LDV MIFA Reviews | Overview

Overview

LDV AUSTRALIA has quietly launched the brand new petrol-powered Mifa people-mover, a seven-seat household van with twin sliding doorways and an enormous physique providing a lot of inside house.

It’s right here to take the combat to the almighty Kia Carnival, which dominates the people-mover house in Australia – and with good purpose.

The Mifa is on the market with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine producing 160kW and 360Nm, and has an eight-speed computerized transmission, with energy channelled to the entrance wheels. These outputs are respectable in comparison with the petrol V6 discovered within the Carnival and associated Hyundai Staria (3.5L V6, 216kW/355Nm), however in contrast to these vans, the Mifa isn’t accessible with diesel. However, additionally in contrast to these rivals, the Mifa has a completely electrical model accessible, albeit at greater than $100,000. Official mixed cycle gas effectivity for the petrol Mifa is 9.3 litres per 100 kilometres.

There are three trim grades accessible. The entry-level Mode examined on this evaluate has an honest quantity of equipment for $53,990 drive-away, together with LED lighting, 18 inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and begin, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, but it surely makes do with faux leather-based seat trim and a plastic steering wheel.

A reversing digicam and rear parking sensors are normal, and it has a captain’s chair setup for the center row, with each second-row spots supplied with ISOFIX factors and top-tethers, whereas the rear row (three seats) consists of one house with ISOFIX and a top-tether, as effectively.

Step as much as the mid-spec Govt and also you rating a spread of fascinating inclusions for $63,990 drive-away, together with twin electrical sliding facet doorways, electrical tailgate, whereas it provides a welcome surround-view digicam and entrance parking sensors, to not point out 19 inch wheels and adaptive headlights. Amazingly, this model scores heated and cooled second-row seats with a therapeutic massage perform, however nonetheless has faux leather-based.

And topping the vary is the Luxe grade, which prices $72,990 drive-away and provides leather-based seat trim, driver’s seat reminiscence settings, colour-adjustable ambient lighting and a 12-speaker sound system, whereas the second row seats add an eight-mode therapeutic massage perform.

The inside house on provide is kind of good, particularly if you happen to plan to hold bigger adults. However understand that the payload capability for the Mifa is simply 550kg, which implies you received’t be capable of take many large adults alongside for the trip.

The media controls are fascinating, with a touch-sensitive bar under the media display, however with some controls nonetheless requiring contact enter by way of the show. I examined the Apple CarPlay and it labored high quality, and truthfully the front-seat storage and house is kind of good, with good seat consolation and respectable ergonomics. Only a disgrace the bottom mannequin has a plastic steering wheel, and the automobile additionally exhibited a few not-quite-perfect match and end components to the inside plastics.

The second-row house is outstanding, although entry to the third-row could possibly be higher, as this automobile doesn’t function the intelligent folding/flip-up-base seats of another vehicles (together with the D90 SUV from LDV), so entry to the again is usually a squeeze, although it’s potential to scoot by way of the hole between the captain’s seats if want be. Third-row room could be very accommodating if you happen to slide the again seats all the way in which rearward, however that limits the usability of the boot significantly.

It doesn’t function the identical type of smarts because the Kia with reference to rear cargo capability – the seats don’t disappear into the ground. However with all rows up, LDV says there’s 466 litres of cargo house, which might increase to 1702L if you happen to fold the third row down and use the rearmost seat-back as a shelf for storage.

LDV backs the Mifa with a seven-year/200,000km guarantee plan, with roadside help supplied for 5 years/limitless kilometres. There is no such thing as a capped-price servicing plan, and servicing is due each 12 months or 10,000km, whichever happens first.

The Mifa achieved the utmost five-star ANCAP security ranking towards 2022 standards, and as such it has a number of lively security expertise accessible together with autonomous emergency braking, lane retaining help, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear AEB, secure exit warning and 7 airbags (twin entrance, entrance centre, entrance facet, full-length curtain).

Driving Impressions

Simple to drive? Tick. Simply sit within the driver’s seat, put your foot on the brake pedal, and the engine begins up. Yep, you don’t must hit a button to start out it, nor flip a key. And when it’s time to show the automobile off? There’s a button on the media display for that, when Park is engaged.

This can be a fairly easy factor to get round in, regardless of the actual fact it measures practically 5.4 metres lengthy and nearly 2.0m extensive. One factor that might encourage this driver to step as much as the mid-spec can be the inclusion of a surround-view digicam – regardless that this automobile is simple sufficient to see out of, it’s nonetheless an enormous factor, and you’ll’t see every little thing round it, which is a pertinent level for household clients.

The turbo petrol engine and eight-speed auto make for an excellent mixture, with sufficient punch for a single occupant, although I believe you’d really feel it if you happen to loaded it as much as most capability. Nevertheless, one factor that may take some acclimatisation is the gear selector – it’s a stalk-style column shifter, like in a Mercedes, and for the uninitiated it can doubtless catch them out as they suppose they’re about to point.

Talking of the stalks, the opposite one (on the left of the steering wheel) is a multifunction factor, with indicators and wipers (entrance and rear) multi functional. For those who’re questioning the place the headlights are managed, the reply is thru the media display (though having auto headlights means you barely want to consider that).

The trip consolation and steering responsiveness make this really feel like an amenable and accommodating household automobile, one which ticks numerous bins, however perhaps doesn’t argue as robust a case because the big-selling Korean van. However for these clients sick of ready for a type of, the LDV Mifa is effectively value a glance.