Amarok seems to do well without a load - I've not driven one with a load though to see what it is like then.
Any Nissan Or Mitsubishi Pickup Owners On Here?
- Thread starter Terminal_Boy
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Amarok seems to do well without a load - I've not driven one with a load though to see what it is like then.
Always like the L200 and it drove quite well over 6000km in Australia a few years ago, reliability however... ours had a rather big issue with a gasket leak and died on us just outside a town in the middle of nowhere. The mechanic had a name for them - Bitsumishi (bits-a-missing) as they apparently aren’t anywhere as reliable as the Nissan and Toyota.
Rather anecdotal obviously and I’m sure they’re usually reliable enough.
I haven’t been in a Nissan in a while, and never on a road, but the general consensus for that was the Hilux was better and far more capable off road, but again probably not an issue for what you want to use it for.
Just be aware, whichever one you get, it’s a pickup - don’t expect it to drive like a car, even if the interior is car like. With the rear leaf springs youre sacrificing comfort for load capacity. That said you can usually make the ride nicer - aftermarket shocks can quite often get rid of a lot of the bounce on rough roads without sacrificing anything else and, even simpler and cheaper, put a couple of paving slabs over the rear axle when it’s empth to give it some load. That said, depending on what you like you may actually prefer the ride - I personally do.
Rather anecdotal obviously and I’m sure they’re usually reliable enough.
I haven’t been in a Nissan in a while, and never on a road, but the general consensus for that was the Hilux was better and far more capable off road, but again probably not an issue for what you want to use it for.
Just be aware, whichever one you get, it’s a pickup - don’t expect it to drive like a car, even if the interior is car like. With the rear leaf springs youre sacrificing comfort for load capacity. That said you can usually make the ride nicer - aftermarket shocks can quite often get rid of a lot of the bounce on rough roads without sacrificing anything else and, even simpler and cheaper, put a couple of paving slabs over the rear axle when it’s empth to give it some load. That said, depending on what you like you may actually prefer the ride - I personally do.
Soldato
Something to bear in mind with reliability of Nissan and Mitsubishi is that they may be Japanese in origin, but both are part owned and have been in alliances with various (Mitsubishi) other manufacturers, and they do share parts and engineering with them.
The Hilux is expensive, but it's a very versatile, high quality, proven product with a long heritage.
It's a shame Honda never sold their Ridgeline in Europe as that actually had car like capabilities (good ride, independent suspension) but still had the pick up truck qualities.
The Hilux is expensive, but it's a very versatile, high quality, proven product with a long heritage.
It's a shame Honda never sold their Ridgeline in Europe as that actually had car like capabilities (good ride, independent suspension) but still had the pick up truck qualities.
Soldato
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Discovery with a trailer if needed.
Sorry, I want something reliable.
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2004
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Won't be beaten on comfort or versatility 
All are potential nightmares, suit your expectations within your budget.
The amarok, ranger and hilux are and will be more expensive in comparison to the l200 and navara for similar age and mileage. You don't say your budget. The most recent versions will be the best for comfort as every evolution is becoming more car like, the old ranger is tough, bouncy and awful on the motorway and the new one is like driving a tall mondeo. The 2ltr amarok is rubbish as is the new 2ltr hilux, the 2.2 ranger is rubbish. None of them in reality gain much more economy over the larger engines however the larger engine VW is only in the newer version so a lot will depend on your budget.
All will be expensive to maintain and keep running. The hilux image for quality is quite old, my 2007 hilux cost me serious £££ to keep in top condition, my 18 month old Ranger has been back many times for warranty work but I've done 40k in that time and it's been a pleasure and twice as nice as the hilux to drive.
Again it all depends on your budget. £7k gets you a nice navara or a ropey hilux.
The amarok, ranger and hilux are and will be more expensive in comparison to the l200 and navara for similar age and mileage. You don't say your budget. The most recent versions will be the best for comfort as every evolution is becoming more car like, the old ranger is tough, bouncy and awful on the motorway and the new one is like driving a tall mondeo. The 2ltr amarok is rubbish as is the new 2ltr hilux, the 2.2 ranger is rubbish. None of them in reality gain much more economy over the larger engines however the larger engine VW is only in the newer version so a lot will depend on your budget.
