PICKUP GUIDE 2019 THE
EVERY UK DOUBLE-CAB REVIEWED – PLUS LOTS MORE
5
010791 876000
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£7.99
WORK AND PLAY, STANDARD AND MODIFIED: Britain’s ever-growing pick-up market covered in depth from every angle
PLUS 14 Pages of products for pick-ups of every kind 2019 Pickup Guide Cover.indd 1
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4X4 FACTFILE
TOYOTA HI-LUX ON TEST Hi-Lux 2.4 D-4D Invincible
I
t s fi t ears si ce the first o ota i as b ilt he ve sold more tha o the thi s i that time simpl beca se it s bee the best tr c i the orld his is the ei hth e eratio i a d it bri s ith it the promise o a more car li e cabi o ota sa s it desi ed the vehicle to o er more space a d e ipme t reater com ort a d less oise a d vibratio as ell as a more sa et e ipme t tha ever be ore ost importa tl this is all based o the ri ht derpi i s etai i the o amiliar la o t ith a i depe de t ro t e d a d lea spr live rear a le the i o has a stro er chassis a d bod a d it p ts ri ht a clear ro i the old model b posti a to i ei ht five ear mile arra t is a bi improveme t o the old i too his poi ts to lo er hole li e costs as does a more e ficie t e t rbo diesel e i e
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he it comes to costs tho h the e i is ot a cheap tr c to b ested here is the vi cible model hich sits ba i the middle o the price ra e or the vehicle e ve ot the optio al a tomatic earbo here hich o ld mea a price ta i o do t et o r bac there s a tr c orth that m ch mo e o d thi it o ld be the i his is a ter all rope s hi hest selli o e to er o does it live p to its he t price ta a d he tier rep tatio ell there are areas i hich the cabi loo s as i it s strai i or e ect t hile a plastic mo lded dash top ith a a e leather loo all the a do to the stitchi mi ht be co sidered i d o lame the sta dard o co str ctio is top dra er o ca p sh it a d shove it hard as m ch as o a t a d it ll barel crea he seats are ver s pportive ith a e celle t drivi positio b t ot e o h le room i the bac or o e tall cre member to
ride com ortabl behi d a other he vi cible has cloth trim rather tha leather a d elt ot a bit less pleasi or it ddme t sto a e is ood too ith a e celle t do ble lovebo the hi hli ht r tested had the m ltimedia s stem rom the vi cible as a optio al e tra a d it does loo li e a e tra too a tablet st le to ch scree st c to the dash ot i te rated i to it smac s o the a termar et he e i e is all abo t tor e ith lb t rom rpm rs as mated to a a to bo a d bet ee them the deliver a civilised drive tho h ic i do o the motor a ets o a lot more oise tha actio t s ot slo ho ever tho h it does t eel as livel as competitors ith more po er l diesels he a to bo ma es it less pleasi to h stle o a d roads too t does ride ell tho h a d it steers ith eas co fide ce a d predictable bod roll e d call it vice ree rather tha e o able b t
ith a ma al bo e d e pect it to be the latter road the e i e has all the heave a d e ibilit o eed r tester s s t res did it o ood here b t ith a taller side all o co ld see the i bei master l partic lar all models have a rear loc er as sta dard a d that ma es a orld o a di ere ce ch a item o o road it sho ld be there o ever o e to er b t the i is rare i providi it itho t eedi to be as ed ost b ers ill be attracted more ho ever b other items hich is h ma ill fi d the e tra cash to stretch to the top li e vi cible he ci vible tested here is a ood compromise ho ever e act all thi the co model ma es most se se o all as it s ever bit as ood a tr c i real terms b t each to their o s it is hile the i is a price pic p e thi s hold their val e as stro l his is as ever a tr c o ca b ith co fide ce
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SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE
Type Capacity Max power Max torque
DOHC straight-four turbo-diesel 2393cc 148bhp@3400rpm 295lbf.ft@1600rpm
TRANSMISSION
Gearbox Transfer case
Six-speed manual Six-speed auto option Part-time
SUSPENSION
Front Rear
Coil-sprung double wishbones Leaf-sprung live axle
WHEELS AND TYRES
18” alloy 265/60R18
BRAKES
Front Rear
Vented discs, four-pot calipers Drums
PERFORMANCE
Max speed 0-62mph
106mph 13.2 seconds (12.8 auto)
ECONOMY
Combined comsumption Emissions
40.4mpg (36.2 auto) 185g/km (204 auto)
OFF-ROAD
Ground clearance Approach angle Departure angle Breakover angle Max gradient Wading depth
293mm 31° 26° 23° 42.1° 700mm
DIMENSIONS
Length Width Height Wheelbase Turning circle
5330mm 1855mm 1815mm 3085mm 6.7m
WEIGHTS AND CAPACITIES
Kerb weight Payload Bed length Bed width Braked trailer Fuel tank
2095-2155kg 1045kg 1525mm 1645mm 3200kg 80 litres
OWNERSHIP
Service interval Warranty Insurance group
60/100,000 10
Ex-VAT
OTR inc VAT
Single-Cab Active Extra-Cab Active Double-Cab Active Double-Cab Icon Double-Cab Invincible Double-Cab Invincible X Auto extra
£188,12 £20,370 £21,145 £23,291 £24,657 £28,003
£23,595 £24,465 £26,396 £28,970 £30,610 £34,625 £1500
LIST PRICE
VERDICT: Toyota Hi-Lux 2.4 D-4D Invincible A good midway point between max utility and max luxury
★★★★ You save more than £4000 over the cost of the range-topping Invincible X by dropping down a level in the Hi-Lux range. This does mean losing out on a number of desirable and even useful bits of kit – but if leather seats and reversing sensors don’t bother you, this is a very good compromise. And down below the bling, it’s the same rock-solid truck it’s always been.
