Convoy MiniBus: A Bus for All
Our Rating: No Rating Available
Ever person who has ever attended a convention or even a car park are familiar with the concept of a MiniBus. They are the little busses the help ferry people to and from their cars at an air field or from a hotel to the nearby convention centre. Most people tend to overlook them and many companies who make them don't really promote them well enough if they do at all. Then there is LDV and their almost shameless promotion of their LDV MiniBus Convoy.
This little bus comes in an array of different set-ups, seating capacity and options. All of the MiniBuses that LDV puts out are based on their Convoy Van. The entry level option is a 13-seat minibus where the passengers enter and exit via a sliding side door or a pair of hinged doors at the rear. The next step up is a 17-seater that has the same entry points as the smaller with one extra row of seats.
Moving on up the ladder the LPV MiniBus Convoy is also offered in a semi-accessible 17-seat version that comes with 14 permanent seats and one row of three seats that can be removed. When the back seats are removed it can hold luggage or two full sized wheel chairs. This model also comes with two wheelchair clamps and harnesses that will help hold the chairs in place when in the rear.
The top of the line option is a 13-seater that is considered full accessible. LDV designed this MiniBus Convoy specifically for use in places where they need completely accessible vehicles. The interior is designed to either seat 13 people or can be arranged to fit three wheel chairs at one time. The seats come as eight removable seats which means the configuration options are aplenty. In the back of the fully accessible MiniBus is an impressive RUL 300 under floor lift that helps safely move an occupied wheel chair into place.
LDV has based this MiniBus on their Convoy panel van which is one of the widest on the market. Given that the Convoy is wider than most panel vans that means the MiniBus is also wider than most van based MiniBuses. That extra width helps it accommodate more people with a little extra comfort. LDV has also equipped the MiniBus with 3-point seat belts on every seat, a roof mounted vent fan and twin wheels in each side of the rear axle. LDV also offers each version of the MiniBus in either standard height or with a high-roof that adds a little more headroom.
Under the bonnet of the LDV MiniBus Convoy is a 2.4-litre Di diesel powered engine that comes either as a turbocharged 74bhp or a turbocharged and intercooled 89bhp. Neither engine is super powerful, but they do their jobs well and help the bus run smoothly.
Overall the LDV MiniBus Convoy will suit the many needs to companies who need this sort of vehicle. It will do well for hospitals that need to transport patients, air fields that need to move customers or even for corporations who routinely give property tours.