The LDV D90 has made landfall in South Africa with two units that are set to undergo the final homologation process before the vehicle goes on sale to the public later this year.
The D90 is the second model to come from LDV, a new Chinese automaker that made its debut in May with the T60 double-cab bakkie.
As is fairly common practice within the industry, the D90 is a seven-seater SUV that uses a body-on-frame design, as its chassis and mechanical underpinnings are borrowed from the T60 pickup.
There are four well-known examples of this type of SUV in South Africa, starting with the top-selling Toyota Fortuner, which shares its roots with the Hilux bakkie.
The other cases are the Ranger-derived Ford Everest, the Triton-based Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, and the D-Max-sourced Isuzu mu-X, all of which use the same engine line-up as their utilitarian counterparts but trade the load bin for two extra seats.
With the LDV’s launch window fast approaching, it’s worth checking out how it compares to each of these well-established nameplates to see if it has what it takes to compete in one of South Africa’s toughest segments.
A new competitor enters the ring
Starting things off, we need to look at the powertrain selection, which is complicated by the fact that the Mitsubishi and LDV have one engine, while the others have two.
You can see how they compare in the table below:
Model | Engines | Power |
---|---|---|
Isuzu mu-X | 1.9-litre turbo-diesel
3.0-litre turbo-diesel |
110kW/350Nm
140kW/450Nm |
Toyota Fortuner | 2.4-litre turbo-diesel
2.8-litre turbo-diesel |
110kW/400Nm
150kW/500Nm |
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport | 2.4-litre turbo-diesel | 133kW/430Nm |
Ford Everest | 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel
3.0-litre turbo-diesel |
154kW/500Nm
184kW/600Nm |
LDV D90 | 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel | 160kW/500Nm |
The mu-X’s 1.9-litre option has the lowest output of the group while the Everest has the highest power ceiling, though interestingly the D90 has the highest starting point as it is the second most powerful without a more expensive drivetrain to back it up.
To get a sense of what you can do with that power, here is a breakdown of each SUV’s towing capabilities:
Model | Towing capacity |
---|---|
Isuzu mu-X | 2,100kg – 3,500kg |
Toyota Fortuner | 2,500kg – 3,300kg |
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport | 2,700kg |
LDV D90 | 3,100kg |
Ford Everest | 3,500kg |
Again, the Isuzu sets the floor with 2,100kg but it’s more ardent 3.0-litre block actually keeps up with the Everest at 3,500kg.
It’s a similar story with the Fortuner, meaning the Pajero has the lowest potential at 2,700kg.
Like with the engine outputs, the Chinese newcomer is the second-best overall.
This does come with a cost, however, as is reflected in each vehicle’s fuel consumption:
Model | Fuel consumption |
---|---|
Toyota Fortuner | 6.8l – 7.9l/100km |
Isuzu mu-X | 7.0l – 7.6l/100km |
Ford Everest | 7.5l – 8.5l/100km |
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport | 8.1l/100km |
LDV D90 | 9.2l/100km |
The Fortuner is the winner here, though it should be noted that the 6.8l/100km figure is achieved by the less powerful 2.4-litre engine, and not the recently added 2.8-litre 48V mild-hybrid units.
This time, it’s LDV who tops the list, which isn’t surprising as there is a recurring theme of Chinese cars being thirstier than their rivals.
To wrap things up, we need to look at each model’s price range, but this is complicated by the fact that the D90’s pricing has yet to be announced.
Making things even less clear is the fact that South Africa is getting the next-gen D90, meaning its sticker will likely be quite different from the units currently sold overseas even before factoring in the exchange rate and import costs.
For better context, we can check the price of the other models:
Model | Lowest price | Highest price |
---|---|---|
LDV D90 | To be announced | To be announced |
Toyota Fortuner | R679,100 | R961,800 |
Isuzu mu-X | R722,200 | R970,300 |
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport | R789,990 | R904,990 |
Ford Everest | R904,200 | R1,240,600 |
It’s quite possible that the LDV will be on the more affordable end of the scale, based on the precedent set by the T60.
The T60 is a competitor to the bakkies previously mentioned, and the flagship model goes for R790,000 – about the same as the Triton and far less than the top-end Ranger Platinum, Hilux Legend RS, and D-Max V-Cross.
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