Mercedes-Benz Vito vs LDV Deliver 9

What's the difference?

This is a very competent light commercial van that’s nice to drive, either unladen or with a heavy load. It’s also rated to carry more than a tonne (like the HiAce) while towing 2.5 tonnes (one tonne more than the HiAce) which would make it well suited to a wide range of job applications, particularly given the forklift-friendly option of rear barn-doors.

However, even in standard trim, without our test vehicle’s options, it costs about $20K more than Toyota’s dominant rival. So, only a potential buyer can decide if the Vito’s much higher pricing is justified after a decent test drive and consideration of its higher tow rating - and perceived prestige.

It has its flaws, like any vehicle, but it’s not as far away from segment leaders in terms of refinement and performance that its bargain-basement pricing might suggest. Whichever way you look at it, this is a lot of van for not a lot of money.

Our test vehicle rides on a 3200m wheelbase, which is the shorter of two available, resulting in an overall vehicle length of more than 5.0 metres (5140mm) and a tight 11.1-metre turning circle. Its 1915mm height ensures access to underground and multi-storey carparks.

It looks a cut above the usual whitegoods-on-wheels appearance of commercial vans with its alloy wheels, chrome grille highlights and black metallic paint including the front and rear bumpers. It has MacPherson strut front suspension, semi-trailing arm coil-spring rear suspension (which is excellent under heavy loads) and four-wheel disc brakes.

Although the driver’s bucket seat offers multiple adjustments, the separate bench seat for two passengers has none, but it does include a separate headrest and lap-sash belt for the centre passenger. All are trimmed in black 'Caluma' fabric.

However, if you’re tall with large feet like me, you’ll struggle to find a comfortable position in the centre seat. Given that its base cushion is offset to the left of the floor’s transmission hump, you can’t sit with feet either side of the hump.

The only choices are to squeeze both feet on top of the hump between dash and seat (not enough room for my size-11 Blundstones) or angle both legs across to the left with your feet on the passenger floor and knees pressing into the dash. Either way, travelling three-up is for short trips only, with the smallest crew-member preferably in the middle.

If imitation is the greatest form of flattery then Ford should be blushing, because the Deliver 9 appears to draw a lot of exterior design inspiration from the Transit van. It’s a substantial vehicle, as they tend to be in this weight division, with a 3750mm wheelbase and 14.2 metre turning circle, length of almost 6.0 metres (5940mm) and width of 2466mm. Its 2535mm height excludes it from underground and shopping centre carparks with typical height limits of 2.2 metres.

The rear-wheel drive chassis construction is simple and robust, with MacPherson strut front suspension, multi-leaf live axle rear suspension with supplementary rubber cones to boost support of heavy loads, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes. There’s also ample use of hard-wearing black plastic on lower body sections where most scrapes and dents appear.

The cargo bay is accessed by one kerbside sliding door and dual rear-barn doors with 180-degree opening. The walls are lined to mid-height and there’s no roof lining. Bright LEDs provide ample lighting and even though our test vehicle was not the high-roof model, there was enough headroom for tall adults to stand without stooping. 

The cabin has a spacious and airy feel, even with a crew of three aboard, thanks largely to a banana-shaped dashboard with ends that curve towards the windscreen providing wide entry access and passenger legroom which is unusually generous for a commercial van.

The cabin has higher-grade look than you would expect at this price, with a tasteful two-tone blend of light/dark grey plastics and faux carbon fibre inserts on the dash along with comfortable, supportive seats with quality-feel fabrics.

However, there is room for improvement, as there’s no cargo protection for driver and passengers, no driver’s left footrest, crackly AM radio reception (too bad if you like talkback) and a poor-quality image projected by the reversing camera.

With its relatively light 1967kg kerb weight (a HiAce equivalent tops 2200kg) and 3050kg GVM, our test vehicle has a 1083kg payload rating, so it’s a genuine one-tonner. And up to 150kg of that can be carried on the roof, where you’ll find four pairs of mounting points along each side of the roof ready for rack-mounting.

It’s also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer and with its 5550kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it’s rated to tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum payload. That’s an impressive and useful set of numbers.

The cargo bay, which offers a competitive 6.0 cubic metres of load volume, is accessed by sliding doors on each side with 822mm opening width (although the top half of the cabin bulkhead encroaches on this) and a swing-up tailgate which restricts forklift access for rear loading (a twin barn-door option is available).

The walls and doors of the cargo bay are lined and its wooden load floor is 2678mm long and 1709mm wide with 1270mm between the rear-wheel housings. So, it could carry two 1165mm-square standard Aussie pallets or up to three 800 x 1200mm Euro pallets, secured using your choice of eight load-anchorage points. There’s also a large storage area at the base of the bulkhead which is ideal for carrying ropes, straps, load-padding etc.

