Printable View
May go signal na si misis pero kelangan wag lumagpas sa 900K kelangan kasi namin pangkarga kaya dapat matibay at malakas sa akyatan at saka malayo-layo din ang biyahe kaya dapat medyo komportable din.
Among our choices:
1. Toyota Hilux 2.5J
2. Foton Thunder 2.8
3. DMAX LT 2.5
4. Nissan Frontier Bravado 2.7
5. Mitsubishi Strada 2.5 GL
**Ayaw magpa test drive mga dealer sa Isabela :twak2:
Surprisingly, amongst your choices, the D-Max and the Foton have the best gearshifts and transmissions. Foton's Getrag gearbox is smoother, crisper and easier to use than the clunky, crunchy transmissions in the Toyota and Mitsubishi trucks.
Best ride is tied between the two of those and the Strada.
Since these are all base models, best power and power delivery go to the Foton Cummins 2.8. It's a bit breathless at high rpm but it's got lots of torque and it revs very nicely. Like burnouts? Get the Foton. :grin: Next is the Strada 2.5, which has 135 horses, followed by the Toyota 2.5, with 102. The base 2.5 Strada is not particularly impressive in any way, but better than the underpowered weaklings you get elsewhere. Of course, since this is a work truck, perhaps power is not your primary concern.
Don't know how economy compares between all of these, since I haven't driven them all in traffic. I'd assume the Toyota or Isuzu would come out tops, as both of those motors give good economy in their AUVs... but the differences should be very small.
If you need to carry cargo, scratch the Strada. Small bed. In terms of comfort, scratch the Frontier. Older model, small back seat, rough ride. If you really want something old, just get the D-Max.
I would put my bet on the Isuzu, Toyota or Foton. I can understand, however, if you don't trust a Chinese brand.
Possible the Foton could have niggling issues in the future with trim and fitment, but at least the new mechanicals seem solid. The engine, gearbox and brakes are hella better than Chinese trucks of old. And the interior, aside from a little smell when the car is new, is actually nice enough. Maybe in a few years, we'll know if the changes translate into better durability, but it looks hopeful. At the very least, the motor should be good for over 200,000 kilometers if nothing goes wrong with the fuel system... even if the rest of the truck falls apart around it. :belat: (it probably won't... but who knows...)
The Toyota... probably best back-seat of the three, and it handles better than the other two. The new Hilux is more comfortable, ride-wise, than the old bargeboard and it's a practical truck. I'm still wary of how their engines fare with dirty provincial fuel. I've seen some of these D4Ds do over 150,000 kilometers, but others have had fuel issues in much less time. Still a question mark for me. The D4D is weak on paper, but it's got decent turbocharged torque for hauling. Won't go very fast, but it'll haul.
The Isuzu, it may be old, with an ancient looking interior, but the back-seat is comfortable, the ride is smooth (on higher end models. Check the load capacity of the LT... if it's higher, expect it to ride rougher) and the bed is functional. The 2.5 liter 4JA1T is a workhorse that should last you as long as the Foton Cummins or longer... 200-300,000 kilometers is easy on these motors. You can feed them goat pee and cow turds and they'll still run. This is not to say they're indestructible, you have to recalibrate and clean the injectors and pump every now and then, but that's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying new injectors and pumps for the direct injection motors in the Mitsubishi or the Toyota. Yes, it smokes, but so does the 4D56T, and you don't live in Makati, so no worries. Can't really go wrong with it as a mixed work/family truck on a budget. Only issue would be you can't go very quickly with a full bed with that motor.
The Foton with that Cummins engine seems promising indeed, but then I am worried about parts and servicing in the long run...Quote:
Originally Posted by Syuryuken
The Strada is the most comfortable and car-like, but the bed's rather small.
The Frontier is the oldest of the lot. 90s pickup qualities present in here. Great as a workhorse but not if you're looking for ride comfort.
The Hilux has a decently punchy engine with good gas mileage. KD-series engines were known to have SCV troubles but then Toyota seems to have fixed this already, but I'm not sure.
The D-Max LT is an excellent workhorse. I've driven the IPV version, and I am able to outpace pretty much everyone else in EDSA with a load of more than ten people, and I say power is adequate for hauling purposes. It would also seem that the D-Max is less smoky as compared to the Crosswind. I've yet to see any smoke belching 4JA1 D-Max's as of now, as compared to lots of brand new, plate-less smoke belching Crosswind's. :twak2:
Quote:
Originally Posted by niky
Thanks niky ang GTi. Very interesting feedback! Actually yung Thunder nga ang nasa number 1 list namin (picture perfect na naman kasing ginawa sa kotse.com) second is Hilux then the Dmax. Subukan ko ulit pumunta ng Isabela sa susunod na linggo baka sakaling magpa-test drive na sila isa lang kasi yung display nila ng pumunta ako.Quote:
Originally Posted by GTi
Why not get the previous gen Hilux SR5? Or a Fuego? Nasa 500-600 thousand ito ngayon.
The Thunder looks promising indeed. Tapos samahan mo pa nung review sa Kotse.com, it doesn't sound so bad. I mean, siguro for field work pwedeng pwede siya. Syempre, siguro, kung personal use... ayaw mo makita sa isang Chinese vehicle. At least not now. But then, among the base pickups youre choosing from, hinde naman sila better looking kaysa sa Foton :grin:
Maliit nga bed nung Strada.
Meron kami sa probinsya dati nung Frontier. Kulay puti pa nga yun. Parati malayo binabyahe nun pang-farm kasi. Tapos dami parati kargada. Nung nabenta wala pa rin sira, around 250k Kms na rin siya. I guess hinde siya ganun kastressed kasi parati naman highway. No traffic at all.
Kung ako papipiliin. Isuzu pa rin. Diyan nakilala yan eh. Tapos yun Frontier. Then yun Foton. Then Hilux then Strada.
IMO dun ka sa lumang makina. Yun tatakbo parin kahit anong crudo ilagay mo, malinis or madumi. Mahirap kasi kung kukuha ka ng workhorse tapos naka-VGT pa. Sakit lang ulo mo. Dun ka sa bulletproof bro Syur