LDV Convoy
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The LDV Convoy is a light commercial
van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...
that was manufactured from 1983 until 2006. The Convoy and its predecessors were wider and longer versions of the Freight Rover Sherpa, based on the Leyland Sherpa series of vans from 1974 and later known as the LDV Pilot. Originally sold as the Freight Rover Sherpa 285/310/350 (commonly referred to as the Sherpa 300 Series), it became the Leyland DAF 400 Series in 1989, the LDV 400 series in 1993, and then finally settled on the Convoy name in 1996.


History


Ancestors


Freight Rover 300 Series (1984–1989)

In 1984, the ''Sherpa'' was facelifted, becoming the Freight Rover 200 Series. Alongside the original body style, there was a new wide-bodied variant — the 300 Series, available in a choice of three wheelbase lengths. Of the 300 Series, the 285 and 310 models were single wheel, the 300 and 350 models being twin. While capacity for the 200 Series remained at , that of the 300 Series ranged from to , depending on the combination of wheelbase and roof profile (a high roof was an option for the lwb 310 and 350 models). For those who needed yet more space, a
Luton van A box truck—also known as a box van, cube van, bob truck or cube truck—is a chassis cab truck with an enclosed cuboid-shaped cargo area. On most box trucks, the cabin is separate to the cargo area; however some box trucks have a door betwee ...
body was offered, built on either the 255 or 350 chassis cabs, providing capacities of (with 200 Series cab) or (300 Series), and a maximum payload of almost two tonnes. The chassis cab also formed the basis for a standard and wide-bodied drop side pickup, in 255, 280, 285, 310, and 350 versions, again available with either short or long wheelbases. Of course, the
chassis cab A chassis cab, also called a cab chassis or half truck, is a type of vehicle construction, often found in medium duty truck commercial vehicles. Instead of supplying the customer with a factory pre-assembled flatbed, cargo container, or other ...
could also be ordered on its own, again in a choice of widths and lengths, so that bespoke bodywork could be fitted, with the added option of either single or double cabs. The 200 Series continued to be offered as minibus or crewbus, but the 300 Series was also offered as a minicoach seating up to 18 people. While the K2 Sherpa's engine remained available on the Freight Rovers (including the ancient B-series diesel), Land Rover's 2.5-litre 14J diesel unit was now offered on the 300 Series. Following the completion of a special police contract, the
Rover Rover may refer to: People Name * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Stage name * Rover (musician), French singer-songw ...
3.5-litre V8 unit also became available from 1986, and immediately became popular with emergency services and express delivery operators. However, with the merger of
Freight Rover Freight Rover was a British commercial vehicle manufacturer based in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham, England. History Freight Rover was created as a division of the Land Rover Group of British Leyland (BL) in 1981, creating a new singl ...
, along with the rest of the Leyland Trucks division of the
Rover Group The Rover Group plc was the British vehicle manufacturing conglomerate known as "BL plc" until 1986 (formerly British Leyland), which had been a state-owned company since 1975. It initially included the Austin Rover Group car business (compris ...
with
DAF Trucks DAF Trucks is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of Paccar. DAF originally stood for ''van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek''. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabin (lorry), Cabs and axle assembly line, assemblies ...
the following year, to form the new DAF NV and
Leyland DAF Leyland DAF was a commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in Leyland, Lancashire, Leyland, United Kingdom, and a subsidiary of DAF NV. In February 1993, Leyland DAF was placed into receivership. History Leyland DAF was formed in Febru ...
companies, the Rover Group ceased to be a player in this sector of the light commercial market.


Leyland DAF 400 Series (1989–1993)

With Freight Rover becoming part of
Leyland DAF Leyland DAF was a commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in Leyland, Lancashire, Leyland, United Kingdom, and a subsidiary of DAF NV. In February 1993, Leyland DAF was placed into receivership. History Leyland DAF was formed in Febru ...
the 300 Series was superseded by the 400 Series, which also offered air suspension and a 2.5-litre
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
-sourced diesel engine (praised by contemporary reviewers for reliability, but changed later on for the Ford Di engine from the Transit which was described as 'superb' by reviewers). At this stage, it was given a new radiator grille, bearing the Leyland DAF badge. A low-compression version of the 2.0L O-Series petrol engine remained available (but was dropped in 1991 due to lack of demand), in addition to the 3.5-litre Rover V8 (pictured) which was popular with police and ambulance services, where it was often mated to a
ZF 4HP22 transmission The 4HP is a 4-speed Automatic transmission family with a hydrodynamic Torque converter with an electronic hydraulic control for passenger cars from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In selector level position "P", the output is locked mechanically. The Si ...
. File:Wellington Free Ambulance DAF - Flickr - 111 Emergency.jpg,
Wellington Free Ambulance Wellington Free Ambulance (WFA) (), also known simply as Wellington Free, is a charitable organisation providing free-to-the-patient ambulance services in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand. History The Wellington Free Ambulance serv ...
Leyland DAF 400 Series File:1991 DAF V5400 Van (7935698294).jpg, Low topped DAF 400 Series File:DAF 400 (46358444182).jpg, DAF 400 Series rear


