Commercial Reviews

The Ford F-150 Platinum is the new top-grade variant in the company’s F Series truck range. This full-sized dual-cab ute has a refreshed exterior, a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, and 4500kg towing capacity and is taking on the likes of the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado, and Toyota Tundra.  But at $164,000 (excluding on-road costs) does this big rig justify its price-tag?

Nissan's fifth-generation Navara is essentially a thinly disguised Mitsubishi Triton but does it have enough differentiation from its donor to stand alone as a genuine rival?

The 2026 Kia PV5 Cargo is the first time Kia’s built an electric van, and it’s coming with a futuristic design, low price, and competitive electric driving range to take on rivals like the VW ID.Buzz Cargo, the Renault Kangoo E-Tech or Peugeot E-Partner. We took a test drive at the Australian launch in Sydney’s industrial inner-south to find out how the PV5 handles its intended environment.

If there’s one thing we should have learned from COVID-19 lockdowns is that it’s important to take your fun seriously, and take it when you can. And perhaps that explains why sales of Isuzu’s N-Series 4X4 light trucks exploded during and just after the pandemic and continue to be strong performers right now.While the N-Series generally is this country’s best selling light truck (by a country mile) the 4X4 versions have a special appeal to the emergency services and mining and other industries in situations where a 4X4 dual-cab ute just won’t cut it. But if you venture into the Aussie outback right now, you’ll also see a swarm of 4X4 light trucks with specialist camper bodies bolted on to form a genuine go-anywhere alternative to a dual-cab ute or conventional four-wheel-drive and caravan combination. It seems the adventure travellers, grey nomads and plenty of other civilians have figured out the magic of the 4X4 light truck.But there’s still a bit of mystery around these vehicles. Questions like how hard are they to park, what do they cost, are they a chore to drive and, what ones can I drive on a car licence? So let’s dive in and tackle the three most popular N-Series 4X4s to get some answers.The simplest form of the N-Series all-wheel drive is the NMS which has a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 4500kg and, therefore, can be driven on a normal car licence. With a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel and a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission, it runs part-time 4WD.Fundamentally, this is a derivative of the sort of trucks many countries (notably Japan where Isuzu is based) use commercially as snow-ploughs and similar. While the 4WD grip is necessary, extra ground clearance and super-low gear ratios are not, so the NMS has neither of those things.As a result, it’s a bit limited off road where the sump will eventually bottom out and it will run out of gearing on really steep stuff. That said, the nine-speed dual-clutch has a very low first gear, so it’s better at climbing hills than you might imagine.A much better alternative, however, is either the NPS or NQS which also get a two-speed transfer-case for those low ratios, as well as bigger wheels and tyres and a higher ride height for – frankly – brutal off-road ability. The engine is broadly the same as the NMS’ including the 3.0-litre engine.The catch is, however, that the standard 6500kg GVM means you need an endorsed licence to legally drive them. But Isuzu has a solution for that. With what amounts to a stroke of the pen, Isuzu can sell you an NPS or NQS with an official GVM of 4500kg, and suddenly, anybody with a car licence can join in the fun.The flip-side is that your payload falls by that same 2000kg difference, but if you specify the truck carefully with regard to what you add and leave off, you can squeak in under the GVM limit. And if you need more payload in the future for a bigger camper or more water tanks or whatever, Isuzu can re-rate the vehicle to the full 6500kg GVM while you get your licence