Pickup Trucks for Export

The diesel trucks win most export tenders, for reasons that have nothing to do with the engine: fuel is available everywhere, any competent workshop can service them, and second-hand values are established. The 2.5T SAIC πPlus produces 165 kW and 520 Nm in the Interstellar X, its hardtop Passenger Edition and the new-generation Interstellar L; the 2.0T π produces 120 kW and 410 Nm in the Interstellar L and T60.

Four-wheel drive comes in three quite different forms. The Interstellar X uses super-select 4WD with three locking differentials and a 100% maximum gradient; the Interstellar L and T60 use BorgWarner part-time systems with 2.64:1 and 2.48:1 low-range multiplication; the eTerron 9 splits torque electronically between two motors with no mechanical lag at all.

If the job is carrying mass rather than towing it, look at the long-bed bodies — the Interstellar L and T60 both offer an 1,800 mm bed on a 3,480 mm wheelbase, and the T90 EV carries a full tonne.