Following up the electric LDV eDeliver 7 comes the diesel-powered model which may look identical from the outside but is an altogether more traditional package.
Unlike some of the others in that list, the Deliver 7 has its eyes firmly set on the fleet operator crowd with all the required safety equipment, plenty of payload capacity and – crucially – a cheap starting price.
Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 8/10
The LDV Deliver 7 is essentially a rebadged version of SAIC Motor's Maxus V70 sold in China and arrives in Australia as a simple proposition. Short or long wheelbase is your only choice, with a single sliding door and rear barn doors as standard.
The range simplicity makes LDV importer Ateco’s life easier, meaning the price is sharp. The Deliver 7 short wheelbase we have on test is normally $44,726, drive-away, but if you hold an ABN (as almost every van buyer does) it’s yours for $42,490 on the road.
Admittedly, the gap between LDV’s offering and established names has closed since the G10, however, it’s still about $10,000 cheaper than rivals once you factor in on-road costs.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
For reference, the Toyota HiAce LWB is $51,636, the Hyundai Staria Load Twin Swing $50,640 and Ford Transit Custom SWB Trend starts at $56,590, with all those prices before on-road costs.
And there’s good reason the Deliver 7 has come upmarket; plenty of whizz-bang technology inside. A generous 12.3-inch central multimedia touchscreen, decent sound system, sizeable digital information screen, LED head and tail-lights, electronic park brake, keyless entry with proximity key and rain-sensing wipers should give the LDV a leg up in the showroom.
Health and safety officer-pleasing features such as a bright LED light in the load bay and rubber flooring (which is less grippy than its ‘non-slip’ name would have you believe), high definition reversing camera and parking sensors at both ends also come standard.
For an extra $1500, you can upgrade to 16-inch alloy wheels and pick up a 360-degree camera. Dual sliding doors are part of that pack, too.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 6/10
The van segment has evolved to the point where a box on wheels is no longer enough to grab attention and we can thank the Hyundai Staria for that.
The Deliver 7 conforms to new norms adopting the exact same fascia as its eDeliver 7 that certainly stands out, though the doily pattern may trigger trypophobics. Sharp LED lighting and classic van proportions finish things off.
Inside there are pleasant materials in some places, such as the soft synthetic leather door tops perfect for resting your elbow. There is some upmarket chic to the cabin but it’s eye candy only, as the blue faux stitching panel is all hard, scratchy plastic. Still, that’s the hard-wearing vibe of most in this segment.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 7/10
When it comes to exterior size, the LDV Deliver 7 sits between the smaller Hyundai Staria load SWB and larger Toyota HiAce LWB. It is only available in low-roof guise but the Deliver 7’s generous width is its party trick, measuring 2118mm from flank to flank.
The Deliver 7’s load area is 2547mm long (or 2913mm in the LWB), 1800mm wide (pinched to 1390mm between the arches) and 1428mm tall for a total of 6.3 cubic metres of load space. There are six heavy-duty tie-down loops to secure cargo.
Adding to practicality are standard barn doors which are handy in low car parks and make loading pallets — the Deliver 7 will easily fit two Australian or Euro palettes inside — simple.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
They can be opened to 90 degrees where they lock, or all the way to 180 degrees. There is no lock when fully extended, though, so they can blow closed on windy days. We’d also appreciate seeing a second sliding side door as an option.
The Deliver 7’s star factor is payload, in fact it’s clear of all the listed rivals above by a reasonable margin. The Deliver 7’s 2105kg kerb weight and 3400kg GVM mean drivers can carry up to 1290kg of cargo in the back. It is also capable of towing a 2000kg braked, or 750kg unbraked, trailer load.
Oddly, for its impressive carrying capacity, the Deliver 7 is not equipped with a bulkhead. It is also a strict two-seater without a centre bench for a third occupant.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
The trade off here is that the Deliver 7 has supportive car-like bucket seats with adjustable arm rests. The upholstery is cloth that feels hard wearing and the seats slide forwards and backwards, have height and tilt adjust along with manual lumbar to keep you fresh after a few hours behind the small diameter leather-appointed steering wheel.
Moving to a stalk-style shifter frees up the Deliver 7’s centre console for added incidental storage, with handy spots for tape measures, keys, invoices and four cupholders easily accessible.
Hidden storage is a little limited, with a small-ish glove box and ashtray the extent of the cubbies.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
And while the Deliver 7’s technology suite looks good on the surface, it is not particularly responsive and many heavy-use functions are restricted to the screen.
For example, the headlight controls are on the main menu and they do not automatically switch off when you turn the Deliver 7 off using its push-button start system unless they’re in auto mode and, instead of just turning a stalk to silence beeping, you have to reboot the car.
The eating and ventilation controls are a mix of digital and physical though the row of switches is an awfully long way from the driver’s seat. The scroll wheels to adjust fan speed and temperature have very fine stops making it difficult to be accurate on the move.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
The touchscreen’s menus are otherwise straightforward enough, though it is a shame Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring has to run through a cable attached to only one of the three USB-A and USB-C charge ports scattered about the interior.
