Tradie Wars! Gloves are off as pick-up trucks step upmarket
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Tradie Wars! Gloves are off as pick-up trucks step upmarket

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By GoAuto - 31 May 2018

Pick-up Trucks

ONE of the great tragedies surrounding the loss of Australian vehicle manufacturing is the demise of the passenger car-based coupe-utility, as defined by the classic Holden and Falcon utes.

Not only were they engineered and built here for around 60 years, the body style was born in Victoria in 1934, after Ford famously responded to a request from a farmer for a truck he could get to ‘go church on Sundays and carry our pigs to market on Mondays’, as the story goes.

The 2016 FGX Falcon and 2017 Holden VFII were the last of their breed anywhere in the world, but since the ‘70s, smaller pick-up trucks like the Toyota HiLux, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton have flourished as stronger and hardier alternatives. And they were literally trucks, with a ladder-frame chassis, separate load bed and available 4x4 capability.

Today, they dominate, with Toyota and Ford’s Ranger fighting it out for best-selling status of any vehicle class in Australia. The segment is up 10 per cent and growing – in sales as well as reach.

The Amarok is built in Argentina, and remains a class leader in terms of civility and refinement inside, despite dating back to 2011.

Since 2011, Volkswagen’s Amarok has been in its own battle with the up-market Ranger Wildtrak and HiLux SR5 for supremacy in the top end of the pick-up segment. We’re loathe to use the word ‘luxury’ right now, but this year things are changing, as these models – as well as Mercedes-Benz and Holden via HSV – have reloaded with higher-specification newcomers that will redefine the pecking order of the once humble workhorse.

The 3.0-litre force-fed V6 turbo-diesel engine produces 190kW of power at 3400rpm and 550Nm of torque from 1400-3200rpm, while a seven-speed automatic transmission drives all four wheels.

Firing the first salvo is Mercedes-Benz with the X-Class, built in Barcelona, and sharing basic chassis, underbody and four-cylinder powertrains with the Nissan Navara – the latter providing the all-dual-cab range with a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel in 120kW/403Nm single-turbo (220d) and 140kW/450Nm twin-turbo (250d) versions. Prices range between $45,000 and $65,000.

Everything else, including steering, (double wishbone front/multi-link coil-sprung rear) suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, safety systems (including standard AEB Autonomous Emergency Braking), interiors and body work, is pure Daimler.

Soon they’ll be joined by the X-Class flagship, the X350d, powered by a 190kW/550Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel. Don’t expect prices to stay south of $80K. Mercedes says that, with an emphasis on refinement, quality, security, comfort, dynamics and connectivity, the German pick-up blurs the gap between trucks and cars.

The uprated V6 diesel is set to be the most powerful pick-up truck sold in Australia… but for how long?

Arch-rival Volkswagen, meanwhile, isn’t sitting on its laurels, responding to the X350d challenge with the most potent ever Amarok, the TDI580. Due in Australia in a few weeks, it employs an upgraded version of the continuing TDI550's 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, pumping out 190kW and 580Nm (hence the name).

Uniquely, the Wolfsburg ute exclusively features a full-time 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. Prices are expected to shadow the upcoming $74,990 Ranger Raptor.

The Raptor has a far more menacing look than the highly successful Wildtrak that it usurps as king of the Ranger range .

Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated launches this year, the latter spearheads a near-identical but thoroughly revised Ranger range that sees, among other things, a Watts Link and coil springs rather than leaf-sprung rear suspension system on the debuting Raptor, as well as all-new downsized twin-turbo four-pot diesel availability, standardised autonomous emergency braking, improved dynamics due to a chassis retune and a solid effort to quieten the truck down.

Existing Rangers are renowned for their tough but capable dynamics, so the new Watts Link coil-sprung end should improve on an already good thing.

