THE NISSAN NAVARA CALIBRE ONCE LOOKED A BETTER VEHICLE THAN THE MITSUBISHI TRITON PLUS BUT THINGS SEEM TO HAVE CHANGED
The Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara share many similarities in Thailand. For starters, their next-generation models will be made at the same place _ Mitsubishi's plant in Chon Buri _ as announced recently by their parent firms in Japan.
But there is more to it. First, both the Triton and Navara are roughly the same age in their current-generation form; the rest of the pickup crowd is fast ageing and heading into sunset.
Second, Mitsubishi and Nissan are second-tier brands in the Thai pickup market with monthly sales hovering at around 2,000-3,000 units; leading powerhouses Toyota and Isuzu usually sell around 10,000 each month.
Third, Mitsubishi has followed Nissan, becoming the next brand to concentrate on just one basic diesel engine block: the 2.5-litre four-cylinder with different levels of outputs.
So for those who don't place brand value over sheer product substance, the Triton and Navara are probably the next two pickups brands potential buyers should look forward. And the last time they met last year, we found that the Triton suffered in the one area that prevented it from winning over the Navara: performance.
This year, Mitsubishi hopes to rectify that shortcoming with a more powerful engine called VG Turbo, which is also employed in the Pajero Sport SUV (as driven in the story below).
With 178hp on tap, the Triton becomes the most powerful pickup currently on sale. Nissan has a 174hp engine, but that only comes in the four-wheel-drive models of the Navara.
Because of that punters falling for the fake 4x4, high-riding pickup trend now have quite a good reason to look at the Triton again since Mitsubishi has decided to also give the Plus the VG Turbo treatment.
On paper, the Triton Plus immediately looks better than the 144hp Navara Calibre. In fact, you would already suspect the Triton is going to win in the end due to a 34hp advantage. It won't at an instant, but we'll get back to that later to tell you why.
Performance-wise, the Triton is now better than the Navara. The specific area where you can feel the Triton's superiority is on the highway.
Overtaking power _ something that was sorely lacking in the Triton's old 140hp unit _ is now pleasantly abundant and you can feel it more convincingly after having driven the Navara.
All of a sudden the Navara's 144hp motor feels slow in comparison such that you might be compelled to tell Nissan to give its Calibre that 174hp output.
Better too for the Triton is fuel consumption. On a drive to Ratchaburi, it returned some 12.5-13kpl over the Navara's rather mediocre 9.5-10kpl.
That's quite commendable for Mitsubishi as the Triton Plus still gets the old four-speed automatic transmission.
The Navara's five-speeder starts to look a little useless, as both performance and economy aren't better than the Triton's.
The Triton's driving characteristics don't seem affected by the increase in power which is not surprising given the chassis's potential ever since the vehicle's inception.
There seems to be a more composed ride and handling than in the Navara, even if some underbody vibrations are a little more pronounced in the Triton.
So yes, the Triton wins when it comes to the entire driving experience, and this is crucial for a vehicle being used use for holidaying. It may be the better drive, but the Navara still looks to be the better buy.
Compared to the Triton, the Navara had always been outstanding when it comes to features, notable among them an airbag for the front passenger.
But Nissan hasn't sat still. For its so-called model year 2011 Navara, there are more amenities like a practical roof rack (it also makes the Navara look cool) and automatic cruise control, as such.
When it comes to kit count for an 800,000 baht four-door, high-riding 2WD pickup, the Triton obviously falls behind.
Which is why we can't declare the Triton the outright winner, since that would ultimately depend on your priorities.
But one thing's for sure: there is now good reason to go for the Triton, despite some sheen being taken off its equipment/price balance _ something which is quite sensitive for buyers of such vehicles.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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