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission? 6/10
There is nothing special about the Deliver 7's carryover 2.0-litreturbo-diesel four-cylinder that produces peak power and torque of 123kW and 390Nm.
The Deliver 7's engine iscompliant with Euro 5 standards and emits 203 grams of CO2 per kilometre. It is equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF), though no AdBlue tank.
It is noisy and vibey in this application but provides adequate motivation unladen and loaded, feeling especially punchy between 2200-3000rpm.
Annoyingly, the Deliver 7’s transmission is calibrated to shift into the highest gear as soon as possible, sometimes leaving you without enough grunt to accelerate without kicking down.
It is also slow to downshift under braking, meaning you need to lean on the brakes harder when carrying a heavy load. There are tactile shift paddles behind the wheel to encourage a downshift if you need, though.
Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 7/10
The combined (urban/extra-urban) ADR fuel cycle efficiency for the LDV Deliver 7 is a respectable 7.7L/100km. Our 200km loop including rural, urban and motorway driving saw it return 8.5L/100km at an average speed of 45km/h.
There is a large 80-litre fuel tank that would see driving ranges in excess of 1000km in favourable conditions, with 800km still likely on urban delivery runs.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
Driving – What's it like to drive? 5/10
The Deliver 7 is effectively the same configuration as its electric sibling, using struts with coil springs up front and a leaf-sprung beam axle at the back. Standard stuff for a heavy duty van.
The front and rear disc brakes have a nice solid pedal feel with well calibrated ABS and the Deliver 7 is generally safe and fairly secure on the road-holding front.
Unfortunately, the suspension set-up of LDV’s diesel van is significantly worse than the rather refined electric model. Unladen, the Deliver 7’s ride quality is atrocious, bordering on unacceptable.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof
Over speed bumps, the rear end bucks and shimmies as the van’s dampers fail to control the heavy duty leaf springs. There were several instances when the Deliver 7 was so uncontrolled my backside lost contact with the seat cushion.
As Deliver 7s are likely to spend most of their life loaded up, we headed to BC Sands in Taren Point which happily put 600kg worth of builders sand in the back. The rear ride height dropped 20mm with the load onboard.
With the weight onboard the Deliver 7’s ride settled on rippled tarmac and the bouncing was less abrupt coming off speed humps.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
However, the 3.3-turn lock-to-lock steering became light and ponderous and the ride still lacks finesse. A previous-gen Toyota HiAce rides better.
Visibility is another Deliver 7 struggle. A solid-walled van will always be compromised but with the seat in a comfortable position for me, at 188cm, my head was in line with the B-pillar.
The big mirrors couldn’t be adjusted far enough out for my driving position, either, leaving plenty of blind-spot (lucky there’s a safety system for that!). The A-pillars are thick and pushed forward, impacting visibility at junctions and roundabouts.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 6/10
The LDV Deliver 7 achieved a gold star rating in ANCAP’s light duty van testing in 2024 thanks to six airbags and a long list of driver assist features.
Due to the poor outward visibility, you need the assistance which includes auto emergency braking (AEB), driver attention monitoring, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, speed sign assist and tyre pressure monitoring.
Aside from the very helpful blind-spot monitoring, the Deliver 7’s other features feel more like a box-ticking exercise than genuinely helpful aids. You can turn the ones you don’t like off in about four taps on the central touchscreen.
I encountered two instances of false positive AEB intervention; regular misinformation and beeping from the speed sign detection; constant tugging from the emergency lane-keep assist even in its most forgiving setting and, at one point, the driver attention monitoring scalded me for smoking a (non-existent) cigarette.
2025 LDV Deliver 7 SWB Low Roof (Image: John Law)
Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 7/10
After purchase, the Deliver 7 needs maintenance after six months or 5000km at a cost of $344, with subsequent intervals yearly or at 20,000km, whichever comes first.
Australian importer Ateco was able to give us a guide for three years of servicing at $2644 though this will vary depending on labour rates, rate of consumable use and other factors depending on the dealer.
Toyota caps HiAce servicing at $1740 for the same period and gives a clearer indication of pricing beyond the three-year mark, which may help you budget into the future.
For a van that is going to be heavily loaded most of its life, the diesel Deliver 7 offers a strong value proposition with snazzy exterior design and passenger car-like interior tech.
As a fleet-oriented vehicle, that ANCAP sticker of approval, non-slip flooring and ergonomic seats will please the health and safety officers, too.
It's a shame, then, that LDV couldn't match the reasonable refinement and ride quality offered by the electric eDeliver 7. Where that van feels competitive with rivals, the diesel Deliver 7’s budget bones add up to a bouncy, unrefined and bonging safety aid-filled driving experience.
The diesel Deliver 7 is a decent enough workhorse but it’s hard to recommend saving the money over its more refined competitor set.
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