TMR Best Buy 2016 – Top 5 4×4 Utes: Nissan Navara, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Mitsubishi Triton
For many Australian families, the dual-cab 4X4 ute has become the proxy family car – workhorse, carriage with baby-seat, and family get-away vehicle. Most now feel and drive enough like cars to be everyday vehicles; gone are compromises to features and
For many Australian families, the dual-cab 4X4 ute has become the proxy family car - workhorse, carriage with baby-seat, and family get-away vehicle.
Most now feel and drive enough like cars to be everyday vehicles; gone are compromises to features and comfort and cabin-trim. And that's why the Aussie love affair with the ute has blossomed. There are months where utes/pickups top the sales charts (from time to time, the HiLux knocks the Mazda3 or Corolla off the pedestal), and quite a few utes occupy the top ten slots on VFACTS.
With a wide spectrum of choices, two and four-wheel-drive, petrol and diesel, auto and manual, single, extra, or dual cab models, from the spartan cab-chassis to the leather-trimmed premium sports utes, there has never been more choice.
Here is our list of the Top 5 4x4 utes - and whittling the list down has not been an easy task.
Nissan Navara NP300
Price Range: $31,990 (4x4 DX single cab c/chassis manual) - $54,490 (ST-X dual cab utility automatic)
Engine: 120kW/403Nm 2.3l turbo diesel 4cyl, 140kW/450Nm 2.3l turbo diesel 4cyl
Transmission: 6sp manual, 7sp automatic
Nissan rolled the Navara NP300 out gradually, launching a version with a coil-sprung rear axle onto the market first - something of a break in tradition compared to the usual leaf-spring tradie’s companion.
With increasing numbers of dual cab utes being used as family transport, not just workhorses, it’s a move that makes sense. Cabin fittings and driving behaviour all feel more like an SUV and less like a light-duty truck.
The new Navara is vastly improved over the old, has the interior feel of an SUV, a smooth new diesel drivetrain and a more settled ride on-road (even when unladen), thanks to the coil sprung rear.
Isuzu D-Max twins are off the pace when it comes to interior presentation, and still feel a bit 'truck-ish' behind the wheel, not as calm and comfy as the newer breed of utes. Of those two, we rate the Isuzu as a good buy - it has one of the best hard-working drivetrains in the business - just not a 'Best Buy'.