LDV 400 and Convoy (1993–2006)

Following the sell-off of the van business from the insolvent Leyland DAF in 1993,
LDV Limited LDV Group Limited, formerly Leyland DAF Vans, was a British van manufacturer based in Washwood Heath, Birmingham. Historically part of Rover Group and Leyland DAF, it was later a wholly owned subsidiary of GAZ. Due to the 2008 financial crisis ...
was formed. In 1996, the 400 van received a facelift from
Ogle Design Ogle Design is a British design consultancy company founded in 1954 by David Ogle and based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. History * 1954 Ogle Design was founded and produced many successful designs of industrial and household products. * 1959 ...
and was renamed the 'Convoy'. Changes included new bumpers, a new bonnet, and a redesigned radiator grille, as well as improved headlamps (which were 40% brighter than those on the 400). The indicators were also changed to a new 'wraparound'-style design. The van's key selling point for operators such as the
Royal Mail Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels) ...
(who had operated large fleets since the original Sherpa version) and local authorities had been its narrower track compared to the Transit, enabling it to negotiate tight alleyways and country lanes, in addition to its simplicity making diagnosis, repairs, and maintenance uncomplicated (as an example, clutch repairs generally took just over two hours, most models had a 15,000-mile service interval, and tyres were easy to obtain), and the fact that it was made in the United Kingdom. Due to these redeeming features, the Convoy achieved a market share of 10.5% in 1998.


Chassis

The ''Convoy'' was available in 2.8-tonne, 3.1-tonne and 3.5-tonne variants (the 3.5-tonne having a dual rear-wheel setup for safety and improved handling) with load volume capacities up to 12.9 cubic metres, which were highly praised on release by reviewers as 'best in class'. An extra long wheelbase version was also available. The chassis was described as 'tough as old boots', 'smart', and 'cool and sophisticated' by pundits, but was criticised for 'scary handling in the wet' when empty. The LDV 'SVO' (Specialist Vehicle Options) division boasted of its ability to coachbuild directly in the factory (located at
Washwood Heath Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England. Washwood Heath covers the areas of Birmingham that lie between Nechells, Bordesley Green, Stec ...
in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
), making the vehicle popular with those requiring custom coachwork, such as disabled users, ice cream sellers, tow truck operators, those carrying frozen food, and fire brigades. Even minor alterations such as roof racks (pictured below) could be fitted at the factory through this coachbuilding service, meaning that purchased vans could enter active service extremely quickly after delivery. The van would also come in crew cab (up to seven seats) pickup and fleet-based vans, and was the cheapest full-size van on the market in the United Kingdom at the time, providing it with many fleet-based customers such as local authorities and government agencies. Disc brakes were standard for the front (ventilated discs were available as an optional extra), drums standard for the rear, and the van used a traditional live rear axle setup, with leaf springs on all wheels. The van was available in both a low-topped (nicknamed 'City'), and a high-topped (nicknamed 'Hi-Loader') variant. The chassis would also become hugely popular as a
minibus A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...
(particularly with self-drive operators and schools) due to factory-based minibus conversions, enabling customers to obtain a fully type approved minibus without using a coachbuilding company (the first example of this business model in the United Kingdom). The in house minibus conversion was also the only seventeen-seater minibus available in the United Kingdom with a low roofline (pictured), making it extremely popular with operators that parked the vehicle in a garage, enough for LDV to take around 60% of the entire market of the United Kingdom for 17-seater minibuses. The ride was described as 'primitive', and the handling was criticised for pronounced understeer. The 'boxy' shape was also subject to severe crosswinds, and the brakes were criticised as inadequate in some cases.


