@RovingCalypso: Sorry for the delay, was busy with IJC video and also wanted to do more research and give it some more thought. Good to know that you are also thinking this choice through, a luxury which I have rarely had on such decisions.
Firstly, 2L-TE fuel consumption: From the Hilux Surf forums you can get a range of numbers between 7-10 kms per litre. I would think that the Rocky is smaller/lighter but then again there may be some conversion loss factor, so you should probably not expect substantially more than these figures. See posts below:
http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22145&highlight=economy
and
http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20988&highlight=economy
On 3C-TE fuel consumption, I think Akif Janjua said that his CJ5-3CT is doing 10/11 kms/l in city with AC. I think this is a reasonable reference and if you could add an E on there and you could possibly get better but I would not really count on it. As you can see from the posts above all these numbers are ranges and your actual mileage even on stock model like Hilux Surfs can vary a lot and in your case, your result will likely be yours alone and may be radically different from even another same car/engine/drive-train/diff setup.
As I did not get 3C-TE specs from wikipedia, I was forced able to hunt down a chart I had seen years ago on the net (
http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/pit/9975/dataBySubject/DieselEngines.html
) only to find that I had scratched my head quite hard on this comparison a few years ago (also answers why I am so charged) and it would be good to get this out of my system: the 3C-TE specs (re-checked with another source) are higher than all the 2LTs and fall just slightly short of the 2LTE. My limited experience of driving 3CTs also confirmed the above conclusion as 3CTs felt very nimble and agile on a CJ-5 and I also recall clocking around 16sec for 0-100kms/h on a friends 3CTE Estima Lucida.
So here we use our lifeline once again and call on Farooq Awan who clarifies his earlier view in the following manner:
On 0-100 km/h dash the 3CT would probably outrun the 2LT as Farooq believes it 3CT has a much higher rev threshold.
Beyond 100km/h, the 3CT even with Rocky drivetrain/diffs is likely to yield to the 2LT which continues to pull even beyond 130km/h. Yes I hear you, who drives Jeeps that fast anyways but……
On Jeeps, the 2LT is a much more lastable and rugged set-up as compared to the 3CT which is prone to “kharak jaana” after a few years.
In a competitive off-road setting, while the 3CT would give you a good run for the money, the 2LT is king in its territory. There has to be a reason that the TLC 70 series, Hiluxs even Surfs and Prados continued to have the 2LT for the longest time.
So all said and done, my take in your case is that if you are not planning on doing regular off-roading and you don’t have plans for too many trips to the Northern Areas, I would settle for a 3CT/E. Better in city mileage, pick-up and your rig feels more agile and car-like for short hops . If you are looking for a more solid rugged Jeep-like set-up which could possibly be a bit more competitive on highways and trails you should opt for a 2LT. And I am sure that you would not really regret your choice either way, as long as you have a good mechanic….. so all the best and with the figures and notes below its over and out from my end!
PS- Some super geeky note on these figures: The 2LT has a wide range of performance figures which have probably varied over the years. (See new figures below picked up from the above link) Also, the wikipedia torque number for 2L-TE is definitely incorrect (I had also questioned it earlier) and I cannot find any other number so lets assume that it will be around the highest 2LT number from the link. Nevertheless, with the 2LT-New, 2LT-II or 2L-TE that one would be buying today for PKR 95k, I think it is reasonable to assume that you are getting something at the higher end of the spectrum.
And yes, pulling these numbers this is my side hobby…
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2CT
2.0L
83bhp @ 4,000 RPM
129 ft.lb (174 N.m) @2200
3CTE
2.2L
94bhp@4000
152 ft.lb (205 N.m) @2200
2LT (BASE)
2.4l
86 hp (64.1 kW) at 4000 RPM
139 ft·lb (188.4 N·m) of torque at 2400 RPM
2LT (HIGH)
2.4l
92hp-105hp at 4000 RPM
141-159 ft·lb (191-215 N·m) of torque at 2400 RPM
2L-TE
2.4l
97HP (72.3kW) at 3800 RPM
s
24.54 kg.m (240.3 N?m) at 2400 R
/s
Source : Wikipedia and http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/pit/9975/dataBySubject/DieselEngines.html
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