Purpose-built to serve as a utility vehicle for countless tasks all over the world, pickup trucks are the no-nonsense doers of the automotive world. Despite their utilitarian nature, premium pickups are a common sight in Nepal. A reason for this could be that pickups are subject to lower import duty since they are classified under “motor vehicles for the transport of goods”, which means they cost considerably less than big SUVs. While it may have started out with a lower tax bracket, pickups have found a place in the hearts of Nepalese auto enthusiasts over the years.

And over the years, more and more companies have had a go at the premium pickup market segment. One of the most popular pickups in Nepal, and the world for that matter, is the Toyota Hilux. It has been a spokes-vehicle for pickups in terms of its bulletproof reliability and un-killable nature. You also have the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max V Cross, and Hi-Lander, and others that have set standards in terms of their capabilities, reliabilities, and utilitarian natures.

Venturing into the stomping grounds of these beasts of burden is the Changan Hunter. A pickup truck from one of the newest automobile companies to enter the Nepalese automotive scene, the Hunter has fixed its crosshairs on the segment. In this review, we find out if it has the chops to roll with the big boys.

Exterior Design

The Changan Hunter is as handsome as they come. It commands a territory of 5330mm length and 1930mm of width, a big boy indeed. The imposing front end with its massive grille oozes masculinity. The LED DRL integrated halogen headlights and fog lamps look great and the sculpted bonnet and silver-clad bumper protection add more muscularity to the Hunter.

From the side, you will appreciate the large 18-inch rims and 265/60 section tyres. They fit well into the squared wheel arches and accentuate the robust nature of the vehicle. You also get functional aluminum roof rails, aluminum side steps to aid with the ingress and egress, and a sports bar and cargo anchoring hooks on the cabin.

The cabin itself, as claimed by the company, boasts of a best-in-class cargo capacity that can carry up to 1 ton. For context, the 1600mm * 1590mm * 510mm (L*W*H) cargo box dimensions of the Hunter edges out the 1555mm * 1540mm * 480mm (L*W*H) of the Toyota Hilux. We would have loved to see a pre-installed cargo bed liner though.

On the rear, you get well-designed, vertically stacked tail-lights, the CHANGAN name across the tailgate which we wish was a HUNTER instead, and silver accents on the tailgate handle and bumper. Overall, the Hunter scores high and goes toe to toe with rivals in terms of looks.

Interiors and Features

Step inside the cabin and you will be welcomed by a decently luxurious cabin. Apart from having ample space, Changan provides plenty of creature comfort. For instance, you get electrically adjustable seats for both driver and front passenger so you don’t have to fiddle with hard-to-reach levers, both driver and front passenger get electric lumbar support which is fantastic and a boon in long journeys. The rear seat is comfortable as well, there’s proper cushioning and enough headroom and legroom. The width of the cabin allows up to four individuals to get decently comfortable in short journeys, while three at the back should be no problem even with days on the road.

You get keyless entry and push start so you don’t have to go through the cumbersome task of fishing your keys out of your pant pockets, automatic air conditioning with rear AV vents so that all occupants are equally comfortable. They’ve gone as far as to tilt the center console slightly towards the driver so that he/she doesn’t have to work too hard to view the 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

We especially like how you get physical switches and dials on the dashboard and central console. We also like the boxy design language reflected in the styling of the aircon vents.

Furthermore, the feature list is stacked to the brim. Gone are the days when pickups were bare-boned workhorses. The Changan Hunter comes with microfiber leather on the seats, comfortable headrests, 6 speakers, reversing radar and camera system, and more.

Apart from that, the Hunter is dotted with storage spaces, you get a decent size glove box, all four doors come with large bottle holders, there is an adequate storage box under the center armrest, the driver gets his/her personal cup holder hidden neatly below the rightmost AC vent, and the front passenger too gets their very own cup holder on the leftmost side of the dash.

Performance and Safety

The Changan Hunter comes with one of the smallest engines that you can find in a pickup truck of this size. You get a 1.9-Liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine. Although it is a small pot it churns out a healthy 150hp and 350 Nm of peak torque. The Hunter doesn’t claim to be a performance pickup truck, but what you can get from this engine should be more than enough no matter where you drive to.

The Hunter leisurely builds up speed, if the turbo lag was shorter and the gearbox would upshift quickly without confusion the Hunter would have been an absolute joy to drive. But once you learn how to dance with the shifts between 1500 to 2500 rpm you can extract quite a lot of fun and pleasant smooth driving from this engine. The Hunter comes with 3 driving modes, you get an Eco that basically dials down everything to save fuel and Sport which needlessly holds revs. We recommend you to stick it in Normal mode where everything is perfectly balanced.

Driving the Hunter on highways is fun, you’re sat up high, visibility is excellent thanks to large windows all around, and the sheer width of the Bonet ahead of you gives you a sense of confidence. You don’t have to plan an overtake in advance. The suspension just eats up all the bumps without making you feel uncomfortable and this truck has proper stopping power thanks to disc brakes on all four wheels. The Changan Hunter is a comfortable highway cruising machine.

But once the tarmac ends the Hunter finally comes to its own. Equipped with a 4wd system that is easy to engage via a physical dial, the Hunter ate up all the light off-roading we did with ease. The Hunter comes with a claimed best in class ground clearance of 231mm, combine that with a 29° approach angle, the Hunter easily drives over or climbs through the obstacles that lie ahead.

Let’s come to city driving now, which is frankly a nightmare for all pickup trucks. The sheer size of a pickup truck makes it difficult to maneuver around narrow urban roads, what’s even more difficult is finding a proper parking space. But thankfully the Hunter comes with a light steering and a reverse parking camera with sensors and dynamic guidelines that make it easier when the Hunter is confined within the concrete jungle.

On the safety front, apart from all of the industry-standard equipment, you get six airbags, Electronic Stability Program, hill start assist control, hill descent control, traction control system, and braking assistance system which all help the Hunter become a dependable machine.

Verdict

The Changan Hunter has come into a playground that has been dominated by Japanese juggernauts and American heavyweights for as long as we can remember. While the Hunter has only taken its first step, it has a lot of work cut out for it if it wants to make a name for itself in the pickup truck scene in Nepal. But we believe that it can.

The Changan Hunter has absolutely nailed the exterior and interior design bang on. It comes with a bucket load of features and safety tech and where it falls a little short in power it makes up for it in ground clearance and stopping duties. But the wildcard Hunter brings to this battle however is its price. Almost all the segment leaders will set you back over 1 crore if you were to buy their fully-loaded variants. A fully loaded Hunter on the other hand will cost you just Rs. 75.50 Lakhs which is just amazing and so much more approachable.

The Changan Hunter has already got the makings of a proper contender. What now remains to be seen is the after-sales service by Changan in the years to come. If this robust pickup truck is supplemented by equally robust service from Changan, then the Hunter might just be one of the big boys of the playground.