Best Pickup 2021 – Commercial and Private

In 2019, the Mitsubishi Triton made history when it became the second best-selling pick-up truck in the country. Overtaking Ford Ranger who enjoyed a great year since it was launched previously. Toyota Hilux has always been the leading name in this segment while the second and third spot has always been hotly contested between the Triton and Ranger.

How does it stack up?

Malaysians love pick-up trucks. If not for the higher maintenance cost and maybe car price, it would be the preferred vehicle among a majority of vehicle owners. Even if that is so, some 30,000 pick-up trucks are sold each year and Toyota Hilux has been a strong leader in this segment. The latest record showed that Toyota Hilux commands about 40% of the market share followed by Ranger and Triton while others like Nissan Navara and Isuzu D-Max all make up the top 5. So, among all that has been mentioned, which pick-up would be the best for 2021? For this, we would need to look at them from 2 perspectives, namely commercial and private.

Mitsubishi Triton Quest – Perfect for commercial use

Based on the best-selling Mitsubishi Triton, this 4×2 commercial version would surely be one to consider. The price is about RM80K which puts it among the lowest you can find in the market which effectively makes it the perfect option for commercial use.

It looks somewhat ‘lowered’ and that is what makes driving this such a joy. Unlike the standard version of the Triton, it comes with a 2.5-liter common-rail turbodiesel engine that boosts out 110 PS. Hence, you can consider this to be quite the workhorse for your business needs. Paired with a 4×2 rear-wheel drive and a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox, it is as good as it gets among the rest in this category.

That said, this low-rider truck makes driving a breeze where it claims to have the largest bed being able to carry up to 970kg (including passengers). Coming in standard is ETACS or Electronic Time and Alarm Control System while they pack in a multi-info display too. You get a double-DIN player with Bluetooth while safety features come standard with ABS with EBD and dual airbags.

Mazda BT-50 – Perfect pick-up for private use

As mentioned, the Toyota Hilux is the runaway leader in this segment while Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton are honorable mentions too. But if there is one model that you should be looking forward to this year, it should be the Mazda BT-50.  This is one pick-up that is different from the rest and the design is what you can start with.

Moving away from the boxy and rectangular-shaped pick-ups, this one gives you the curvy outlook that you would probably notice in all Mazda cars these days. It has been recently redesigned (after 9 years) and is now no longer associated with the Ford Ranger (as it has been previously).

If the car doesn’t attract you, the front grille will. You get Mazda’s own dash inside where it comes with a darker and gloomier motif. The idea is to create a pick-up that drives sand feels like a sedan. The hood packs a Ddi BluePower common rail turbodiesel engine that boosts out 190PS and paired with a 6-speed gearbox (manual or automatic). Adaptive Cruise Control Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Auto Emergency Braking come as standard. The price is between RM105K and RM118K where it comes with 6 airbags, making it one of the most value-for-money pickups you can consider for sure.