Intercity Distribution Trucks for Costa Rica: Aumark S 10.5T vs Aumark 18T vs EST-M 18T Compared

Q: Which truck for the climb from the ports?

n Either 18-tonne unit — both declare 950 Nm through a 4.556 final drive on a 5,150 mm wheelbase, the torque and gearing the plateau demands. The Aumark S's 600 Nm is a city-and-short-leg figure. n

Q: Why is the EST-M $4,000 above the Aumark?

n The data declares the same engine family, torque, emission, gearbox, ratio and wheelbase for both. The EST-M adds a declared tyre listing and a chassis-cab use case. Ask the dealer to explain the gap in writing — on the data it is not a hardware difference. n

Q: Are the titles' horsepower figures reliable?

n The EST-M's title says 245 hp while its spec sheet declares 180 kW — the 245 comes from the ISDe245 engine designation. Read the declared power and torque, not the title, when comparing trucks in this class. n

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2026-10-23 04:53:01

Intercity Distribution Trucks for Costa Rica: Aumark S 10.5T vs Aumark 18T vs EST-M 18T Compared

Writer:Alan Chen(Foton Auman dealer)

Costa Rican intercity distribution runs on a specific formula: produce and goods move from the Caribbean and Pacific ports to the Central Valley's farms and cities on roads that climb from sea level to the central plateau, and the trucks that work it are specified by gearing for the climbs, wheelbase for the bodies, and a price per tonne that punishes over-specification. Three cargo trucks are listed for Costa Rica in the product data — the Aumark S at 10.5 tonnes, the Aumark at 18 tonnes and the EST-M at 18 tonnes — and they answer that duty cycle in three different ways.

The comparison below starts with the specification table, because with three trucks across two tonnage classes the differences that matter are in the detail rows — engine, gearbox, final drive, wheelbase — and then reads each against the duty cycle: the plateau climbs, the fresh-export chain and the body-builder's requirements. The pattern is that the middle truck is the documented one, and the two around it each ask a different question.

Foton Aumark S 10.5T ZF automatic cargo truck for Costa Rica — The Aumark S: Euro IV, ZF6S600 with 4.33 ratio, the city-and-short-leg machine.

The candidates, side by side

	Foton Aumark S Cargo	Foton Aumark Cargo Truck	Foton Aumark EST-M 18T
Engine	ISF3.8s4R168	ISDe245 30	ISDe245 30
Displacement	3.76 L	6.7 L	6.7 L
Power	125 kW (168 hp)	180 kW (245 hp)	180 kW (245 hp)
Torque	600 N·m @ 1300~1700 rpm	950 N·m	950 N·m
Emission	Euro IV	Euro III	Euro III
Gearbox	ZF6S600	8JS118TA-B	8JS118TA-B
Final drive	4.33	4.556	4.556
GVW	10,500 kg	18,000 kg	18,000 kg
Wheelbase	4500 mm	5150 mm	5150 mm
Suspension	Front & Rear Leaf Spring Suspension	Leaf Spring	Leaf spring
Brakes	Air Brake	Front & Rear Drum Brakes	Air brake
Listed price	$22,453	$31,500	$35,500

Engine and gearbox: two documented answers and one partial

The Aumark S runs an ISF3.8s4R168 Foton Cummins at 3,760 cc, 125 kW (170 hp), 600 Nm from 1,300 to 1,700 rpm, Euro IV, through a ZF6S600 with a 4.33 final drive on a 4,500 mm wheelbase. The Aumark 18T runs an ISDe245 30 Dongfeng Cummins at 6,700 cc, 180 kW (245 hp), 950 N·m, Euro III, through an 8JS118TA-B with a 4.556 ratio on a 5,150 mm wheelbase — Costa Rica named in its sales field. The EST-M 18T lists the same ISDe245 30 family at a declared 245 hp in its title and 180 kW on its spec sheet, Euro III, an 8JS118TA-B with 4.556, a 5,150 mm wheelbase and seven 11R22.5 tyres — also listed for Costa Rica.

For the plateau climbs the working number is torque at road speed, and the 18-tonne pair holds a clear advantage: 950 Nm against the Aumark S's 600 Nm. The Aumark S is a city-and-short-leg truck whose Euro IV declaration and ZF automatic suit urban duty; the 18-tonne pair is built for the loaded climb from the ports.

