Alongside their all-new Deliver 3 electric van, Maxus have also launched a brand new large van the Deliver 9. This replaces the LDV V80 & comes equipped with a brand new 2.0 litre diesel engine with 163hp & DPF regen capability, a first in the sector.
Chinese owners SAIC, changed the name of their European van brand from LDV to Maxus in 2020 & the Deliver 9 is their new take on the large van.
Available in two specs, Standard & Luxury, it’s offered with three body lengths, three heights & three wheelbases, as well as a crew cab, chassis cab & minibus.
Load range’s from 8 cubic metres to 13 cubic metres, with load lengths from 2,650mm to 3,413mm & with a loadspace height from 1,724mm to 2,114mm. Overall width is 1,800mm. The Deliver 9 measure’s 1,366mm between the wheel arches.
The three body lengths are Short; 5,180mm, Medium; 5,546mm & Long; 5,940mm. The three roof heights are Medium; 2,365mm, High; 2,353mm Extra-High; 2,735mm. And the three wheelbases are 3,000mm, 3,366mm & 3,760mm. All versions are 2,466mm wide, including mirrors. There are a couple of longer chassis cab options for conversions & rear-wheel drive (RWD) is offered on the longest versions.
A side loading door is fitted as standard. This measures 1,075mm in width on the Short van, 1,269mm on the Medium & Long versions. The rear door opening is 1,570mm wide & these open to 236 degrees. The rear features an easy to clean cargo space, eight tie-down points & two lights. Options include LED lighting & an electric side step.
Deliver 9 also features standard safety technology such as, lane departure warning, autonomous emergency braking, hill start assist & driver & passenger airbags.
UK models offer a 3,500kg gross vehicle weight (GVW), with payloads of 1,360kg for the FWD Short model up to 1,110kg for the largest RWD version.
Braked towing capacity is 2,500kg for the smallest versions, 2,800kg for the rest of the range & every model will tow 750kg un-braked.
In the flesh the Deliver 9 looks a lot like a Ford Transit, with it’s large front grille, high bonnet & LED headlights, also stealing from the last Volkswagen Crafter. Inside, Maxus have plainly thought long & hard about the cabin & in terms of quality & finish, it’s a million miles away from the old LDV V80.
There’s plenty of top notch black & chrome plastic on show & generous cabin storage, including a large glove box, deep storage space in the doors, hidden space under the bench seating, a foldable seat back with two cup holders & a built-in tablet holder. The dashboard also includes cup holder storage along with a selection of other storage options above the glove box & windscreen visor. You also get twin USB’s & mini jack port, a 12v power socket & on medium & high roof versions, overhead storage too.
Standard equipment includes LED daytime running lights, rear parking sensors, central locking, AirCon, electric windows, a multifunction steering wheel, DAB radio with Bluetooth & an 8 direction adjustable driver’s seat.Move up to the Luxury version & this adds a 10″ touchscreen, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, LED headlights, front & rear parking sensors, a reversing camera with guide assist & no key entry & start.
A unique feature to the Deliver 9 is is a ‘Regen’ button, which you can press to run a cleaning cycle on the diesel particulate filter (DPF). This is to allow the van to self clean the filter preventing it from clogging up, a common problem with diesels undertaking stop & start journeys such as parcel delivery.
More good news is that the the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine, unlike the outgoing LDV V80, meets the latest Euro 6d emissions requirements, whilst also matching a number of European vans on power, with 163hp & 375Nm’s of torque on the more powerful version.
We spent a couple of hours in a Luxury Deliver 9 Short, with Medium roof height, courtesy of Chadderton Motor Company. As we mentioned, after the V80, the dashboard comes as a bit of a shock, but in a good way, looking & feeling high end. Again, Maxus designers have cleverly utilised some of the design & layout from its competitors vans, after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It not only looks good, it works well too, especially the 10″ touchscreen & Apple CarPlay, which allowed us to sync our iPhone quickly & utilise Google Maps.
A quick walk around the outside of the van & a soft tap here & there, reveals a far more rigid panel van than offered with the LDV V80, which should offer the Deliver 9 a rental opportunity.
On the road, the Deliver 9 is easy to drive, offering nimble steering & a light clutch. The gear change is a little longer than we’ve found in some competitors, but this isn’t a major issue. On the motorway & once up to speed, we engaged cruise control & this allowed us to relax into the ride. Even in heavy rain we encountered, the cab remained relatively quiet, with only some road noise causing us to turn the DAB radio up a touch. Driver visibility’s good as well, with the side mirrors offering a good view of what’s behind when overtaking.
We then drove into the middle of Manchester from Stockport along the A34 & the Deliver 9 continued to impress, negotiating stop-start traffic & some ubiquitous road works. We reverse parked the van in a supermarket car park & the parking sensors & rear view camera definitely made this task easier.
The two hours we spent mimicking a van drivers journey, short motorway & urban roads, was enjoyable in the Deliver 9. The seats are comfortable & we could have easily spent a long day in the cabin.
At journey’s end, we checked on our fuel economy & it hovered just above 28mpg. We had driven unladen & this & the CO2 emissions on the Deliver 9 which range from 222g/km – 306g/km dependant on van size, are distinctly average, even when compared to the current CC&V Large Van of the Year, the Fiat Professional Ducato, whose largest vans offer emissions of just 227g/km.
How does the Deliver 9 stack up on price ? The FWD LH Standard costs from £29,600, the Luxury BV LH RWD from £32,500, & the MC Cab RWD from £26,700, all + vat, which are all competitive. And, if you doubt Maxus as a brand going forward, don’t, because there will be an electric version, the eDeliver 9 along shortly. Added to their smaller eDeliver 3, this will give Maxus two full-electric vans for customers to consider.
After spending some time with the Maxus Deliver 9, we came away feeling that it’s actually pretty good. The brand has taken care to make it as practical as it’s competition, whilst giving it a very car-like cabin, with the latest safety features & on-board tech to make it relevant. It’s light years away from the old LDV V80 in terms of build quality & body-rigidity & should reassure any doubters that Maxus is a name worth your consideration.
|
MODEL |
DELIVER 9 RWD LH |
DELIVER 9 LUX RWD LH |
DELIVER 9 MC CAB RWD |
DELIVER 9 LC CAB RWD |
DELIVER 9 FWD LH |
DELIVER 9 LUX FWD LH |
|
LH RWD 163ps |
LH RWD 163ps |
MC SRW 150ps |
LC SRW 150ps |
LH FWD 163ps |
LH FWD 163ps |
|
|
RETAIL PRICE |
£30,231.00 |
£32,500.00 |
£26,700.00 |
£27,400.00 |
£29,600.00 |
£32,029.00 |
