2027 LDV T60 MAX Priced for Australia: New 163kW 2.5-Litre Diesel, Two Grades, Pro From $37,990 Drive-Away for ABN Holders

Image credit: LDV Australia. T60 MAX Luxe shown.

LDV has given its budget ute a bigger engine. The MY27 T60 MAX swaps the old 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel for a 2.5-litre turbo diesel making 163kW and 520Nm, the same outputs as the larger Terron 9, and reported to be the same engine. It also gets a new front end, a new dashboard with a 12.8-inch touchscreen, and a shorter range. There are now just two grades, Pro and Luxe, both dual-cab pick-ups with four-wheel drive and an eight-speed ZF automatic.

The launch story is that the T60 got better and cheaper at the same time. That depends on what you compare it with. Against the old car's full price, maybe. Against the old car sitting in the same showroom on runout today, the new one costs more, and the extra money mostly buys you the engine. Below is what the new T60 actually costs, what changed between the grades, and what 3.5 tonnes of towing leaves you once you do the sums.

Pricing

LDV sells on drive-away prices and splits them into two tiers: one for private buyers and a lower one for ABN holders. At the time of writing its site publishes only one MY27 figure, the Pro for ABN holders. The rest have been reported by several Australian outlets, and we have marked them that way.

Read the conditions on that $37,990 before you rely on it. LDV says it is for the Pro Auto with no added options, at participating dealers, on new stock vehicles, while stock lasts, and not for fleet, government or rental buyers. That is the language of an offer, not a permanent list price, so ask the dealer what the figure is on the day you sign.

It is also worth knowing what an ABN price is and is not. It is a lower sticker for buyers with a business number. It says nothing about how the ute will be treated for GST, depreciation or fringe benefits tax, which depends on how the vehicle is used and on your own circumstances. That is general information, not tax advice, and it is a conversation for your accountant rather than the salesperson.

New Versus Runout: the $3,000 Question

The old MY25 T60 MAX has not left the building. LDV's own price guide still lists it on runout, and those prices are the real comparison for anyone shopping right now:

For an ABN holder, the new Pro is $3,000 dearer than a runout Pro ($37,990 against $34,990), and both figures are LDV's own. For a private buyer, using the reported $39,989, the gap is $2,947. At the top, the reported Luxe price sits $1,369 above the runout Plus for private buyers and $1,500 above it for ABN holders.

So what does the extra money buy? On LDV's numbers, 3kW and 20Nm: 163kW and 520Nm against the old car's 160kW and 500Nm. Braked towing is 3,500kg on both. That is not a big step in outputs. A bigger-capacity engine may deliver its torque differently, but we have not driven either car, so we will not tell you how it feels. What you also get is the new face and dash, and a 12.8-inch screen where the old Pro had a 10.25-inch one.

There is one small step backwards for the Pro. LDV's MY25 page lists a sports bar as standard on the Pro, and the MY27 specification sheet lists the sports bar as Luxe only. If you wanted that look on a base car, the runout stock has it and the new car does not.

The Mega Tub goes too. The MY27 spec sheet covers the Pro and the Luxe and nothing else. The long-tub Mega Tub Plus now exists only as runout stock, and whether it comes back on the new engine has been reported as possible but is not confirmed on LDV's site. If you need that 1,840mm tub (LDV's top-of-box figure for the MY25 Mega Tub, against the standard tub's 1,485mm), buy the old one while it is there.

Pro or Luxe: More Than Trim

On most budget utes the upper grade adds leather and bigger wheels. On this one it changes the hardware underneath, and that makes it a more interesting choice. From LDV's MY27 specification sheet:

The multi-link rear end is the headline. A multi-link rear end usually rides better unladen than leaf springs, which matters if the ute spends most of its week as the family car. The Pro's leaf springs and its extra 60kg of payload over the Luxe suit the tradie who loads the tub every day. The Luxe's front locker, extra clearance and steeper approach angle make it the pick for off-road touring, with one catch: with its standard towbar fitted, LDV quotes the Luxe's departure angle at 16 degrees, against 25 degrees for the Pro. Anyone who tows and also drives steep, rutted tracks will feel that on the way out of a creek crossing.

Both grades share the rest: the 73-litre tank, LED headlights, roof rails, side steps, spray-in tub liner, six airbags, AEB, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control (LDV notes it does not work when towing), climate control with rear vents, a heated steering wheel and a 3,165mm wheelbase. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto run through the 12.8-inch screen on both.

A small note from the fine print. LDV's payload disclaimer says that when a genuine towbar and wiring are fitted, blind-spot monitoring is disabled, yet blind-spot monitoring does not appear in the equipment list for either grade. The document does not settle which is right, so if it matters to you, ask the dealer to show you on the car.

What 3.5 Tonnes Really Leaves You

Most utes in this class quote 3,500kg. The number that decides what you can actually carry while towing it is the gross combination mass, and the T60 MAX's is 6,250kg. Hitch a 3,500kg trailer and 2,750kg is left for the ute and everything in it. The tow-ball download is part of the trailer's 3,500kg, so it is not counted twice. The Pro weighs 2,110kg at the kerb, so it has 640kg for occupants, gear in the tub and accessories. The Luxe, at 2,170kg with its towbar, has 580kg.

