Pick Up Truck, Which Is The Best Out There?

[WebBangkok]

Hi Guys,

I was going to buy a Fortuner as our Honda CRV while has been a great car, we want to have an upgrade.

My father in-law has a fortuner and I drove it a few months ago and I liked it, but my Brother in-law just bought a nice brand new 4 door Toyota Hilux and the thing is nice and flies (almost) as well. I think the Hilux is much quicker off the mark too and does not fell too much different from the Fortuner when inside.

I see the pickup to be a much better car than the Fortuner, but I am no car expert so not sure if I am missing anything here.

I might go for a auto as the wofe can't drive manual, but we are also thinking of just keeping the CRV and having the pick up as a second car which then I will get a manual as it will be my car because the CRV is actually her car to begin with

I like the looks of the Isuzu and toyota, which ones do you think it better and more reliable?

[skybluestu]

The new Ford Ranger which will be released next month. Or Dmax if you think like a Thai

[caphant]

If you are considering a 4dr truck then I assume you have little need for the small third row of seats offered by the Truck Suvs, Lots of new trucks being released this and next year, personal preference but i like to wait a year or 2 after a new model is released to see if any problems arise and give the manufacturer time to address the new issues. Toyota and Isuzu have the resale value but to be honest most of the trucks are pretty similar amongst the competitors offerings. I would test them out and see which one fits and drives best. I would look for a private seller looking to move on as these usually have the best condition and are willing to accept less for a cash sale. I like disel reliability and efficiency, if you both dont need own cars then might be worth getting either a 4dr truck or truck suv and selling the crv

I liked the vigo, the difference between the vigo and fortuner interiorwise was less pronounced than the triton an pjs, where the mitsu took additional effort to improve the dash, I felt as though the noise suppresion and ride was more refined in the fortuner on account to the increased dampening and suspension.

[katabeachbum]

except for Tata, which I have no experience or stats for, they are all extremely reliable.

a new Izu is out, engines old, brakes finally on par with the best, crash safety one has to assume now at least on par with Vigo

a new chevy is out, basicly same as Izu, but new 2,8 engine, no reason to expect reliablity issues with engine as its VM Motori design

Ford Ranger is out in a few weeks. Beats all the others on specs.

Mitsu Triton still around. good 2,5/178hp/5 speed auto, but can you stand the styling?

and if auto is available within your budget, I d forget about manual gear. makes them feel like agricultural machines

[transam]

Yep, auto for sure.

[wandrinstar]

except for Tata, which I have no experience or stats for, they are all extremely reliable.

a new Izu is out, engines old, brakes finally on par with the best, crash safety one has to assume now at least on par with Vigo

a new chevy is out, basicly same as Izu, but new 2,8 engine, no reason to expect reliablity issues with engine as its VM Motori design

Ford Ranger is out in a few weeks. Beats all the others on specs.

Mitsu Triton still around. good 2,5/178hp/5 speed auto, but can you stand the styling?

and if auto is available within your budget, I d forget about manual gear. makes them feel like agricultural machines

KBB, come on Man ,its the Agricultural Suspension that makes em like Tractors., not the Gearbox for Heaves Sake. First Gear in an Auto Sportivo is near enough a Crawler Gear, like first on a Manual Champ .Nowt wrong for the price , but Land Cruisers they aint . Looking at Specs , the new Fords the Dogs Nuts by far.. A Kiss from Old Man Emu makes a big difference to Tuna /Spivo Shimmy. Your ride doesn't suffer being longer.. Id go Paj or Ford.

[katabeachbum]

KBB, come on Man ,its the Agricultural Suspension that makes em like Tractors., not the Gearbox for Heaves Sake. First Gear in an Auto Sportivo is near enough a Crawler Gear, like first on a Manual Champ .Nowt wrong for the price , but Land Cruisers they aint . Looking at Specs , the new Fords the Dogs Nuts by far.. A Kiss from Old Man Emu makes a big difference to Tuna /Spivo Shimmy. Your ride doesn't suffer being longer.. Id go Paj or Ford.

suspension is perfect doing 160kmh with 5-700Kg on board

airbags would have increasd comfort unloaded, but I had airbags on my benz Vclass and on a Lincoln Navigator, and when they dont work you are pretty stuck in Paradise for a week or so

[MoonRiverOasis]

Id go Paj or Ford.

