What's the difference?
So, you’re after an affordable alternative to the increasingly expensive Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger. You need it to be tough enough for work, but also big and comfortable enough to haul family every now and again.
It’s a common predicament, and one that's increasingly served by Chinese and Korean alternatives.
Today, we’re looking at LDV’s latest effort - the T60 Max Plus. While it looks like just another new variant from the outside, it’s hiding some significant changes underneath, and it takes its place at the top of the T60 range in 2024.
Could it be the right ute to fit your budget? Let’s take a look.
While the local motor industry is engaging in much hand wringing and brow furrowing over the rapid influx of new makes and models, experts are busy predicting what may happen in the longer term. What brands will still be here in 10 years? Or even ten months…
It’s a bit of a lottery, really, but in the short term, one thing is for absolute certain: Cars are getting cheaper to buy.
That’s despite a never-before-seen level of technology and sophistication, too, and we’re now seeing full electric vehicles hitting the market at $30,000 or so - a number unheard of just a year or two ago when front-loading an EV’s ownership costs was a given.
But it’s happening in the dual-cab ute world, too. Disruptors like the BYD Shark 6 and the GWM Cannon Alpha have taught us that a turbo-diesel driveline is not necessarily the way forward for all of us. And now there’s this vehicle, the JAC Hunter dual-cab which stretches the concept of fries-with-that across an even tighter budget.
The Hunter is not just an off-road capable dual-cab: It’s also a plug-in hybrid with a sophisticated driveline that offers a claimed 100km of EV-only running from a full battery. But the Hunter is not just a techno statement, it also hits the market at under $50,000.
Interested? So were we.
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 JAC Hunter is not yet perfected, but it’s a big step up from its diesel-powered sibling, the T9. The plug-in hybrid driveline not only has the potential to reduce running costs (provided its tech is used intelligently) but also provides an alternative to owners who are still gun-shy about the perceived problems of modern turbo-diesel engines.
The big improvements have been wrought in the chassis department, where thousands of kilometres of local testing and validation have achieved a much better car to drive than previously.
We still have our reservations about the calibration of some of the safety systems, and some of the ergonomics involved, however.
Of course, in the end, the success or otherwise of many brands like JAC and vehicles like the Hunter will come down to how the market reacts to the sudden influx of new names and badges. And in that context, purchase price will surely be a major factor. At which point the sub-$50,000 Hunter starts to shine a little brighter.