The Thailand Special Thread - New Developments/News

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by FTE217

Stoopid useless hub wheel tests for an everyday tradie and other commercial use’s and off-road.
Why don’t they do tests with real loads in them of varying weight Or more so all having the same weight their stock wheels tyres people can relate and gives close to a real world result.


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In fairness, there was always going to be the dyno queen comparisons once they put this donk in the Ranger (similar to the controversies when SC Miami was released) Everyone wanted to know the “true” output numbers.
Impossible to get a real world figure with 33” chunky off road tyres on a roller dyno…
So, hubs it is! And pretty impressive at that.
How that translates to “real world” drivability is another thing?
I bet me left one, that if Toyota came out with a 280kw V6 petrol Hilux, EVERYONE here would be hollowing for a dyno graph for proof?

[FTE217]

Ofcourse they would CWool.
Hub dynos never ticked my box’s even to performance cars for it doesn’t relate to street use but I get it for the companies searching for performance figures to quote.

The witch hunts on friggin dual cabs I just finf random but I suppose we have never had a true performance product till the V6 finally arrived but what’s the point head to head to the lesser engines it doesn’t compete against in the first place.
As for a real world comparo of similar engine outputs they could set a standard load of recreational general light products, roof racks, alloy front bar no winch as I mentioned with stock wheels show us the figures.

Cheeez Franco I don’t spot much of soccer Mums in duals cab round my regular areas at all, infact none.
It’s all SUV.


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[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by FTE217

.

Cheeez Franco I don’t spot much of soccer Mums in duals cab round my regular areas at all, infact none.
It’s all SUV.


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The part of this that I love is you didn't question the unloaded Thailand Specials being driven like flogs

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

The part of this that I love is you didn't question the unloaded Thailand Specials being driven like flogs

haha yer - I see the Tradie drags early morns heading to jobs.....
It doesn't bother me compared to some, I recall all us guys doing the same in our Ford/Holden utes/vans/wagons - even though the Thai Specials don't have the outright power size matters in todays conjested roads lol......
Was I guilty using "size" to get my patch of road (or playing chicken who's more worried about damage) when verging or any other situation ? you bet ya hahaha......
I'd say Melb has its special kind of behaviour (more radars than any place I've driven round here and worst cops), more flogs than any other place in the country maybe due to its OTT nanny state governance over all these years.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by FTE217

here you go Bossxr8 for some USA stats.....just for matter of interest.
https://www.motor1.com/features/6297...g-trucks-2022/

Cheers. Although they have lumped all size trucks into the one list. But you can see the Tundra only sells maybe 15-25% of what the US brands do with their big trucks, if you lump the sister GMC/Chev trucks together, being essentially the same vehicles.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by FTE217

maybe due to its OTT nanny state governance over all these years.

Funny you say that, there is far more HWP and traffic camera's in NSW, average speed camera's, Phone detection camera's, sneaky cops on bikes, safety cam, varying speed limits on highways, weighbridges pulling in truck over 4.5t (not 8t like they are suppose to be.) Concrete panel highways that should be for building cladding. Overpriced rego authority who vowed rego would get cheaper when they deregulated the 3rd party insurance scheme years ago, now being 4 times the cost.

Living in both states I find NSW is far more over regulated.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Funny you say that, there is far more HWP and traffic camera's in NSW, average speed camera's, Phone detection camera's, sneaky cops on bikes, safety cam, varying speed limits on highways, weighbridges pulling in truck over 4.5t (not 8t like they are suppose to be.) Concrete panel highways that should be for building cladding. Overpriced rego authority who vowed rego would get cheaper when they deregulated the 3rd party insurance scheme years ago, now being 4 times the cost.

Living in both states I find NSW is far more over regulated.

No worries r, I guess we see things from our own experience and travels/locally.
Mine, hardy see a HWP, see some squad local ones now and then.
The traffic light/mobile cams now everyone knows of and I don't even know any friend or associate been nabbed.
Those parked speed cameras came around of late like Melb have had for as long as I can recall but have warning signs before/after, if your caught can only blame yourself not noticing.
The weighbridge checks etc obviously I'm not effected so know nothing there.
If I recall right they came along for so so many trucks light or heavy duty trucks we're POS due to neglect not being safe/road worthy by those types and I'm all for that but for sure the RMS would push the boundaries.
The other costs mentioned it is what it is when you live here, I have no worries paying thats Govs all over, positive is cars are road worthy unlike some States, what Gov ever gives back or replaces from one scheme to another.