I agree, clearly best in class on each count, at the moment.

[wandrinstar]

Again KBB you move the Goalposts. ! .. What has a Benz V Class and a Lincoln Navigator have in Common with a Cheap Truck.....?. Lets face it a Paj handles very nicely , my beef is the Spivo handles nothing like your ride, and cant kiss a Pajes Bum off road... Note i never speak about Range Rover , as MRO never mentions Porche . keep to bread n butter. I still rate the Suzuki Grand Vitara 6Pot , and the Honda CRV. , but then im an Old Crumblie. Hope Ford do serious injury to G.M and Toyotas lethargy , with their new V.M . Motori. .

[katabeachbum]

Again KBB you move the Goalposts. ! .. What has a Benz V Class and a Lincoln Navigator have in Common with a Cheap Truck.....?. Lets face it a Paj handles very nicely , my beef is the Spivo handles nothing like your ride, and cant kiss a Pajes Bum off road... Note i never speak about Range Rover , as MRO never mentions Porche . keep to bread n butter. I still rate the Suzuki Grand Vitara 6Pot , and the Honda CRV. , but then im an Old Crumblie. Hope Ford do serious injury to G.M and Toyotas lethargy , with their new V.M . Motori. .

they v got air suspension, so does RR, and my experience with all 3 of them are trouble. but increases comfort for Vigo not loaded, I belive carryboy? supplies them on their camper vigo

as for spivo, installing shorter stiffer springs on a tuna is plain silly. faster cornering, but shorter springtravel reducec traction in fast long curves on uneven paved roads, the typical TH highway

[wandrinstar]

KBB, do you remember the D.A.F. Air Ride Vans , i great ride loaded or empty , we had no trouble with them , now that would enhance a Pik Up Ride , but the Government here seems against Joe Public having anything nice. Ever seen a Hi So Ride with Cart Springs.!!!! P.S. you don't half have to bash a RR to nacker the Pump, and its not expensive surprisingly. Brit Part U.K. do a Recon at half price. .

[katabeachbum]

KBB, do you remember the D.A.F. Air Ride Vans , i great ride loaded or empty , we had no trouble with them , now that would enhance a Pik Up Ride , but the Government here seems against Joe Public having anything nice. Ever seen a Hi So Ride with Cart Springs.!!!! P.S. you don't half have to bash a RR to nacker the Pump, and its not expensive surprisingly. Brit Part U.K. do a Recon at half price. .

sometimes I dont get what your saying

as late as 2001 my benz vclass blew up airsuspension. 80kmh, trailer had a right out of factory benz e220cdi estate avantgarde on it, dark blue metallic with cream interior, at 3,5 million baht. Trailer flipped, eclass roofed thus filled with mud, fortunately I had bought 5 more and only 4 sold

In 1993 I got the last RR with coils, several friends had RR airsuspension, guess who always could go home from the skicenter sunday afternoon. yes, the coilspring one. something about condense and 15C below, and 10 hours wait for repair

I would assume they are better today, and this climate is in some ways more gentle

still doing 2-4k km roadtrips, new simple tech pickups/suv work just fine. no hassles. in 480k km and 9 years

[MoonRiverOasis]

The new Isuzu D-Max may have an old engine, but with it's revisions for the 2011 model, the Isuzu 3.0L now finally beats the 3.0L in the Vigo Champ. Attractive prices and packaging, plus guaranteed good resale value make it worth considering.

As KBB says - there's no reason the expect any major issues with the Colorado's new 2.5 and 2.8L donks, but as this is the first real-world application of a the engine, it may be foolish not to expect at least some teething problems.. Historically, GM have always needed 12-24 months to get a new platform all smoothed out - not saying the Colorado is the same, but I wouldn't be surprised if the first minor change has some pretty substantial improvements. On the wait-and-see list from my perspective.

