LDV Deliver 7 2024 Review

The 2024 LDV Deliver 7 was dispatched to dealerships this month in two models the Short Wheel Base at $44,726 (drive away) and Long Wheel Base ($46,832 driveaway). This adds about $10k to the freight over the smaller LDV G10 and slightly bigger (depending on wheelbase) LDV V80, but has more tech and safety and has an automatic transmission as standard. Warranty is seven years/200,000km, with five years (unlimited kilometres) of free roadside assist. Servicing is due at six months/5000km then every 20,000km. There’s no capped price servicing, but approximate costs from LDV for the first three years of servicing are: six months/5000km - $344; one year/25,000km - $657 two years/45,000km - $948 three years/65,000km - $695. Labour rates, consumables and so on will differ between dealers, but those estimates (totalling $2644 over three years) is on the high side. The Toyota HiAce, despite requiring servicing every six months/ 10,000km, is just $1740 for the same period.

At least the Deliver 7 has a large consignment of safety and technology. Features such as active cruise control with stop and go, emergency lane keep assist and lane change assist, blind spot monitoring and a 12.3-inch multimedia screen are the big news here, and these make it a lot more competitive against the likes of the Toyota HiAce, Hyundai Staria Load and Ford Transit Custom.

Aside from the dimensional and load capacity difference (6.3 cubic metres for SWB; 7.2 for LWB) both variants share almost identical specs, including power windows, keyless entry and start, height adjustable driver’s seat with height, seatbase angle, lumbar support and armrest, rain sensing wipers and power-adjustable, heated side mirrors. The cabin area has vinyl flooring and there’s no cargo barrier. While LDV doesn’t offer an accessory cargo barrier or bulkhead, aftermarket options start at about $1200 (plus fitting).

In the load area, there’s rear barn doors with glass, either six (SWB) or eight (LWB) tie-down points, LED lighting, non-slip rubber flooring and a (left side) single sliding door. For the dual side sliders, you have to pay an extra $1500 for the ‘Option Pack’, which also includes 16-inch alloys and a 360-degree camera.

With two overall lengths to choose from (SWB: 4998mmm; LWB: 5364mm) and a cargo area of 6.3 cubic metres (SWB) or 7.2 cubic metres (LWB), you get 2547mm cargo length in SWB and 2913mm in LWB. Both variants share 1800mm maximum width (1390mm between wheelarches; enough to fit an Aussie pallet) and 1428mm height. Payload is 1295kg in SWB and 1230kg in LWB, which LDV claims is class-leading (for the SWB at least). Both models can tow up to 2000kg (braked), or 750kg (unbraked).

Infotainment is carried via an AM/FM/DAB receiver, MP3 player and (wired) smart phone streaming controlled via the centre 12.3-inch touchscreen and audio arrives via four speakers. There’s one USB-C and two USB-A ports on the dash plus a 12v auxiliary port. The driver also has a 4.2-inch digital display between analogue instruments, that cycles though various menus (via steering wheel controls) that include a trip computer, digital speed readout, audio info, active safety systems, fault messages and more.

LDV has parcelled up the Deliver 7 with six airbags -- driver and front passenger, side airbags and side curtain airbags. There’s also Autonomous Emergency Braking (car-to-car, pedestrian and cyclist); adaptive cruise control with stop and go; front collision warning; emergency lane keep assist and lane change assist; blind spot monitoring; front and rear parking sensors; and rear cross traffic alert are all shipped with every Delivery 7.

Although not yet crash tested as part of ANCAP, the safety body has assessed the similar eDeliver 7 as part of its Commercial Van Safety Comparison which assesses the fitment and performance of the active (collision avoidance) safety systems fitted to commercial vans and awarded it a ‘Gold’ rating. The eDeliver 7 was given an ‘good’ overall performance and a 77 per cent score card, but the report noted performance of the eDeliver 7's speed assistance system (alerting the driver to the local speed limit) was assessed as marginal (as we found in the Deliver 7 too). Some autonomous emergency braking reversing scenarios highlighted an area for improvement.

Only one powertrain package is provided with the Deliver 7, and that is a 123kW/390Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel driving front wheels through a nine-speed automatic.

The 2024 LDV Deliver 7 has the size, tech and safety of competitors without going over the top when it comes to price – it’s roughly $5k to $10k cheaper than similar alternatives from other manufacturers.

The interior has some pleasant touches for a work vehicle, with padded door card tops, plenty of storage bins and the like and comfortable seats, with ample seat adjustment for the driver. The instruments and infotainment system are surprisingly easy to navigate, and vision out of the cabin is also very good.

The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel gets the Deliver 7 along nicely, with barely any lag down low and a solid wedge of mid-range torque as you’d hope for in this engine design, although that great acceleration response at city speeds is much more muted on the freeway. Fuel consumption reached 11.0L/100km in mostly stop-start city traffic, but reached a low of 7.2L/100km just cruising on the open road.

Bare vans can be like an echo chamber especially without a bulkhead but this one is quieter than we expected. This is not a nasty van to drive in terms of its ride -- with a couple hundred kilos of load at least, it’s acceptable.

While the price and warranty provisions make the 2024 LDV Deliver 7 seem like an attractive package, the lack of capped price servicing to date makes for maintenance uncertainty when compared with the opposition. Even though LDV has given us a price indication, it’s up to the dealers what they charge.

While you can get a second sliding door as part of the $1500 option package, and a cargo barrier for about $1200 (plus fitting), these are standard on some competitor vans.

While the cabin generally has everything you need, the tilt-only steering column adjustment and the lack of additional storage spots you see in other vans (such as overhead, under seats and on the dash) are negatives, if not actually deal-breakers.

The fuel flap is either ingenious or something you’ll start to see puzzled Deliver 7 drivers trying to work out at servo forecourts. Positioned just behind the passenger door, the fuel flap lip is covered by the edge of the passenger door. To open the flap to get pumping, you must open the door first. The flap’s plastic hinges are also a bit fragile.

While some active safety systems such as active cruise control worked well, some were a bit bonkers. Like the speed limit warning, that ‘read’ a 10km/h zone (it was a 50km/h zone) and beeped and flashed a warning incessantly with it. There are other noises and on-dash warnings from the safety systems (such as driver distraction/fatigue, lane keeping), which collude to distract you more than anything else. Some can be switched off in the infotainment menus, but others (like the speed warning beeping) seem to reboot on start up. The point is, some of the Deliver 7’s active safety systems seem to need further development to iron out the rough creases.

The 2024 LDV Deliver 7 is a stand-out for those who value the bottom line on purchase price, warranty provisions and standard safety and tech features. It has good cargo carrying space, driver amenity and performance. Yet the Deliver 7 lacks service price certainty, while items most buyers want like a second sliding door and cargo barrier cost extra and active safety features don’t work as seamlessly as they could.

2024 LDV Deliver 7 LWB at a glance: 

Price: $46,832 (drive away)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 124kW/390Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 203g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

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