LDV T60 Max 2024 review: Plus

The T60 Max Plus is the new top-spec version of one of Australia’s most affordable new utes. From the outside it looks very similar to the Max Luxe which sits below it, but hides re-worked suspension, an overhauled interior, and some extra safety kit behind its tweaked grille.

It also continues to be available as a manual at $48,411, an automatic at $50,516 and as an extended ‘Mega Tub’ version at $52,092. LDV deals in drive-away pricing, and you’ll note these prices are roughly equivalent to low-grade versions of the industry leading utes like the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

Comes with 18-inch gloss black alloys. (Image: Tom White)

The T60 is more likely, however, to compete with other low-cost ute options, like the GWM Ute Cannon also from China (from $52,990 in equivalent XSR form) or the SsangYong Musso from Korea (from $49,500 in equivalent Ultimate form).

Standard equipment is reasonably impressive, with 18-inch gloss black alloys, LED headlights, a sports bar out the rear, spray-in tub liner, a locking tailgate (for the first time), and an abundance of gloss black highlight trims to separate it from lesser models in the range.

The wireless phone charger perched atop the console area is a welcome touch. (Image: Tom White)

On the inside the highlight of the overhauled design is the dual 12.3-inch screens which make up a dash-spanning digital suite. It comes with new-ish software which looks the part at a distance, although I was a little dismayed to discover it had limited functionality, only one ugly theme for the dash cluster, and minimal customisation.

You also score (very) synthetic leather seat trim with power adjust for the driver and front passenger, and an expanded array of soft-touch surfaces throughout. It looks modern and plush from a distance, but feels less impressive once you’re actually inside.

On the inside the highlight of the overhauled design is the dual 12.3-inch screens which make up a dash-spanning digital suite. (Image: Tom White)

If you want a ute which does a better job of feeling more like a luxurious passenger car, the SsangYong Musso leans into this aspect harder, and if you want something that's bit more accessorised for the rough stuff the GWM Cannon XSR looks more the part. Ultimately it feels as though this new top-spec T60 is left in something of an awkward middle ground between the two.

Of course, the new safety equipment and suspension do add something to the T60 formula, but we’ll talk more about these later in the review.

Standard equipment includes LED headlights. (Image: Tom White)

There are some benefits of the new interior design, and there are some disappointments too. These begin with the seating position, which is still miles off the ground in its lowest setting. This might give you a commanding view of the road, which has benefits, but it also makes you feel like you’re sitting on the T60 rather than in it.

The steering wheel is also only pitch adjustable rather than also offering telescopic adjustment, and even then its range of movement is extremely limited. For me, at 182cm tall, this meant the wheel blocked the top of the digital instruments, and I also felt like I was far too close to the roof. It’s an awkward seating position to say the least.

However, the new cabin layout has quite a bit of storage to play with. There are functional bottle holders and pockets in the doors, a decent glove box, and the new centre console offers a huge tray underneath with a removable dual cup holder insert, which also has two little cutaways for storing your keys. This area also hides some USB ports and a 12-volt outlet, for a nice cable-free interior if need be. The armrest console box offers even more space, and the wireless phone charger perched atop the console area is a welcome touch.

Less impressive is the strip of touch-based controls for the climate which sits underneath the multimedia screen. At least it has some controls which don’t require a screen sub-menu to navigate, but it simply doesn’t compare to having actual buttons and dials.

The most puzzling part of this equation is the lack of physical controls of any kind for the headlights, and no way for the passenger to adjust volume without needing to go one or two sub-menus deep. Inconvenient at best, potentially dangerously distracting at worst.

Again, some rivals get an edge here. The Musso’s multimedia suite looks comparatively old, but has heaps of physical buttons, while the GWM Ute Cannon splits the difference, maintaining buttons but gaining confusing menus. Both are better to use than the T60.

The tub dimensions come in at 1485mm long, 1131mm wide (between the arches), and 530mm tall for the standard version. (Image: Tom White)

The back seat came as a surprise, as it offers pretty decent legroom for a full-sized adult, something quite rare in this ute segment. It also offers pockets on the backs of both front seats, dual adjustable air vents and a USB port on the back of the centre console, two small bottle holders in the doors, and a further two in a centre drop-down armrest. Underneath the seats there’s access points to small storage areas below.

The tray area seems reasonably well appointed with a pre-applied spray-in tub liner and four tie-down points at the extremes of the bed. The tub dimensions come in at 1485mm long, 1131mm wide (between the arches), and 530mm tall for the standard version. The Mega Tub variant extends the length to 1800mm. Payload for the tray is 840kg for the manual, 830kg for the auto, and 800kg for the Mega Tub.

Interestingly, despite its new coil-sprung rear, the T60 Max Plus maintains its 3000kg braked towing capacity, which isn’t the 3500kg industry standard, but is pretty close.

These specs mean the standard tray version is slightly larger than the Ssangyong Musso with a slightly higher payload, although it can tow 500kg less. It has a lower payload and a smaller tray than the GWM Ute, although it can tow about the same amount.

The T60 Max Plus has improved the formula in a few ways, but still feels a bit rudimentary in others.

The awkward seating position does provide quite a commanding view of the road, and makes it easy to gauge where the end of the bonnet is. This is useful parking in a city, but will also have benefits off the road. The 360-degree camera suite also helps with this manoeuvrability.

Interestingly the steering is quite good. This Max Plus is the only variant to score a fully electric power steering rack, as opposed to the lesser power assisted steering rack. It’s initially alarmingly light, but it also makes the T60 a breeze to steer unlike some utes in this class, and I was surprised to find it still had a sufficient amount of feel to give it confidence in the corners.

Yes, this is one of the most powerful 2.0-litre diesels, but it doesn’t feel particularly overwhelming to drive. The transmission, too, despite the brand bragging about its ZF sourcing, feels a bit transparent and rudimentary lumping through the gears with a degree of clumsiness. Still, it’s predictable and does what it says on the tin.

The same goes for the 4H and even ‘automatic’ 4x4 settings, which I found was surprisingly quick to activate if you started slipping on mud or wet tarmac.

The awkward seating position does provide quite a commanding view of the road, and makes it easy to gauge where the end of the bonnet is. (Image: Tom White)

Another less than impressive trait is the amount of sound produced. Supposedly this Pro Max version has additional sound deadening over the other variants, and yet the clatter of the diesel engine proved a constant in the cabin at freeway speeds or any time you needed to accelerate hard.

This particular version of the T60 should also feature an improved ride compared to its relations thanks to swapping the leaf sprung rear suspension out for coils, but I was surprised to find it was still quite stiff. No doubt this inherent hardness is down maintaining the same towing capacity. It makes it a bit jiggly when you drive it over the regular sort of road imperfections and corrugations. One wonders what the point of having coil spring suspension is at all if it’s going to feel more or less the same as leaf sprung alternatives.

One area that was particularly pleasing to me was the way the new active safety equipment wasn't overly invasive. There were a few moments where the lane keep tech intervened a bit too hard, but it’s pretty hands off as far as the rest of the systems go.

Overall then it does what it says on the tin, and is surprisingly easy to steer, although it doesn’t really excel at anything, which can be a hard sell in an environment where many utes are more passenger car like than ever.

LDV continues to have a confusing array of ownership terms across its range. In the case of the T60, it’s seven years and 200,000km, with five years of roadside assist.

It is also one of the only brands on the market not offering any kind of capped-price service program, so it’s a mystery how much it will cost to run. Servicing is required once every 12 months or 15,000km.