The new Golden Dragon GD70 minibus from China is targeted so squarely at the Toyota Coaster, it looks like a clone of one.
Nevertheless there are also significant differences, some good and some not so good.
The most obvious contrast is in the driveline. In the Golden Dragon this consists of a 3.8 litre Cummins engine made in China, combined with a six speed Allison automatic transmission made in the United Kingdom, as standard.
The engine provides plenty of power for the open road but is noisy around town.
There are also pluses and minuses with seating — the driver’s seat doesn’t slide back nearly far enough, but the excellent passenger seating has a top-notch safety rating.
Check out more in the full video.
See the full text review in the March issue of ABC, and subscribe here to secure your copy.
Video: Andrew Britten and Steve Skinner