LDV T60 vs Fiat Ducato

What's the difference?

The Max Plus brings a lot of welcome upgrades to the T60 range, particularly in its previously non-existent active safety suite, but it’s not all good news. There are still a few areas where this ageing ute could use a lot of polish.

Still, there’s something to be said for how refreshingly straightforward much of it is, and for the most part its specs and features are up to the task of competing with many more expensive alternatives.

The latest Fiat Ducato, in MWB MR configuration with optional nine-speed auto, is a competent competitor in the 3501-8000kg GVM segment. Its class-leading two-tonne-plus payload rating would have considerable appeal for those who need to carry exceptionally heavy loads and we couldn’t find any major flaws in its design and performance. However, the warranty is short and there are niggling issues in terms of driver comfort, which if addressed would increase the Ducato’s appeal.

The T60 Max Plus takes the visage of a factory-kitted version of the existing T60 Plus. The most notable difference this time around is the unique gloss black grille design which features a new spot to hide the front radar array for the safety suite, alongside new gloss wheel designs and that huge sports bar fitting atop the tray.

To my eye at least the T60 looks a fair bit more rugged and industrial than most of its rivals, which with every iteration are looking more like passenger vehicles than work-ready utes. Still, there’s an aggressiveness to its contrast black trims and tall ride height which may appeal to some. For others it will be more function-over-form, with less bumper overhang than something like the SsangYong Musso and there’s something to be said for that, too, I suppose.

Inside is where this Max Plus version sets itself apart from the rest of the range with its abundance of screen real-estate, upgraded materials, and an almost EV-like centre console treatment.

It’s certainly more digital-feeling and contemporary than the rest of the T60 range, but it might lose some of the simple but rugged appeal of its interior as a result.

The screens look pretty slick, especially when you’re using phone mirroring to hide the otherwise clumsy stock software suite. It’s one thing to have nice big screens, it’s quite another to have slick, attractive, and customisable software to match.

Sadly, that’s not the case for the Max Plus, which offers one lacklustre look and feel for the dash cluster, paired with an array of confusing menus on the multimedia screen.

The MWB MR's front-wheel drive chassis rides on a 3450mm wheelbase with 12.5-metre turning circle. It’s 5413mm long, 2050mm wide and 2539mm tall, so like numerous van rivals in this GVM class it can’t access shopping centre and underground carparks which typically have a 2.2-metre height limit.

Underpinnings are simple and rugged, combining coil-spring strut front suspension with a leaf-spring rigid-tube rear axle that’s well designed for heavy load-carrying, with compressible rubber cones between body and axle that provide a second stage of support. There’s also four-wheel disc brakes, power-assisted rack and pinion steering and ample hard-wearing black plastic protecting the most vulnerable areas of the bodywork from scrapes and dents.

A sealed steel bulkhead separates the cabin from the cargo bay, insulating driver and passengers from load area noise and doubling as a robust cargo barrier. Its sliding window is ideally positioned to allow the driver or passenger to make a quick over-shoulder glance to check that their load is secure. Leg room for the centre passenger is unusually generous, even for tall adults, which would be appreciated by a crew of three.

Interestingly, the rear barn-door windows are heated but there are no wiper/washers fitted. At first this appeared to be an oversight, but having driven the Ducato in heavy rain we were surprised at how spray-free the rear screens remained and how clean they were afterwards.

Our only gripes are that the driver’s left footrest is so short you can only rest your toes on it. It’s a shame the excellent full-length one that resides in the passenger footwell (which of course is the driver’s footwell in LHD models) can’t migrate across the cabin for RHD versions. Driver comfort would be further improved with more rake adjustment in the base cushion.

The small 5.0-inch infotainment screen also makes it difficult to see much detail in the vision provided by the reversing camera. The optional 7.0-inch screen would be an improvement here, but is only available as part of the Comfort and Tech Pack.

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 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 Ducato’s 2060kg kerb weight and 4250kg GVM results in a huge 2190kg payload rating which dwarfs rivals we've tested including the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ford Transit and its Peugeot Boxer sibling. It's also rated to tow up to 2250kg of braked trailer but given that Fiat does not publish a GCM (Gross Combination Mass) number, we can’t confirm if it can tow that weight while carrying a full payload.

The cargo bay, with a competitive 11.5 cubic metres of load volume, has an unprotected load floor that’s 3120mm long and 1870mm wide with 1422mm between the wheel housings. Therefore, it can easily carry two 1165mm-square standard Aussie pallets or three 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets, held in place by eight sturdy load-anchorage points.

There’s also ample forklift access through either the rear barn-doors, which can swing open to 270 degrees with a combined 1562mm-wide opening, or the sliding side doors with their 1250mm-wide openings.

All doors and walls are lined to mid-height and the raised roof cavity allows even tall adults to stand inside without stooping. It also provides a large and very useful storage area over the driver’s cabin, which is ideal for stowing ropes, straps, load-padding etc.

There’s plenty of cabin storage too, with large-bottle holders and two levels of storage bins in each front door. The dashboard offers numerous open storage bins plus small-bottle/cup holders, a glovebox, large overhead map shelf and storage tray under the driver’s seat. The centre seat’s backrest also folds forward to reveal a handy work desk on the back of it, complete with a spring-loaded clip to hold documents in place, a pen holder and two more small-bottle/cup holders.