Being you travel regional alot I'm not suprised you seeing more HWP etc, hey thats the cash cow.
I feel comfortable driving all over Sydney over the usual speed limits (10/15k easy even 20) whereas when I'm in Melb totally opposite going back 20yrs and more thats what I'm actually talking about.

Anyway sorry off topic.

[CyberWasp]

I would be interested if someone did a bed bend test with a load in the back.
I am sure it has been done it in the past in the USA with their vehicles.
It would really show differences in rigidity ect.
Some brands would be rigid whilst other would flex like a rubber band.
This would be more relevant than quarter mile times for these things and give an insight on how each brand is really made / engineered.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

I would be interested if someone did a bed bend test with a load in the back.
I am sure it has been done it in the past in the USA with their vehicles.
It would really show differences in rigidity ect.
Some brands would be rigid whilst other would flex like a rubber band.
This would be more relevant than quarter mile times for these things and give an insight on how each brand is really made / engineered.

I've seen it done in the USA by driving them over special surface test roads that are designed to test chassis flex. From memory the F series and Silverado went through it pretty good, while the Toyota Tundra was flopping around like crazy. It's really not on a workhorse level as the others are, they don't have the full heavy duty or bigger version like GM, Ford and Ram do. It shows in sales too, the Tundras only make up a small % of the US truck market.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I've seen it done in the USA by driving them over special surface test roads that are designed to test chassis flex. From memory the F series and Silverado went through it pretty good, while the Toyota Tundra was flopping around like crazy. It's really not on a workhorse level as the others are, they don't have the full heavy duty or bigger version like GM, Ford and Ram do. It shows in sales too, the Tundras only make up a small % of the US truck market.

here you go Bossxr8 for some USA stats.....just for matter of interest.
https://www.motor1.com/features/6297...g-trucks-2022/

[Franco Cozzo]

They should have brought the Ford Maverick here, would be a perfect sub Ranger model with a more street focus than LCV.

If Ranger dual cab starts at that $50K mark then you'd have the Maverick come in at that $30K-$50K mark for sure.

[Franco Cozzo]

Well I guess we can chuck this in here



I don't mind a basic ****box, at the end of the day you do need some vehicle which is designed for work (single cab Thailand Special).

Plus towing a trailer around is a pain in the *** I reckon, ever since I got a single cab ute we hardly use the 6x4 trailer anymore.

Tip run - ute
Bunnings run - ute

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Well I guess we can chuck this in here

I don't mind a basic ****box, at the end of the day you do need some vehicle which is designed for work (single cab Thailand Special).

Plus towing a trailer around is a pain in the *** I reckon, ever since I got a single cab ute we hardly use the 6x4 trailer anymore.

Tip run - ute
Bunnings run - ute

The good old ute. I reckon the days are numbered in commercial use. Most real trades are moving up to 2-3T trucks now. I note service/building company policies are changing on "chain of responsibility " forcing them to buy bigger more appropriate trucks to legally carry loads required to do the work.

Interesting quote.......

Additionally, with health and safety always in mind—not only due to COVID-19, but also complying with Chain of Responsibility (CoR) obligations—it’s worth looking at whether your work vehicle continues to hit the mark in terms of payload capacity, reliability and efficiency.

Payload

No matter what your trade or service, payload will be at the top of your considerations, from both a practical and safety point of view.

Light trucks, in some cases, are as compact and easily maneuverable as utes, and are specifically engineered to handle heavier payloads than their smaller cousins. This makes trucks a sensible fit for trades and services like last mile delivery, house repairs and maintenance, construction, landscaping and excavation.

A truck with payload to spare can provide extra peace of mind, ensuring compliance with CoR obligations, and minimising the risks of potentially overloading your vehicle.

