2019 Best Dual-Cab 4WD Ute: Payload

The carsales 2019 Best Dual-Cab 4WD Ute comparison is the most hotly contested ute-off yet, with 10 contenders vying for the title of top dog.

While comfort, style and technology are increasingly important to buyers of upmarket double-cab utilities -- the most popular ute type in Australia -- these tough pick-up trucks (as some makers insist on calling them) still need to perform when it comes to loads and lugging.

With tape measure in hand, we took to each of the dual-cab utes to compile their vital statistics, logging a range of measurements that would divide a load-lugging wedge between them.

It’s worth noting that these higher-spec dual-cab utilities were equipped quite differently: Some with tub liners, others without and, in the case of the Toyota HiLux Rogue, luxuriously kitted out with a carpet liner. Ooh la la!

Where our numbers vary from figures published by the respective manufacturers, it’s likely the variation is down to how the vehicles were presented for the week of testing.

Each vehicle on test was weighed with a full tank of fuel to give us a baseline on which to calculate the real-world available payloads.

Some vehicles were close to the official claimed kerb weight, while others were significantly heavier. The SsangYong Musso was the only one of the 10 vehicles to tip the scales at less than the manufacturer’s claimed figure (see below).

It’s likely that a long list of accessories -- including roll bars, alloy wheels, tow kits and tonneau covers -- contributed to the ‘wobbly’ kerb weights. But this was an exercise that reinforced the need for ute drivers to know the vital statistics of their own vehicle.

Once the numbers were in, our dual-cab 4WD utes were driven around the same test loop used for our towing test. Each ute was tested both unladen and with 650kg strapped into the tray.

Vehicle stability and driveline, braking and steering performance were assessed. We also looked at suspension compression between laden and unladen set-ups, and the impact it had on dynamics, ride quality and aesthetics.

The vehicles were scored across a range of categories, with those results weighting the overall verdict.

Each of our 10 dual-cab 4WD utes lays claim to decent load lugging capabilities, and each was able to swallow our 650kg weight blocks. There was one hiccup: loading the Ford Ranger Wildtrak was limited by its retracting hard tonneau cover. In the end we had to place the load across the rear axle rather than perpendicular to it.

As higher-spec vehicles, many were equipped with tub liners that all slightly reduced the claimed dimensions. However, even with its tub liner fitted, the Volkswagen Amarok still offered the largest tub because it has the longest tray and the widest space between the wheel-arches. It is the only ute on test here with enough room for a standard 1165x1165mm Australian pallet.

The slab-sided SsangYong Musso had the lowest tailgate loading height (740mm unladen) and the deepest tray (575mm), while the Mitsubishi Triton surprised with a tall tailgate height of 920mm. This made the Mitsubishi’s tray bed much higher than the 805-880mm figures recorded for other dual-cab 4WD utes.

Ease of use is an important factor for anyone frequently using the tailgate. Both the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok come with helper springs to make opening and closing the tailgate a single-handed job. Everything else needing two hands and a bit of muscle to manage the swinging weight.

The utes with the highest claimed payloads were the Mazda BT-50 (1039kg), Isuzu D-MAX (1024kg) and Mercedes-Benz X-Class (1010kg). However, after weighing the vehicles and calculating the real-world payload (each of these vehicles was heavier than the manufacturer’s claim), the best payloads were ranked as the Mazda BT-50 (946kg), Holden Colorado (927kg) and Ford Ranger (905kg).

Surprisingly, no vehicle on test had an available payload greater than 1000kg.

The vehicles with the least payload on test were the SsangYong Musso (even though its tested 802kg payload was 12kg heavier than the claimed figure) and the Toyota Hilux Rogue, which at 769kg as tested had 57kg less load capacity than claimed.

The number of accessories fitted to the range-topping Toyota would have been a factor; a more sparsely equipped Toyota Hilux manual dual-cab 4WD could carry 130kg more.

As noted, our tests identified some large discrepancies between the manufacturers’ claimed kerb weights and what was measured on the weighbridge.

The Mercedes-Benz X-Class had the largest difference, weighing in 157kg more with a full tank of fuel than its stated kerb weight – reducing the payload from a claimed 1010kg to an actual 853kg.