The Hilux Champ is outclassed IMHO. Only for the Toyota devout, or those seeking the 'safe' decision, even though they know they're buying a truck that's behind the curve. Nothing particuarly wrong with it mind you, but the newer trucks are just better.

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

IMHO the Mistu Triton still holds its own against the new comers, and it's a great package for the price, and being Mitsu has the best finance deals bar none.

The Nissan Navara is barely mentioned here, but it's still just as big as the newer D-Max and Colorado's, and the 2.5L in the 4WD version is a great engine.. Worth a look if they're doing a good promotion.

I have nothing to say about the TATA.. My mom always said if you can't say something nice, don't saying anything at all

Edited November 15, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[transam]

When l came to LOS l was going to buy a Toyota truck. Didn't care about HP or Torque just wanted what l had learned in the UK about engineering design and reliability. My motoring engineer friend, who taught me lots, always drove a Toyota and he could buy anything. He understood motor engineering design and worked on any make of ride you can mention but for his daily work ride it was a Toyota.

[MoonRiverOasis]

When l came to LOS l was going to buy a Toyota truck. Didn't care about HP or Torque just wanted what l had learned in the UK about engineering design and reliability. My motoring engineer friend, who taught me lots, always drove a Toyota and he could buy anything. He understood motor engineering design and worked on any make of ride you can mention but for his daily work ride it was a Toyota.

Yep, it's been a very safe buy for a very long time - that's why it's #1, and why it's everyone else that has to do better in order to gain market share.

BTW, there's a rumor floating around that IMV2 could appear as early as late next year now...

[caphant]

BTW, there's a rumor floating around that IMV2 could appear as early as late next year now...

Lets hope that rumor comes true and youll have some fantastic pictures to post, cheers for the thread on the trailblazer MRO

[wandrinstar]

KBB, do you remember the D.A.F. Air Ride Vans , i great ride loaded or empty , we had no trouble with them , now that would enhance a Pik Up Ride , but the Government here seems against Joe Public having anything nice. Ever seen a Hi So Ride with Cart Springs.!!!! P.S. you don't half have to bash a RR to nacker the Pump, and its not expensive surprisingly. Brit Part U.K. do a Recon at half price. .

sometimes I dont get what your saying

as late as 2001 my benz vclass blew up airsuspension. 80kmh, trailer had a right out of factory benz e220cdi estate avantgarde on it, dark blue metallic with cream interior, at 3,5 million baht. Trailer flipped, eclass roofed thus filled with mud, fortunately I had bought 5 more and only 4 sold

In 1993 I got the last RR with coils, several friends had RR airsuspension, guess who always could go home from the skicenter sunday afternoon. yes, the coilspring one. something about condense and 15C below, and 10 hours wait for repair

I would assume they are better today, and this climate is in some ways more gentle

still doing 2-4k km roadtrips, new simple tech pickups/suv work just fine. no hassles. in 480k km and 9 years

Sometimes im sure Posters dont understand You. You sound like Mr Cruze defending all thing's Toyota. Possibly you were doing your Custom 180 everwhere. Ive had RRs since they came out ,and never had a Prob. unless i abused it.. I Still cant understand Ferangs needing Trucks to go to Lotus.. Cant wait for a nice City or Mitsu later on.. Not to Worry Mate, nice Banter..God help us when you get the New Ford .

