Which utes deliver the most torque?

Torque is the key to strong low-end and mid-range powertrain performance. It’s what makes EVs so blindingly fast and diesels so tractable once rolling.

But it’s also one of the secrets to a happy towing and/or off-roading experience, which is why Aussies are so obsessed with diesel-powered and large-capacity 4x4 utes and SUVs.

Utes and pick-up trucks are Australia’s second-favourite type of new of vehicle behind the ever-growing dominance of SUVs and they’re getting increasingly more capable, refined and abundant.

With this is mind, we thought we’d take a deep dive into which pick-ups currently offer the highest torque outputs, as well as how they develop those numbers – including engine capacity, cylinder count and whether they’re force-fed, diesel, petrol or electrified.

Heavy-duty options like the RAM 2500 and 3500 and the equivalent Chevrolet Silverado HDs have been excluded on the grounds of their niche sales volumes.

And while the upcoming Ford Ranger PHEV and BYD Shark utes are likely to top this list with their plug-in hybrid powertrains, their torque outputs are yet to be confirmed.

So for now, here are the five torquiest utes available Down Under.

Sitting atop the list is the 2024 Ford F-150, which is officially sold in Australia exclusively with a twin-turbo 3.5-litre petrol V6 outputting 298kW/678Nm, harnessed by a 10-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4x4 system.

Maximum torque is delivered at a 3100rpm, which is roughly where most other (diesel) pick-ups run out of twisting force and as they head toward their peak power output.

In this instance, all 298kW are on-song as of 6000rpm.

This might surprise a few people, but the second-torquiest mainstream pick-up on the Australian market is Chinese – and hybrid.

The 2024 GWM Cannon Alpha pairs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined system output of 255kW/648Nm, again distributed to all four wheels all the time, this time via a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Unlike most other hybrids, the Cannon Alpha doesn’t lose out on towing capacity compared to its diesel sister models, maintaining their segment-appropriate 3500kg.

By far and away the most traditional member of the list, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 uses a 6.2-litre petrol V8 to generate 624Nm of torque at a peaky 4100rpm.

The big Chevy relies on good old-fashioned displacement to provide its pulling power, hence the narrower torque band compared to its gutsier forced-induction Ford rival, however, it strikes back with a 313kW peak power output.

Like the F-150, a 10-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4x4 system handle drive distribution.

The 2024 Ford Ranger V6 and its 2024 Volkswagen Amarok V6 sister model have attracted quite a bit of fanfare since their respective introductions last year – and for good reason.

Both are fitted with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel that offers all of its 600Nm from just 1750rpm and backs it up with 184kW of power – far more than any of the four-cylinders offered elsewhere in the range and by Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan or Mitsubishi.

The extra grunt doesn’t enhance the segment-standard 3500kg braked towing capacity, but it does mean the ‘Lion’ V6-powered pick-ups will lug things with more ease than their four-pot siblings.

Utes are renowned for their utilitarianism and designed specifically as workhorses, but that doesn’t mean outright load-lugging ability is the only goal.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor is one such vehicle, as its more focused on outright off-road performance than pulling or carrying a load, with a payload of only 708kg and a towing capacity of just 2500kg.

The twin-turbo 3.0-litre petrol V6 is good for a tractable 585Nm from 3500rpm and eventually spits out 292kW of power, yielding a sports car-like six-second 0-100km/h time.

And the rest…

Just outside of the top five, the outgoing RAM 1500 churns out 556Nm courtesy of a 5.7-litre petrol V8 and a raft of four-cylinder turbo-diesels including the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, VW Amarok and LDV T60 Max offer 500Nm.

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