endorsed.Of those two vehicles, the NQS probably represents the best choice for recreational users thanks to its nine-speed dual-clutch transmission that just makes life simpler in a big vehicle like this one. The NPS has a conventional six-speed manual with a very low first gear, but it’s another thing to deal with off-road and the shift is far from the slickest passenger car version of the same thing.You also miss out on a lot of safety kit in the manual variant. Things like autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning, electronic brake force distribution and adaptive cruise control (all standard on the dual-clutch NQS) are missing from the NPS.As it stands, The NPS gets anti-lock brakes and stability and traction controls, but that’s about it for electronic help. And in other aspects, all N-Series trucks fall short of passenger-car expectations. While you get a pair of front airbags and side intrusion bars in the front doors, the seat-belt for the centre-front passenger is a lap-only deal and pretensioners are only fitted to the two outside (three-point) belts.You can improve this situation by checking the 'Technology Pack' option box which adds a camera system, and tyre pressure monitoring and an alarm, but overall, the truck world has some catching up to do here. Perhaps the industry is relying on the truck’s inherent mass and height advantage over passenger vehicles to take care of crash safety. Either way, the Isuzu in any of its forms has not been independently crash tested, so there’s no star-rating available.The N-Series trucks we’re dealing with here all have a crew-cab option which ups the seating layout to six (four across the back seat). The cabins themselves feature a fair bit of hard plastic surfacing but the bigger touchscreens and more modern instrument layouts have helped make the interior feel more contemporary and less like a rent-a-truck.There’s a single 24-volt power outlet (the N-Series runs on 24 volts, not 12) and a single USB charge-port, but the real genius is in the storage options that include overhead spaces, door pockets, cupholder and extra cubbies you’ll still be finding weeks into the future.The switchgear is logically laid out, but a steering column that prevents left-foot braking further hinders familiarity at the wheel.The driving experience is pretty alien with your backside perched over the front axle and hectares of glass giving an amazing forward view (critical when off-roading). The ride is a bit sharp thanks to the load-carrying spring rates, but with a load on board, it’ll be much better. It’s not terrible as it is, but you will feel the bumps.That said, it’s the N-Series’ ability to handle those bumps that makes it a bit special. It climbs hills with ease and the dual rear tyres offer plenty of grip. Add some more off-road oriented rubber and it’d be even more formidable.The big question comes down to whether the Isuzu fits two things - your budget and the average bush track. The former is down to your bank account and at $75,814 for the NMS, $103,206 for the NPS and $111,315 for the NQS (all single-cab, tray-backs) these are not expensive compared with a brand-new LandCruiser 300 Series and a $150,000 of-road caravan (that won’t go where the Isuzu with a camper body will) but still not cheap vehicles.Then there’s the operating environment. Australia’s bush tracks have been shaped for the last five or six decades by old-school Land Rovers and LandCruisers. As such, they can be a bit narrow in places for an Isuzu N-Series and that may limit things in some situations. It’s not the end of the world, but something to keep in mind. Ditto underground parking stations.Isuzu’s warranty on the N-Series is three years or 150,000km which is off the pace compared with cars, but mainstream for the truck industry. Service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km and there’s three years of roadside assistance. Servicing plans are available with a range of inclusions from basic maintenance to full packages that cover everything from wheel bearings to tail-light globes.

