[Aditya]

Would you buy a premium pickup truck in India? Toyota Hilux vs Isuzu V-Cross

Toyota Hilux

What you'll like:

• Macho styling & incredible street presence. Turns heads wherever it goes
• Tough build. Toyota body-on-frame UVs are known to have very long lives
• Proven and powerful 2.8L diesel engine with user-selectable driving modes
• Impressive offroad capability and proper 4x4 system with low range transfer case, limited slip differential, electronic differential lock, hill assist control (up/down) and tyre angle monitor. Water wading depth = 700 mm
• Excellent cargo capacity makes it a talented work truck
• Loaded with features like auto LED headlamps, heat rejection glass, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, 220V AC socket, etc.
• Top-notch safety kit includes 7 airbags, ESP, TC, hill assist, ISOFIX & 3-point seatbelts for all. 5 star ASEAN NCAP rating
• Toyota's excellent after-sales quality, fuss-free ownership experiences, low service costs & up to 5 years of extended warranty coverage

What you won't:

• Sheer length (longer than even the Fortuner), heavy steering & large turning radius make it cumbersome in the city
• Bumpy ride quality, especially at the rear (due to leaf springs)
• Expensive! Its closest rival - Isuzu V-Cross - is substantially cheaper
• Cost-cutting in a couple of areas; some interior plastics, ICE audio quality, camera display…
• Uncomfortable rear seats with limited rear legroom
• The same money can buy you a proper 7-seater SUV
• Missing features such as TPMS, 360-degree camera, ventilated seats, rain-sensing wipers, seat lumbar adjustment, paddle shifters like the Fortuner etc.
• No petrol engine (Fortuner offers one) for customers from Delhi-NCR, or those with low running

Link to Review

Isuzu V-Cross

What you'll like:

• Macho styling & incredible street presence. Turns heads wherever it goes
• Very solid, very robust. Build quality is the best among pickups in India
• Practical 1.9L diesel engine. Good driveability too
• Proper 4x4 system with low range transfer case. Ground clearance = 225 mm
• Excellent cargo capacity makes it a talented work truck
• User-friendly cabin can easily accommodate 5 adults. Rear legroom is sufficient

What you won't:

• Sheer length, heavy steering & 6.3m turning radius make it cumbersome in the city
• Bumpy ride quality, especially at the rear (due to leaf springs)
• Isuzu's wafer-thin dealership network
• Heavy kerb weight, long wheelbase & rear overhang limit its offroad credentials
• The same $$$ can buy you a proper 7-seater SUV

Link to Review

[GTO]

I love pickup trucks, but I would never buy them in India.

For one, I don't lug around stuff at all (labour is cheap in India), so I don't want to waste all the real estate of that big bed. Second, for 4x4, I much prefer cars like the Thar, Gurkha, XUV700 & Scorpio-N. These are more my style, especially the Thar & Gurkha. The pickup trucks in India are also too bumpy, too expensive in India, cumbersome to drive and suffer from image issues (e.g. commercial operator).

On the other hand, I would totally consider a high-end pickup truck in the USA. They are supremely comfortable, spacious, have all luxury amenities, get big engines and look absolutely fantastic. Something like the F150 Raptor, I'd buy over a Wrangler in the USA. Even the F150 Electric is so tempting.

[diwakarmuthu]

I wouldn't buy a truck in India.

I just love this segment and some designs like the F150 Raptor or the RAM1500 TRX or the Chevy Silverado. However for India, I don't see much of a usecase as we can outsource much of the work a truck does. Also the length of these trucks make it difficult to wade through city traffic and the bay area largely goes unutilized. Also parking is major factor for these trucks.

Maybe in a few years, I see the campervans segment using these trucks to haul RVs but then you can lease one rather than own it.

[GhostGrid]

Yes.

I've had my eye on an Isuzu V-Cross for many years, but I couldn't afford it because the price is so high and my needs are so limited. I am not sure when I will buy one, but I will definitely buy one in the future.

Now the question is: why? Well, it may sound childish, but there are some dreams that you can never get rid of, no matter how grown up you become.

I am a huge Hollywood fan, and in 1999 I watched a movie called Twister, where they showed a "1995 Dodge Ram 2500." Since then, I have told myself that no matter what, I will buy something like that. When I first saw the Isuzu V-Cross, it just hit me then and there. I like the Toyota one as well, but I would prefer the Isuzu if given the chance.

However, if we leave the desires behind, then a pickup truck is not the ideal option to go with in our country.

[Bibendum90949]

If I had 43 big ones lying around, I would've picked up a Hilux AT by now . I just love pick-up trucks and their presence, ride quality be damned. Yes it's not a practical car unless you've huge cargo like farm produce etc to be hauled. It's a dream, may be some day !

Cross posting my experience with V cross and couple of pictures.

