I Need Pickup Truck With Car Like Handling And Quietness. Which One?

Fortuna is yu answar

errrr, my friend's fortuna terbalik at highway bawak macam sedan....

Higher centre of gravity mah... law of physics.

The new Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado

xtrail 2.5...syiok...high but good handlin+better comfort than pajerosport/fortuner

Unfortunately, I do not see a reply that adequately answers your queries so I shall try.

One has to be very objective in making such comparisons.

First of all, not all sedans are made the same. What kind of sedan are you making a comparison with? The high-end luxury sedans? Forget it. The pick-up truck can never compare no matter what you do to it. The low-end sub-1600cc sedan? Forget it, they can never compare with a pick-up truck. In my opinion, a 1600cc sedan will in some respects be comparable so it makes more sense to compare with a 1600cc sedan.

I have been driving a 4WD Nissan Navara for the past 15 months and before that I was driving a 4WD Nissan Frontier for 6 years so I think I am qualified to talk about these 2 pick-up trucks.

The Navara has ABS (got me out of trouble a couple of times), LSD and 4WD (also got me out of trouble once in a flood). How many 1600cc sedans sold in Malaysia has all 3 of these features? I guess very, very few if any. So in this aspect of performance, the pick-up wins.

In an emergency situation, what options has a 1600cc sedan got? Only 1 - to brake. The pick-up truck, with its superior power, torque and maybe even acceleration compared to some sedans will have 2 options and with ABS and LSD, braking will be safer and more efficient.

Now lets talk about handling and ride. The stock pick-up is notorious for being bouncy and rolls. My Navara has been after-market installed with a leaf-spring extender that reduces the bounciness and a torsion bar to reduce the rolling. So handling and ride is comparable.

Comfort and luxury: My Navara is at least half a meter broader than the average 1600cc sedan so it is more comfortable for the rear passengers with more elbow room. It also has more leg room that a 1600cc sedan will find hard to compete with. It has leather seats. How many 1600cc sedans have this level of luxury?

Engine noise: Comparing a diesel engine to a petrol engine for noise is not apple to apple. Even so, perhaps most Malaysians have not experienced the European luxury diesel sedans what are whisper quiet with fantastic torque and acceleration. Perhaps for the next 10 years at least, we will still not see such cars on Malaysian roads. Hey you are trying to compare a sedan petrol engine with a pick-up diesel engine for noise level? Forget it. Anyway, for what it is worth, I had to spend serious money to soundproof my old Frontier and still it was more noisy than the Navara off the shelf. Perhaps the noise level of the Navara engine can even be lower than a 1300 or 1000cc sedan labouring. I am happy enough and can enjoy classical music in my Navara without having to rupture my eardrums. Tyre noise is comparable.

Thanks for that. It's an interesting post.

How much did the leaf spring extender and torsion bar cost? Do they void the warranty?

A sedan body sitting on the same pickup truck platform chassic, not a monocoque chassic like a sedan or SUV

Total about RM2K. I don't care whether warranty voided or not since the improvement is huge.

Thanks for the many replies.

I met up with my contractor Ah Chin and went in his Hilux for a short drive.
I found it not as noisy as I anticipated and the ride was acceptable, more planted on the road than my friends 4 year old big Triton. At the end of the ride, Ah Chin told me he intend to change his Hilux for the latest Hilux for next CNY 2013!


I saw a new dark Navara upside down a few months back near a traffic light in Glenmarie. It was raining so I am not sure if it was due to speeding and cornering same time or other issue.

I heard Colorado and Mazda have spares problems? What about Ford Ranger?