There are numerous personal storage places in the cabin, including large bottle-holders and bins in the base of each door plus a second-tier at mid-height for smaller items. There are also three bins and two cupholders in the top of the dash-pad plus an overhead glasses holder, decent-sized glove box and a sizeable storage compartment hidden beneath the outer passenger seat.

Its 2358kg kerb weight and 4000kg GVM leaves a competitive maximum payload of 1642kg. It’s also rated to tow up to 2800kg of braked trailer but given the GCM figure (or how much you can legally carry and tow at the same time) is not published, we can’t tell you how much payload it can legally carry while towing that weight. 

We struck a similar problem testing a G10 LDV van as far back as 2017, when LDV could not provide the GCM despite a direct approach to the factory in China. Why such a fundamental figure must remain secret is a mystery to us and could be a deal-breaker if you need to tow and carry.

The cargo bay offers a competitive 10.97 cubic metres of load volume. Its load floor’s 3413mm length, 1800mm width and 1366mm between wheel housings means it can easily carry two 1165mm-square Aussie pallets or up to four 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets, held in place by a choice of eight sturdy load anchorage points. There’s also a small cave above the cabin which is ideal for carrying straps, ropes, load padding, tarps etc.

There’s more than ample cabin storage too, with large-bottle holders and two levels of storage in each front door, numerous nooks of different shapes and sizes across the dashboard including a driver’s cup holder, plus a single glove-box and large overhead storage shelf with central sunglasses holder.

Pivoting the two passenger seat base cushions forward reveals another big storage area beneath them. The centre seat backrest also folds down to reveal a handy work desk on the back if it, which includes two cup holders. Overall, there’s smart use of space here.

Our test vehicle is the long wheelbase mid-roof, which is part of a three-model Deliver 9 range offering mixed wheelbase and roof height combinations. According to local distributor Ateco, the van’s unusual name has no real significance beyond the fact that in China it’s sold as the V90, so given Volvo’s existing V90 nomenclature, LDV changed the name to Deliver 9 in export markets.

Available only with a 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine, the standard transmission is a six-speed manual or there’s the optional six-speed automatic like our test vehicle, which has an RRP of $44,726. Needless to say, that’s a massive saving compared to top-selling van rivals like the Ford Transit 350L LWB RWD auto at $54,090 and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 314 CDI LWB RWD auto at $66,240.

Colour choice is limited to Blanc White or Pacific Blue. It comes equipped with 16-inch steel wheels and 235/65R16C tyres with a full-size spare, plus checker-plate-pattern rubber flooring throughout, LED cargo bay lighting, big truck-style power adjustable and heated side mirrors with indicators, seating for three including an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat with fold-down inboard armrest and an multimedia system with big 10.1-inch touchscreen, two USB ports and Apple CarPlay (but no Android Auto) to name a few. There’s even a rare and endangered cigarette lighter and ashtray.

LDV also offers a $1500 options pack which adds 236-degree rear door opening (except mid-wheelbase model), blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist and remote keyless entry with push button start.

The refined and efficient 'OM654' is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder intercooled turbo-diesel which meets the toughest Euro 6 emissions standards using AdBlue. It produces 120kW at 4200rpm and its 380Nm is served at full strength across a broad torque band between 1350-2400rpm, which highlights its flexibility.

The '9G-Tronic' nine-speed torque converter automatic offers fast and smooth shifting and there are four switchable driving modes comprising 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' or 'Manual', the latter using steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifters.

LDV’s Euro 5-compliant 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel produces 110kW at 3500rpm and 375Nm between 1500-2400rpm, which is adequate but not class-leading. It also offers a choice of Eco and Power driving modes and auto stop/start. 

The six-speed torque converter automatic is smooth-shifting and easy to use. It also has the option of sequential manual-shifting which can be handy at times when hauling heavy loads, particularly in hilly terrain to save the transmission from continually hunting for gears.

Mercedes-Benz claims an official combined cycle figure of 6.8L/100km but the dash readout was showing 8.1 at the end of our 348km test, of which about one third of that distance was hauling more than one tonne of payload.

That was lineball with our own figure, calculated from tripmeter and fuel bowser readings, of 8.3 which is outstanding single-digit economy given its big payload and GCM ratings. So, based on our figures, you could expect a ‘real world’ driving range of around 840km from its 70-litre tank.

The dash display was showing an average combined figure of 11.0L/100km at the end of our 290km test, with the auto start/stop function disabled and about a third of that distance hauling maximum payload. Our figure crunched from fuel bowser and tripmeter came in at 12L/100km, so you could expect a real-world driving range of around 660km from its 80-litre tank.

