Best Dual-Cab 4x4 Ute 2021: Off-road performance
It’s time to ask: How do Australia’s 11 best utes perform when the going gets tough?Off-road ability is a core skill of any good dual-cab 4x4 ute. Being able to climb or descend steep, slippery tracks or straddle rocky outcrops is as important to any such ute as being able to take the occasional knock underneath, negotiate water crossings or bundle itself across soft, dry sand without bogging. Some utes here have to work hard at it, while others here are born naturals. Let’s find out which is best.
All of the 11 utes in the carsales Best Dual-Cab 4x4 Ute 2021 are fair-dinkum four-wheel drives; there’s none of that ‘pretend’ AWD business here that we sometimes see with SUVs.
However, some of our contenders are clearly better than others in terms of ground clearance, off-road traction hardware, off-road ride and overall performance.
None are set up from the factory for hard-core mud-plugging or remote expedition work; for that you’ll need off-road tyres at least, if not a snorkel and raised suspension, too.
How these vehicles perform booted and suited appropriately with such accessories is out of our remit; here we’re just looking at how they stack up fresh out of the box.
All but the 2021 GWM Ute, Mitsubishi Triton and Volkswagen Amarok have dual-range part-time four-wheel drive system. This simpler, cheaper system requires that you must only use two-wheel drive on dry paved roads or risk damaging the transfer case.
All such systems here have on-the-fly high-range 4WD selection for slippery roads. The GWM Ute, Triton and Amarok are more set-and-forget systems.
The GWM has a torque-on-demand centre diff, so you don’t need to do anything to engage 4WD – it happens automatically, up to 100km/h, at least.
The Mitsubishi has the full-time/part-time Super Select centre diff, which is the best of both worlds. The key point is it is offers everything a part-time system does but also has full-time 4WD for any surface, whether dry or not, with the better traction that affords.
The Volkswagen is the only single-range transmission vehicle here, with an on-demand 4WD system.
All have a selectable rear diff lock, except for the torque-on-demand unit in the LDV T60, while the SsangYong Musso has the least effective rear axle traction with a limited-slip rear diff.
The 2021 Ford Ranger leads the pack off-road with the best mix of mechanical hardware, electronic traction smarts, clearance and angles, and engine performance.
For off-roading, the 2021 Toyota HiLux is also a very solid all-rounder, with good rear axle articulation and quick-acting traction control.
The 2021 Isuzu D-MAX and 2021 Mazda BT-50 share third place with the right blend of off-road measurements, terrain management system and engine response, but their off-road ride quality is terse.
Despite the Amarok not having low-range reduction and being short on clearance and water fording metrics, it is a star performer off-road. The eight-speed auto teamed with excellent traction systems make the VW ute a fuss-free, set-and-forget off-road tool.
The 2021 Mitsubishi Triton has a smart 4WD transfer case together with its intuitive multimode system, a great turning circle, compact body and good underbody protection. Like a few here, when engaging the rear diff lock, traction control is disengaged on both axles.
The 2021 Nissan Navara covers all the basics well, but could do with more ground clearance to improve its off-road performance.
The 2021 Jeep Gladiator could slay all-comers here – but for a few problems. Its long wheelbase and even longer body hampers turning agility on tight tracks and also leaves the Gladiator short on ramp-over, making it prone to beaching over humps.
Aside from this and a limited fuel range when working the petrol V6 hard, the Jeep covers all other off-roading angles superbly.
The GWM Ute’s on-demand 4WD system and good off-road measurements are promising but it lacks a tight enough turning circle and could do with more power for driving on sand or on steep climbs.
While overall a fairly capable 4WD with a clever on-demand locking rear diff, the 2021 LDV T60 needs more power and torque for sand driving. It could also do with more clearance and its water-fording depth is on the low side.
The SsangYong Musso was marked down for its lack of underbody protection, low wading depth and lack of a rear diff lock.
While it’s not by any means bad off-road, it is overrun in this company. On steep, undulating climbs you really notice the lack of a rear diff lock in the SsangYong – and its dearth of clearance if the track is also dotted with rocky outcrops.
Ford Ranger Wildtrak 3.2 off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 237mm
Approach angle: 29 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 25 degrees
Departure angle: 21 degrees
Wading depth: 800mm
GWM Ute Cannon-X off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range torque-on-demand 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 232mm
Approach angle: 27 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 21.1 degrees
Departure angle: 25 degrees
Wading depth: 500mm
Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 240mm
Approach angle: 30.5 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 23.8 degrees
Departure angle: 24.2 degrees
Wading depth: 800mm
Jeep Gladiator Overland off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 249mm
Approach angle: 40.7 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 18 degrees
Departure angle: 25 degrees
Wading depth: 760mm
LDV T60 LUXE off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, on-demand locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 215mm
Approach angle: 27 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 21.3 degrees
Departure angle: 24.2 degrees
Wading depth: 550mm
Mazda BT-50 GT off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 240mm
Approach angle: 30.4 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 23.8 degrees
Departure angle: 24.2 degrees
Wading depth: 800mm
Mitsubishi Triton GSR off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range full/part-time 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 220mm
Approach angle: 31 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 25 degrees
Departure angle: 23 degrees
Wading depth: 500mm
Nissan Navara ST-X off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 224mm
Approach angle: 32.7 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 23.2 degrees
Departure angle: 20.3 degrees
Wading depth: 600mm
SsangYong Musso Ultimate off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, limited-slip rear diff
Ground clearance: 215mm
Approach angle: 23 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 23 degrees
Departure angle: 23 degrees
Wading depth: 350mm
Toyota HiLux SR5 off-road specs:
Driveline: Dual-range part-time 4WD, locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 251mm
Approach angle: 28 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 23 degrees
Departure angle: 24 degrees
Wading depth: TBC
Volkswagen Amarok V6 Highline TDI580 off-road specs:
Driveline: Single-range transfer case with locking rear diff
Ground clearance: 192mm
Approach angle: 28 degrees
Ramp-over angle: 23 degrees
Departure angle: 24 degrees
Wading depth: 500mm
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