The local truck market is ripe with offerings aimed to help business owners and logistics fleet managers maximize their capital.
On that note, we look into the two go-to nameplates in the light-duty commercial truck segment: the Fuso Canter FE71 and the Isuzu N-Series Smoother. Interested to see which of the two trucks best suits your business needs? Join us to find out.
The Fuso Canter FE71 measures 4,800 millimeters (mm) long, 1,695mm wide, and 2,135 tall. Its wheelbase is 2,500mm and its minimum ground clearance is 2500mm.
On the other hand, the Isuzu N-Series Smoother offers an overall length of 4,730mm, an overall width of 1,815mm, and an overall height of 2,190mm. It has a wheelbase of 2,475mm.
Both light-duty trucks have decent dimensions that translate to better road presence and visibility. On that note, we call this round a tie.
Inside, the Fuso Canter FE71 offers its passengers a comfortable place to stay in between deliveries.
Here are comfortable fabric seats and air conditioning. There’s also a radio to keep the passengers entertained.
The driver gets a durable steering wheel and an instrument panel that consists of analog and digital gauges.
The same goes for the Isuzu N-Series Smoother. Passengers can rest on its ergonomic vinyl seats with a recline function and keep themselves cool with its air conditioner.
Its steering wheel also leans on the durable side and is paired with an instrument panel with analog and digital meters.
With both commercial trucks offering similar levels of comfort and amenities, we will be calling this round another tie.
Powering the Fuso Canter FE71 is a 3.0-liter diesel engine mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). The latter boasts ease of driving while still providing its owners with fuel efficiency with that of a truck equipped with a manual gearbox.
According to Fuso, this setup makes a maximum of 129 horsepower (hp) with 300 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque.
Likewise, the Isuzu N-Series Smoother packs a similar 3.0-liter diesel mill that is also mated to an AMT.
Power is at 122hp and torque, 354 Nm.
In this round, we will again call it a tie as the Fuso Canter FE71 boasts more power while the Isuzu N-Series Smoother offers more torque.
In the area of safety, the Fuso Canter FE71 comes with features like seatbelts, a collapsible steering wheel, an anti-lock brake system, and electronic brake-force distribution.
Supporting the body of the Fuso Canter FE71 are laminated leaf spring suspensions and hydraulic double-acting telescopic shock absorbers, both at the front and at the rear. Stopping power comes from dual-circuit disk brakes.
The Fuso Canter FE71 also benefits from Mitsubishi Motors’ RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body frame.
As for the Isuzu N-Series Smoother, it comes with standard safety features but reportedly does not come with ABS. Its suspension systems consist of multi-leaf springs front and back. It is also equipped with drum-type and vacuum brakes.
In this round, we will have to give it to the Fuso Canter FE71 thanks to its better suite of safety features.
While this light-duty truck tussle is indeed a neck-and-neck battle, we crown the Fuso Canter FE71 as the victor of this battle.
Thanks to its superior safety features, the Fuso Canter FE71 comes in as the better light-duty commercial truck that cares about business owners as well as truck drivers and workers.
Photos from Juan Paulo Papa, Fuso Philippines, and Isuzu Philippines
Also read:
Fuso launches all-new Canter FE71 in PH
Fuso PH supplies Canter units to local food, tech, and medicine distributor
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