Drive Car of the Year 2024 – Best Dual-Cab Ute under $50K FINALISTS

Over the next few weeks, we'll be explaining all the categories and contenders for Drive Car of the Year 2024. Testing is currently underway, with the final winners to be announced early next year.

*Updated 1 pm, December 15, 2023

FINALISTS CONFIRMED

The first round of voting has concluded and the judges have selected the vehicles that will contest for the title of Best Dual-Cab Ute Under $50K. As this is a newly-created category for 2024, all dual-cab utes on sale prior to 31 December and priced less than $50,000 before on-road costs have been considered. 

The dual-cab variants of Australia's top two best-selling vehicles – the Toyota HiLux and the Ford Ranger – were both ineligible for being over the pricing threshold when equipped with an auto transmission, while the all-new, recently-unveiled Mitsubishi Triton isn't on sale in time.

Our first finalist is the GWM Ute – and you can have your pick of the bunch, with only the range-topping XSR tipping over the $50,000 mark with its drive-away price of $52,990. Australians may have been sceptical when the latest generation of Chinese utes began to hit the market, but buyers have been won over by the sheer tonnage of features packed into the handsome body of the GWM Ute. 

The GWM Ute Vanta 4x4 is our pick, with the black styling package helping to make it look far more expensive than its price tag. For $46,490 drive-away, buyers get plenty of everything, including a five-star safety rating, a 9.0-inch infotainment screen and 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine feeding 120kW and 400Nm through an eight-speed automatic. 

Read more about the 2024 GWM Ute by clicking here.

The Nissan Navara is a ute that needs no introduction, and for decades was considered a direct rival to the Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton. While the HiLux has ratcheted up in price, the Navara has remained a little more attainable. 

However, within this category, your best option is the Nissan Navara SL 4x4 – which means a capable but fairly basic ute. You do get a rear differential lock, an 8.0-inch infotainment screen and a 7.0-inch digital display, vinyl floors, cloth seats, and steel wheels. 

The 2.3-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine produces 140kW and 450Nm, and is mated to a dual-range transfer case and seven-speed automatic. 

Learn more about the 2024 Nissan Navara by clicking here.

The last value dual-cab to make the final list is the Korean-made SsangYong Musso – arguably the most misunderstood ute in the entire segment. Sitting at the top of the line-up is the Musso Ultimate XLV Luxury Pack 4x4, allowing you to get absolutely everything on the menu for $49,500 drive-away. 

That means dual 12.3-inch displays for infotainment and the digital instrument cluster, a suite of safety tech, heated leather steering wheel, heated and cooled leather seats, and even heated rear leather seats. 

Power comes from a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with 133kW and 420Nm, matched with a six-speed auto, part-time four-wheel drive, and an automatic rear differential lock. 

All news and reviews on the 2024 SsangYong Musso can be found by clicking here.

The below was first published on November 20, 2023

That Australian new car buyers love a dual-cab ute comes as no surprise but buying into the new ute market with the big brands takes a lot of money. The most popular models from well-known brands almost all cost more than $50,000, especially in mid- to high-spec trim.

So that knocks out the go-to models in this category and Australia’s most popular vehicles: the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux. Both of these models start at just over $50,000 for a basic automatic 4x4 pick-up trim level.

There are several utes much cheaper than $50K, so we thought it well worth splitting them into their own category this year. While they might not appeal to everyone, if you are on a budget and want a new automatic dual-cab ute, these models prove you don’t have to miss out.

So the Drive Car of the Year Best Dual-Cab Under $50K category is targeting those dual-cab automatic 4x4 utes that are on the shopping list of value-conscious buyers, and while there aren’t many, there is certainly a rich variety on offer. 

Because this is a new category for 2024, (last year the category had no price cap), it opens the contest to all models that meet the definition of a dual cab 4x4 with an automatic transmission, and a retail price of less than $50,000 before on-road costs.

The GWM Ute is the model here that offers a lot of sizzle for the money, with plush interiors, loads of tech and safety for not very much money.

There’s also the LDV T60, another ute with a big payload of features that promises a punchy 2.0-litre turbo diesel, decent interior in range-topping Luxe spec and handles off-road challenges nicely.

The venerable Mahindra Pik-Up might not win styling awards or be appreciated by the rich and famous but farmers love them, particularly in Far North Queensland - and that counts for a lot. The Mahindra has become a firm favourite for its no-nonsense durability and off-road skills – all for bottom-of-the-barrel prices. 

The Nissan Navara – only considered here in the one model that sits under $50K, the bare-bones SL trim – offers better noise suppression and refinement in its recent upgrade and carries the better resale potential and established dealer network associated with the Nissan badge.

The SsangYong Musso, available in a city-friendly short tub or load-friendly extended tray, has a smooth and responsive diesel engine and quite a decent ride quality with its coil-spring rear suspension.

Drive’s rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:

This means that the new Mitsubishi Triton is not included, as its expected January 2024 arrival date won’t meet our cut-off, and the (as yet unannounced) pricing may be north of $50K anyway.

The winner of the 2024 Drive Car of the Year Best Dual-Cab Ute under $50K will be announced in February 2024.

Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver on the buyer’s expectations of cheap and reliable dual-cab 4x4 motoriung. One thing is certain: this category promises to be one of the toughest confronting our 11 experienced judges.

Read more: 

Drive Car of the Year 2024 is a go!
Drive Car of the Year Overview
Drive Car of the Year 2023 winners