Which brings us to…

Towing capacity

Comparing the different types of commercial vehicles in the light duty space, the GCM of a light truck (starting at 8,000 kg GCM) typically outweighs that of utes or vans, helping to avoid any banana-bend situations arising from overloading the chassis.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

The good old ute. I reckon the days are numbered in commercial use. Most real trades are moving up to 2-3T trucks now. I note service/building company policies are changing on "chain of responsibility " forcing them to buy bigger more appropriate trucks to legally carry loads required to do the work.

Interesting quote.......

Additionally, with health and safety always in mind—not only due to COVID-19, but also complying with Chain of Responsibility (CoR) obligations—it’s worth looking at whether your work vehicle continues to hit the mark in terms of payload capacity, reliability and efficiency.

Payload

No matter what your trade or service, payload will be at the top of your considerations, from both a practical and safety point of view.

Light trucks, in some cases, are as compact and easily maneuverable as utes, and are specifically engineered to handle heavier payloads than their smaller cousins. This makes trucks a sensible fit for trades and services like last mile delivery, house repairs and maintenance, construction, landscaping and excavation.

A truck with payload to spare can provide extra peace of mind, ensuring compliance with CoR obligations, and minimising the risks of potentially overloading your vehicle.

Which brings us to…

Towing capacity

Comparing the different types of commercial vehicles in the light duty space, the GCM of a light truck (starting at 8,000 kg GCM) typically outweighs that of utes or vans, helping to avoid any banana-bend situations arising from overloading the chassis.

There's a new reviewer in town who used to work for one of the bigger mobs and has gone out on his own solo as a journalist, since he's new, he responds to youtube comments.

His first review was the mighty VDJ79 Land Cruiser ute, you know the one that costs an arm and a leg, has a boat anchor 4.5L V8 making 1970s power and torque figures and costs 6 figures?

I watched his review, then commented he should compare the VDJ79 to one of the Jap light trucks you can drive on a car licence, and he responded saying thats a great idea and he will try get his hands on a press vehicle from Isuzu but its low priority at the moment.

Anyway all the VDJ79 heroes come out the woodwork claiming that they ride like ****, not like the VDJ79 is known for it grand tourer ride

The fact that someone even dared try compare the VDJ79 to the Isuzu N series was so preposterous that the heroes got on the offensive

I suggest all these butthurt princesses who complain about how an Isuzu N series rides compared to their beloved VDJ79 should invest in one of those donut pillows for their poor behinds.

There's no one doing reviews of those light trucks and comparing them to the work versions of the Thailand Specials, I think there's a hole in the market there thats being overlooked.

I think most of the appeal of the VDJ79 is that it has an image attached to it of 'gruff hard working Australian man, with his Japanese ute' that they then drive unloaded as their daily driver on the freeway and it doesn't as much as see a dirt road

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

There's a new reviewer in town who used to work for one of the bigger mobs and has gone out on his own solo as a journalist, since he's new, he responds to youtube comments.

His first review was the mighty VDJ79 Land Cruiser ute, you know the one that costs an arm and a leg, has a boat anchor 4.5L V8 making 1970s power and torque figures and costs 6 figures?

I watched his review, then commented he should compare the VDJ79 to one of the Jap light trucks you can drive on a car licence, and he responded saying thats a great idea and he will try get his hands on a press vehicle from Isuzu but its low priority at the moment.

Anyway all the VDJ79 heroes come out the woodwork claiming that they ride like ****, not like the VDJ79 is known for it grand tourer ride

The fact that someone even dared try compare the VDJ79 to the Isuzu N series was so preposterous that the heroes got on the offensive

I suggest all these butthurt princesses who complain about how an Isuzu N series rides compared to their beloved VDJ79 should invest in one of those donut pillows for their poor behinds.

There's no one doing reviews of those light trucks and comparing them to the work versions of the Thailand Specials, I think there's a hole in the market there thats being overlooked.

I think most of the appeal of the VDJ79 is that it has an image attached to it of 'gruff hard working Australian man, with his Japanese ute' that they then drive unloaded as their daily driver on the freeway and it doesn't as much as see a dirt road

Do you have a link to that review?

[Falcon SXR8]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

I watched his review, then commented he should compare the VDJ79 to one of the Jap light trucks you can drive on a car licence, and he responded saying thats a great idea and he will try get his hands on a press vehicle from Isuzu but its low priority at the moment.

