Buying a car is child’s play compared to buying a van. So who produces a decent work horse then?
Time has come to replace our company van. Its not a job I particularly relish doing as primarily this vehicle is a tool and one that has to be relied on by not only its regular driver but the rest of the company and its customers. Should it start to look shoddy, be unreliable or just be plain awful to drive, I am going to get grief. So you may be able to understand why I don’t look forward to this job, despite normally enjoying the challenge of purchasing a new vehicle.
However, our current work horse, a 2002 Renault Master is starting to reach the end of its life with us. At 110,000 miles, it is barely run in compared to other commercial vehicles out there but its life is spent doing stop start local delivery work, not trudging up and down the motorway which has taken its toll on things like the gear box and starter motor. The other issue we seem to have is an intermittent electrical fault which prevents the van from starting, not a great thing considering the vehicle does primarily stop start deliveries.
Buying a new or a nearly new van isn’t quite as easy as buying a car. Most van drivers are company employees, not owners, so trying to get an objective view about how it performs or how reliable it is from the people that drive them can be challenging. You see in this situation, most drivers will come back with a standard reply, “Its s#*t!”. They will generally have some beef about the fact it doesn’t come with leather seats or it hasn’t got the 250bhp engine so it is no where near quick enough. Genuine appraisals are few and far between.
Suffice to say that after reading several magazines, scanning the good old wibby wobbly web and limited personal recommendations, I decided go for an LDV Maxus. It ticked all the boxes from size and weight, to being nice to drive and a most importantly a general reputation for reliability. Fortunately a local dealer had an 17,000 mile example, 18 months old and with 18 months of the manufacturers warrantee left for about half the price of a new one. No brainer really.
So what’s it like?
Initial impressions are good. The LDV Maxus was a clean sheet design by a team of engineers who included some ex Ford designers. It puts right the ills of the old LDV Convoy which was positively ancient by the time it was discontinued a couple of years ago. Built in the UK using many parts bin components, some of which are now from the defunct MG Rover, it feels sturdily constructed and able to take on the rigours of a working life. The styling is somewhat bland in comparison to other vans out there but it is not offensive and gives some reasonable surfaces for sign writing purposes.
Jumping in reveals a pleasingly design cabin with a centrally mounted instrument binnacle. This has undoubtedly been done to reduce costs when converting the vehicle between left and right hand drive formats. The dash itself is made from hard and quite crude looking plastics but considering the role and the initial purchase price of this van when new it is hardly surprising. Other manufacturers, such as Ford, do a better job in this area but it appears to be hard wearing and is pleasant enough on the eye to not be a serious problem.
The seats are comfortable with plenty of adjustment and support and the driving position is relatively car like, with the sit up and beg stance that is sometimes adopted by other manufacturers, being absent. All the controls fall nicely to hand and have a pleasingly chunky action, although the radio positioning is set too low on the dash, a potential safety issue. General cabin storage is good with large overhead bins, various cubbies and door pockets for other oddments and of course the obligatory van driver double cup holder mounted in the dash. Being a commercial vehicle niceties are limited to electric windows, a CD radio and remote central locking, although air condition is available as an extra.
On the road the LDV continues to impress. The engine, a 2.5 litre 95bhp version of the VM unit used in cars such as the Chrysler Voyager, has plenty of torque, revs well and is reasonably refined. The gear change too is car like, with a positive action from its dash mounted gear lever. Around town the LDV is able to keep up with the other traffic with little stress and on the motorway it is happy to cruise at over 80mph with little fuss. The only down side is the clutch action which feels some what heavy. This is not a problem for longer distance driver but potentially this could be a problem for those people using it for stop and drop purposes.
The one area I didn’t expect much from was the handling. Unlike some other vans which can feel vague both in the suspension and steering departments, the Maxus grips and responds with precision giving the driver confidence to hustle the vehicle along. Don’t get me wrong this is no sports car but on a twisty road it can bring a smile to your face. Also the brakes are strong and easy to modulate, another plus point for driving pleasure.
It goes without saying the cargo capacity is very good, with a wide opening side door and minimal intrusions from the wheel arches in the load bay. What is slightly disappointing though is the primary back door which only makes do with a centrally mounted catch, as opposed to a three point system which also locks top and bottom.
Overall then, this is a well built good driving pleasing van which should be serviceable for many years. As for reliability, all the components seem to be there but only time will tell. I’ll let you know though, because one thing can be assured. If it goes wrong or there are any problems, I’m going to be the one to get grief.