LDV's billing of the Max Plus as it new flagship suggests the previous flagship versions of the T60 range, the Max Pro and Max Luxe, have both been dropped.
T60 Max Plus was a surprise debutant at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring. Picture: Charl Bosch
Having re-launched its South African operations earlier this month, LDV provided an unexpected surprise at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring this past weekend by debuting a revised T60 bakkie line-up.
Line-up cut
Forming part of the Max range within the T60 family, the new Max Plus trim level introduces a completely restyled interior as part of a major facelift afforded to the T60 in Australia more than two years ago.
Billed by LDV as its new flagship, the Plus, seemingly, becomes the replacement for the Max Pro and Max Luxe variants, which are both still listed on LDV’s South Africa website.
Same mechanicals
Positioned above the normal T60 Pro, the apparent now single T60 Max derivative remains a double cab only model, still powered by the 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel engine that makes 160kW/500Nm.
As before, drive is routed to the rear or all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Also still included is a locking rear differential to go with the low range transfer case.
While LDV South Africa didn’t disclose whether the T60 now has the multi-link rear suspension as it does Down Under, it did confirm a payload of 830 kg and an improved, by five millimetre, ground clearance of 220 mm.
Still unchanged is the 3 000 kg tow rating and the T60’s dimensions of 5 395 mm long, 2 145 mm wide and 1 819 mm tall. Overall wheelbase is also as is at 3 155 mm.
Massive change inside
Stylistically altered with a new grille, front bumper, vents and newly designed 18-inch alloy wheels, the biggest revision resides inside where the centre console now has a floating setup with the upper section housing a new wireless smartphone charging pad and the lower half, a storage area.
Also gone is the gear lever replaced by a steering column-mounted selector and the extensively panned 10.25-inch infotainment system, which departs in favour of a new freestanding 12.3-inch display.
Along with the latter now having Android Auto and not only Apple CarPlay, the instrument cluster is a new 12.3-inch setup, with the final change being new touch-sensitive switches for the climate control and a more prominent four-wheel drive rotary dial on the new console.
No specification details were released as the T60 Max Plus is only expected to officially go on-sale next month.
Price
Revealed, though, was a sticker price of R699 900, a credit of R11 000 over the Max Pro and R91 000 compared to the Max Luxe, which includes a five-year/200 000 km warranty plus a five-year/100 000 km service plan.