The X-Class also showed one of the highest rates of suspension compression under the 650kg load, with almost 110mm of movement in the rear and a slight 10mm lift in the front. The result was a ute that looked very heavily laden as its rear sagged and nose pitched skyward.

The Nissan Navara ST Black Edition as tested was heavier than the claimed figure by 100kg, but carried its weight much better, compressing the rear suspension by just 88mm to place it up among the utes with the least amount of droop under load on test.

The most dramatic shift, however, belonged to the SsangYong Musso. It weighed 12kg less than its claimed weight, boosting the available payload on test to 802kg and placing it ahead of the Nissan Navara (790kg), Volkswagen Amarok (767kg) and Toyota Hilux (769kg) for real-world payload.

While it pipped some rivals for its on-paper bench-pressing ability, the Musso has obviously skipped leg day. The rear suspension fell 152mm once the 650kg load was strapped securely in, pitching the ute’s nose sharply upward as most of the load settled over the rear axle, compressing the rear leaf springs so much that they were sitting on the chassis-mounted bump stops.

The result when pulling away from a standing start was an off-putting dragging noise at the rear (we suspect it was generated by the tyres making contact with the plastic wheel wells) although the lack of suspension travel had the unexpected benefit of allowing the Korean ute to corner flat, just like a race car.

At the end of two days of comprehensive testing, two utes stood out from the pack – the Ford Ranger and the Mazda BT-50.

What’s surprising is that while the 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder Ford Ranger Bi-Turbo is one of the freshest trade ute packages on the market today, the Ranger-based Mazda BT-50 (aside from a mainly cosmetic makeover introduced midway through 2018) is among the oldest.

The Ford Ranger impressed with its all-round ability. It offered the third greatest real-world payload of 905kg, behind the Mazda BT-50 (946kg) and the Holden Colorado Z71 (927kg). Suspension travel under the 650kg load was the least of all the utes on test, but that’s not to say that the Ranger is compromised once the load is removed; on test, it was one of the more forgiving utes that we drove unladen.

An honourable mention has to go to the Mazda BT-50. Among our test cars it stands out as the thirstiest, but by all other measures it still holds its own when it comes to all-around utility – and isn’t this the ute’s raison d’etre?

The Mazda BT-50 delivered a balanced ride when loaded and while its steering was on the heavy side, its five-cylinder engine delivered useable power right across its rev range.

Most of the other utes did a solid job laden although we did note some pitching from the passenger seat while driving the loaded-up Holden Colorado. And while it’s not critical to our payload assessment, the payload judges want to give special mention to the Holden Colorado for its hustle on gravel roads – we thought it really shone.

Back on the road, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton each managed their loads well, but their engines weren’t perfect. The X-Class exhibited a significant amount of turbo lag on step-off; the HiLux was unexpectedly quiet at idle but produced a noisy drone under load; while the Triton had a trombone-like resonance at around 2000rpm that appeared to come from the engine end of the exhaust system.

One of the least refined and most difficult utes to drive, with and without a payload, was the Isuzu D-MAX. It felt agricultural and truck-like, and needed more steering effort around town. As the segment moves to a more car-like driving experience, the D-MAX is becoming outclassed by more refined (and yes, more expensive) offerings.

One of the conundrums for us was the SsangYong Musso. We really liked the spark from its engine and found it offered enthusiastic performance, but the Korean twin-cab was let down by its chassis and significant shortfalls in load-lugging capability. We felt it drove like a mash-up of two different vehicles, with the back-end bouncing around behind a confident, sprightly front-end.

In the end, the process kept flagging the Ford Ranger. Much of it comes down to the small things, such as the placement of the tie-down points that give many options for load luggers, the ride and the pulling power of the 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine paired with an impressive, fast-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission.

Climbing a steep hill and under load, the small four lacked the overt grunt of the V6-powered Volkswagen Amarok and Mercedes-Benz X-Class, but it maintained a refined feel that should appeal to drivers who aren’t carting loads around every hour of the day.

So what did we learn from the 2019 Dual-Cab 4WD Ute Comparison? If outright load-lugging ability is a key, the workhorse requirements you need will have you shopping around the less feature-rich end of the trade ute market.

