Introduction
The latest ute test looks at the Toyota Hilux Rugged X and two variants of the Ford Ranger; the 3.2 litre and 2.0 litre bi-turbo.
The commercial vehicle market continues to evolve, with the dual cab ute becoming the go-to vehicle for families, tradies, holidaymakers and fleet buyers.
Five years ago who would have thought we would see a highly-tuned off-road vehicle such as the Ford Raptor Ranger, or diesel utes such as the VW Amarok or Mercedes X-Class pumping out 200 kilowatts? Or pay more than $70,000 for one?
So where does this leave the rural sector, who on the whole needs a reliable vehicle with good off-road ability, which is also comfortable to drive on the road?
The continued evolution of the ute sees plenty of tech goodies, which many of us come to expect as standard, as well is the incorporation of some innovative safety features, which may just save a life.
Kondinin Group puts three utes through their paces in this report, with a thorough run down of the Hilux Rugged X and two models of Ford Rangers.
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