Anyway all the VDJ79 heroes come out the woodwork claiming that they ride like ****, not like the VDJ79 is known for it grand tourer ride

The fact that someone even dared try compare the VDJ79 to the Isuzu N series was so preposterous that the heroes got on the offensive

I suggest all these butthurt princesses who complain about how an Isuzu N series rides compared to their beloved VDJ79 should invest in one of those donut pillows for their poor behinds.

There's no one doing reviews of those light trucks and comparing them to the work versions of the Thailand Specials, I think there's a hole in the market there thats being overlooked.

Have you been in one of those small jap trucks? They ride like absolute crap. The cruiser as bad as it is would be like a rolls royce compared to those trucks. No wonder the fanboys went ya

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Falcon SXR8

Have you been in one of those small jap trucks? They ride like absolute crap. The cruiser as bad as it is would be like a rolls royce compared to those trucks. No wonder the fanboys went ya

Yeah I have been in those trucks before, I know they ride like crap but as I was saying the VDJ79 isn't much chop either

Its like choosing between a turd sandwich and a turd sandwich with sprinkles from the menu at the restaurant - except the pain turd sandwich costs half the price.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Falcon SXR8

Have you been in one of those small jap trucks? They ride like absolute crap. The cruiser as bad as it is would be like a rolls royce compared to those trucks. No wonder the fanboys went ya

Owning an older fleet on country roads.. Like any real truck, they weren't meant to be driven around empty. 1/2 loaded and above to GVM they ride fine.
Every component in them is overbuilt to a larger stronger design than Thai utes.
Old and new Cruisers are everywhere around my area, most farmers and horse people use them, there's usually a 2-3T gooseneck tray truck parked in the shed alongside.

[Franco Cozzo]

Here you go, those of you who wanted a more relevant test rather than just dyno shootouts - here you go we've now got a towing test.

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Do you have a link to that review?

For you good sir, of course

[Franco Cozzo]

So for anyone who doesn't want to sit through over an hour of towing tests of Thailand Specials

Nearly all the Thailand Specials couldn't make 100km/h on the laden test (excl Raptor and Wildtrack)



Stopping distances - Raptor loses out because of its junk tyres:



Fuel economy test - Mopar 6 cylinder is a right turd losing out to the American utes:



Navara and Triton are absolute bottom of the barrel turds of the whole crop, Navara got chopped by the GWM Cannon in some of the tests

Its a good test that puts paid to the absolute bull**** of these '3500kg' towing capacities, like I've said before you put most of these things up to a hill and they'd go backwards and I was right - heaps were struggling big time with 2500kg on the back let alone the extra 1000kg they're rated to.

The Navara being the consistent turd of the lot, it couldn't even make 50km/h flat to the boards up the hill.

Overall winner awarded to - RAM 1500.

There you go, in the grand Thailand Special shootout the American ute takes the award.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

So for anyone who doesn't want to sit through over an hour of towing tests of Thailand Specials

Nearly all the Thailand Specials couldn't make 100km/h on the laden test (excl Raptor and Wildtrack)

image

Stopping distances - Raptor loses out because of its junk tyres:

image

Fuel economy test - Mopar 6 cylinder is a right turd losing out to the American utes:

image

Navara and Triton are absolute bottom of the barrel turds of the whole crop, Navara got chopped by the GWM Cannon in some of the tests

Its a good test that puts paid to the absolute bull**** of these '3500kg' towing capacities, like I've said before you put most of these things up to a hill and they'd go backwards and I was right - heaps were struggling big time with 2500kg on the back let alone the extra 1000kg they're rated to.

The Navara being the consistent turd of the lot, it couldn't even make 50km/h flat to the boards up the hill.

Overall winner awarded to - RAM 1500.

There you go, in the grand Thailand Special shootout the American ute takes the award.

Those fuel figures are through the roof across the board. What conditions are they getting those figures from and for how long distance?

Be good if they included a 79 in that test. Guaranteed the 79 be at the bottom of every stat.

Also, 3kN, does that equate to 3 tonne?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by smoo

Those fuel figures are through the roof across the board. What conditions are they getting those figures from and for how long distance?

Be good if they included a 79 in that test. Guaranteed the 79 be at the bottom of every stat.

Also, 3kN, does that equate to 3 tonne?