All will be expensive to maintain and keep running. The hilux image for quality is quite old, my 2007 hilux cost me serious £££ to keep in top condition, my 18 month old Ranger has been back many times for warranty work but I've done 40k in that time and it's been a pleasure and twice as nice as the hilux to drive.
Again it all depends on your budget. £7k gets you a nice navara or a ropey hilux.
Soldato
I don't know what age Navara you are looking at but just google Navara chassis snap. Saying that a guy I work with had one as a company vehicle for 5 years and loved it
That's only the early ones, most now have failed the MOT, been repaired or scrapped.
Caporegime
Was going to post that. One of my subbies had his do it and received a new model at...substantial discount.
The Ridgelines payload rating is way south of the magical one tonne required for light commercial vehicle tax breaks, which is pretty much a death sentence to any pickup in the UK.
That said the payload ratings seem extremely conservative in North America (the 150/1500 series pickups generally have a max payload of around 3/4 of a tonne unless you buy specific ones, same with the Tacoma, which is basically a modified Hilux) so they may have been able to get it uprated for the Uk market.
Soldato
Forget looking at Hilux's and Amarok's ECT. You want a Great Wall :
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...d=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...d=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used
I've never actually seen one of those.
Anyone know what the tax and insurance situation is like on these pickups as a non-business owner and non-commercial use? every time I've tried to get information on it they quickly start talking about commercial use and likewise any web-sites even if the opening information is about non-commercial use almost straight away switches to talking about "your employer", etc. - I assume due to classification you are still covered by the commercial side of it to a certain extent i.e. £240-250/pa VED?
It is a bit banging head on wall as even with the dealers, etc. they after about 10 seconds assume you are actually buying for a business regardless and/or can't seem to comprehend I'm trying to find out to what extent the same rules apply, etc.
Anyone know what the tax and insurance situation is like on these pickups as a non-business owner and non-commercial use? every time I've tried to get information on it they quickly start talking about commercial use and likewise any web-sites even if the opening information is about non-commercial use almost straight away switches to talking about "your employer", etc. - I assume due to classification you are still covered by the commercial side of it to a certain extent i.e. £240-250/pa VED?
It is a bit banging head on wall as even with the dealers, etc. they after about 10 seconds assume you are actually buying for a business regardless and/or can't seem to comprehend I'm trying to find out to what extent the same rules apply, etc.
Caporegime
From my limited understanding it’s a commercial vehicle therefore you start again from scratch with your policy i.e. no NCB from your car policy, in so far as insurance I assume you declare it as used not for hire or reward which is the standard line with something like a classic truck that’s not used to generate revenue.
Yeah that is the kind of stuff I need to know.
Caporegime
As I say, my knowledge is limited but mainly based on experience of a few mates who’ve bought them, as I say insurance seems high (given loss of private car NCB) but the main issue - to me at least - is the unladen ride quality (or lack of!) pickups in general are somewhat bouncy without a considerable payload in the back, not an issue to one being used as intended but something to consider if it’s main function is essentially that of a private car....
Dunno if there is a difference to the UK models as my experience is pretty limited but I did 100s of miles in one in the US without it being an issue. For my intents and purposes it probably won't matter anyhow as it won't be a replacement for a car as such more supplemental.
all d40 navaras from Spain starting with chassis number vsk are potentially affected by the chassis issue, 2005-2015. the new d23 narava has the strengthening plates and better corrosion inhibitor.
depending on age that you are looking for a good old Toyota Hilux or Isuzu Rodeo 3.0 or if new the Hilux,Dmax,Navara. Depends what you really need it for as they are all good trucks but do vary with qualities.
Alex
US and UK pickups are totally different beasts. There’s little comparison between them - i’d highly recommend you test a UK Pickup out to see the difference. UK/rest of the world pickups are generally much more utilitarian and less refined than the 150/1500 and small pickups in the US, because of the market for them.
That’s not to say they’re bad, just very different. (Having driven thousands of miles in both).
I've a little experience of the Amarok and Navara but not enough to compare to the US ones (in any meaningful way plus the experiences are years apart) - I did notice some stuff that came as standard on the 150 in the US isn't even an optional extra on the UK ones I've looked at - you have to go 3rd party.