It offers a comfortable driving position with good eyelines to all mirrors, even though the central mirror’s view through the bulkhead window is slightly obscured by the centre seat headrest.

There’s a vast blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder caused by the bulkhead and solid cargo bay walls. This requires total reliance on the passenger-side door mirror in traffic, fortunately with the reassurance of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

The driver’s seat, with its fold-down inboard armrest and multiple adjustment, is supportive and comfortable even though the recline angle of the backrest is restricted by the bulkhead behind it. Fortunately, there’s enough recline available, even for tall drivers.

The leather-trimmed steering wheel has a luxurious feel which is in stark contrast to the foot-operated parking brake, which lets out a loud spring-loaded ‘twang’ each time you pull the dashboard lever to release it.

It’s nice to drive on a daily basis as the bulkhead seals off cargo bay noise, steering is nicely weighted, the four-wheel discs provide strong braking and the unladen ride quality with four-coil suspension is smooth and supple.

At city and suburban speeds, the nine-speed auto is efficient at keeping the turbo-diesel operating in its broad peak torque band, with energetic throttle response that never feels sluggish.

With adaptive cruise control it also has effortless highway performance, requiring only 1500rpm to maintain 100km/h and 1750rpm at 110km/h. Engine and wind noise are low, but tyre noise varies according to road surface and can be quite intrusive on coarse bitumen at these higher speeds.

To test its payload rating, we forklifted 975kg into the cargo bay. With the raised tailgate restricting forklift access, we could only load one weight-block through the rear and that was only possible using extended tynes on the forklift. The other two blocks were loaded through the side doors.

With driver the total payload was 1065kg, which was less than 20kg under its limit. The coil-spring rear suspension compressed 75mm, which engaged the long rubber cones located inside the coils that provide a second stage of load support and a ride quality that’s free of thumps over bumps. The nose rose 30mm in response.

With more than a tonne on board, the Vito handled the load with ease. Although more accelerator pedal was needed, particularly on hills, the handling remained stable and it glided over bumps.

It also scoffed at our 13 per cent gradient 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, self-shifting down to third gear to easily haul this load to the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, wasn’t as effective which is usually the case with relatively small diesels trying to restrain heavy payloads on steep descents. The quartet of disc brakes kept our speeds below the posted 60km/h limit.

It’s pleasantly civilised to drive unladen, even on bumpy roads. With rock-hard tyre pressures (front 51psi, rear 71psi) recommended for load-carrying, the unladen ride remained disciplined and relatively smooth, so LDV has done a good job with the suspension tuning.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the low internal noise levels, not only in city and suburban driving but also at highway speeds. We can only assume that the load floor’s thick rubber flooring, which also covers the rear wheel housings, is effective in reducing the higher noise levels typically experienced in vans without cabin bulkheads like this one.

There are clear eye-lines to the door mirrors and the view through the rear doors using the central mirror is also uncluttered. There’s evenly-balanced elbow support for the driver between the fold-down inboard armrest and door moulding. However, we did miss having a left footrest.

With maximum torque available across a broad band between 1600-2400rpm, the engine displays good flexibility in city and suburban driving, even though it lacks the instant punch of rivals like the Transit’s stellar 2.0 litre EcoBoost engine when operating in its peak torque zone. The engine only needs 2000rpm at 100km/h and 2250rpm at 110km/h, but the degree of push required on the accelerator pedal to maintain it feels like it’s punching above its weight a little in either drive mode.

Our only major gripe is the adaptive cruise control. Usually these systems will automatically resume their pre-set speed, after being given clear road ahead following a lane change from behind a slower vehicle. However, our test vehicle required tapping the accelerator each time a lane change was made to resume the set speed. It also required this reset technique after downhill braking, so some refinement here would be welcome.

There’s no ANCAP required in the 3501-800kg GVM class but it comes well equipped for the money with AEB, lane-departure warning, reverse parking sensors and wide-view reversing camera, hill-hold assist, adaptive cruise control and stability control. There’s also driver and passenger front, side and curtain airbags. No cross-traffic alert but blind-spot monitoring and lane-change assist are available as part of the previously mentioned options pack.

The Vito is covered by a five-year/250,000km warranty including a 24-hour roadside assist support package. Service intervals are 12 months/25,000km whichever occurs first.

A choice of three capped-price service plans is available, including 'Best Basic Pre-Paid' which covers five scheduled services for a total cost of $4892, or an average of $978 per service.

LDV’s national network of 82 dealers inspires more confidence than the three years/160,000km warranty, which is less than the major players – but then its purchase price is much lower too. Scheduled servicing is six months/5000km then 12 months/35,000km whichever occurs first and 12 months/30,000km after that. Capped-price servicing program of $1895 covers the first three years or 95,000km whichever occurs first.