The fuel usage tests was a lap of the test track with the trailer dyno on set to 3kN on cruise control, I'm not sure what it's the equivalent of but it's a towing torture test designed to simulate a heavy load and my lord was it torture for everything sans Raptor, Wildtrack and the American utes.

The GWM Cannon and the Ssangyong Musso, their cruise control doesn't work when towing which was an absolute joke.

Then they did a 15% grade with a 2500kg trailer on the back and the Thailand Specials struggled, again except the Raptor and the Wildtrack.

Plus some they noticed the trailer was starting to push the back of the ute around at 2500kg.

I find it ironic that the vehicles which handled it all with ease aren't diesel engines. Excl the Jeep with it's junk V6.

The Raptor tore *** up the hill to the point it started trying to break the rears loose because of those absolute junk tyres. They should offer a no cost option for HTs I reckon, 90% of the people who own Raptors won't even see a dirt road.

[roKWiz]

3kN converts to 300kg. So wasn't much of a load.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

3kN converts to 300kg. So wasn't much of a load.

There has to be more to it, because if it was only 300kg then they all would have been able to make 100km/h and wouldn't have used 30L/100km pulling only 300kg.

The Thailand Specials we're all holding gears pulling redline flat to the boards struggling to pull that thing.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

So for anyone who doesn't want to sit through over an hour of towing tests of Thailand Specials

Nearly all the Thailand Specials couldn't make 100km/h on the laden test (excl Raptor and Wildtrack)

image

Stopping distances - Raptor loses out because of its junk tyres:

image

Fuel economy test - Mopar 6 cylinder is a right turd losing out to the American utes:

image

Navara and Triton are absolute bottom of the barrel turds of the whole crop, Navara got chopped by the GWM Cannon in some of the tests

Its a good test that puts paid to the absolute bull**** of these '3500kg' towing capacities, like I've said before you put most of these things up to a hill and they'd go backwards and I was right - heaps were struggling big time with 2500kg on the back let alone the extra 1000kg they're rated to.

The Navara being the consistent turd of the lot, it couldn't even make 50km/h flat to the boards up the hill.

Overall winner awarded to - RAM 1500.

There you go, in the grand Thailand Special shootout the American ute takes the award.

3kN Laden....that's 300kg test???
I wonder how the newer RAM V8 Hemi would go.
This is the sort of vehicle professional Hotshot teams in the states are running alongside the diesel.

[Franco Cozzo]

Thailand Special offroad shootout:

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Thailand Special offroad shootout:

Hmmm, I bet Ford won't be happy having customers requesting that green colour considering it is not represented as available on their website.

[Franco Cozzo]

For those of you can't be bothered watching an hour long Thailand Special test, I've put together a summary:

Raptor first up - passed roller test in both 2WD and 4WD where they put half the car on rollers and the other half on the road, took a little bit more throttle to get the car to send torque to the other side of the car, at least enough to move it up hill.

Passed flex test where they put it in an offset rut on dirt to see if the doors open/close, and it managed to get itself out of the ruts no drama.

Raptor fails gravel mountain test (45% incline on loose gravel) in 4L with just rear diff lock - but passed with flying colors with both diffs locked.

Hill descent control worked perfectly,

Raptor set the bar first up.

Mazda BT50 in 2WD was real sketchy on the roller test, it rolled all the way back, hit the grate, before it even sent torque to the other side of the car then struggled to get off the rollers - fail.

Passed the test in 4WD high range but it was a bit sketchy,

BT50 passes flex test, super sketchy getting itself out of the ruts but barely managed it.

Gravel mountain, 4L and rear diff lock, failed the test, couldn't get itself all the way up.

Hill descent control super sketchy and way too quick, it went down the hill at a zillion miles - fail

So the BT50 basically sucks *** everywhere off road, which could come down to the ****ty programming of its traction control setup, puts the 'Special' in Thailand Special. This thing is at home on the Monash Freeway in peak hour.

Ssangyong Musso XLV up next,

2WD roller test, but has automatic locking rear diff so you can't manually turn on/off.

Auto rear diff lock kicked in pretty hard, chirped rear wheel and up she went (they didn't use diff locks on the other cars for this test).