If you’re edging more towards driver comfort, though, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak stands out as the best all-rounder. It is the heavy-lifter in this payload category.

Best Dual-Cab 4WD Ute: The Verdict

TIP: Doing your own payload sums and want to understand the maximum allowable payload for your ute?
1. Get all its standard equipment fitted (including hard tonneau where applicable), fill it with fuel and take it to a weighbridge.
2. Subtract the measured weight from your vehicle’s stated gross vehicle mass (GVM). GVM can found in the owner’s manual.
3. The figure you’re left over with is your available payload.

2019 Ford Ranger Wildtrak Bi-Turbo payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2239kg (claimed) / 2295kg (as tested)
GVM/GCM : 3200kg/6000kg
Payload: 961kg (claimed) / 905kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Six plus 12V socket
Tray dimensions: 1460mm (L) x 1530mm (W) x 550mm (H); 1130mm (b/w arches)

2019 Holden Colorado Z71 payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2143kg (claimed) / 2223kg (as tested)
GVM/GCM: 3150kg/6000kg
Payload: 1007kg (claimed) / 927kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Four
Tray dimensions: 1550mm (L) x 1540mm (W) x 550mm (H); 1100mm (b/w arches)

2019 Isuzu D-MAX LS-T payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2026kg (claimed) / 2157kg (as tested)
GVM/GCW: 3050kg / 5950kg
Payload: 1024kg (claimed) / 893kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Four
Tray dimensions: 1515mm (L) x 1520mm (W) x 470mm (H); 1110mm (b/w arches)

2019 Mazda BT-50 GT payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2239kg (claimed) / 2254kg (as tested)
Payload: 1039kg (claimed) / 946kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Six
GVM/GCM: 3200kg/6000kg
Tray dimensions: 1400mm (L) x 1440mm (W) x 520mm (H); 1130mm (b/w arches)

2019 Mercedes-Benz X 350d POWER 4MATIC payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Vehicle weight: 2190kg (claimed) / 2347kg (as tested)
GVM/GCM : 3200kg/6180kg
Payload: 1010kg (claimed) / 853kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Four (high level track system) plus 12V socket
Tray dimensions: 1520mm (L) x 1500mm (W) x 430mm (H); 1170mm (b/w arches)

2019 Mitsubishi Triton GLS Premium payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2042kg (claimed) / 2079kg (as tested)
Payload: 858kg (claimed) / 821kg (actual)
Tie-down points: Six
GVM/GCM : 2900kg/5885kg
Tray dimensions: 1430mm (L) x 1470mm (W) x 485mm (H); 1070mm (b/w arches)

2019 Nissan Navara ST Black Edition payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2022kg (claimed) / 2120kg (as tested)
GVM/GCM: 2910kg/5910kg
Payload: 931kg (claimed) / 790kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Four (Intellitrak system) plus 12V socket
Tray dimensions: 1470mm (L) x 1520mm (W) x 470mm (H); 1070mm (b/w arches)

2019 SsangYong Musso Ultimate payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2192kg (claimed) / 2180kg (as tested)
GVM/GCM: 2982kg/5980kg
Payload: 790kg (claimed) / 802kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Four plus 12V socket (with dual dust seal)
Tray dimensions: 1280mm (L) x 1570mm (W) x 575mm (H); 1070mm (b/w arches)

2019 Toyota HiLux Rogue payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2174kg (claimed) / 2231kg (as tested)
GVM/GCM: 3000kg/5650kg
Payload: 826kg (claimed) / 769kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Four
Tray dimensions: 1500mm (L) x 1620mm (W) x 495mm (H); 1120mm (b/w arches)

2019 Volkswagen Amarok TDI580 Ultimate 4MOTION payload and tray dimensions (as measured):
Kerb weight: 2244kg (claimed) / 2313kg (as tested)
GVM/GCM: 3080kg/6000kg
Payload: 836kg (claimed) / 767kg (as tested)
Tie-down points: Four plus 12V socket
Tray dimensions: 1560mm (L) x 1570mm (W) x 530mm (H); 1220mm (b/w arches)

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