Last Updated: 17/08/2009
Top of the pick-up pile
Toyota’s 3.0 litre Hilux Invincible v Mazda’s 3.0 litre BT-50 Intrepid...You might think that these two double cab 4x4 pick-ups would be pretty similar to drive. They are both powered by top-of-the-range 3.0 litre engines, and they drive through automatic transmissions. So you could be forgiven for assuming that there would be little more than cosmetic difference between the two.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth. We have just spent a couple of weeks with Mazda’s 3.0 litre BT-50 Intrepid and Toyota’s recently arrived 3.0 litre Hilux Invincible, complete with 2009 model year five-speed auto box, and the two are as similar as chalk and cheese.
Of course Mazda’s latest pick-up is no stranger, as most will be familiar with it in Ford Ranger guise. We’ve had plenty of experience of the Ranger Thunder with the 3.0 litre engine and auto box, and to be honest were not that keen on it last time out.
Interestingly, while Mazda has for this year added the 3.0 litre and auto box to its UK range, Ford has done the opposite and deleted it from the latest Ranger line-up that is just arriving on these shores. You can still have the larger engine here, but only with a manual gearbox, while the auto box is still available but with the less powerful 2.5 litre motor in the Ford.
Toyota already had an automatic transmission available with its 3.0 litre Hilux too, but until this year it only had four gears. Expected here a couple of months ago, but only now arriving with us as older stocks are sold, the five-speed 3.0 litre auto promises improved fuel consumption and a better driving experience.
The Mazda has five ratios in its transmission too, though top is very much an overdrive gear. In fact it’s higher than fifth in the manual gearbox, all in the name of quieter, more economical cruising. There is an overdrive button in the head of the gear lever, so you can switch it off if desired for improved engine braking and acceleration, but otherwise you will need to move the lever to limit the number of gears in use.
In the Toyota you have more control over the gears if you feel like using them manually. Slot the lever back into D and all five will be used. But you can nudge the lever to the right to limit that to the first four. Drop it back for three and then down again for two before moving back to the left for first gear only.
Toyota claims that the revised box features artificial intelligence, that automatically adapts its shift pattern to suit individual driving styles and road conditions.
While that may sound like rather whiffy marketing speak, I have to say right away that the Toyota’s auto box is actually very impressive. Indeed I would go so far as to say that it’s the best fully auto transmission that I have used in a commercial vehicle to date.
It moves up and down through the gears smoothly and quietly as normal, but also anticipates your next move very well. Crest a hill on country roads and lift off the throttle as you head towards a corner for instance, and the Toyota will have already dropped a gear as you are reaching for the brake, it really is intuitive.
It also lets the engine revs rise and fall much like a manual gearbox, so there is less of a constant drone when accelerating from the engine. I’m afraid the same can’t be said for the Mazda, which feels almost like a CVT box in comparison.
Accelerate from a standstill in the BT-50 and the engine will simply sit between 2,000-2,500rpm as the gears change up, with little fluctuation in note. And to be honest, though I like the 3.0 engine in the Mazda, it does drone a bit as you make progress.
Conversely, as soon as you have reached your desired speed the engine noise drops away to virtually nothing, and the BT-50 becomes a very pleasant cruiser. Even then though it doesn’t have quite the appeal of the more solid feeling Hilux.
We have had concerns in the past with auto pick-ups and wet roundabouts, particularly in the Ford. While we haven’t had much rain of late I did get a chance to try the BT-50 in a quick downpour and, though it was still very easy to provoke a slide, it wasn’t as edgy as the Ranger that we tried some years ago. Perhaps the shifting software has been improved slightly.
The Toyota by comparison never felt anything less than solidly planted on the road, even though it can still be a bit bouncy on rougher surfaces. Which brings us to the biggest difference between the two. Tipping the scales at almost 100kg below the Toyota, the Mazda feels much lighter and quicker on its wheels, whereas the Hilux seems more of a hefty, steady machine.
This is odd when you consider that the Mazda’s 3.0 litre engine produces 156hp, while the Hilux has 169hp on tap. But it becomes somewhat clearer when you consider torque, as the Mazda can rustle up a hefty 380Nm compared to the 360Nm in the Toyota.
It may also have to do with gearing, with the Mazda claiming a rather disappointing average fuel consumption of just 27.7mpg, while the big Toyota offers a promised 31.8mpg, up from 30.1mpg with the old four-speed automatic.
I don’t know how many people will ever achieve those figures, but on a four-up trip to Sussex, which included two hours of stop/start travel on the M25, the very low mileage Hilux returned a creditable 29.1mpg, which translates to more than 400 miles on a tank of diesel. The light on the BT-50’s dash was coming on well before that.
Despite the alloys and air-con spec, both of these trucks have proven their worth as working tools. Of course to qualify for VAT they both exceed 1 tonne of payload and the rear load areas, though slightly compromised by the double cab configuration, can still take a reasonable load. The Mazda will out perform the Toyota if you want to tow a trailer though, hauling a full 3 tonnes compared to a rather disappointing 2,250kg in the Hilux.
For those who actually need off-road capabilities both trucks can perform well here too. The Mazda has a simple rotary control for the two to four wheel drive, and high and low range functions. It also comes with a limited slip differential in the rear axle for maximum traction in slippery conditions.
The Hilux retains a second gear lever for its two/four wheel drive and high/low functions, though as with the Mazda changes can be made on the move. The Toyota also benefits from a limited slip diff in the rear axle.
Of course if you have chosen to go the auto route with either of these trucks then you will already have opted for a top-of-the-range specification, though still neither one can compete on totally level ground with Nissan’s Navara Aventura when it comes to in-cab toy count.
The Mazda’s Intrepid trim gets you a stainless steel rear bumper, satin finished B pillars, Intrepid body graphics, rear privacy glass, a load liner and those alloy wheels outside. Internally you get full black leather with heat for the front seats, a 6 CD changer in the dash with MP3 compatibility and AUX input, air conditioning and stainless steel scuff plates. That metallic paint on our test vehicle is a £385 option, on top of a CV on-the-road price of £18,686 before VAT.
The Hilux Invincible gets leather, auto air conditioning, a single CD/radio with MP3 and USB inputs, a touch screen satellite navigation system with Bluetooth, 17” alloys, steel side running bars, rear privacy glass, front side and curtain airbags and cruise control. It will set you back a bit more though, with a CV on-the-road price of £22,545 plus the VAT.
In terms of running costs you’ll be visiting the Mazda dealer every 12,500 miles or 12 months, and be covered by a three year unlimited mileage warranty. The Toyota will be calling in to the dealer every 10,000 miles and only comes with a three year/60,000 mile warranty.
So which one to go for?
There is of course a fairly substantial price difference to consider here, and a useful bit of additional specification too. That said, the revised Hilux would certainly be our choice this time out. If you must have an auto, the driving experience in the Toyota is simply better, with a transmission that really works with you.
Until now we’ve always had Nissan’s Navara at the top of our personal pick-up list, though in auto form it can be a bit noisy and we’ve had reports from readers of fairly thirsty fuel consumption. We’d have to put it back-to-back with the Hilux to be sure, but the big Toyota may just have put itself at the top of the pick-up pile.
