2019 Best Dual-Cab 4WD Ute: Cost of Ownership

The best dual-cab 4WD ute warranty on offer at present is a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for the SsangYong Musso.

Mitsubishi is currently offering a seven-year deal on the 2019 Triton, but that limits distance travelled to 150,000km and is only available on vehicles purchased before June 30, 2019.

A five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty is currently offered with the Ford Ranger, Holden Colorado, Mazda BT-50 and Volkswagen Amarok.

Most of the other models on this test offer a three-year warranty.

As you can see in the table below, if you choose to service your ute at a dealership, then it is Mitsubishi that offers the most tempting capped-price servicing deal, at $299 per service (at intervals of 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first), which amounts to $897 over three years.

Toyota's capped-price service plan also extends only to three years, over which time the HiLux will cost $1440 to service, because although every service costs just $240, Toyota wants to see you more often than any other brand here -- every six months or 10,000km (whichever comes first).

Some utes allow up to 20,000km (but still only 12 months) between services, including the Nissan Navara and Mercedes-Benz X-Class.

Over five years, the cheapest ute to service is the SsangYong Musso ($1875), followed by Isuzu D-MAX ($2090), Holden Colorado ($2135), Mazda BT-50 ($2307), Ford Ranger ($2360) and Nissan Navara ($2971).

Only Ford (lifetime), SsangYong (seven years/120,000km), Holden (seven years/84,000km) and Nissan (six years/120,000km) offer capped-price service plans for longer than five years. Servicing costs more after the expiry of CPS.

Over the first three years of ownership, it’s the Mercedes-Benz X 350d that will cost the most to service if you choose to have it serviced at a dealership.

Expect to shell out $2555 over the first three years (more than all but the Nissan Navara and Volkswagen Amarok over five years!), which includes a large $1095 service at the 40,000km/24-month mark.

With all manufacturers, it is also always worth double checking the capped-price servicing costs include all items such as brake fluid and pads or additional filters (like cabin air filters, for example) as they can be itemised separately at an additional cost to the ‘basic’ capped-price service.

You can choose to service your ute at a dealer or at an independent repairer.

Your warranty will not be impacted provided the independent repairer follows the manufacturer’s schedule and uses quality parts and fluids that meet the manufacturer’s specifications.

If you wish, you can ask your independent repairer to source genuine parts for the service.

In the early years of dual-cab 4WD ute ownership, your services will always include at least an oil and filter change and an inspection.

Each manufacturer has their own servicing requirements so it's important to check out their respective information online or in the owner’s handbook and service book. At the second service the air filter and/or cabin filter and brake fluid may also be changed.

Some manufacturers do a great job of making service information crystal clear for owners. Ford, Mitsubishi and Holden, for instance, offer significant detail in their owner’s pack which lays out specific requirements per service interval.

As you approach your next service, check the service handbook for the work required and discuss it with your mechanic or service advisor.

If you’re headed away on an extended road trip, you may even want to take additional filters and fluids with you. Ford makes this really easy with the Ranger, by listing out serviceable items including the Ford part number so you can quickly find extra bits that you may choose to take with you.

On perusal of your owner’s handbook, you may come across some caveats for additional vehicle servicing requirements for driving in adverse conditions.

Adverse conditions may include driving for extended periods in dust and/or heat, frequent driving in stop/start traffic, extended periods in four-wheel drive or significant towing distances.

If you have been driving in such conditions, your mechanic or dealer may move you to an adverse servicing schedule. This might include more frequent changes of service items like oil filters, air filters, fuel filters and cabin filters, and/or earlier changes of fluids including transfer case and differential oils.

To maintain your warranty, it’s essential to pay attention to requirements around adverse conditions so if you’re in any doubt, speak to a service manager at your dealership.

As a dual-cab 4WD ute gets on in years and kilometres, you’ll need to budget for additional work. All diesel engines can build up carbon deposits so you may find that your mechanic recommends an intake clean to remove the deposit to improve the vehicle’s performance.

Additional work might also include transmission services including gearbox oil changes. May vehicles will also require major servicing including timing belt replacement and valve clearance checks. To avoid engine damage, timing belts should always be replaced at the correct intervals (kilometres travelled or time elapsed, whichever occurs first).

If you’re buying a pre-owned dual-cab ute, check what will be due at the next few services so you know what you’ll be up for and, as always, make sure servicing has been completed to schedule in the vehicle's service book.

Skipped servicing and extended running with oil past its use-by date will shorten the life of any engine and especially turbo-diesel engines, so it is important to change the oil and filter at least as frequently as recommended by the manufacturer.

If you miss services for an extended period, or don’t check the oil and let it run low, you could be up for expensive repairs that may go as far as including a replacement engine.

And remember that services also include vehicle inspection, so any minor issues that go undiagnosed due to lack of servicing can turn into bigger issues if you don’t get the vehicle looked at regularly.

Generally speaking, the tyres that are fitted to your vehicle at the factory are the best option for optimum performance in a variety of driving conditions.

If you are considering specialist off-road tyres, a tyre retailer will give you the best advice on tyres for particular conditions. But be aware that other aspects of your ute’s performance -- including fuel economy, ride, handling and noise -- may change.

If you regularly drive your vehicle off-road or on unsealed roads, it pays to get the wheel alignment checked often to ensure your tyres are not wearing unevenly or prematurely.

Tyre replacement costs are worth taking into account when choosing a dual-cab 4WD ute, especially those that are more highly specified with larger wheels. As you'll see blow, the tyres equipped to our 10 dual-cab 4WD ute contenders as standard vary considerably in size and price.

* Fitted cost per tyre at an independent tyre retailer in Victoria