Ute Reviews

Are you planning on buying a ute for your family? Maybe you’ve got double use for it, like you need it for work to transport things around and you’re wondering how good of a family car it can make. We’ve got two utes here, the Mazda BT-50 and the Isuzu D-Max, and I’m going to talk you through which is the best buy for a family.I've already tested both of these utes separately, and we’ve put them together here to give you a really good idea of how they compare, and what they're like to live with.The Mazda is the middle of the range BT-50 XTR which costs around 57 grand, before on-road costs. This Isuzu is the top of the range X-Terrain and costs just under $60 grand drive-away. So, similar pricing, but what do you get for your moolah? Let’s get into it. 

The Ford Ranger FX4 Max is a great gap filler in the range, with more desirable stuff than an XLT model and some of the goodies you want from the Raptor / Raptor X model. So is it any good as a work truck? We loaded it up to its GVM limit to see.

The VW Amarok launched in 2010 has never posed a threat to the sales dominance of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux in local 4x4 ute sales, even though it has some excellent design qualities and is still one of the best to drive.

RAM Trucks Australia's success in carving out a small but sustainable niche in the highly competitive 4x4 dual cab ute market with its Texas-sized 1500 Series pickups is due to a number of factors.

The MY21 Iveco Daily E6 cab-chassis range competes in the Light Duty (3501-8000kg GVM) segment of Australia's Heavy Commercial vehicle market, where competition is fierce with a dozen brands and 15 models battling for buyers.

Mark Oastler is spending six months with his family aboard the Ford Ranger, to see how well a dual cab ute can be set up for family life.

The Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain drives really well in this category, is spacious and has a huge tray for a boot. Is the ute about to take over the SUV as a family car? Not quite yet.

In MY21 guise, the D23 Nissan Navara features fresh styling, big increases in standard safety, minimum one-tonne payload ratings, increased load tub volume across all dual cab variants and a model range simplified to four key grades.

The new-generation Ram 1500, the DT Series, has arrived. This modern utility vehicle has a 5.7-litre Hemi V8, a very versatile load space, plenty of safety tech and it's able to tow 4.5 tonnes – all of that in a premium package. This is a prestige ute if ever you've seen one, but does a luxurious full-size pick-up truck deserve your attention?

In the last month or so of its stint as part of the CarsGuide test fleet, the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain, the top spec variant in the range, has further proven itself on and off the road.It's had a busy final few weeks with us, and has impressed with its comfort and refinement, and also its capability as a 4WD.So it is with much reluctance we return the X-Terrain to Isuzu HQ.