MITSUBISHI / TRITON PLUS VS MAZDA BT-50

Nonplus No More

We compare a pair of 'haul one-tonne of cargo, take your lady to her parents' village home via the rutted trail and don't break the bank kind of pick-ups

WIWAT CHANG

Most personal buyers of pick-ups use the vehicle both for work and leisure, hence the extended cab version is popular as it can haul no less than a tonne of cargo and have some space to tuck away weekend luggage.

The weekend destination is usually somewhere remote enough to be nice, but the road is not. Getting unstuck with 4WD capabilities would be great, but high ground clearance and off-road tyres should be okay in most cases, shouldn't they?

Then, most pick-ups are offered in two engine variants and nowadays the lesser the 2.5 and not the 3.0/3.2 - can do its job competently. As you're on a limited budget, the 2.5 will suffice.

Since the automatic version is some five-digit dearer than the manual, and that you don't have to struggle with city traffic (because you don't live in one), the manual gearbox would do.

So, here we picked out two of the gruntiest 4x2 extended cab pick-ups with 2.5 engines, manual transmission and higher off-road profile: the recently launched 140hp Mitsubishi Triton Plus and the 143hp Mazda BT-50 VHi.

Sheer rationality

The reason you wanted to buy a pick-up in the first place is that you need to carry lots of cargo. The truck beds do that and the differences in their dimensions are practically trivial.

However, one unique trick the Mazda pick-up has is that the truck bed sidewalls are designed to support planks of wood around halfway up from the bed floor. This allows you to create a double decker and provide versatility in cargo carrying.

How about protecting your weekend luggage from the elements? Any extended cab can swallow bags of stuffs, but with the mild inconvenience of having to fold down a seat and squeeze the bags through. But no extended cab can take a 25-inch TV unless it has rear access panels like on a BT-50 (it can even take two TVs).

Both are powered by similarly grunty 2.5-litre common-rail turbo diesel with intercooler and they're both mated to five-speed manual gearboxes.

The two ride on 4WD-like chassis set-up with off-road(ish) hard terrain tyres albeit both being 4x2s.

Outright sophistication

Let's get this straight: it's the torque - not power - that gives you acceleration and helps you pass another vehicle. These two have healthy amounts of torque: the Mitsubishi with 321Nm and the Mazda with 330Nm, both at 2,000rpm. It's the way they're delivered to the driven wheels that matters.

The Triton Plus's gear-changes are no where as quick and crisp as in the BT-50 whose flywheel is dual mass.

Accelerating through the five cogs is no sweat in the BT-50, as so is going up and down hills after hills. The Triton Plus doesn't run far behind though, it's just less fluid.

Despite the Triton's rack and pinion system, the steering is numb and not precise. Fortunately, once you find the feel for the centre, you can corner without fuss with its taut chassis. Brakes have better feel and bite than in the BT-50.

One let down in the BT-50 lies at the four corners: the tyres have appalling grip off or on road.

Both are equipped with hard terrain tyres which don't give much traction on a few off-road scenarios, so do not fool yourself that your 4x2 can go as far as a proper 4x4 can.

We wish all pick-up makers would offer limited slip differential or differential lock as option on their 4x2s.

Cargo-hauling pick-ups are never going to offer a comfy ride as in a passenger car and these two aren't so different from each other. However, the sporty looking seats of the Mitsubishi don't offer as much support as they look. On the other hand, the simple looking ones in the BT-50 are snug and comfortable for short or long haul.

Toyota Hilux Vigo Extended Cab 2.5 I/C

Most personal buyers of pick-ups know they don't need high profile 4x2 for their holiday-making. Just make a dependable vehicle that is pleasant to use day-in day-out and these drivers will be happy.

The Hilux Vigos are basically like that and, for a few months now, their 2.5-litre version gains increased power to more closely compete against the rivals. Its 120hp may seem uncompetitive on paper, but its 320Nm of torque - so close to the 3.0's 343Nm - is very useful.

The 2.5 exists in both 4x2s (but not the high profile Prerunner) and 4x4s, but mated only to manual transmission. It's available to both the extended cab and double cab. We tested one in extended cab form loaded with 500kg of sand and were surprised to be able to drive it up a car park ramp at idle and in second gear.

Another little surprise was that after 350km of urban driving with that half load (one tonne extended cab pick-ups are supposed to haul one tonne of goods) we managed a respectable 12.5kpl. Despite only one airbag, its asking price of B649,000 in return for an economical, easy-to-live-with truck with a leading three-year resale value of 77% is not at all insensible.

Chevrolet Colorado C-Cab 2.5 Z71

The Colorado 2.5 double cab is neither as comfortable to drive and ride in as a comparable Hilux Vigo. But it's close to the Vigo in terms of ease of driving, but it's a little short on creature comfort both up front and in the back.

Blame its lowest-in-class (of intercooled 2.5 turbo diesel) torque of 280Nm and possibly lower gearing for having to change down more often and one gear lower than other rivals when ascending mountain roads. But perhaps that lower gearing helps it achieve 11.4kpl in the city - not bad for this class. This rear-wheel-drive high-profile double cab could be better with the G80 differential lock - only Chevrolet has this device in Thailand - for added traction off-road, but it is currently not available as an option for this model.

If you like the Isuzu D-Max for anything, you can find them in a Chevy Colorado with a twist of cosmetic differences. Another discernible difference is that Chevrolet offers three years of road-side assistance while Isuzu does not. Despite what you might have heard about Chevrolet's service, this model's scheduled maintenance costs upto 100,000km is a mere B19,555. At B744,000 and a not-so-bad three-year resale value of 71%, the Colorado is for buyers who have faith in Isuzu's reliability, Chevrolet's good assembly quality and wanting to have something that looks different.

Bangkok Post
Friday February 02, 2007