LDV Maxus (05-09) - Review

The Maxus is offered in three gross vehicle weights – 2.8 tonnes, 3.2 tonnes and 3.5 tonnes. There are also two wheelbases and three roof heights, giving a good selection of models to choose from. Load volumes range from seven cubic metres to 11.4 cubic metres and payloads are from 917kg to 1,616kg - well over half a tonne. Access to the load area is excellent, with a good wide side sliding door coming as standard. In fact it has a bigger side and rear door width than a 3.5T Ford Transit, Vauxhall Movano, Renault Master or Iveco Daily. However, there are no load-lashing eyes in the rear, which can cause a problem. Twin unglazed rear doors mean that prying eyes won’t be able to see into the cargo area. The Maxus range was boosted in 2007 with the launch of chassis-cab and tipper versions, featuring smooth flat steel decks with no external fittings and welds. These models will offer payloads up to 1,330kg. There's also a Crew Van which can carry nine people.

Early models were sparsely equipped on the safety front but the 135bhp engine gets ABS and EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) as standard and all models get a driver's airbag. In 2008 ABS and EBD were made standard fit on all models.

Service intervals are at 20,000 miles and LDV offers a choice of warranties – three years/10,000 miles or four years/60,000 miles. Depreciation is on a par with other models in the sector, although we’d say the Maxus is not screwed together as well as some other panel vans, especially the German ones from Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. Despite this, we have not heard of the Maxus suffering from any particular problems and has been taken on by several of the big van rental firms. And don’t forget that pricing is extremely keen. Another point to bear in mind is that labour rates at LDV garages are lower than those of many competitors so if something does go wrong, it will probably be reasonably cheap to fix.

When the Maxus was launched in 2005, some raised serious concerns about the general build quality – shoddy paint jobs and ill-fitting fixtures among them. But the engineers at LDV have tried hard to address these problems and have improved things over the years. Those VM engines really saved the day for the Maxus as they have the reputation of being robust, long-lasting and reliable. The 135bhp version is also pretty rapid.