LDV G10 people-mover goes high end

LDV has introduced a limited edition Executive version of its G10 people-mover to its line-up that adds a number of premium features over the standard variants.

Just 250 examples of the G10 Executive will be offered in Australia, and buyers can choose between the seven- or nine-seat version, but it will be offered exclusively with the ZF six-speed automatic transmission.

The high-end version of the G10 competes with other people-movers such as the ageing Toyota Tarago, Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival, Volkswagen Multivan and even the Mercedes-Benz Valente.

LDV has priced the G10 Executive at $36,990 for the seven-seater and $38,990 for the nine-seater version. The pricing is driveaway. This is a $7000 premium over the standard seven-seater, while the nine-seat version is $6000 dearer that regular version.

The Executive gains leather trim on the seats of both versions (it was previously only offered on nine-seat versions), as well as dual electric side sliding doors that can be operated remotely, a 360-degree camera, three glass roofs and premium paint, while the seven-seater also adds a remote-controlled electric tailgate.

Other new features include a dash-mounted 10-inch touchscreen, while in the rear, passengers have access to a roof-mounted drop-down LCD entertainment screen. The exterior also gets lashings of chrome to differentiate it from the standard G10 variants.

This is on top of features that are already standard, including a 7.0-inch LCD screen with a reversing camera, a six-speaker entertainment system, Bluetooth, cruise control, a multi-function steering wheel, front and rear air-conditioning, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive Xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear foglights, heated power side mirrors, a tyre pressure monitoring system and emergency brake assist.

The Executive uses the same petrol engine as the standard G10, which is a 165kW/330Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit, with a combined fuel consumption figure of 11.7 litres per 100km.

LDV also offers a tradie-friendly light-commercial version of the G10 with both petrol and diesel powertrain options.

The Chinese-built G10 went on sale in mid-2015 in LCV form ahead of the people-mover arriving. Both versions scored just three stars in an Australasian New Car Assessment Program crash test last year.

After a slow start to sales in 2015 when LDV sold 183 G10s, it picked up the pace in 2016, finding 579 homes, before sales increased by 27.3 per cent last year to 737 units.

That haul was enough to catch up to established models in the people-mover segment, including the Tarago (958 sales), and Hyundai’s iMax (987), but not enough to beat the Odyssey (2184) and Carnival (5878).

2018 LDV G10 Executive pricing

Seven-seat (a)	$36,990
Nine-seat (a)	$38,990