Best Dual-Cab 4x4 Ute 2022: On-road performance

The seven utes vying for top position in carsales’ Best Dual-Cab 4x4 Ute 2022 are all very similar in their body styles and powertrains.

They are all dual-cab pick-up utes powered by a four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine matched to an automatic transmission.

How they perform, though, couldn’t be more different.

We put these utes to the test over a week of driving in all conditions possible, including plenty of freeway, highway backroad and city kilometres.

Let’s get into the fuel consumption figures first. The official ADR combined consumption figures you can see in the table below, but we also obtained comparative real-world fuel figures for all contenders.

We recorded fuel figures over an 80km loop that incorporated slow, winding dirt, open dirt and highway driving. The utes were all quite close in this real-world use, with the Nissan Navara on 10.4L/100km and the Toyota HiLux achieving 10.7L/100km.

The rest were in the 11L/100km range: the Isuzu D-MAX and Mazda BT-50 both on 11.0L/100km, the Ford Ranger 2.0L BiT at 11.2L/100km, the GWM Ute on 11.6L/100km and the Mitsubishi Triton on 11.7L/100km.

Unladen acceleration figures we measured also showed interesting results: the Ford was the quickest from 0-100km/h at 9.75 seconds, while the GWM was slowest at 12.96 seconds.

Across all aspects of on-road driving performance – from engine and transmission through to dynamics, ride quality and refinement – there was a standout: the new Ford Ranger.

Despite all the hype, on first acquaintance the new Ranger seems to be just another big and bluff ute. Its 154kW/500Nm 2.0-litre biturbo engine fires to a familiar diesel rumble, and setting off you might think Rangers new and old are much the same.

Yet once you get even just a few kilometres on board it becomes very evident just how much Ford has moved the goalposts with the new Ranger. They are not just further down the field but in another postcode.

The Ranger just doesn’t feel as though it’s underpinned by a commercial load-carrying leaf-spring, live-axle suspension at the rear. It has the unladen ride quality of a rear coil-spring live-axle SUV.

The body seems rigid, with no body flexing and seats shimmying at every bump like some others here. The initial bump compliance is so good it is hard to tell it’s a ute, and from there it still holds its own, nicely absorbing and then settling quickly over larger bumps and potholes.

Steering feel is firm and consistent, and turning into a corner quickly the Ranger responds with a poise and balance you don’t expect from a ute, especially one that has the longest wheelbase here.

The Ranger’s four-cylinder powertrain might be more of the same – it’s effectively a carryover from the previous generation – but it seems slightly smoother and no less responsive. Lag off the mark is not an issue, and the 10-speed transmission seems to pick the right gear for every occasion.

Following the Ranger is our pigeon pair, the Isuzu D-MAX LS-U+ and the Mazda BT-50 SP.

These two utes, identical by any discernible measure when driving them, don’t make a great first impression if you jump in and head off to join the freeway at full noise. Because plenty of engine noise is what these 140kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesels both suffer from when revved.

Yet they also have excellent off-the-mark performance; if you’re in a hurry, they are the fastest here on step-off acceleration. But for the times when you’re not set for launch onto a 110km/h freeway or kicking down a gear or two for overtaking, the Isuzu and Mazda utes really grow on you with their well-controlled ride (albeit with some abruptness in initial compliance), light yet consistent steering and ample reserves of power.

The next ute on the points table comes as a surprise. The Nissan Navara PRO-4X is just behind the Isuzu and Mazda on points here, an achievement that would have seemed unlikely before Nissan’s improvement to the Navara’s suspension as a part of its latest update.

And what an improvement it is. Here’s a ute that previously couldn’t make up its mind what to do when hitting a bump, but now confidently rides over them without fuss. While still quite firm, it is a well-controlled affair aided by a 140kW/450Nm 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel engine willing to respond from low revs and which is fairly quiet when it’s working hard too.

Only the Navara’s steering detracts from the driving experience, as it feels light and sometimes inconsistent. Still, this is a relatively well-rounded package and a much-needed improvement from Nissan.

Closely following the Nissan is the Toyota HiLux SR5. The Toyota is relatively quiet and refined at lower speeds and the 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre engine is a decent performer too, although has some vibrations alongside the expected diesel clatter when revved.

Steering is quite heavily weighted at lower speeds and lacks feel overall in this group, but is still quite direct. The HiLux seems to eat up fast, rough roads with poise, although it’s not the best of the bunch.

Next up is the Mitsubishi Triton GSR. The 133kW/450Nm 2.4-litre diesel engine works well at lower speeds, but up the ante and it sounds busy and needs to be revved to keep things on the boil.

The Triton’s suspension is a curious mix; it feels too firm at lower speeds and can end up wallowing at the front-end over larger bumps at speed. It’s as though the front and rear suspension were engineered by two separate teams.

Steering is light and lacks feel but is direct enough.

Basically, the Triton can motor along at similar speeds to the other utes here on poor back roads, but the driver will be working harder to do it.

Last up for on-road performance is the GWM Ute Cannon-X. On an around-the-block drive or an easy freeway run the GWM Ute is quiet and smooth, but work it a little harder and its on-road capabilities begin to drop off.

This is a ute that has a firm initial compliance, but then settles well over medium bumps. Throw larger bumps or potholes at it, however, and it thumps through them and becomes unsettled. It’s simply not a cohesive suspension set-up.

The 120kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine doesn’t quite have the get-up-and-go of the other utes here, and has an all-or-nothing approach with its delivery. There is a lot of lag at low rpm, followed by a slab of torque served up immediately after. So it’s by no means linear.

You really notice it when, for example, putting your foot down and rolling into what was a large gap in traffic that quickly closes – because the GWM is so slow to respond.

In press-on conditions the very smooth eight-speed auto has its work cut out regularly swapping cogs to get the most out of the engine.

The GWM’s lane keeping assist system is more intrusive than the others here, too.

Best Dual-Cab 4x4 Ute 2022 – On-road performance