Landboss 1100D LE Review

Landboss’s new Kubota-powered UTV says ‘no-way’ to creek crossings but ‘can-do’ to everything else. And, says Landboss, it’s the cheapest diesel UTV on the market.

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We haven’t seen a Landboss UTV since we tested the first one several years ago; a Perkins-powered diesel 800.

Since then, some users drifted gently toward the opinion that 800cc didn’t cut it and so they asked politely for more power.

We can see their point. None of the diesel UTVs are what you’d call sporty, and since everyone else was going bigger, it made sense for Landboss to do the same.

The Perkins-powered machine is still available but standard gear on that unit doesn’t include the roof, sidesteps and winch. RRP is $15,990.

Landboss says the machine is no-frills. It’s a dedicated workaday built to tow and carry

The new LE model is pushed along by Kubota’s D1105-E3B, a naturally aspirated three-cylinder diesel with a capacity of 1,123cc.

This engine must be available in various configurations – several maximum horsepower figures are associated with it – but the Australian version develops 24.8hp (18.4kW).

Landboss’s Australian importer said this is 21 per cent more torque than the Perkins manages to push out, “and top speed is now a much more user friendly 60km/h”.

Because of the power upgrade the LE model can tow up to 800kg and carry up to 500kg. It also gets uprated steering rack bearings, steel side-steps, stronger brakes, a 4,500lb (2,040kg) winch, and a roof kit.

All this comes as standard equipment, plus a two-year parts and labour warranty. “And that,” said the Landboss rep, “is why the asking price is $18,000”.

Kubota’s in-line 3 develops nearly 25hp (18.6kW)

The only non-standard components on this thing are a windscreen and CV-joint guards.

Driving the LE holds no surprises if you’ve driven a diesel UTV.

60km/h won’t excite you but that’s the top speed of most diesel-powered workhorses like this one.

In-cab controls are well laid out but in our opinion the cab is a little squeezy for those on the bigger side.

The handbrake lever is in a weird place too, on the left of the driver’s seat where it tends to slide up your shorts when you enter the vehicle.

While we’re on the handbrake thing, in the interest of safety we’d like to remind you that none of these devices, no matter how simple or effective, will hold a vehicle on a slope if not properly adjusted.

The LE handbrake cable had a bit of slack in it and wouldn’t hold the machine on even a gentle rise. Without a Park slot in the transmission, the handbrake is all you have, so look after it.

The cab is well laid out, except for a handbrake that climbs up your shorts every time you get in

Landboss says the LE is a commercial spec with no frills. It’s built for work and nothing else.

It has no recreational pretensions; no niceties and no ‘cross-over’. It does have these odd little ‘kick-down’ doors though, a safety device designed to prevent the driver or passenger sticking their leg out the side of the machine.

These little door thingies also double as a barrier to anything that wants to trundle across the floor and jump out of the truck.

Five-stud, 14-inch (35.6cm) steel wheels are a little unusual, but again, Landboss claims this is a result of heavier than average bearing carrier engineering.

We liked the gas-assisted tray lift and that the sides are dropdown and detachable.

Steel tray has detachable sides

With a claimed dry weight of 700kg the LE is heavier than some comparable machines but the company says this is justified by the LE’s solid engineering and built-to-last parts.

There are no cupholders – too civilised old boy – and apart from a small glovebox, no storage space in the cab. We can live without cupholders but a bit of storage space would have been nice.

If you intend to use the vehicle on-road under conditional rego there are mirrors, indicators and a horn. If you don’t need any of this, unscrew it and stow it in the shed.

Our test specimen had no CV-joint protection. The Perkins Landboss we evaluated had full CV protection, so did the CF Moto X500, both from the same distributor, so we’re not sure
what the thinking is.

Maybe the marketing people believe not everyone needs heavy duty protection in that area and that for some users, dairy farmers for example, CV guards quickly become an impediment by clogging with the toxic goo that invariably coats dairy farms.

You can get CV guards if you need them – and in rocky terrain you will – but they’re not standard.

Indicators, mirrors and a horn are standard gear. So are front and rear tow hitches

The machine uses the ubiquitous CVTech transmission from Canada. It has a selectable 2WD/4WD setup and diff locks front and rear. With the diff locks zeroed you have one-wheel drive or what most of us call as ‘turf mode’.

Transmission toggle switches are on the dash right in front of you so you can’t get lost. The gear selector is a large vertical lever to the left of the driver and operates in an H-L-N-R pattern.

We thought the selector mechanism very smooth, a surprise since some modern UTV selectors don’t know where the gears went or how to find ‘em.

It’s not moisture resistant, so don’t try creek crossings

Part of our test course runs through water, quite a lot of it actually, and this proved too much for the Landboss transmission, which lost contact with reality half way across the Brisbane River at Fernvale.

Mind you, this is not unusual. Several UTV suppliers, Kubota among them, have asked us not to run their machines through water deeper than hub height since they’re not designed to operate in these conditions. Some UTVs get through anyway and some don’t. The Landboss didn’t.

The Kubota diesel makes as much noise as any diesel engine in a small vehicle, loudish, and there’s not much you can do about it, while the coil-over shocks do a reasonable job of absorbing trail shocks.

The power steering is nicely calibrated too so the overall driving experience is pleasant enough once you get used to the diesel music.

Retail pricing on UTVs seems to be climbing but $18,000 ain’t cheap. In this case, Landboss would bite-back with “it’s worth it, pal!”, and maybe it is. What you’re getting here is a short haul tow-and-carry machine the suppliers say is built for hard yakka, day in, day out.

So don’t look for fancy bits; there aren’t any.

Engine Type: 24.8hp, 3 Cylinder, Kubota diesel

Capacity: 1123cc

Bore & Stroke: 78mm x 78.4mm

Compression ratio: 24:1

Maximum torque: 72NM @ 3000rpm

Transmission: CVTech High / Low / Neutral / Reverse, 2WD / 4WD, front & rear differential locks

Front and rear brakes: Hydraulic discs

Parking brake: Handbrake

Steering: Electronic power steering (EPS)

Front Suspension: Dual A-Arms, coil-over shocks

Rear Suspension: Dual A-Arms, coil-over shocks