4WD roller test, rear diff lock kicked in hard again and up it goes - its very aggressive when it kicks in.

Ssangyong Musso flex test, door is sketchy and wont close - chassis fail due to flex. But it got itself out the ruts no drama with the auto rear diff lock.

Gravel mountain, 4L, auto rear diff lock, failed, got most the way up then crapped out.

Hill descent control it went down at a zillion miles an hour like the BT50, had to intervene - fail.

So the Ssangyong Musso XLV sucks as well.

Next up GWM Ute Cannon-X

2WD roller test, needed 100% throttle and it still rolled back and just missed the grates by the skin of its teeth.

4WD roller test, really struggled, rolled back all the way, touched the grates and needed a ****load of throttle to get up - fail.

Flex test, doors opened and closed no drama, couldn't get itself out the ruts then overheated the 4WD system and crapped out, had to lock rear diff to get itself out - fail.

Gravel mountain, 4L and locked rear diff, failed right near the top and couldn't get itself up.

Hill Descent Control, pass!

I reckon the GWM Ute Cannon-X (thats a mouthful) sucks - puts the Special in Thailand Special even though its Chinese.

Chevrolet Silverado up next,

2WD roller test, has self locking rear diff just like the Ssangyong, kicked in really quick and hard, got itself up the rollers.

4WD roller test, diff lock kicks in and up it went.

Flex test, no dramas with the doors, rear diff lock kicks in and gets itself out.

Gravel mountain, 4L, rear diff lock is auto, and in offroad mode, smashed the test no dramas without the front diff locked like the Raptor needed :shock

Hill descent control, did a good job on the way down with adjustable speeds.

Silverado passed with flying colours, to the point it beat the Raptor up gravel mountain

Navara Clownshow Warrior up next,

Roller test, 2WD, passed the toller test no dramas, 4WD up next, very easy no dramas there.

Flex test, door opened and closed no dramas, it got itself out the ruts, but it bounced itself around a lot.

Gravel mountain, 4L, rear diff locked, got itself up the mountain, then the trans decided to kick down and flared, then it started struggling, but it made it up and passed.

Hill descent control, worked really well, walked its way down no dramas.

Surprising result for me, given it was an absolute turd on the previous towing test, one of the better Thailand Specials off road to this point (outside of the Raptor)

Isuzu DMax up next,

Expecting this to behave the same way as the BT50 thats based on it,

Rollers up first, 2WD, rolls backwards, touched the grates while wheel spinning and fails the test, just like the BT50 - surprise surprise.

Rollers 4WD test, passed and got itself up but it took a while.

Flex test, passed test, doors open and close, got itself out of the ruts but it took a while, mad wheel spin before traction control got its **** together.

Gravel mountain, 4L, rear diff lock on, struggled at the bottom of the hill and barely made it half way up - absolute potato, didn't even make it close to the BT50 for some reason.

Hill descent control, went down at a zillion miles an hour and intervention required - fail.

Given Isuzu only makes the DMax the fact their TCS is horrid off road and all the software stuff is absolute junk, get your **** together, puts the Special in Thailand Special.

Stellantis Special up next (Jeep Gladiator Rubicon), that company is like Captain Planet except its summoned by AIDS, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea and herpes instead of earth, fire, wind, water and heart. This thing has rear diff lock, front diff lock and sway bar disconnect.

Rollers, 2WD and back down she goes and nearly touches the grates, just pulling up before it fails, required all the white blood cells to come back - passes but like me in high school PE, out of breath and sympathy.

Rollers 4WD test, no dramas got itself up the rollers no problems what so ever.

Flex test, no dramas doors open and close, got itself out of the ruts no dramas

Gravel mountain, 4L, rear diff locked, offroad mode, no dramas what so ever, beats Raptor up the hill, didn't even need to lock front diff. They did it again just to test all its features, locked the front diff + swaybar disconnect just to test - no dramas, no fuss, made it look easy.

Hill descent control, come to a full stop, but speed was set to 2km/h, it works very well passed.

Of course this thing did a good job here, except for the 2WD roller test it was a bit of a struggle.

RAM1500 up next,

2WD roller test, no locking diff for the RAM, only an LSD, nearly failed the test, took a lot of throttle but passed by the skin of its teeth.

