Hilux vs Navara

In todays sunday telegraph there was an article on test crashes, the lux is the safest 4wd with 4 stars followed by triton 4 stars

navara 3 stars, ford ranger/bt50 3 stars, colorado 3 stars, mahindra 2 stars

We currently have almost the full range of light utes at work making for an interesting comparison. Overall taking load carrying, towing, handling, econemy & comfort into account the Hilux would come in 2nd & the Navara 3rd but really they are all very close these days.
Cheers Craig..................

Straydingo

There is a good discussion going on over at the 4WD Action forum but like others have said there is not much between the lot.

Straydingo,
We bought 2 petrol Navara's in late 2007 (after always owning Hilux's) on the back of price, reviews including a 4WD of the year award and the way they performed on a test drive.
Awesome power, very nice to drive, very roomy and comfortable and a clever internal layout.
However, we were very dissapointed with the build quality and the fuel economy. In the end we went back to Toyota's late last year and are once again very happy.
Yes you pay more up front, but I think we will get it back in spades on reliability and resale.
Just my opinion.
Cheers

Doddgey

If I was looking at utes ( I stress ME ) then the DMax and the Mazda BT50 would be the 1st 2 I would look at..I know , not really answering the question !!

I was open and minded and looked at all three.

Also spoke to a few hire companies with their costs.

Basically this is what I ended up with;

Reliability, Hilux, if you are going to own the truck for a while, you will spend less on maintenance

Towing, Equal, the Triton, and Navara though rated more, you would not put more than 2 tonne on these vehicles for offroad or 2 1/2 for on road. Numerous cases of structual damage to all vehicles towing more than 2 1/2 tonne. Probably would be good for 3 tonne in a straight line. If you want to tow, get a Land Rover / Cruiser etc

Initial Cost, we all know this one

Resale, by far the Hilux

Adaptability, Hilux. I was very disappointed with the interior of the Navara. Triton was ok but not built to last. under bonnet space also in the Navara is shocking and if you speak to any service guy, they all hate working on them. Triton not too bad and easy to work on but problems creep in after about 50,000km (this is hire vehicle stats so prob longer for a private owner as they look after their vehicles better) as opposed to about 110,000 for a Hilux. Look at whether or not you need a 2nd battery, water heater (underbonnet) or anything else including your hands if you do need to do anything.


Hence I ended up getting a hilux.

Hi,

I've been thinking over the same vehicles for a while. I would have bought the previous model HiLux but can't quite get past the looks of the current model. I looked at the BT50 but my impression was it was a bit light-duty for the outback touring I had in mind. I was also looking at the D40 Navara but have heard of lots of problems with these - particularly the clutch (look elsewhere on this site and/or go to http://motorsm.com/complaints/latest.asp for some info) - this will be particularly important as you've mentioned you want to use it for towing. The autos can give problems too with a particulate emissions sensor which quickly fouls up and results in poor fuel economy. These sensors are rumoured to be around $4-5k to replace.

Personally, I think the Triton is for people who don't think the current HiLux is ugly enough, and I wouldn't touch a Mitsubishi due to their reputation with transmissions. Although they argue they have fixed those problems, the reputation still seems to affect resale value on current models. Add to that: the parts counter at my local Holden/Mitsubishi dealer is covered in adverts for genuine Mitsubishi reconditioned transmissions. Most dealers' parts counters have posters telling you to use only genuine consumables (oils, filters, belts, etc.) but Mitsubishi has posters telling you of the advantages of replacing your transmission with a genuine reconditioned one...

I have 2 friends with Navaras and they both love the Hilux when they drive mine however they couldn't justify the price difference for work vehicles. I reckon both vehicles are great products however you cannot deny the differences. Your choice will depend on your budget, I wouldn't want to be towing 3000KG with a Navara too often.

The Hilux is perhaps an expensive product yet it keeps breaking sales records, hec the 2nd top selling vehicle behind the Commodore.! Thats gotta say something.

Value for money the Navara is a great choice.

Just out of curiosity, was the Nav based on the Pathfinder, or the Pathfinder based on the Nav?

Giddat

No doubt the Hilux is a good thing but is it worth the extra. Sure it sells a lot but how many are bought by "real people" who have to pay full whack, not companies for fleets etc.

I have a Ford Ranger and am very happy with it. It isn't the best looking thing either but is does the job at a substantial discount to the Toyota.

The best selling motorcycle in Australia is that little Honda that Australia Post uses. I doubt if they would sell many to anybody else.

Cheers Rocco

thanks everyone for your comments

Cheers
Andrew