6 April 2021 by Mark Oastler
There are currently 14 rivals competing for customers in the Light Duty or LD (3501-8000kg GVM) segment of Australia’s heavy commercial vehicle market. Business buyers and fleet operators are thick on the ground here and competition for their business is fierce. Chinese brand LDV , a division of...Read more
17 March 2021 by Mark Oastler
Mazda’s release of its all-new BT-50 dual cab ute in September 2020 was followed in November by single cab and extended cab (aka Freestyle Cab) variants. Like their dual cab siblings, these work-focused commercials share mechanical underpinnings with the latest Isuzu D-Max range from which the BT-...Read more
4 March 2021 by Mark Oastler
The Ducato originated in 1981 through a joint venture between Fiat and PSA Peugeot-Citroen, which are both now part of the recently formed Stellantis conglomerate. The Ducato has evolved through four decades and several generations, with more than 2.6 million sold in a variety of body styles (...Read more
22 February 2021 by Marcus Craft
A single-cab chassis is about the purest form of ute you can get. Traditionally, they were purpose-built for work, and work only, with very few concessions, if any, to comfort or safety. Well, times sure have changed and the days of assuming that driving a single-cab chassis ute for any length of...Read more
15 February 2021 by Mark Oastler
Although Mitsubishi has increased prices across the board for its Triton fleet in 2021, the popular Japanese ute continues to represent excellent value for money. It also remains firmly entrenched in a solid third place in the local 4x4 ute sales race, behind the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux. The...Read more
10 February 2021 by Marcus Craft
The Ford Transit Custom DCiV is a commercial van, purpose-built for long work days and for clocking up lots of kilometres with a load onboard. But, as well as its load space, the DCiV (double cab in van) has six seats inside, so it has cargo- and passenger-carrying capability. So, is it worth your...Read more
9 February 2021 by Matt Campbell
Mazda used to do pretty good business in the entry-level ute segment, with single cab-chassis versions of the BT-50 often accounting for a decent lump of the brand’s sales mix. There are still buyers out there who want a work-ready single-cab ute like this XT cab-chassis tray back table-top model,...Read more
1 January 2021 by Mark Oastler
Toyota Australia’s freshly facelifted HiLux range offers not only the usual base-grade Workmate 4x4 dual cab-chassis but also mid-grade SR and high-grade SR5/SR5+ variants for the first time. This is in response to increasing demand for a cab-chassis HiLux that provides the higher equipment levels...Read more
19 November 2020 by Mark Oastler
Isuzu has invested more than four million kilometres and six years of development in creating the all-new third-generation of its D-Max ute. And feedback from the Australian market had significant influence in its design, given that Australia is the D-Max’s largest global export market behind...Read more
26 October 2020 by Matt Campbell
At a glance, you wouldn’t pick this as a base model ute. It doesn’t look like it, not even one bit. But, the vehicle you see here - the 2021 Mazda BT-50 XT - is the entry-level version of the brand’s all-new ute. Sure, it’s a dual cab , and sure, it’s 4x4 . But that’s what was available to us when...Read more
24 October 2020 by Matt Campbell
This is a vehicle that undercuts its competition by tens of thousands of dollars, but according to the brand selling it, it over delivers on spec, safety, tech, and all of the important things that business buyers want. It’s the all-new 2021 LDV Deliver 9. This all-new large van - known as the...Read more
16 October 2020 by Mark Oastler
The growing popularity of mid-sized (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) commercial vans that can carry up to six people, generically known as crew vans, has seen an increasing number of rivals from mainstream manufacturers with a second row of seats. These include Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Volkswagen and...Read more
9 October 2020 by Marcus Craft
Ute lovers in Australia are becoming so enamoured of super-sized US-style pick-ups – think Ram 1500 , Chevrolet Silverado and the like – that the market for these jumbo utilities has rapidly become a hotly contested slice of the ute realm, growing swiftly in volume and variety. And there’s more to...Read more
18 September 2020 by Matt Campbell
There aren’t many vehicles with more versatility than the Volkswagen Crafter. You could brand it multiple different models, that’s that much variation available. Take the model tested here: the Crafter 50 LWB TDI410 SCC 8 speed auto RWD 4.49t GVM (with tray), or model code SZCD8DT. This van-based...Read more
18 September 2020 by Matt Campbell
We’ve covered off the Isuzu D-Max 2021 range in detail, and it has impressed us so far with its hugely improved tech and safety offering, not to mention its step-up levels of comfort in the dual-cab, work-and-play range-topping models. But how does the work-focused entry-level SX model fare in...Read more
16 September 2020 by Matt Campbell
There’s plenty to be said for the new-generation Toyota HiLux, and while a lot of customers will be shopping for the top-of-the-range variants, there’s plenty of value to be found in the work-focused Workmate models. And that’s what we’re looking at here - a Workmate dual cab , which, while it may...Read more
3 September 2020 by Mark Oastler
The top three contenders in the local medium-sized (2.5 to 3.5 tonne GVM) commercial van class are the Toyota HiAce followed by the Hyundai iLoad and Ford’s Transit Custom. Although Toyota has traditionally enjoyed sales dominance of this popular LCV segment and continues to do so with its latest...Read more
17 August 2020 by Marcus Craft
In a van market bustling with multi-skilled variants from plenty of marques, Peugeot more than holds its own. Sure, the brand is beloved of many Europeans and Pomgolians (those who reside in the UK), but Peugeot sure has its own fan base here in the Antipodes as well. We tested a Peugeot Partner...Read more
3 August 2020 by Mark Oastler
Peugeot Australia offers variants across the small, medium and large commercial van segments. Its largest model, the manual-only Boxer 160 which in 2020 features improved safety and warranty, competes in the LD (light duty) 3501-8000kg GVM class. We recently put it to the test during a busy working...Read more
23 July 2020 by Mark Oastler
Mark Oastler road tests and reviews the new Toyota LC78 LandCruiser TroopCarrier GXL with specs, fuel consumption and verdict. Launched in 1985 as a spiritual successor to the legendary 40 Series, the mighty Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series has survived more than three decades for one compelling reason...Read more