Want to know a secret? It's possible to buy a big US-style ute without spending big US-style ute cash. The 2026 Foton Tunland is under six metres long and costs under $50,000. The top-grade Tunland has a 2.0L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, a 48V mild-hybrid system, front and rear diff locks and a stack of standard features. But is this budget-friendly workhorse too good to be true?

The MY26 Renault Trafic range brings numerous upgrades with considerable appeal for tradies, but are they enough to tempt mid-size commercial van buyers away from the dominant Toyota HiAce?

The Triton Raider is now the most expensive version of Mitsubishi’s popular ute range, featuring an array of modifications from local tuning outfit Premcar.With these locally-tuned utes becoming more commonplace, though, what sets this one apart? And can it live up to the hype Mitsubishi hopes to generate for it?We’ve driven it at its local launch on and off the road to find out.At $74,990, drive-away (at the time of launch), the Raider is by far the most expensive Triton yet. To even get in the door of this thing you’ll be spending nearly $10,000 over the previously-top-spec GSR grade which sits below it in the usually value-focused ute range.It pushes the Triton up into territory usually dominated by high-spec versions of more expensive rivals, like the (notably also locally-developed) Ford Ranger Tremor ($75,090) and Kia Tasman X-Pro ($74,990), both prices before on-road costs.In terms of its intentions, though, to build the Triton into something more than would normally come from the factory, it competes more closely with the likes of the Isuzu D-Max Blade ($80,900, BOC) or upcoming Volkswagen Amarok W600 (price TBC).To that end, the Triton Raider’s standard equipment includes a larger wheel and tyre package, consisting of 18-inch ROH ‘Assault’ wheels in an exclusive bronze hue clad in Bridgestone Dueler all-terrain tyres. This increases the track by 20mm in total (10mm each side) and it also features a 25mm suspension raise in the front and 15mm raise in the rear to better balance the body out.The star of the show is the Premcar-tuned suspension package, which consists of a set of customized Monroe shocks front and rear and new jounce bumpers (bump stops) which both help to smooth out the flaws in the factory ute’s ride.Mitsubishi has adorned the ute with some Ralliart-inspired decals on the lower parts of the doors and added gloss black overfenders to account for the wider track. It has also added Mitsubishi-branded matt black side-steps, a sports bar over the tray and a Raider-badged bash plate for underbody protection.Inside may come as a bit of a disappointment, with the brand playing it very safe by only adding Raider stitching to the front headrests and a Raider badge on the transmission cladding.In the pictures, it doesn’t look all that different from a regular Triton GSR, but once you see it next to a standard version of the ute, it’s evident how much tougher this package looks. Some may think it hasn’t gone far enough, but I think others will appreciate the subtlety on offer here, too.There are also an array of minor MY26 upgrades which shouldn’t be forgotten, particularly the new Yamaha performance dampers fixed horizontally to the front and rear frame rails which help to iron out some of the existing ladder frame jiggle. More on how it drives later.Buyers will be happy to know this new Raider variant maintains the ute’s 3500kg towing capacity, and this one also maintains a payload of 990kg, which is pretty solid for a dual-cab in this class.Again, some may be disappointed to see the brand hasn’t provided a boost in power to go with the Raider’s tough looks, it carries over the same 2.4-litre twin-turbo diesel engine from the rest of the Triton range.It provides 150kW/470Nm, which is fine, but maybe not particularly impressive when measured against Ford’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel (184kW/600Nm). Mitsubishi is banking on its track record for dependability, which it says, along with the cost of upgrading, is the main reason it stays the same under the bonnet.It also carries across the usual six-speed traditional torque converter automatic, paired to the brand’s signature 'Super Select II' system which is capable of running in permanent '4H' (4WD high-range) mode while including a 2H (2WD high-range) setting for fuel efficiency and a 4L (4WD low-range) mode for more challenging terrain, alongside a rear differential lock.Is the Triton Raider any good to drive? In short, yes.This is the definitive edition of the Triton for now. It’s rare for a car to live up to everything the brand wants to shout about, but this one is impressive to steer, with so much of the potential of this Triton’s platform explored.It feels far more confident on the tarmac, with very linear steering and excellent on-road manners, while on the rough stuff, where it’s really meant to shine, it excels.The Raider ate up the trails we had the chance to sample at an off-road test facility, whether it was articulation, loose surfaces, steep declines, or mogulled-hills, with seemingly plenty of breadth of ability left over.The already-good traction systems no doubt helped the ute along, with the only eyebrow-raiser I found being the square and upright bonnet with the extra lift making it tricky to see the terrain in front of you at times when descending.The engine, too, could potentially be a weak point if you were to venture into particularly muddy or sandy conditions, with it needing a proper push of momentum on the steeper climbs. Hopefully the topic of a test for another time.Overall though this is an impressive, well thought-out and properly tested halo variant, with Premcar working its magic to elevate the Triton further than expected.Mitsubishi says to expect 7.7L/100km of diesel consumption, but don’t be surprised to see at least 8.0L+ as we saw in our test cars.Importantly, Mitsubishi backs the ute and all of these additions with its conditional 10 year/200,000km warranty promise (provided you keep servicing at an authorised Mitsubishi dealer after the five year mark).It has a matching 10 years of capped price servicing and 10 years of roadside assist. Workshop visits will set you back an average of $675.30 per year for the life of the warranty.

