine bay. The Maxus takes a reassuringly modern approach here with a 2.5-litre CDi common-rail diesel unit thats a world a way from the Convoys diesel engine a unit for which the term noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) could have been coined. The Maxus powerplant is available in 95bhp or 120bhp forms but we may see a more muscular 145bhp version in the not too distant future.
In both cases, peak power is delivered at 3,800rpm but its the torque that the engines generate which will be of more interest to prospective buyers. 184lb/ft is a decent amount of pulling power to eek out of a 95bhp engine and with 221lb/ft, the 120bhp unit is more impressive still. In both cases the torque hits home at usefully low engine speeds giving the Maxus enough oomph to get briskly off the line with a heavy load on board and reducing the need for frantic gear swapping when a steep incline is encountered. Get behind the wheel and the engines refinement is well up to scratch.
It idles smoothly with vibration in the cab well suppressed and at motorway speeds, the engines note is far from intrusive. The 120bhp option is definitely worth paying extra for if you plan on making the most of the Maxus payload capacity but the smaller unit would be adequate for lighter duties. On starting both the Maxus engines, you have to wait for the glow plug light to extinguish before twisting the key. Its a process thats virtually unheard of in vans nowadays, a quaint throwback to models of yesteryear and one that could easily become irritating over time.
LDV have managed to design a body shell for the Maxus that is 20% stiffer than the old Convoys and this pays off in the form of more composed handling. The standard of construction is also far in excess of past LDV models with the traditional rattles and creeks almost completely absent. Dash-mounted gear levers are now derigeur in panel van circles and the Maxus conforms to the trend. The stick sprouts from the centre console clearing the floor space for improved cross-cabin access, it falls easily to hand and the shifting action between the five ratios has a firm, positive feel to it.
Elsewhere in the cab, the instrument binnacle is centrally located above oval air vents, the tactile ventilation system dials and the CD stereo. This is far from ideal with the driver forced to glance over to the left to keep a check on the vehicles speed but it facilitates the Maxus simple conversion from right-hand drive to left-hand drive for those important European markets. All Maxus models are front-wheel drive only and this has helped the designers to give the vehicle a low loading height through the back and side doors. The side-hinged doors at the rear stretch right up to the vehicles roofline for the biggest possible loading aperture.
Likewise, the sliding side door is usefully wide and theres the option of specifying a matching one on the other flank for a greater choice of loading options. The Maxus comes well-specified as standard with remote central locking, power steering, electric windows and electric adjustment of the large side mirrors. Safety-wise, theres a drivers airbag as well as the specially designed safety cell but youll need to pay extra for ABS brakes. Service intervals are set at an extremely lengthy 20,000 miles and with insurance groupings of between 10 and 12, the Maxus promises to be a cheap vehicle to run.
You could hardly call it expensive to buy either: With the Convoy, LDV could only reasonably expect to compete with rival panel van manufacturers on grounds of price. The vehicle was that far off the cutting edge of van design. The Maxus, however, is a much more class-competitive product and it should fire LDV back into the forefront of every UK van buyers thinking. In terms of interior quality and engines, the Maxus is probably slightly behind but the very fact that it stands up to comparison with the best models around is dramatic progress from LDV.
As a product, the Maxus is an accomplished effort and the competitive pricing, along with the specialist van-centric service that only LDV can offer, mean it will be the best choice out there for many businesses.
Facts At A Glance VAN: LDV Maxus Van Range ENGINE: 2.5-litre CDi 95bhp or 120bhp DIMENSIONS: (LWB High Roof) length/width/height 5670/1737/2540mm GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHTS: 2.8, 3.2 or 3.5 tonnes MAXIMUM PAYLOADS: 917-1,616kg
