2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport, Ford Ranger Wildtrak X, Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana comparison review
Some of the biggest names in the business have muscled up their top-selling dual-cab utes to be beasts on and off the road. Find out which one wins.
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Australia’s best ute and our best-selling utes are different cars. Toyota hopes a muscled-up version of its HiLux can stay on top of the sales charts and win people away from the newer Volkswagen Amarok and Ford Ranger duo.
TOYOTA HILUX GR
The range-topping Toyota GR HiLux follows a tried-and-true recipe. More powerful than the standard car, it also looks tougher, has a few features you won’t find in cheaper models, and claims close ties to motorsport.
Toyota says the GR HiLux’s reinforced suspension and reworked body are inspired by machines that conquered the Dakar desert rally.
It has extra ground clearance, improved approach and departure angles, and a significantly wider stance than regular models.
Rugged body armour joins KYB monotube shock absorbers and better brakes (both painted red) and protective side steps.
It looks great, but could do with extra tie-down points, a sports bar or tonneau cover for its sparsely appointed tray.
Cabin upgrades include a JBL stereo, heated sports seats and an upgraded steering wheel with shift paddles. But it still feels a decade old compared to the more modern VW and Ford – you can forget about a widescreen digital dash or iPad-like centre screen in the Toyota.
You also won’t find Toyota’s Dakar-winning V8 or twin-turbo V6 engines under the bonnet. Instead, the HiLux has a boosted version of the standard car’s 2.8 litre turbo diesel engine, one that makes 165kW and 550Nm.
A revised six-speed auto sends power to the rear wheels unless you put it in four-wheel-drive mode, something best left to slippery surfaces.
The beefed-up HiLux misses a trick here, as the Ford and VW can be driven in automatic all-wheel-drive modes, all of the time. Like many utes, it feels wayward on wet tarmac. The beefed up suspension returns the bounciest ride of the three cars here – it would be better with a few kilos in the tray – and the HiLux’s road noise is noticeably louder than rivals. It feels surprisingly urgent in a straight line, helped by snappy shifts from the retuned auto.
Heavy steering reinforces the butch theme, though it robs drivers of feedback.
An upright back seat with no USB power makes us question its suitability as a family car – kids will be far more comfortable in a sedan or SUV. Priced from $73,990 plus on roads (about $80,000 drive-away) the HiLux is a little cheaper than the Ford and VW to buy, but it’s let down by annoying six-month service intervals.
FORD RANGER WILDTRAK X
Is there a better looking ute than this Ranger?
Tonka-tough in Cyber Orange paint with machined alloys and whitewall tyres, it stands tall on upgraded Bilstein suspension pitched toward adventurous types. It’s loaded with extras including bonus LED driving lights and a powered roller tonneau cover.
The roof rails have fold-out roof racks that work with a sliding sports bar to help you carry long items.
Matrix LED headlights are a better bet than the Toyota’s underwhelming high-beams, and a 12.3-inch digital dash combines with a 12-inch infotainment system in the most advanced cabin you will find in a ute today.
Leather and suede seats with gold stitching help it feel a cut above regular models. Those features are part of Ford’s “Wildtrak X” treatment. Priced from $75,990 plus on-road costs (about $83,000 drive-away), the Wildtrak X is positioned between regular Ranger models and the high-performance Raptor.
It has just about everything you could want in a modern dual-cab ute – except a powerful engine.
This special-edition Ranger makes do with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo motor that makes just 150kW and 500Nm of power and torque. You can’t have it with more powerful V6 petrol and diesel engines found in other Raptor and Ranger models.
It lacks punch compared to the HiLux and Amarok here, feeling a little stressed when asked to tackle hilly terrain.
But the Ranger wins back points with the most composed ride of the trio, inspiring confidence with a surefooted approach that works well on dirt and tar.
VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK PANAMERICANA
VW’s ute has the motor you want. The 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 produces 184kW and 600Nm of smooth and quiet power that rival cars can’t match.
Based on the latest Ranger – and built by Ford in South Africa – the Amarok has the same cabin electronics and safety features.
It’s a cut above most utes, with a leather-like padded dashboard, 10-way electrically adjustable seats and oversized electronic displays. The latter are finished with VW’s own graphics and fonts, which help Golf or Tiguan owners feel at home in the big pickup. We tested the car in PanAmericana trim, a mid-range model pitched at folks who want to take their car off the beaten track. It has 18-inch wheels with more aggressive rubber than most pick-ups, as well as a rear differential lock to join the full-time all-wheel-drive system and 10-speed auto mated to the big V6.
VW tuned the Amarok to feel like its cars.
The lightest steering of this trio joins suspension that feels firmer than the Ranger, but more comfortable than the HiLux.
It’s not as natural off-road as the Ford, which uses its softer shocks and fat tyres to lope over broken ground with ease. But the Amarok is the quietest car of the trio, thanks largely to that unflappable V6 engine.
Priced from the same $75,990 plus on roads (about $83,000 drive-away) as the Ranger, the Amarok looks sparsely equipped compared to the heavily accessorised Ford.
Potential owners need to decide whether they would prefer an extraordinary engine with otherwise ordinary extras, or vice versa.
VERDICT
Bronze goes to the Toyota, which remains a step behind smart and more refined rivals. The winner is harder to pick. While folks who appreciate a great engine will want the Amarok V6, we reckon the Ford’s practical extras and showstopping looks seal a narrow victory.
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