Four wheel drive dual-cab utes like the 10 assembled here quite regularly make the best
seller list down under.
Such is their popularity that utes like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux actually outsell
leading passenger cars by a considerable margin.
These cars can do just about anything.
Whether it’s towing the van, hauling a load or heading off road, these vehicles really
are a jack of all trades.
But which dual-cab ute is the best of the best?
To find out, we put the field through its paces across a handful of disciplines that
you buyers told us were important to them.
First up we put towing to the test and in arena where 3.5-tonne towing capacity is the
norm, it’s the Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota Hilux that have a lower limit of just over
3 tonne.
But in the real world with our 3-tonne caravan on the back, there was at least one surprise
in store for our judges.
So I never tow-tested the Musso before.
It’s certainly not the worst tow vehicle here.
Though not every ute on test received the same level of praise.
Nissan’s had three goes at setting up a suspension at the back of the Navarra but
it still wasn’t quite right for towing.
With a heavy caravan behind it at freeway speeds, it’s not as stable as it should
be.
With towing done and dusted, it was time to focus on hauling a load.
Depending on the brand, the utes are able to carry between 790 and 1039 kilograms.
We placed 650 kilos on the back of each ute for our payload test.
Now the Mercedes Benz X Class was a real surprise because it’s set up as a road car.
It’s meant to go around corners and things and putting that 650 kilograms at the back
of it, pointed the nose skywards.
It was like flying a plane.
You were coming in to land all the time it was up so high.
Well at least the Triton has value on its side.
I have to say, I’ve been a little bit disappointed with the overall performance of the Triton.
It’s the newest vehicle here.
And with Mitsubishi having such a history in development of vehicles like this, it’s
not the most refined in this set.
From payload we moved to the all important in-cabin functionality of our 10 dual-cab
utes.
Here we look at technology, connectivity, amenity and comfort.
The utes on test now including many features found in family SUVs.
What I really like about the Amarok is the quality of presentation.
Everything is really beautifully laid out, the seats are superbly comfortable, however,
the dash is hard touch, but it doesn’t detract from its overall sense of quality.
But like any test, there’s always some bad news to go with the good.
Second row amenity in some of the utes is actually pretty bad.
No air vents.
Some of them don’t even have an arm rest.
And there’s one entrant here that doesn’t even have curtain air bags.
Finally it’s time to hit the dirt.
Trade, agricultural and recreational buyers all expect to use these utes off road.
Our off-road test looks at clearance, gearing and grip to expose strengths and weaknesses
in the 10 utes on test.
Well the Ranger is such a good all-rounder off-road and it’s not just suspension geometry,
clearance and articulation that makes that so, it’s a nice torque-y engine, and one
of the broader spread of gear ratios on test, that makes this a really capable vehicle off
the beaten track.
With towing, payload, cabin and off-road testing complete, we analyzed RedBook cost of ownership
data to see which ute offered the best value for money.
With a strong bi-turbo engine, confident load lugging ability and top-notch safety technology,
our judges determined the best ute of 2019 is the Ford Ranger Wildtrak.
So there it is Nadine, the 2019 Ute of the year and I’ve got to say, it’s a deserved
winner.
Definitely.
In a market where the ute is a lot of different things to a lot of different people, the ability
to perform any task well takes a lot of doing.
And it really did nail the brief.