Getting that extension

When it comes to the three pees of Power, Payload and Price, Toyota's new Hilux Xtra faces stiff competition from four bakkies with extended cabs in SA.

A cabin without the B-pillar

With the bulk of SA's bakkie buyers in a Hilux, it will come as a surprise to many that the bakkie which still make these pees like the beeg dog is ... the Ford Ranger Supercab.
Yep. The Supercab carries the most load, is the strongest and the have the cheapest entry model.

As bonus, Ford also made loading their extended cabs easy by designing clever doors that use no B-pillar. The badge-engineered Mazda's BT-50 Freestyle and Nissan's easy-riding Navara Cub do the same.

Toyota opted to keep that B-pillar in its Xtra. While this makes the cabin more rigid at low cost, loading anything in or out over the seats requires contortions that will make a pole dancer blush.

When it comes to measuring a turbo diesel engine's power, only two numbers really matter: the Newtons and the compression ratio.
The compression ratio tells you how efficiently the engine extracts energy from each liter of diesel – these days 18 is good and higher is even better. The Newtons tell you how much muscle the bakkie has. The higher the Nm and the lower the rpm, the better.

Ford's 3-litre is still the strongest diesel burner, generating a stump-pulling 380 Nm from a 1800 rpm, and using the fuel at an efficient compression ratio of 19.8:1.

The babe-magnet Navara 3.0 diesel has the “weakest” compression ratio of 16,5:1, which means it spits a lot of your diesel out of its exhaust undigested. The Nissan 3,0-litre also generates its peak torque of 356 Nm at 2000 rpm using a large turbo, and the ensuing turbo lag means zero power under 2000 revs at Highveld altitudes.

By comparison, the new Hilux Xtra 3.0-litre diesel chews its fuel at an average ratio of 17,1:1 and its torque peaks at 343 Newton metres. The one benchmark ruled by Toyota 3.0-litre is that it delivers its power at the lowest rpm – only 1300. This is why the Hilux range can idle up Lesotho inclines on which the Ranger may need a toe nudge on the go-faster pedal.

Away from the city, it is a bakkie's payload, not bin size, that matters. (And can someone tell the designers that there is a reason why real bakkies have drop-sides?) The Ranger and its Drifter twin can load a ton - just. The Triton, Hilux and Navara cannot. That said, the Navara’s softer suspension does offer class-leading road-holding in this segment for guys more interested in getting that extension than doing any heavy lifting.

Price wise, Ford also wants the least money for their extended Ranger: their 2.5-litre 4x2 sells at just under R230k.

If it is a 4x4 extension you need, Mitsubishi’s sleek Triton Clubcab 3.2 4x4 is the cheapest, selling from just under R340k. What's more, the first 28 buyers in February 2011 gets a free load-lid, company branding and Triton branded goodies as part of the deal.

The new Hilux Xtra 3.0 4x2 is, for now, pegged at just under a quarter million rands and their 4x4 is R341k. These prices will go up until they match the top-of-the-Ranger's R348340.

For my money, if your need is not for an extension but covered space, may I suggest getting a panelvan? (Ag please Ford man, import the Transit!)