= School bus

= For schools in particular, LDV were also able to deliver a standard configuration type approved minibus in full reflective school livery and containing features relevant to school customers such as ABS, orange external flashing lighting, overhead storage racks, heavy-duty ventilation, a reverse warning siren, child-size three-point seat belts, and fire suppression systems. The bus (the result of a survey of 31,000 schools) was unveiled at the 1998 British Motor Show, and professional driver training for three drivers was also free with the purchase of the vehicle, making it gain a reputation as the 'king of the primary schools'.


Interior

A three-seater cab was available as standard with adjustable seats and padded headrests, as was power steering, a digital clock, and an FM/AM radio/cassette. Airbags and seat belt pre tensioners were never available as options, and the lack of an air recirculation feature and a three-point seat belt for the middle passenger were criticised. By the end of its life, the interior was described by reviewers as 'nasty' and a 'raid on the old
British Leyland British Leyland was a British automotive engineering and manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate formed in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It wa ...
parts bin', containing components from the
Austin Metro The Metro is a supermini car, later a city car that was produced from 1980 to 1998, first by British Leyland (BL) and later by the Rover Group. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin Mini Metro (styled AUSTIN miniMETRO). The Mini Metro was inte ...
,
Austin Maestro The Austin Maestro is a five-door hatchback small family car (and two-door van derivative) that was produced from November 1982 to 1986 by British Leyland, and from 1986 until December 1994 by Rover Group, as a replacement for the Austin Maxi a ...
,
Austin Montego The Austin Montego is a British family car that was produced by British Leyland from 1984 until 1988, and then by Rover Group from 1988 until 1995. The Montego was the replacement for both the rear-wheel drive Morris Ital and the front-wheel dri ...
,
Austin Maxi The Austin Maxi is a medium-sized, 5-door hatchback family car that was produced by Austin Motor Company, Austin and later British Leyland between 1969 and 1981. Despite its practical design and remarkable space efficiency (it is shorter, narrow ...
,
Austin FX4 The Austin FX4 is a hackney carriage that was produced from 1958 until 1997. It was sold by Austin Motor Company, Austin from 1958 until 1982, when Carbodies, who had been producing the FX4 for Austin, took over the intellectual rights to the ...
, Rover 800 (indicator stalks), and
Morris Marina The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive C-segment, small family car that was manufactured by the Morris Motors, Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Mo ...
(interior door handles), all of which had long since left production by the Convoy era. However, the interior was also described as 'durable', 'simple', 'no nonsense', and 'uncomplicated'. An alarm,
tachograph A tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode is activated automatically when the vehicle is in motion, an ...
,
tachometer A tachometer (revolution-counter, tach, rev-counter, RPM gauge) is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a axle, shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrat ...
, air conditioning, and central locking were available as options, as was a twin battery setup with a heavy-duty alternator, which was fitted on the V8 ambulance versions to power medical equipment. The heavy-duty alternator was not available on the LPG version.


Engines

The drivetrain was available with a large number of engines (both turbocharged and non-turbocharged pre-Duratorq), sourced from Peugeot on early models, but engines from 1998 were mostly sourced from Ford, such as the York 'banana' engines which were described as 'dated', 'noisy' and 'ponderously slow', but 'dependable' and 'willing' with 'excellent cold starting' and offering 'lively performance'. The Peugeot engines were praised as 'economical', often seen as more so than many of the Ford units. The turbocharged version of the 'banana' engine was fitted with electronic fuel injection sourced from
Lucas Industries Lucas Industries plc, now known as Lucas Automotive, is one of the world’s oldest continuously trading automotive brands, tracing its origins to 1875 and the first patent issued to its founder, Joseph Lucas. Based originally in Birmingham, t ...
, while the non-turbocharged version had a mechanical system. The Ford Duratorq electronically controlled direct injection diesel engine appearing in 2002 (sourced from Ford Power Products as fitted to the Ford Transit, and described as 'not smooth') was fitted with a non-optional turbocharger, this was available with an optional intercooler, increasing the peak power output from 75PS to 90PS. All engines were catalysed and were fitted with a drive-by-wire throttle setup that was initially criticised as dangerous but a revised pedal assembly from the Ford Transit resolved the early issues, and adjustable air suspension was available as an optional extra on long-wheelbase diesel models. A factory LPG conversion (using an underfloor LPG tank and a rear-mounted petrol tank) was also available using a converted Ford eight-valve petrol engine with a peak power output of 115PS. This conversion was popular with police due to the high power output without the running costs of the V8 (explained below). The conversion did, however, significantly change the 'class-leading' warranty terms, the general warranty being reduced from 150,000 miles to 60,000 miles.