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Isuzu V Cross is a vehicle which i've used a fair bit, a close friend owns one. I've driven it for few inter state trips to haul cargo(my farm produce). It effortlessly cruised at 90-100 kmph with three fourth of a ton loaded in that. The rear drum brakes is a weak point. I've driven it largely in it's stock form. But later on my friend upgraded it's suspension with Iron Man and that has transformed the car in a very big way. The highway manners even under load had jumped by leaps and bounds. You could still have a bit of fun and make the behemoth dance to your tunes a bit, but one has to stay well within it's limits. It's a work horse in all sense of the word and built like a tank. I often pray for bad roads when I'm behind it's wheels, that's when it shines and comes to the fore. It takes potholes and rough roads with such elan that one can literally glide over them. It has the most silent suspension operation we've ever come across, and that's V cross.

Despite all this, it's little impractical for off road usage. There's no doubting it's capabilities, it has the hardware to support hard off roading. But the very high kerb weight and the rear over hang are it's Achilles heel besides the length of the car which makes it tough to maneuver in narrow trails. But it has surprised me with it's abilities whenever i've taken it off the road. We had put it to very good use during flood relief operations in Wayanad, Kerala couple of years back. It climbed over many washed away and non existent roads effortlessly with relief materials for the marooned and through quite deep water logged places. It's just an absolutely brilliant vehicle for what it's designed for.

[BlackPearl]

I have been a pick-up fan from the Tata Telcoline 4x4 days and dreamt of buying it. But by the time I had the money to get one they had come out with the Tata Xenon. Xenon looked nice but not as good as the TL.



When Isuzu launched the V-Cross, I was sure that I would get one. Test drove the V-Cross several times and had almost finalised it, but one thing or other came in the way.
When I shifted to the UK I still had the inclination towards pick-ups and had thought of getting the Isuzu Arctic Truck or the Hilux Arctic Truck versions. I did not like the stock Hilux as it looks quite boring and it struggled horribly in one of our greenlaning trips. However last to last week we did one trip and a black Hilux Arctic Truck joined us. It looked terrific. Problem is that Artic Trucks come with automatic gearboxes only. Let's see what happens, for now posting a couple of pictures of the Hilux AT 35.

[SNA411]

Isuzu any day.
The Hilux doesnt justify the price differential over the V-cross.

D-Max V-Cross Z 4x4 MT = 27.65 Lakhs on-road Punjab
Toyota Hilux STD 4X4 MT = 35.77 Lakh on-road Punjab

Is the hilux worth the 8 lakhs more? No way.
3 Lakhs more? Maybe.

PS: Team-BHP has always had an overwhelming majority of metropolitan, and generally urban members, and that shines through in this poll.

The isuzu has proven to be, and remains a very well respected, and capable vehicle in J&K, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, and even Rajasthan to a cetain extent.

[heydj]

I would love to own one but not in India because we don't have infrastructure for same and parking is a hassle at best of times. However from my perspective choices are also not that great, if we had Ford F150 then things might have been different.

Hillix and V cross are too bare bones to be considered.

[nissar]

Hilux owner here. Here is why i bought it:

I travel a lot with my cycles, both locally within Bangalore and out of station fairly frequently. Locally about 2 times a week atleast to take my bike to the outskirts, out of station trips are about one a month. My wife and I own 5 bikes together 2 MTB, 1 gravel and 2 road bikes.
When it was time to replace my 2013 Jetta TDI MT (as I own 8th gen Honda Accord V6, I found that the Jetta is inferior in all attributes except fuel efficiency). I wanted something that would suit the life of adventure. Desired attributes were:

1. offroading capabilities, I don't want to worry about poor road conditions in remote locations. Not really interested in off roading otherwise
2. Transport 2 adults + kids + bikes + other gear. Will never need 7 seats only cargo capacity
3. maximum reliability, I don't want to think twice about going anywhere.

With the above requirements that left me with the Fortuner, V Cross, Hilux. I eliminated the Fortuner as I would never need 7 seats and my heart wanted something unique.

My top contender was the V Cross as it was cheaper. During the drive I was disappointed with the power, it felt significantly weaker than the Jetta and had quite a bit of of turbo lag. My wife found the body movements to be excessive. But we booked it thinking that if we want a pickup we need to live with the compromises. During this time we test drove the Hilux and were pleasantly suprised and really found the premium over the V Cross to be worth it contrary to the popular opinion. Here is why:

1. the power difference is a lot in the real world. I really feel it is faster than my Jetta TDI in real driving conditions due the 500Nm of torque. The combination of size and power is unnatural
2. The body movements are much more contained in the Hilux my wife was happy with the ride. We just found that the rear was just a little stiffer than the fortuner.
3. the price differential against the fortuner is reasonable for what is on offer
4. lastly a few minor points, Toyota has a larger service network and the V Cross is 1 generation behind the global model, additional equipment in the hilux

I have had the vehicle for 4 months now and just recently completed a 27 days road trip to Bhutan my observations so far (skipping some points already known about the Fortuner):

1. AC and heat rejection glass are excellent, you would know if it is 25C or 45C outside
2. my wife suffers from motion sickness, 10min in a taxi on a ghat road can make her puke. For some reason she never had motion sickness in the Hilux, I really don't know why. Now this is her favourite car.
3. Very capable highway cruiser, 1000km in a day didnt tire me all
4. after loading cargo with a gross vehicle weight of 2.8 tonnes, ride becomes excellent and still you will fly fast almost all vehicles on the road with a dab on the throttle

Having said all the above I would just say I am lucky that Toyota decided to launch the Hilux here because it makes sense for very few use cases in India.

