LCF commercial trucks like the 2018 Isuzu NPR don’t have as many rivals as passenger cars and regular pickup trucks do, but the rivalry is even fiercer. To see how good the NPR is, let’s put it head-to-head against the Mitsubishi Fuso 160 in this comparison guide to see which is the superior model for your business.

CONFIGURATIONS

LCF commercial trucks attract a diverse crowd. Both the FE160 and the Isuzu NPR come in standard and crew cab variants, which makes them a good platform for a wide variety of uses. When it comes to body sizes, the Fuso FE160 Standard Cab offers 10 to 22 ft. and the Crew Cab can accommodate 12 to 18 ft. bodies. The Standard Cab version of the Isuzu is a little more flexible with 10 to 24 ft. bodies, but it falls short in the Crew Cab format with options from 12 to just 16 ft., so this round’s a draw.

ENGINES AND POWER

The Mitsubishi comes with only one turbodiesel while there are both gas and diesel options available for the NPR. The engine powering the Fuso is a 3.0-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel delivering 161 horsepower at 3,400 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,500 rpm. The gas engine in the Isuzu is more powerful than the Mitsubishi diesel because it’s a 6.0-liter V-8 that develops 297 horsepower and 372 lb.-ft. of torque. Plus, it can also be run on CNG and LPG alternative fuels. The diesel NPR is slightly less powerful compared to the standard Fuso with 150 horsepower and 282 lb.-ft. of torque, but a 5.2-liter version is also available with 215 horsepower and a massive 452 lb.-ft. of torque. With more choice and more power, Isuzu wins this round.

CAPABILITY

When it comes to GVWR and GCWR, the Mitsubishi has a slight edge over the standard NPR with its maximum 13,000-pound GVWR and 19,000-pound GCWR. The GVWR of the Fuso FE160 is an impressive 15,995 pounds and the GCWR boasts an even more impressive 23,710 pounds. But in its XD form, the NPR can handle a maximum GVWR of 16,000 pounds, although its GCWR still falls short at 22,000 pounds. The deciding factor here has to be the body/payload ratings, and the Mitsubishi comes out on top with a maximum 10,490 pounds compared to the Isuzu’s 9,607-pound max.

VERDICT

These are closely matched vehicles, but that shouldn’t be too much of a shock as these are the basic platforms upon which businesses upfit them to turn them into everything from low-loaders to fire trucks, cranes and just about anything else that can be dreamed up. On balance though, the Isuzu NPR’s greater flexibility of engine options gives it the edge over the Mitsubishi Fuso FE160.