LDV New Zealand is giving potential customers a look at its biggest, most powerful ute to date before it goes on sale in New Zealand, with the all-new Terron 9 being confirmed as the star of the brand's showing at the National Fieldays held at Mystery Creek in Hamilton on June 11th to 14th.
The Terron 9 will join LDV's range above the existing T60 ute and is significantly larger than both its sibling - and every other one-tonne ute in the segment - at 5500mm long, 2005mm wide and 1860mm tall. That makes it 175mm longer than a Toyota Hilux and fractionally larger than the GWM Cannon Alpha, although not quite as large as the big American pickups like the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado that start at around 5800mm in length.
The company says it will initially be offering the Terron 9 here as a 4WD model with a "high performance" diesel engine that produces 164kW of power and 520Nm of torque, while it is currently evaluating the all-electric eTerron 9 for the local market as well.
According to LDV NZ, the diesel-powered Terron 9 will haul a full 3500kg on a braked trailer when it lands here, although the Chinese domestic market version - the Maxus Terron 9 - is only rated at 3000kg. The Maxus has a payload of 940kg, but the local payload has yet to be revealed, so it will be interesting to see if the change in towing capability affects it here.
The Terron 9 sits on a unique "semi-monocoque" architecture that is essentially a hybrid blend of a car-style monocoque platform and a traditional ladder chassis, while the electric eTerron also integrates its batteries into the chassis. The eTerron also inherits a massive 236 litre frunk thanks to the lack of an engine up front.
"The all-new Terron 9 is a powerhouse," said Kym Mellow, General Manager of Inchcape New Zealand, the distributor of LDV.
"Expanding our range, the Terron 9 delivers serious toughness, intelligent capability, and high-end performance, all backed by LDV’s 7-year warranty, 7-year roadside assistance, and 7 years of WOF. It’s a game-changer for the segment and Terorn 9 gives drivers confidence on every journey."
The Terron 9 will be on LDV's site at the National Fieldays held at Mystery Creek in Hamilton on the 11th to 14th of June, while customers can register their interest in the Terron 9 at LDV's website now.
