Upsizing Expectations
This duo are the largest high riding rear-wheel-drive double cab pick-ups with automatic gearboxes on the market. What's to choose between them?
Published: 23/10/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Motoring 
The local market for "raised" rear-wheel-drive pick-ups with that tall four-wheel-drive look has been growing for several years as buyers realised they do not need the 4WD traction, but only the macho looks. For the extended or open cab body types, the buyers do use their trucks both as a workhorse and for pleasure.
The automatic transmission is impractical for work hence a diminishing demand and so all the pick-up players here have ceased to offer the auto option for extended or open cabs.
For the high ground clearance RWD pick-up type, the auto option is now only found in people-moving double cabs. Chevrolet, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Nissan all have this, while Tata does not have one in their arsenal to begin with.
Surprisingly, only Toyota bucks the trend and fits only manual gearboxes on its Hilux Vigo Prerunner range citing lack of market demand.
Automatic gearbox in a double cab pick-up is the dead giveaway that the owner is a casual driver wanting good value alternative to a passenger car.
For the price of a middle-spec C-segment saloon, these trucks have seating space for five adults, cargo bed capacity for half a tonne of stuffs and a sturdy frame to tackle most kinds of dirt roads in the kingdom.
They do not have 4WD traction, but they would get by in not-so-slick conditions and, with their 200mm or more ground clearance, the ability to go over all but the roughest tracks
They are not off-roaders and even when fitted with all or mud terrain tyres may not make it through jungle roads without after-market differential lock. But they are the perfect set of wheels for those who want macho looks within a budget.
Six out of eight pick-up makers offer such a ride and here we have two of the biggest in terms overall size. The Triton Plus from Mitsubishi you see here has been given a second nano-change this year with a new honeycomb design front grille like the on the 4WD version and the slightest change in shape of the 16-inch wheels.
Nissan's Navara Calibre is a late comer to the segment, having just gained the five-speed automatic added to the line-up. Apart from the 'box, nothing else in the Calibre is new whatsoever.
Mitsubishi's power comes from a 140hp 2.5-litre four-pot turbo-diesel coupled to a four-speed automatic driving the rear wheels without a limited slip differential (LSD) that is not even available as an option.
Nissan's shove is by a 144hp 2.5-litre four-cylinder variation mated to a five-speed auto (only Ford and Mazda has as many number of forward cogs in their pickups) propelling the rear tyres also without an LSD even as option (only Ford and Mazda have them as standard).
On paper, they both have an equal 78hp per tonne power-to-weight ratio. But look at the torque rating and there is a difference. The Triton Plus has 178Nm of torque per tonne, whereas the Navara Calibre is slightly healthier at 192Nm.
The only exterior dimension between the two that is identical is the overall height of 1,780mm. Otherwise, the Nissan is 55mm longer, 50mm wider and rides on a 200mm longer wheelbase. The results are that the Navara's cabin is roomier, especially elbow room, but does not apparently - although surprisingly - has longer rear legroom.
And to assess the value of pick-ups, their cargo beds must also be considered. The Mitsubishi has a bed dimension of 1,325mm long, 1,470mm wide and 405mm high (note that its extended cab variant has a 57mm taller bed) for a total of 0.788 cubic metre capacity.
The Nissan's bed is 1,480mm long, 1,494mm wide and 455mm tall for a total capacity of 1.006 cubic metre, or 27% more capacious than the tri-diamond rival.
The Triton Plus has good ride and handling for pick-up in this class, but is let down by a sluggish and noisy drivetrain. The engine spec does not seem to mean all that much in real-world driving.
The big on-centre slack of the steering is mystifying as it feels more like a recirculating ball type rather than a rack and pinion that it is. The upside of the Triton is that the truck has a tighter turning circle than the Nissan.
The Mitsu's front seats, while looking great, offer hardly any side support. The driving position is less than ideal with a rakish steering wheel. The rear seats have a bit of a rearward lean that offer quite a comfortable seating position than most double-cabs in the market, although we would not exactly say they are comfortable as in an SUV like the Pajero Sport.
The Navara Calibre has a tauter ride and the handling is nearly as good as in the Mitsubishi. Its engine and auto'box, however, are far superior with livelier engine and transmission response in any gear position, although there is a bit more turbo lag here. The brakes may not be the best in the market, but more efficient than in the Mitsubishi.
With the Calibre's height adjustable seat, finding a proper driving position isn't difficult. Additional thanks go to a more car-like perpendicular angle of a steering wheel. The rear seats, though, are upright and offer no better headroom or legroom than in the Triton Plus.
The Triton Plus in range-topping GLS trim costing B768,000 is the first pick-up to sport a standard seven-inch display DVD player. Brake electronics include ABS and EBD, but there is only one airbag and it's on the driver's side. The fabric seats look neat and with foldable armrest in the rear.
The Navara Calibre, also in ranging-topping LE trim, costs B789,000. It also has ABS and EBD like in the Triton Plus, but it trumps the Mitsubishi with dual front airbags.
A tin box-sounding six-CD player is standard, as so are the easier to clean but plainer looking beige leather seats. The rear seats, though, lack a centre armrest.
There are no apparent differences in their perceived built quality with both seemingly employing cheaper interior plastics and their tightness lags behind that of a Toyota or a Chevrolet.
While the Nissan has an industry standard three-year/100,000km bumper-to-bumper warranty, the Mitsubishi has a unique five-year/150,000km drive train warranty.
In the end, we find that the Nissan is ahead in drivability, passive safety and practicality. The Mitsubishi is a more comfy ride and tad easier to live with but behind in the rest.
If only the Toyota Hilux Vigo Prerunner has an auto'box, we might not as easily pick the Nissan Navara Calibre as the winner not just in this pair but in this segment of high-riding RWD double-cab fitted with automatic transmission.
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