LDV Convoy (96-05) - Review

While the Convoy doesn't score highly in the front or under the bonnet, there's certainly nothing cheapskate about the business end. The Convoy is engineered to be tough and strong and will swallow anything from 7.6 cubic metres to 17 cubic metres of cargo, while payloads range from 1,085kg to 1,702kg.

Another low score here, we fear. Airbags and ABS brakes never featured on the options lists and neither did alarms and immobilisers. However, it is unlikely that any thieves in their right minds will want to steal a Convoy, although they might be very interested in what’s inside.

The Convoy is proving somewhat of an paradox in this test, scoring highly in some sectors and lowly in others. At the end of the day it was built to supply the cheap and cheerful end of the market, so the list price was very competitive. Servicing is required every six months, which is normal for such old-fashioned engines, but LDV dealers are renowned for their cheap labour rates and parts too are cheap and plentiful.

We have heard tales of unreliability and breakdowns but they are balanced by others who swear blind by the Convoy. There are still thousands of examples plugging away faithfully on Britain's roads, which is a good sign in anyone's book.