Nor'West News: February 15, 2024
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12<br />
Thursday <strong>February</strong> <strong>15</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
Incorporating<br />
best motorbuys<br />
www.drivesouth.co.nz<br />
Heavyweight LDV lacking refinement<br />
WE START this week’s new<br />
vehicle road test with a question.<br />
Is there any sort of market here<br />
for a huge Chinese made luxury,<br />
all electric seven-seat people<br />
mover costing $119,000?<br />
Chinese automotive giant LDV<br />
reckon there is because that’s<br />
exactly what they have launched<br />
here in the form of the MIFA 9.<br />
If nothing else this imposing,<br />
futuristic looking giant is hard to<br />
miss.<br />
From every angle, this is a big<br />
vehicle at 2-metres wide and<br />
5.3 metres long, and making a<br />
long story longer is MIFA 9’s<br />
3.2-metre wheelbase.<br />
New Zealand gets a threemodel<br />
MIFA 9 range, each with<br />
drive away pricing that leads<br />
Motoring with Bob Nettleton<br />
off with the entry level Elite at<br />
$79,990, while the mid-spec<br />
Luxury retails for $99,990. Easily<br />
the most expensive model is the<br />
$119,990 Premium provided for<br />
this road test.<br />
This luxury heavyweight of<br />
the giant people mover brigade<br />
possesses a remarkably good<br />
turn of pace for such a high,<br />
wide, long and hefty vehicle at<br />
nearly 2.6 tonne. Providing the<br />
performance fireworks is an<br />
180kW electric motor driving<br />
the front wheels with three drive<br />
modes, Sport, Normal and Eco<br />
available. That motor manages a<br />
decent 350Nm of torque, enough<br />
to propel it from 0-100km/h in a<br />
sharpish 8.9 seconds. All models<br />
are fitted with a large 90kWh<br />
Ratings out of 10: Performance 7; Handling 5; Build Quality<br />
5; Comfort 7; Passenger and Load Space 8; Value for money<br />
6; Safety – Five Star ANCAP crash rating.<br />
Overall points out of 10: 6.5<br />
lump of a battery pack, giving<br />
the car a real world EV driving<br />
range of 430km. Smooth strong<br />
acceleration had the test vehicle<br />
moving with almost indecent<br />
haste from traffic light standing<br />
starts, much to the surprise of<br />
drivers it left in its wake. A single<br />
speed automatic keeps things<br />
moving along nicely in both<br />
town and highway driving.<br />
The cabin is seriously large.<br />
This means heaps of space to<br />
pile in a whole bunch of features<br />
that make this a road going<br />
luxury cruise liner. No surprises<br />
then to find two large captain’s<br />
chairs in the second row, with<br />
cooling and heating, massaging<br />
function, with one touch fully<br />
electric reclining. There are<br />
three memory positions, eight<br />
massaging options.<br />
This is a bold breakout vehicle<br />
for LDV, who are intent showing<br />
the automotive world they can<br />
design and build to top class<br />
luxury vehicle – as a first attempt<br />
it shows plenty of promise.<br />
However, these aren’t enough<br />
to ignore its flaws that you<br />
don’t expect in $120K vehicle.<br />
These include inconsistent build<br />
quality, variable attention to<br />
detail and too many hard and<br />
lower grade plastic trims and<br />
surfaces in the cabin.<br />
Also I’d award a 5-star<br />
annoying rating for the vehicle’s<br />
over zealous and loud audible<br />
warnings that burst into their<br />
fullest voice for even the most<br />
minor driving transgressions.<br />
Finding where to silence these<br />
on the small touch screen was<br />
a mission, but there were high<br />
fives all round in the cabin when<br />
we finally hushed this electronic<br />
nagger.<br />
As expected, the ride is skewed<br />
toward comfort and it delvers<br />
that well enough over favourable<br />
road surfaces. It’s less adept on<br />
demanding roads where noise is<br />
more noticeable.<br />
Handling at moderate speeds<br />
over undulating terrain, and<br />
during cornering was better<br />
than expected, but it’s a vehicle<br />
that doesn’t enjoy being hurried<br />
along over these sorts of roads.<br />
Knowing and understanding<br />
the MIFA 9’s road holding<br />
limitations and driving to these<br />
is one of the keys to enjoying this<br />
unique people mover.<br />
Vaughan Pirie<br />
owner operator<br />
027 565 5577<br />
vpbaeries@gmail.com<br />
www.vpbaeries.co.nz<br />
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