Fiat Ducato vs LDV Terron 9

What's the difference?

The Ducato originated in 1981 through a joint venture between Fiat and PSA Peugeot-Citroen, which are both now part of the recently formed Stellantis conglomerate. The Ducato has evolved through four decades and several generations, with more than 2.6 million sold in a variety of body styles (including popular motorhomes) and wheelbases.

The current generation van, which competes in the 3501-8000kg GVM commercial class, is also marketed as the Peugeot Boxer, which was tested at maximum GVM by CarsGuide in 2020. Despite many similarities between them, the latest iteration of the Ducato is more than just a badge-engineered version of its French sibling.

The MY21 Fiat Professional Ducato Series 7 is equipped with an all-new drivetrain, updated safety and convenience features and a class-leading two-tonne-plus payload capacity, which we recently put to the test.

Need a dual-cab ute? You’re in luck. Not only does Australia have access to a huge variety of makes and models in the dual-cab space, there is also a huge range of prices and equipment levels.

The sweet spot for Aussie buyers, though, seems to be the dual-cab layout with four-wheel drive and enough convenience and safety gear to make the vehicle a viable family car as well as a work truck when necessary. Which is precisely where the Chinese brands including GWM, BYD and LDV have targeted their current ranges.

There’s been a lot of chat about such vehicles lately, but rather than let the formula stagnate, LDV has ushered in the Terron 9, a dual-cab that, size-wise, falls roughly between the familiar makes and models and the full-sized American-made stuff. This is a crucial point, too, as the Terron 9’s extra size might be a hint on where the dual-cab market is going generally. Certainly, every other class of car and ute is creeping up in size, why not dual-cabs too?

Like the other Chinese brands, of course, the Terron 9’s appeal will largely be based on value for money, so it’s worth picking the car apart to find out how it stands in that regard. But this is 2025, so the Terron 9 is also going to have to produce the goods in terms of driving ability and safety, that modern dual-cab buyers are looking for.