[transam]

KBB, do you remember the D.A.F. Air Ride Vans , i great ride loaded or empty , we had no trouble with them , now that would enhance a Pik Up Ride , but the Government here seems against Joe Public having anything nice. Ever seen a Hi So Ride with Cart Springs.!!!! P.S. you don't half have to bash a RR to nacker the Pump, and its not expensive surprisingly. Brit Part U.K. do a Recon at half price. .

sometimes I dont get what your saying

as late as 2001 my benz vclass blew up airsuspension. 80kmh, trailer had a right out of factory benz e220cdi estate avantgarde on it, dark blue metallic with cream interior, at 3,5 million baht. Trailer flipped, eclass roofed thus filled with mud, fortunately I had bought 5 more and only 4 sold

In 1993 I got the last RR with coils, several friends had RR airsuspension, guess who always could go home from the skicenter sunday afternoon. yes, the coilspring one. something about condense and 15C below, and 10 hours wait for repair

I would assume they are better today, and this climate is in some ways more gentle

still doing 2-4k km roadtrips, new simple tech pickups/suv work just fine. no hassles. in 480k km and 9 years

Sometimes im sure Posters dont understand You. You sound like Mr Cruze defending all thing's Toyota. Possibly you were doing your Custom 180 everwhere. Ive had RRs since they came out ,and never had a Prob. unless i abused it.. I Still cant understand Ferangs needing Trucks to go to Lotus.. Cant wait for a nice City or Mitsu later on.. Not to Worry Mate, nice Banter..God help us when you get the New Ford .

You carry on with your Jazz, or something. Some here do stuff and have a ride to fit what we do.

[cocoy]

ya i think toyota hilux is last now.. thats why all the new trucks has this toyota hilux look to it. heheheh

[MoonRiverOasis]

ya i think toyota hilux is last now.. thats why all the new trucks has this toyota hilux look to it. heheheh

You mean a D-max look to it..

It was the 2002 Isuzu D-max which re-wrote the design rules for medium sized pickups, Toyota only caught up at the end of 2004.

[Spoonman]

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

I was all prepared to ditch my current pickup in favour of a 3.2 Ranger when they finally hit the market, having talked to a various people (supposedly in the know) now I have deferred my decision and wait for at-least 12 months until the bugs (of which there are plenty it seems) are sorted out.

[MoonRiverOasis]

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

I was all prepared to ditch my current pickup in favour of a 3.2 Ranger when they finally hit the market, having talked to a various people (supposedly in the know) now I have deferred my decision and wait for at-least 12 months until the bugs (of which there are plenty it seems) are sorted out.

Bugs? Please do share

[richard_smith237]

KBB, do you remember the D.A.F. Air Ride Vans , i great ride loaded or empty , we had no trouble with them , now that would enhance a Pik Up Ride , but the Government here seems against Joe Public having anything nice. Ever seen a Hi So Ride with Cart Springs.!!!! P.S. you don't half have to bash a RR to nacker the Pump, and its not expensive surprisingly. Brit Part U.K. do a Recon at half price. .

sometimes I dont get what your saying

as late as 2001 my benz vclass blew up airsuspension. 80kmh, trailer had a right out of factory benz e220cdi estate avantgarde on it, dark blue metallic with cream interior, at 3,5 million baht. Trailer flipped, eclass roofed thus filled with mud, fortunately I had bought 5 more and only 4 sold

In 1993 I got the last RR with coils, several friends had RR airsuspension, guess who always could go home from the skicenter sunday afternoon. yes, the coilspring one. something about condense and 15C below, and 10 hours wait for repair

I would assume they are better today, and this climate is in some ways more gentle

still doing 2-4k km roadtrips, new simple tech pickups/suv work just fine. no hassles. in 480k km and 9 years

I tend to agree... I had to change the Air Suspension on my RR just this year (B60k !)... Coil springs don't break anywhere near as easily...

.... although, coil springs do not offer the 'Magic carpet ride' of the RR on Thai roads....

(BTW: My 2004 MKIII RR is going up for sale, PM if interested - Shameful advertising I know !)...

[transam]

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

I was all prepared to ditch my current pickup in favour of a 3.2 Ranger when they finally hit the market, having talked to a various people (supposedly in the know) now I have deferred my decision and wait for at-least 12 months until the bugs (of which there are plenty it seems) are sorted out.

Tend to agree, Toyota has sorted out a good ride and haven't really had to sort much out.

In LOS reliability seems paramount, buy and forget.