4WD roller test, no drama way better - pass.

Flex test, no dramas getting the doors open, didn't have too much drama getting out of the ruts either.

Gravel mountain, 4L, no rear diff lock or no off road modes, walked up without any dramas, which the Silverado did as well.

Hill descent control, doesn't have it, lock in first gear, and 4L, - has to ride the brake then it starts running away if you let it go - automatic fail.

Interestingly the American utes aren't having a drama on the rut tests nor gravel mountain which has iced the Thailand Specials or required the front diff lock as well, for road going vehicles they're tackling the offroad stuff quite well.

The Thailand Special King is up next - Toyota Hilux Rogue,

2WD roller test, it did quite well no dramas.

4WD roller test, even less dramas, too easy.

Flex test, no dramas with the doors, the ruts it got itself out with very minimum of fuss.

Gravel mountain, 4L, rear diff lock, it got up with a bit of wheel spin but nothing too major, no going backwards, did exactly what it was meant to do, didn't need a front diff lock like the Raptor either.

Hill descent control, had to turn off rear diff lock to use it, its a bit quick but it worked well.

Well there you go, so it does exactly what it says on the box, you can tell Toyota has put in the work with the electronics side with the TCS programming and how it operates, solid effort here for the Thailand Special brigade.

Mitsubishi Triton up now, what an ancient ****box, I want it to blow goats at everything but lets see how it goes - the press car is banged up because of a car park accident.

2WD roller test, minimum of fuss, limited roll back, easy pass.

4WD roller test, super easy, no dramas and a pass.

Flex test, no problems doors opened super easy, little bit of drama getting out of the rut until traction control sorted out.

Gravel mountain, 4L, rear diff lock on, drive modes wont work with the rear diff locked, no dramas, no ****s given about gravel mountain

Hill descent control, worked a treat, handled it with ease.

Wow there you go, I guess it shouldn't be so surprising given they were responsible for the Pajero which was actually a half decent 4x4, but given how much of a second rate manufacturer they are these days, the Triton certainly is good for off road.

Ranger Wildtrack up next,

2WD roller test, easy pass no dramas, little roll back that was it.

4WD roller test, no dramas and an easy pass, slight roll back and up she went.

Flex test, doors opened no problems, got itself out the ruts without an issue.

Gravel mountain, 4L, mud ruts mode, locked rear diff, had a bit of drama with wheel spin but it made it over the top WITHOUT needing the front diff lock that the Raptor did

Hill descent control, no dramas, super easy descent.

Interestingly the regular Ranger Wildtrack did better than the Raptor up gravel mountain.

So the offroad tests for the Thailand Specials, the BT50/DMax, the GWM Cannon-X and the Ssangyong Musso are all absolute clown shows offroad.

The American utes did really well which was surprising as they're more geared towards on highway type stuff.



This is where the Raptor crapped out on Gravel Mountain without its front diff lock engaged where as the Wildtrack made it up with just the rear diff lock engaged:



All vehicles tested with their factory tyres they came off the showroom floor with, the cars aren't modified.

It shows you how potato some of the TCS programming is, there's no excuse for the DMax/BT50 twins to be as ****ful as they are IMO, you expect it out of the ****boxes like the Ssangyong Musso and the GWM Canon-X, but for established brands to put out potato-spec TCS in a vehicle designed (and advertised) for 4x4ing is a bit of a joke.

[FTE217]

maybe they gassed it up too much with the Raptor, who knows.
The toy fanboi's as quoted rejoice lol......
I'm more glad to see the wayway typical over priced Yank Rubicon cut the mustard !

[Franco Cozzo]

Interesting to see how the Triton/Navara and the AIDS-on-wheels Stellantis job all blow goats in the previous on road test but came into their own on the offroad tests.

Shows you how versatile those American utes are though, they're great on road, they're great for towing and they're great at offroad tasks too, at least anything the Average Joe is going to throw at them.

The Hilux can actually do what the advertising brochure says it can which is a nice touch, except maybe the 3500kg towing

I think there needs to be some asses kicked around how lame the Thailand Specials are when you test them on the 'limits' of their towing capacities, its obvious that above 2500kg they start struggling badly, they need to revise the 'capabilities' they list there I reckon.