Our white test vehicle is the MWB MR, which translates to Medium Wheel Base Mid-Roof. It’s one of four Ducato van configurations featuring medium, long and extra-long wheelbases and two roof heights.

They’re all powered by a new 2.3 litre turbo-diesel engine, with a list price of $48,300 for the MWB MR with standard six-speed manual or $51,190 with the optional new nine-speed torque converter automatic like our test vehicle. It also has an extra side-sliding door that adds another $1190.

A few of the standard features include 16-inch steel wheels with heavy-duty 215/75 R16C tyres and a full-size spare (16-inch alloys optional), infotainment system with 5.0-inch touchscreen, USB/AUX connectivity and steering wheel controls, power-adjustable and heated exterior mirror, dual passenger seat with three-point central seatbelt, single cargo bay side-sliding door, twin rear barn-doors with 270-degree opening, reversing camera/rear parking sensors plus an upgraded safety suite headlined by AEB.

There’s also a wide choice of colours and other options including the Comfort and Tech Pack which for an additional $2190 brings a larger 7.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, plus sat-nav, LED daytime running lights, automatic climate control and tyre pressure monitoring.

For the same price you can also get a Safety Plus Pack comprising rain/dusk sensor, auto high beam, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, fog lights, traction control and all-season tyres.

The T60 Max range lays claim to one of the most powerful 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engines - a bi-turbo unit producing 160kW/500Nm with peak torque arriving from 1500rpm.

It is mated to either a six-speed manual, or an eight-speed ZF-sourced torque converter automatic transmission.

It has a 2H, 4H, and 4L selector (alongside an automatic setting for the Plus Max), and is equipped with a rear differential locker (which can only operate below 30km/h).

For those looking to venture well beyond the tarmac the T60 Max Plus has a 27-degree approach angle, a 24-degree departure angle, 220mm of ground clearance, and a 19-degree rampover angle. Wading depth is 550mm, and it has a 12.7-meter kerb-to-kerb turning circle.

The all-new drivetrain features Fiat’s latest 2.3 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with Multi-Jet 2 electronically-controlled common rail direct injection, variable-vane turbocharging, intercooler and Euro 6-emissions compliance using AdBlue. It produces 130kW at 3500rpm and (in automatic models) 450Nm of torque which peaks at 1500rpm. In case you’re wondering, the red ‘180’ body badges denote European metric horsepower.

The new ZF nine-speed torque converter automatic is a sweet-shifting transmission which Fiat claims is designed to optimise the engine’s torque delivery and fuel economy. It has a sequential manual-shift function if required, which could be useful if hauling big payloads in hilly terrain, but works most efficiently when left alone.

The official combined fuel consumption of the diesel-only Max Plus is 9.3L/100km for the manual or 8.9L/100km for the automatic.

With over 500km of testing with plenty of freeway miles, our automatic example produced an as-tested number of 9.3L/100km.

Fiat does not publish a combined average consumption figure for the Ducato, but the dash display was claiming 10.2L/100km at the end of our test, which covered almost 300km of which more than a third was with a heavy payload. We also had the auto stop-start function switched off. That consumption figure was very close to our own, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, of 10.6L. So, based on our numbers you could expect a real-world driving range of around 850km from its 90-litre tank.

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.

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.

There’s a commanding view for the driver thanks to a panoramic windscreen and clear eye-lines to the truck-sized door mirrors. There’s also reasonable but cluttered vision through the central rear-view mirror, which is partly obscured by the centre seat’s headrest.

The cabin bulkhead is effective in all but eliminating cargo bay noise and engine/wind noise volume is commendably low even on the highway. The highest audible intrusion at those speeds comes from the front tyres, which is acceptable on smooth bitumen surfaces but increases on coarser grades.

Its leather-rimmed steering wheel is nice to use and thanks to the driver’s door moulding and fold-down in-board armrest, there’s evenly balanced elbow support to relieve strain on the neck and shoulders.

The engine and nine-speed auto transmission are well matched, providing energetic performance when prodded and crisp, decisive shifting. Long-legged highway gearing allows 100km/h at 1500rpm (which is also bang on maximum torque) and less than 1700rpm at 110km/h. Ride quality when empty or lightly loaded can get bouncy on bumpy roads, which is not unexpected from suspension with a two-tonne-plus payload capacity.

Our main criticism is insufficient rake adjustment in the driver’s seat base cushion. There’s not enough angle available to stop the driver sliding forwards, requiring constant repositioning that becomes tiring after a while. More rake in the base cushion, combined with a decent-sized left footrest, would solve this issue.

Also annoying is the audible lane-departure warning, which is too loud and sounds like you’re being zapped by a ray-gun in an old sci-fi movie if you step out of line. A less confronting warning would be welcome.

There’s no ANCAP ratings for this GVM division and above, but the latest Ducato is equipped with AEB, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, reversing camera plus driver and dual-passenger airbags as standard. Buyers can also option the Safety Plus Pack mentioned earlier.

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.

Three years/200,000km warranty looks undercooked compared to the five years/unlimited km offered by some rivals. Scheduled servicing, though, is excellent for hard-working vans at 48,000km/12 months whichever occurs first. Five years of Fiat Professional servicing, based on a total distance of 240,000km, equals $6756.99 or an average of $1351.40 per year.