That goes quicker than it sounds. Two adults at 80kg each, and a Luxe owner is down to 420kg for everything else: fridge, recovery gear, water, fuel in a jerry can, and any bull bar or canopy fitted since delivery. The 350kg tow-ball download of a 3,500kg van at ten per cent also has to fit inside the GVM, which on a Luxe leaves 630kg of its 980kg payload, so here the GCM is the tighter limit. And the Pro's 2,110kg is before a towbar goes on, so a Pro set up to tow has a little less than 640kg to play with.

This is not a T60 problem. It is how the whole segment works, and on the figures we list the T60 sits in the same band as the rivals. Try it yourself below: pick a ute and set your own trailer weight and load.

T60 MAX figures are from LDV's MY27 specification sheet; the Luxe uses LDV's "with towbar" kerb and payload. Rival figures are the ones listed in the CarSorted directory for each variant. For a whole-trip plan including the van, try TowingSorted.

Where It Sits Against the Rivals

The T60 has always been sold on price, and the closest fight on price is with GWM. We list the GWM Cannon Lux at $42,490 drive-away with 135kW and 480Nm and 3,500kg towing, and the Cannon Premium at $40,490 drive-away with 120kW, 400Nm and 3,200kg towing. Against the Premium, the reported $39,989 private price for the T60 Pro is $501 less, for 43kW and 120Nm more, plus the extra 300kg of towing. Against the Cannon Lux, the T60 Pro is cheaper and stronger on paper; the T60 Luxe, at the reported $45,253, is dearer.

Above that, the gap to the mainstream brands is large. We list the Kia Tasman S 4x4 at $49,990 before on-road costs, with 154kW, 440Nm and a 3,500kg tow rating, so the T60 Pro's reported private drive-away price is about $10,000 under the Kia's price before on-road costs, and the real gap is larger once the Kia is on the road. The Ford Ranger XL 2.0 bi-turbo double cab makes 154kW and 500Nm and the Toyota HiLux SR double cab 150kW and 500Nm, on the figures we list. The T60's 163kW and 520Nm is more than each of those on paper.

What the T60 does not have is an ANCAP rating, and the Cannon, Tasman, Ranger and HiLux variants above all have one recorded in our directory. More on that below. Its warranty is seven years or 200,000km, whichever comes first; we list the Cannon and the Tasman with seven years and no kilometre limit.

The new T60 is not in the comparison below because we do not list it yet. What is in it are the dual-cab 4x4 diesels a T60 buyer is also pricing. Pick any two.

The Terron 9 Question

The T60 now matches the outputs of LDV's bigger Terron 9, 163kW and 520Nm, and the engine has been reported as shared. LDV's price guide currently shows the Terron 9 Origin at $50,674 drive-away for private buyers and $47,990 for ABN holders, under a demo event. So the same outputs now come in two sizes with roughly $10,000 between the entry points. The Terron 9 is the larger vehicle; if you do not need the size, the T60 is the cheaper way to those outputs.

Safety: Unrated

ANCAP's database lists the LDV T60 built from January 2025 onwards as unrated. Its earlier result applies to the T60 built from August 2017 to December 2024 and does not carry across to this car. We have not seen LDV say whether the MY27 will be submitted for testing.

For private buyers that is a judgement call. For some business buyers it is a hard stop, because some fleet and site-access policies require a current five-star rating. That matters more than usual here, because the ABN buyer is exactly who the $37,990 headline price is aimed at. If your employer or a client sets a safety requirement, check it before you order.

On paper the safety kit is reasonable for the money: six airbags, AEB, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, a driver attention reminder, and two ISOFIX and top-tether points in the back. What an unrated car cannot tell you is how that equipment performs in ANCAP's current tests.

What LDV Has Not Told Us Yet

• Private-buyer and Luxe prices on its own site. Only the Pro ABN figure is published by LDV at the time of writing.
• A single-cab, cab-chassis or 2WD version. The MY27 spec sheet is dual-cab 4x4 pick-up only.
• The Mega Tub's future on the new engine.
• A manual gearbox. None is listed.
• An ANCAP rating, or whether one is coming.
• Service pricing for the new engine in the T60.

Two details from the launch coverage we could not confirm on LDV's site or spec sheet: a digital instrument cluster reported at 8.0 inches, and a tub carried over unchanged so existing accessories fit. The spec sheet's tub dimensions are consistent with the old car's, but we have not compared every measurement against an MY25 document.

What This Means for Buyers

If you are an ABN holder who wants a cheap, capable 3.5-tonne tow vehicle and does not need a current ANCAP rating, the maths is between a new Pro at $37,990 and a runout Pro at $34,990. The $3,000 buys 3kW, 20Nm, a new face and a bigger screen, and costs you the sports bar. We would lean to the runout car on value, or ask the dealer to close the gap, which with new stock landing they may be keen to do.

If you want a dual-cab that is comfortable on the school run and handy on a track, the Luxe is the more interesting car. A multi-link rear end, two lockers and more clearance are real hardware for the reported $45,253, but check the 580kg margin at full tow before you hitch up a big van, and remember the standard towbar costs you departure angle.

If a safety rating is non-negotiable, the T60 is not on your list today. Look at the Cannon, the Tasman and the rest in the comparison tool, or our best utes guide. We will add the MY27 T60 MAX Pro and Luxe to the CarSorted directory with full specifications from LDV's documents.