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DRIVEN
MERCEDES X250 D PURE
t s een h ile s the first pre i pic - p t oes o t to e t its ost convincin in entry-level for
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DRIVEN X250 D Pure
M
uch of the buzz surrounding the arrival of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class in the double-cab market has come from the fact that it’s the first s ch vehicle to come from a premium manufacturer. But Mercedes has always been more than that – as well as the eyecatching performance and luxury cars the company makes, it’s also a prolific pla er i the commercial vehicle market – just one that’s never had a one-tonne pick-up in its range before. The vehicle tested here is an X-Class from the utility end of the range, in base-spec Pure form. This means steel rims, cloth seats and simple air-con instead of dual-zone climate, all of which are
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things that appeal to a good many off-roading types. What we’ve got on test is not, however, an everyday example of the X-Class. The current range includes two versions of the same 2.3-litre diesel engine, with outputs of 163 and 190bhp; the
former comes exclusively with a manual box, whereas the latter is exclusively auto. But when our tester arrived, we found that it was powered by the 190bhp unit – mated to a manual box. Merc explained to us that some customers want the more powerful
engine but don’t want it with an auto box. Hence this particular vehicle, which is classed as a special build. Not that mating the manual gearbox to what Mercedes calls the 250 d engine is anything new – Nissan has been doing it for ages in the Navara.
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The cabin furniture is made from hard plastics, but they’re stout and dense and feel like they’ll last. The media screen is standard on all models, even this base-speccer, which is also the only version not to get nappa leather – and all the better for it, in our opinion. The seats are well shaped and supportive, but after several hours behind the wheel you might start wanting for an adustable lumbar cushion We mention this because, in case you’ve been living on the moon, the X-Class is based on the Navara’s chassis and drivetrain. Merc is keen to stress that the vehicle’s design was re-engineered from scratch, but there are plenty of similarities between them. While no manufacturer likes to admit to badge-engineering someone else’s work, at any rate, if you’re going to do it the Navara is a pretty good place to start. It’s set apart from the rest of the doublecab A-listers by the fact that it’s coil-sprung at the rear – and while this is by no means a magic wand for ride and dynamics, it presents its own set of opportunities for settling the uncivilised back ends for which trucks are known. Despite all the hype about Merc’s premium credentials, then, the X-Class is a commercial vehicle rom a prolific commercial vehicle maker. And what we have here is not so much a premium pick-up as one which reminds you that Mercedes has plenty of form when it comes to building work trucks. What we don’t have is a truck hose price re ects its e tr level status. The base-spec Pure model
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costs £29,310 plus VAT in 250 d auto form; with a manual box, this one should cost around a grand or so less but, being a special order, we wouldn’t count on it.
CABIN AND PRACTICALITY The X-Class feels good inside, even though the model tested here is as utilitarian as they come. Its dash is shaped from hard plastics, but they feel dense, stout and tough. Longevity is unlikely to be an issue, though there was enough creaking from behind the dash to suggest that the odd trim rattle might surface some way down the line. The trademark bank of air-con vents mounted on the main dash panel could be wobbled up and do too t the oor co sole is absolutely rock solid in its mounting to the chassis – and wherever your fi ers roam the s itch ear has a fi e positive eel to it The seats are trimmed in a nononsense fabric that feels as if it will last forever, and they’re well shaped to keep you in place under hard
cornering or side-slope action. We did a lot of miles in our X-Class, and after a few hours we’d have welcomed the adjustable lumbar support that comes with higher spec models, but even without this they’re very well above average for the pick-up market.
Oddment stowage is less than generous, though, with a rather small cubby and glovebox backed up only by an average set of door pockets. It’ll do, but in a vehicle designed to be your self-propelled workplace there’s very little about it to get excited about.
The front seats are as roomy as you need, but a tall driver will need to adjust his pew all the way back – making things a bit snug if you’re another six-footer trying to get in behind him. By far the biggest problem in the back, though, is a lack of headroom – – you don’t need to be freakishly tall for your eyes to actually be above the top of the door windows
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PIECES
DV8 Works offers a high-end customisation programme with its Armoured Plus Ford Ranger. This eyeball-grabbing double-cab mixes off-road ability with work-truck practicality and street-machine styling – to create one of the most appealing variations there is on our recently crowned Pick-Up of the Year WORDS: DAN FENN PICTURES: DV8 WORKS
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PICKUP GUIDE 2019
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OF 8 F
ord Rangers are all the rage at the top of the bespoke pick-up business. With its size and in-your-face styling, not to mention a 3.2-litre engine, the vehicle has surged to the top of the truck market in the UK – and a thriving industry has grown up around the dema d or modified e amples As always, you can just throw a few accessories at a vehicle and hope they work. While you’re at it, you might also have to hope they don’t make it illegal, or dangerous, or impossible to sell on when you’re done with it. But a specialist worthy of the name won’t lead you down that road – whether you want your truck prepared for off-roading or turned into an eyeball-grabbing street machine. DV8 Works is one of the newer names on the scene, and the Rangers it builds are a bit of both. ather tha bei prepped or e treme o road se at the e pe se o ever thi else the re enhanced with the ability to perform beyond standard whether for work or play – while also standing out in a crowd. That’s unless it’s a crowd of other DV8-built Rangers, obviously. Because while each is unique, all the vehicles in these pictures are produced to the company’s Armoured Plus spec – which i cl des a e tremel tast ra e o mods to make the most of what is already the best truck on the market. For starters, Armoured Plus models run on +1.75” medium-load suspension. This uses a Pedders spring and shock package which was developed in consultation with DV8, whose
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