= Ambulance

= The Rover V8 remained available in detuned 3.5L form (sourced from
Land Rover Land Rover is a brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR builds Land Rovers in Brazil ...
) producing 135hp and was a common sight on the road as an ambulance with coachwork by the 'Universal Vehicle Group', this was due to be upgraded to a 3.7L unit; however, issues with the brakes meant that never materialised. These ambulances were fitted with a
limited-slip differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential gear train that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the ...
to improve handling, but were notorious for poor fuel economy, which was described as 'shocking' by experts, who said the engine was 'drinking fuel like a fish', with imperial miles per gallon readings rarely reaching double figures while in town (even when not on call). Due to this issue, ambulance trusts started searching for more economical vehicles and began changing to
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...
s with powerful diesel engines around 2003, further reducing profitability of the Convoy for LDV, as diesel engines with enough power for rapid response applications were never available on the Convoy and therefore the trusts had to migrate away from the platform. In addition, a hydraulic tail lift was standard on the Sprinter ambulances, but absent from the Convoy's coachwork, meaning that patients had to be manually lifted into the LDV by paramedics. All Convoy ambulances had air suspension, external floodlights, and a four-speed automatic transmission. The bonnet on the ambulances featured two scoops to prevent the V8 from overheating in traffic when on call.


Support

The van was praised for its 'class-leading' after-sales service and roadside assistance known as 'VANaid' (continuing from the previous 'DAF Aid' program from the previous ownership) operating from a large number of dealers (165 dealers in 1998, many of which were open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year), while sharing parts from the cars mentioned above meant that parts were easy to obtain. Two years of VANaid and a four-year, 150,000-mile general warranty were standard on most models. All Convoys came with a two-year cosmetic warranty, and a six-year, anti-rust warranty as standard.


Retirement

By the mid-2000s, however, it was clear that the platform (which harked back to 1974, and relied on some parts from even earlier Austin Morris vans) had run its course, and was now terminally dated in comparison to the competition (by way of comparison, its main rival, the
Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a panel van, cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford ...
, has had two complete redesigns launched within the lifetime of the entire Sherpa/Freight Rover/Pilot/Convoy series). Despite upgrades to the drivetrain (replacing the dated York 'banana' engines with the Duratorq units), the van was described as 'hopelessly out of date', 'rubbish', 'old-fashioned', 'ugly', a 'box on wheels', 'geriatric', a 'throwback to a bygone era', and a 'remnant from the 1970s', and that the vehicles 'drove like demented ducks'. Sharing powertrain components such as engines with Peugeots and the Ford Transit was also not ideal for LDV, for which the purchasing of expensive running gear directly from arch rivals hugely dented the profitability of this model. The last Convoy was built in 2006, succeeded by the
Maxus SAIC Maxus Automotive Co., Ltd. trading as Maxus (LDV in Australia and New Zealand) and sometimes known by the pinyin transcription of its Chinese name, Datong (大通) is a Chinese vehicle brand. Currently, it is a commercial and passenger ve ...
.


Awards

* ''What Van'' 'Best Minibus' 2000 * ''What Van'' 'Best Minibus' 2001 * ''What Van'' 'Best Minibus' 2002 * Prince Michael Road Safety Bus and Truck Award 2000


See also

*
LDV Group LDV Group Limited, formerly Leyland DAF Vans, was a British van manufacturer based in Washwood Heath, Birmingham. Historically part of Rover Group and Leyland DAF, it was later a wholly owned subsidiary of GAZ. Due to the 2008 financial crisis ...
*
LDV Pilot The LDV Pilot was the final model in a series of panel vans produced from 1974 to 2005, originally launched as the 1974 Leyland Sherpa, which was developed by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland and derived from earlier light commercia ...
*
LDV Maxus The LDV Maxus is a light commercial van model, originally produced by LDV Limited. It was launched at the end of 2004. The model was jointly developed under the LD100 programme code by LDV and Daewoo Motor, prior to Daewoo entering receivers ...


Notes


References


External links


2004 LDV website
(Archive Copy) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ldv Convoy
Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
Vans Minibuses