Wheelbase and the body-builder's question

The two 18-tonne trucks share a 5,150 mm wheelbase — the natural base for a large box or a refrigerated body with the load spread over the rear axle, and the platform the fresh-export chain needs. The Aumark S's 4,500 mm suits standard distribution bodies and is the more manoeuvrable machine in the Central Valley's town centres.

None of the three listings declares rear overhang or a certified body length, and local dimension rules govern both. For export work the body is the business: take the wheelbase figure and your bodybuilder's drawing to the dealer and confirm the certified length for your region before committing — the chassis that wins on paper can lose the case if the certified body length comes up short.

Price and the honest reading of the spread

The listings price at $22,453, $31,500 and $35,500 — a $13,047 spread across two tonnage classes. The step from the Aumark S to the Aumark 18T buys 55 kW (75 hp), 350 Nm of torque, 650 mm of wheelbase and a much heavier rating: a defensible premium for port-to-plateau work. The further step to the EST-M buys $4,000 and, on the data, very little — the two 18-tonne trucks declare the same engine family, the same torque, the same Euro III, the same gearbox and ratio, and the same wheelbase.

The EST-M's declared advantage is its tyre listing (seven 11R22.5 against the Aumark's unlisted fitment) and its chassis-cab use case, which suits bodies built to order. The Aumark's advantage is $4,000 and a listing that names Costa Rica with an intercity-goods use case. On this data the Aumark is the specification the numbers support; the EST-M is the choice only if the dealer can document what its premium delivers.

Fuel, tyres and the corridor realities

The Aumark S carries a 200-litre tank, the Aumark 18T 200 litres, and the EST-M 200 litres — identical planning radii at very different weights, which means the smaller truck runs further per tank on the same roads. Consumption is undeclared on all three; get a tested figure at your load and gradient before planning routes, and remember that the plateau climbs will punish an under-geared, under-torqued truck in fuel long before they show up in time.

Tyre supply is the quieter risk: 11R22.5 in the EST-M's tubeless imperial size is common in regional networks, but confirm availability and price before the order — a distribution truck waiting on tyres earns nothing, and the fresh-export chain does not wait.

Foton Aumark 18T 180 kW (245 hp) cargo truck for Costa Rica intercity freight — The Aumark 18T: 950 Nm, 5,150 mm wheelbase, Costa Rica in its sales field.

The bottom line: For Costa Rica's port-to-plateau distribution the Aumark 18T at $31,500 is the specification the data supports: 950 Nm for the climbs, a 5,150 mm wheelbase for the bodies the export chain needs, Euro III declared and Costa Rica named in its sales field. The Aumark S at $22,453 is the right truck for city and short-leg work, where its Euro IV declaration and ZF automatic suit the duty and its smaller rating is never the constraint. The EST-M at $35,500 declares the same class and specification as the Aumark for $4,000 more — buy it only if the dealer documents what the premium delivers, most plausibly in body-fitment support.

Which truck for the climb from the ports?

Either 18-tonne unit — both declare 950 Nm through a 4.556 final drive on a 5,150 mm wheelbase, the torque and gearing the plateau demands. The Aumark S's 600 Nm is a city-and-short-leg figure.

Why is the EST-M $4,000 above the Aumark?

The data declares the same engine family, torque, emission, gearbox, ratio and wheelbase for both. The EST-M adds a declared tyre listing and a chassis-cab use case. Ask the dealer to explain the gap in writing — on the data it is not a hardware difference.

Are the titles' horsepower figures reliable?

The EST-M's title says 245 hp while its spec sheet declares 180 kW — the 245 comes from the ISDe245 engine designation. Read the declared power and torque, not the title, when comparing trucks in this class.

What body length can you fit on the 5,150 mm wheelbase?

The listings give the wheelbase but not the certified body length or rear overhang, and local rules govern both. Take the wheelbase figure and your bodybuilder's drawing to the dealer and confirm the certified length for your region.

What is not declared on these listings?

Fuel consumption on all three, rear overhang and certified body length on all three, and tyres on the Aumark 18T. Consumption and body length both drive the operating case — get tested figures and certified lengths in writing.

Foton Aumark S Cargo