LDV delivers mid-size van rival for Toyota Hiace, Ford Transit

David Linklater
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Make mine a medium: Deliver 7 squares off against Hiace and Transit.

Make mine a medium: Deliver 7 squares off against Hiace and Transit.

Does style really matter with a medium-sized van? Logically it shouldn't. We all know it does.

LDV Deliver 7.
Echoes of Volkswagen in the perforated grille panel. Pretty though.

That's one area where LDV's new Deliver 7 makes huge inroads for the Chinese brand. Formerly a purveyor of workaday commercials with not a lot of visual flair, LDV has put much more design effort into the swish-looking new Deliver 7.

The 7 sits in the medium-van segment alongside (very) established players like the Toyota Hiace, Ford Transit, Hyundai Staria and Volkswagen Transporter. It doesn't directly replace the decade-old people-mover-cum-van LDV G10, but it's a similar size - albeit with more loadspace, payload, versatility and the latest in safety equipment.

Two variants make up the Deliver 7 range: $53,990 short and $56,990 long-wheelbase, both in a low-roof design. It's 4998mm long in SWB form (so actually shorter than the G10) and 5364mm as a LWB.

LDV Deliver 7.
Clever 236-degree barn doors are forking handy, can be locked in place.

At the back, there are 236-degree barn doors with two-stage opening, and single or (optional) double sliding side-doors. Load volume ranges between 6.3-7.2 cubic metres, with payload of 1295kg (SWB) to 1230kg (LWB). It's 1390mmm between the rear wheelarches, meaning it can take a Euro-sized pallet.

Deliver 7 is powered by LDV’s familiar 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine with 126kW/390Nm and a 9-speed automatic (FWD). Both models are rated to tow 2 tonnes.

LDV Deliver 7.
Interior features generous 12.3in infotainment screen.

There is a pure-electric eDeliver 7 available from the factory and it will be under consideration in time, but right now LDV's local people say they're concentrating on the volume diesel segment.

Like the new T60 Max Plus ute, Deliver 7 picks up a full suite of camera-based driver assists, including adaptive cruise control with stop & go, driver-monitoring and collision-warning/lane-keep functions.

LDV Deliver 7.
Deliver 7 (right) launched in tandem with new T60 Max Plus ute (left).

Also in tandem with the T60 Max Plus, Deliver 7 picks up the enhanced 7-year/200,000km warranty. Older-gen LDV models are sticking with 5-year/130,000km cover.

The elevated warranty also applies to the upgraded Deliver 9, which now has a Euro 6-compliant diesel engine with 20kW/45Nm more power (now 128kW/420Nm) and a 9-speed automatic transmission.

LDV Deliver 9.
Deliver 9 also gets powertrain, tech upgrades and the new 7-year warranty.

The 9 also gets major active safety upgrades, along with an upgraded 12.3-inch infotainment system (up from 10.1-inch) and a wide rear-view overhead camera on all but the cab-chassis.

Long wheelbase high roof vans also feature 236-degree opening cargo doors as standard.