[Spoonman]

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

I was all prepared to ditch my current pickup in favour of a 3.2 Ranger when they finally hit the market, having talked to a various people (supposedly in the know) now I have deferred my decision and wait for at-least 12 months until the bugs (of which there are plenty it seems) are sorted out.

Bugs? Please do share

Sorry, what was told to me was not for public consumption but suffice to say it has swayed my decision to buy one.

[MoonRiverOasis]

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

I was all prepared to ditch my current pickup in favour of a 3.2 Ranger when they finally hit the market, having talked to a various people (supposedly in the know) now I have deferred my decision and wait for at-least 12 months until the bugs (of which there are plenty it seems) are sorted out.

Tend to agree, Toyota has sorted out a good ride and haven't really had to sort much out.

In LOS reliability seems paramount, buy and forget.

Yeah, you're right. Vigo was released in 2004. in 2006 they found out it likes to tip over so changed the wheels. In 2008 they found out it doesn't stop, so changed the brakes. 7 years on it's a pretty well sorted truck though, I just wish that the 1KD-FTV 3.0L got the same tune as it gets in the Prado (170HP/410Nm), and the AT got a few more cogs, and the rear seat in the 4-door could carry your farang friends w/out you having to apologize all the time, then it'd be an easy choice

Edited November 15, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[transam]

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

I was all prepared to ditch my current pickup in favour of a 3.2 Ranger when they finally hit the market, having talked to a various people (supposedly in the know) now I have deferred my decision and wait for at-least 12 months until the bugs (of which there are plenty it seems) are sorted out.

Tend to agree, Toyota has sorted out a good ride and haven't really had to sort much out.

In LOS reliability seems paramount, buy and forget.

Yeah, you're right. Vigo was released in 2004. in 2006 they found out it likes to tip over so changed the wheels. In 2008 they found out it doesn't stop, so changed the brakes. 7 years on it's a pretty well sorted truck though, I just wish that the 1KD-FTV 3.0L got the same tune as it gets in the Prado (170HP/410Nm), and the AT got a few more cogs, and the rear seat in the 4-door could carry your farang friends w/out you having to apologize all the time, then it'd be an easy choice

Yep, but those who read here can fit a cheap chip get 200 +hp and 400 ft/pd of torque for the price of a hamburger, AND a big guy can get his feet in through the rear door of a Vigo, cannot in an Isuzu eh.

[katabeachbum]

Tend to agree, Toyota has sorted out a good ride and haven't really had to sort much out.

In LOS reliability seems paramount, buy and forget.

I have been so spoiled by the reliability of vigo/tuna I am about to get a Ford to get some excitement in car ownership. Spoonman, please tell if its both 2,2 and 3,2, cause everything indicates I will have a 2,2 initially

[skybluestu]

The Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 are the clear market leaders, without any doubt. Although it's a new design, all of the major components have all had several years in other Ford products, so the teething issues have been sorted, and refinements made. I'd wait for the 3.2L versions though - the 2.2L is a great engine, but it's a big truck..

I was all prepared to ditch my current pickup in favour of a 3.2 Ranger when they finally hit the market, having talked to a various people (supposedly in the know) now I have deferred my decision and wait for at-least 12 months until the bugs (of which there are plenty it seems) are sorted out.

Bugs? Please do share

Sorry, what was told to me was not for public consumption but suffice to say it has swayed my decision to buy one.

I've read quite a few reviews from Australia and South Africa and also had a Thai one translated and nothing but praise so far, who are these 'various people' you refer to?

[happyaussie]

Vigo and Fortuners have proven a great success in Thailand but it's old technology. Over 7 years they've made a change here and there. Which as others say, it made them well rounded. But when everything is considered they're old hat, especially the interiors.

I'm sure they'll be an all new model coming. Because the latest reincarnation looks weird. Seems they've run out of design ideas for grilles.

Mazda, Ford, Chev are definitely more current dynamically and interiors. D Max and Mitzu aren't far behind. But as others say, they're all trucks and I don't know why bother. I have a Honda Accord and on the rare occasion I need to move crap around I rent a ute.

Anyway, each to their own.