Need a big diesel pickup truck in the UAE: RAM, Ford or Mitsubishi?

Space & reliability are very important factors. The vehicle will be used for long-distance leisure journeys including cross-country road trips.

BHPian water recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello all,

Background

3-member family in the UAE, recently got my Dubai driving license although I was driving here for the last 1 year on IDP. Driving a rental Nissan Sunny petrol automatic for the last year and am tired of it. I am looking to buy a big diesel, automatic car. I'll prefer white or silver color because of the heat conditions in the UAE. We have a kiddo and have to carry the large stroller around plus the luggage wherever we go. The car will also be used for long-distance leisure trips including cross country trips to neighboring countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, etc so space and reliability are very important. Egypt also if possible. First-year in the UAE did close to 50000 kms since I was new to the country and wanted to visit all the places. I foresee a usage of at least 25000 to 40000 kms annually.

As you may be aware of that the UAE is largely a petrol market with slow shifts happening towards electric cars. I have always driven diesels and I am sure the diesels will be the first ones to be phased out. So, I might as well drive one as long as I can. Have a diesel Jeep Compass and a diesel Ecosport in India mainly used by the family.

Cars considered

• RAM 1500 Bighorn 3.0 Eco-Diesel, 8 speed AT
• Ford Ranger 2.2L TDCi, 6 speed AT
• Mitsubishi L200 Sportero, 2.4L MIVEC, 6 speed AT

RAM 1500 Bighorn 3.0 Eco-Diesel, white color

Cost: About 30 lakhs INR, negotiable a bit

Positives:

• Large pickup truck. The largest of the choices I have. Very, very spacious interior and so many storage spaces, bins and boxes.
• Belongs to the same family as Fiat and Jeep which I have good experience with in India.
• Available now.

Negatives:

• 455 kms on the odo, although the seller considers it zero kms and says the kms were put because the car was driven from dealer to port in Canada and then from port to the dealer here in the UAE.
• Imported from Canada. It is a Canada-spec model. Not sure how well the AC will perform in GCC heat conditions.
• Sold in Freezone, private seller, no warranty, no service, no support even if something fails the second day after my purchase.
• Needs about 30 litres DEF every 15000 km.

Ford Ranger 2.2L TDCi

Cost: About 20 lakhs INR

Positives:

• Only diesel car that's sold here through the official dealer channels which means you get the 3/ 5 year Ford warranty and the 3/5 year service contract based on how you negotiate.
• Can get dealer and Ford Middle East support for warranty should anything fail, software updates, etc.
• Can get free insurance, free service contract for 3 years & 60k kms, RSA.

Negatives:

• Midsize pickup truck, not as spacious as the RAM 1500 Bighorn which is a large pickup truck.
• It's not in stock and has a wait time of at least 2 to 3 months and even after that, they are not sure if I can be allotted one. They want me to book in advance by paying a deposit and then play the waiting game. The timelines are tentative only and can get delayed more. I am the kind who wishes to see the car in the showroom; pay cash, check, DD whatever and walk out with the car the same day. I want to wait until stocks arrive, put cash on the table and see the allotment list if someone wants to cancel or postpone and pick up that car. May or may not get one for sure.

Mitsubishi L200 Sportero, 2.4L MIVEC, 6 speed AT

Cost: About 18 lakhs INR

Positives:

• Available now and costs the least.
• Should cost less to repair should anything fail because Mitsubishi is everywhere in the UAE, spares should be easily available and cheap, may not require special expertise to fix the car (not sure though).

Negatives:

• Non-GCC specification car, don't know how well the AC will perform in the heat here.
• Sold in Freezone, private seller, no warranty, no service, no support even if something fails the second day after my purchase.
• Compact pickup truck, not as spacious as the RAM 1500 Bighorn which is a large pickup truck.

Alternative options

• Buy a regular used, relatively cheap petrol car like the Duster, Passat etc and wait for the Ford Ranger & either pick a new one in 2 to 3 months or pick it up once they land in the used car market 1 year down the lane.
• Continue with the rental Nissan Sunny :( until the Ford Ranger arrives in the showrooms.

Looking forward to your views and please help me make a decision.

UAE has a large Freezone market where traders import cars from manufacturers in bulk, get them for cheap since the manufacturer does not have to cover warranty and then further sell to third world countries in Africa etc which do not have official dealer channels. Usually, cars in Freezone cannot be sold for the local UAE market. Cars for local UAE registration must be brought from the dealers only which are priced slightly more (for the warranty etc). However, if you can make a special case representation and convince the RTA that the car you want is not available with the official dealers, have a special use case or want an older model which the Freezone trader has they may agree.

Here's what BHPian pratyaksh had to say about the matter:

This is the first time I'm hearing of someone wanting to get a Diesel in Dubai.

• Petrol is cheaper than Diesel.
• You're looking at dodgy dealers to buy your first car. The UAE market is quite an underworld-y (for the lack of a better word) car market. I wouldn't trust the private dealers on SZR leave alone go to DAFZA et al. to pick up a Diesel.
• You can get some mighty petrol cars there. HEMI, SRT, et al. at really good rates straight from the dealer.
• Your range seems to be touching the 200,000 DHS mark and you could easily get a few V8s in this price bracket.
• You already have driven diesels here, try to enjoy that new market with some slick gasoline cars that will blow your mind.
• Or you could wait whilst getting an upgrade on your Sunny, maybe the big names won't give you a car as your license is new but you could surely go to Karama, Satwa, etc. to find local Rent-A-Car dealers who will easily give you a nice upgrade with just a credit card block.
• Do also remember, all non-GCC cars have abysmal resale value and are mostly unable to cope in the desert heat with the AC etc. giving up easily.
• You're looking at cars like the Duster, and Passat that are easily available in India whereas you could totally buy a pre-owned V8 Chevy or Ford on sites like Dubizzle even, and get a taste of these while you're there.

Happy hunting!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.