We’ve been waiting a few years for Volkswagen and Walkinshaw to fully reveal its latest creation and now it won’t be long until it's on public roads.Following the success of the original Volkswagen Amarok W-Series of flagship utes, there has been a lot of hype surrounding what the German carmaker is planning for its current-generation model which shares its platform with the Ford Ranger.Dubbed the Amarok W600, Volkswagen revealed some initial details of this locally fettled ute late last year, but ahead of its launch in August, CarsGuide was given the opportunity to test out the ute at Holden’s former proving ground at Lang Lang, Victoria.Volkswagen and Walkinshaw claim the Amarok W600 is the ‘ultimate driver’s ute’ and it has been modelled as a more street-focused, performance model, like the previous Amarok W580S. This contrasts against key rivals like the Ford Ranger Raptor, Isuzu D-Max Blade, Mitsubishi Triton Raider and Nissan Navara Warrior which are off-road-focused.Highlight changes include new 20-inch alloy wheels that are 10 inches wide and wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres, a dual side-exit exhaust system, a bespoke Koni suspension set-up with a Walkinshaw tune and the fitment of a 22mm rear anti-roll bar.Other niceties include electric side steps, Walkinshaw embroidering on the leather-upholstered seats and aluminium sport pedal covers.The Amarok W600 has a tough and menacing stance. There are wider wheel arches to cover the fatter wheels, plus a unique front fascia with a W motif in the grille and a light bar connecting the headlights.One thing we don’t know yet is how much the tough looks and all of these performance additions will add to the price tag. For context, the current flagship Amarok Aventura caps out at $82,990, before on-road costs.The previous Amarok W580S was $7500 more than the Aventura at the time and if this price difference is carried over this could see the Amarok W600 be priced over $90,000.This is notable as the Ford Ranger Raptor is currently priced from $90,690, before on-road costs.Wherever VW lands will be interesting as the Amarok W600 has an unchanged 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine that’s available on other trim levels, as well as in the Ford Ranger.It produces 184kW and 600Nm which is 16kW less and 20Nm more than the previous W580S which also had a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel but it was sourced in-house.Also unchanged are the braked towing and load-carrying capacities. Volkswagen has confirmed the Amarok W600 retains a 3500kg braked towing capacity and will have a payload capacity close to 1000kg.Exact figures, including the kerb weight, haven’t been confirmed yet.Something Volkswagen has locked in though is a standard-fit 17-inch steel spare wheel even though Walkinshaw ensured there is enough space to fit a full 20x10-inch alloy. This means you’ll likely need to travel at reduced speeds when it’s fitted. That’s not ideal for this type of vehicle.We had the opportunity to sample the Amarok W600 back-to-back with the regular Amarok TDI600 Style across a series of scenarios at Lang Lang and the differences are pronounced.One of the most obvious changes behind the wheel is the tyres which offer fantastic grip. They were put to the test on a rather rainy day and held up very well.Also impressive is the improved braking performance. It’s noticeably better than the regular Amarok and goes to show how much braking can change with different tyres as the braking system itself hasn’t been altered.Additionally another major area of change with the Amarok W600 is how it rides and handles. The Koni-sourced suspension and damper package helps make this ute feel a lot more planted during hard acceleration and braking.Plus, the rear anti-roll bar helps keep the ute flatter through the bends. As a result it's more confidence-inspiring to drive spiritedly. You can focus more on the driving ahead than what the ute is doing.My only criticism of the package is that you can feel more pimply bumps and road imperfections in the Amarok W600 compared to the regular Amarok. It’s unclear if this is the suspension, larger wheels or a combination of both.Plus it’s worth noting that Volkswagen and Amarok may still fine tune the suspension in this ute ahead of its launch in August.

Volkswagen has recently launched its first all-new Transporter in a decade, but does the full-electric variant of this light commercial icon appeal to long term loyalists and new customers alike?

A new entry-level engine is the big news in Ford's latest upgrade of the Ranger dual-cab. Gone is the old two-litre turbo-diesel with its twin turbochargers and 154kW, and in comes a simplified, unit with one less turbo and 29 fewer kiloWatts. But the pay off should be in long-term ownership cost. But what does that mean in the meantime? And does this make the V6 diesel even more attractive?