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Vehicle Tests > 4WD Comparison - Forced Labour
4WD Comparison - Forced Labour
Issue: September 2008
Words by Fraser Stronach Photos by Phil Cooper
Cast a $40,000 net out into the world of diesel dual-cab utes and you come up with an interesting catch, but which is tastiest?
Diesel dual-cab utes are about as 'do-it-all' as you get in the diverse world of 4WDs. Family transport, or work, or 4WD recreation, there's nothing that a dual-cab can't do. And, as far as diesel dual cabs are concerned we have long acknowledged that Toyota's D-4D Hilux is the best there is. Trouble is, it's also the most expensive.
So what are the pickings like further down the food chain? Under a $40,000 (recommended retail price) for instance? That cuts out the Hilux, Nissan's D40 Navara and what was the Holden Rodeo but is now called the Holden Colorado.
But the $40,000 rrp ceiling sees Nissan's D22 Navara (in generous ST-R spec), the Ford Ranger/Mazda BT-50 twins and the Mitsubishi Triton (all in base spec) squeeze in, while the Indian Mahindra Pik-Up and the newly released Ssangyong Sports Tradie waltz in with sub $30,000 price tags.
This diverse collection of utes was always going to make for an interesting comparison test and so it panned out. In fact, far more interesting, and telling, than most of us thought. So here, in alphabetical order, they are...
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Ford Ranger XL 3.0TDCi ($37,990)
The Ford Ranger, as the Courier was before it, is essentially a Mazda, and sold here as both the Mazda BT-50 and the Ford Ranger. In simple terms the Ranger is an old(ish) ute but with a beaut new turbo diesel engine.
The 115kW/380Nm 2953cc engine is in fact the highlight of the Ranger package, so good in fact that it's arguably even better then the D-4D that powers Toyota's Hilux. In this company only the Triton's can match it for power and performance, but in doing so the bigger Mitsubishi engine is harsh and noisy where the Ford is generally quiet and refined.
Our experience with the Ranger was marred somewhat by our test-vehicle being an auto and not the requested manual as per the other four utes here. The five-speed auto isn't bad but it isn't the slickest or sharpest auto either, as betrayed by relative ADR fuel figures, 9.2 litres/100km for the manual as against 10.5 litres/100km for the auto. Not surprisingly our test figure of 11.9 litres/100km was the worst of our five utes but we suspect a manual Ranger would have turned out as one of the more frugal of the five contenders.
As good as the engine is, the Ranger's on-road driving pleasure is diluted by a chassis that isn't as sharp in the steering or as cohesive in its front to rear suspension match as it could be. It certainly feels like an old generation vehicle in comparison to the Mitsubishi or even the Ssangyong. And no ABS, not even as an option on this XL model.
next page »
Words by Fraser Stronach Photos by Phil Cooper
Cast a $40,000 net out into the world of diesel dual-cab utes and you come up with an interesting catch, but which is tastiest?
Diesel dual-cab utes are about as 'do-it-all' as you get in the diverse world of 4WDs. Family transport, or work, or 4WD recreation, there's nothing that a dual-cab can't do. And, as far as diesel dual cabs are concerned we have long acknowledged that Toyota's D-4D Hilux is the best there is. Trouble is, it's also the most expensive.
So what are the pickings like further down the food chain? Under a $40,000 (recommended retail price) for instance? That cuts out the Hilux, Nissan's D40 Navara and what was the Holden Rodeo but is now called the Holden Colorado.
But the $40,000 rrp ceiling sees Nissan's D22 Navara (in generous ST-R spec), the Ford Ranger/Mazda BT-50 twins and the Mitsubishi Triton (all in base spec) squeeze in, while the Indian Mahindra Pik-Up and the newly released Ssangyong Sports Tradie waltz in with sub $30,000 price tags.
This diverse collection of utes was always going to make for an interesting comparison test and so it panned out. In fact, far more interesting, and telling, than most of us thought. So here, in alphabetical order, they are...
read on below advertisement
Ford Ranger XL 3.0TDCi ($37,990)
The Ford Ranger, as the Courier was before it, is essentially a Mazda, and sold here as both the Mazda BT-50 and the Ford Ranger. In simple terms the Ranger is an old(ish) ute but with a beaut new turbo diesel engine.
The 115kW/380Nm 2953cc engine is in fact the highlight of the Ranger package, so good in fact that it's arguably even better then the D-4D that powers Toyota's Hilux. In this company only the Triton's can match it for power and performance, but in doing so the bigger Mitsubishi engine is harsh and noisy where the Ford is generally quiet and refined.
Our experience with the Ranger was marred somewhat by our test-vehicle being an auto and not the requested manual as per the other four utes here. The five-speed auto isn't bad but it isn't the slickest or sharpest auto either, as betrayed by relative ADR fuel figures, 9.2 litres/100km for the manual as against 10.5 litres/100km for the auto. Not surprisingly our test figure of 11.9 litres/100km was the worst of our five utes but we suspect a manual Ranger would have turned out as one of the more frugal of the five contenders.
As good as the engine is, the Ranger's on-road driving pleasure is diluted by a chassis that isn't as sharp in the steering or as cohesive in its front to rear suspension match as it could be. It certainly feels like an old generation vehicle in comparison to the Mitsubishi or even the Ssangyong. And no ABS, not even as an option on this XL model.
next page »