Concluding with a picture.

[roddam31]

Since my days in the U.S.A I have always liked trucks, but didn't buy one due to lack of utility. I have moved back to India a few years ago, and having taken a break from corporate job I started a sustainable lifestyle company of mine own. I feel pickup trucks can really help me in my day to day activities ferrying things between my factory in East bangalore and my store in central Bangalore. Not just that, I potentially see the pickup truck with a bit of mods helping me take things to my coffee estate and back.
I showed an interest to buy vcross MT 4x4 to local Isuzu dealer in Bangalore around early March 2023. Since BS6 S1 dmaxs will need to be sold/registered before March 31st, I was adamant with my ₹₹ offer to buy at. By mid March all MTs were sold out, but I was adamant and I conveyed to them that even AT is ok as long as I get the same discount and freebies that I had asked for. On March 29th, they lost patience and gave in.
Now I drive a silver VCross AT 4x4. Since my FIL is a car enthusiast who collects vintage and modern cars, I was privileged enough to drive them whenever I go out of town. I like the VCross on the highways way better than the Thar. In the city as Iong as I am heading to a place where there is parking VCross size doesn't bother me at all in the traffic. I have been driving ecosport for 10 years now and it's going strong. I know I can fall back on it whenever I need to. This was my small checklist I figured worked for me.
1. A city car all the time at your disposal
2. You frequently haul something that doesn't fit in your car
3. Don't mind driving a big car in the city
4. Serious overlander
5. Have parking available in your apt/house
6. Freaking crazy about trucks
7. You would like to frequently chop change how your car looks - I feel a pickup truck gives you that flexibility to do whatever on and in its bed. What you do on its bed can change the whole look of the truck
8. You like to build things. Even though the bed isnt massive, for me it's enough to build something cool, especially if you are into design and build. Think overlanding, a family room on long trips, etc.
9. You have an IE license to import things to try things on the truck. This is applicable to any car, with a pickup truck you have a lot more possibilities.
10. Have a farm of your own that you need to visit frequently to take and bring back stuff.
11. Own a dog(s) want to take her/him/them wherever you go.
12. Vcross doesn't have a good pickup until turbo kicks in. May be Hilux does with its 200 HP engine. Either ways one cannot hope let's challenge those SUVs and sedans. It's a vehicle to chill and drive.

This checklist is valid if and only if you are in the market for a pickup truck and live in a metropolitan. Why do I say this? One needs to already have a conviction to drive a pickup truck. This checklist only gives you clarity to your thoughts in my opinion not a reason to buy. If you can check at least 8 points in this list, i think you can buy one.

Do I like my truck? Hell yeah!!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I have been a pick-up fan from the Tata Telcoline 4x4 days and dreamt of buying it. But by the time I had the money to get one they had come out with the Tata Xenon. Xenon looked nice but not as good as the TL.

Oh man, those were the days! Your post reminded me of the extremely handsome Bolero camper (and other pickups based on the Bolero). These looked absolutely stunning & purposeful. And they were at far more accessible price points than the Hilux or V-Cross. Give them the current 2.0 turbo-diesel, a better suspension & spruce up the interiors a bit...you have a gangster dual-cab pickup truck .











There was also the Scorpio Getaway. Surely a better overall vehicle, but somehow, it just didn't have the personality of the boxy Bolero pickups:

[shresan23]

Pickup trucks are a boon and a half, with immense power, versatile usage and capabilities. However, all these boons become a curse inside the city. I might get a pickup truck once i retire, into the mountains or to the outskirts. With the thar 4X4 that is also a big IF.

Besides, this car is way too big for city roads. I once saw a Hilux make a 4 or 5 point turn in an area where my car did a full circle.

Parking will be a huge issue wherever you go. I have parked my car behind slightly protruding trees and called it a day. This one will be a mammoth.

[LBWKjesko]

Originally Posted by GTO

There was also the Scorpio Getaway. Surely a better overall vehicle, but somehow, it just didn't have the personality of the boxy Bolero pickups:
Attachment 2442057

Can mahindra make a scorpio-N getaway model? That would be a cool pickup truck!

[Brumby]

I am a sucker for all things on wheels, practical or not, IF I had the financial capability, I would have owned each and every vehicle ever made, so a pick up truck for sure is something I would like to see myself driving.

I am considering Toyota Hilux, however I am finding it very hard to convince my better half to agree. The three cars that we own have very less milage on them so its actually not justified to own another. Living in an apartment makes it difficult, specially for my wife to take care of running the cars in turns and keeping the batteries charged while I am away from home half the time.

You may call me crazy, but I never ever want to sell the automobiles that I own.

Well I really do not need a car, but its been 8 years since I bought one last, so there is this strong urge to have a new vehicle.

Cheers

[2000rpm]

Completely impractical in India. I also dont understand why these products are popular globally?

Why would you ever buy a Hilux over a Fortuner, unless there is significant cost arbitrage.

Fortuner can carry the goods with much more security and safety.

AND carry passengers whenever required.