Sold under the ‘Ford Performance’ banner, the Raptor will be a single-grade proposition, with a 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo dubbed EcoBlue, with idle-stop fuel-saving tech, driving all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Described as “an extremely capable off-roader” and perfect for “off-road enthusiasts who appreciate an outdoor lifestyle and seek out the most extreme terrain”, it also features long-travel Fox Shox suspension with aluminium upper and lower control arms, beefed-up underbody protection, heavy duty skid-plates, bigger brakes, wider front and rear tracks, increased ride height and approach and departure angles, and a wading depth of up to 850mm for boosted off-road ability.

Snazzier trim, updated multimedia and more equipment separate the Raptor from lesser Rangers, though all MY19 models promise to be more refined and quieter inside.

You’ll be able to spot the Raptor by its widened body work, unique grille, sculpted bonnet and 17-inch dark-coloured alloys, while inside there’s Ford’s 8.0-inch Sync3 infotainment touchscreen, leather upholstery, electric seats and revamped instrumentation, among a slew of other goodies not as yet offered on the cheaper, continuing and wildly popular Wildtrak.

More importantly for Ford fans lamenting the demise of Aussie-made cars, there’s local input into the 2019 Ranger series. Just as importantly, if $75K is too steep, the EcoBlue powertrain will be available as a $1200 option over the current 147kW/470Nm 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel/six-speed auto combo in XLT and Wildtrak when the PX III facelifted launches this September.

Designed and developed in Australia, the Ranger has been a real success story for Ford, with the Raptor being the ultimate expression of that.

The facelift also means that the XLT (from $50,290 4x2/$56,190 4x4) will score high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights, LED daytime running lights, keyless entry and push-button start, while the Wildtrak (from $60,590 to $63,990) gains AEB, LED foglights, power-lock tailgate, park assist, traffic sign recognition and a new-look black cabin interior with partial-leather heated front seats. All Fords are subject to a five-year warranty.

The SportsCat is essentially an exterior/interior package upgrade, with minor suspension changes and no differences to the regular Colorado’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel powertrain.

Raptor will give Holden sleepless nights, which has had a handy head start in the flagship pick-up truck tussle with the HSV Colorado SportsCat.

Released in April, it kicks off from $60,790, meaning that the HSV is aimed squarely at Wildtrak; the SportsCat+ starts from $66,790, though adding goodies like SupaShock suspension, fancy paint, a tub-liner, roof racks and a load master pushes that right into Raptor territory at $76,257.

The circa-$6K premium over the $54,990 Holden Colorado Z71 sees HSV sports suspension, a 30mm wider wheel track, boosted ride height, fatter wheels, revised bodykit, restyled front fascia, tubular side steps and red-stitched highlights inside. Going the SportsCat+ ushers in AP Racing brakes and a rear de-coupling anti-roll bar.

Perhaps one disappointing aspect of the SportsCat, given it wears HSV badges, is that engine outputs remain the same, meaning that the 2.8-litre four-pot turbo-diesel still offers 147kW and either 440Nm (manual) or 500Nm (auto).

Toyota developed the idea of the HiLux Rugged, Rugged X and Rogue in Australia, involving mainly local suppliers.

The same applies to Toyota’s dressed-up HiLux, also out in April, priced from $54,990 for the SR-based Rugged manual, $61,690 for the SR5-based Rogue auto and $2K more for the Rugged X; their 130kW/420-450Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder stays unchanged.

Devised in Australia during a three-year design and development stage, many local suppliers have provided the new components to make up these variants, and are added by hand to the Thai-made trucks at a Port Melbourne facility operated by logistics partner Patrick Autocare.

With its steel front bumper, LED light bar, bash plate, red recovery hooks and increased approach (49 degrees) and departure (21 degrees) angles, Rugged X focuses on 4x4 capability, and also features grey bonnet and tailgate decals, fender flares, side body protection, side rock rails, a snorkel, a steel rear bumper, matte-black tail-light surrounds, a tub liner and black 17-inch alloy wheels. Additionally, its black sports bar penetrates the tray instead of being mounted on its side walls.

Most of these additions find their way on the Rugged, which switches to a full steel bullbar (with accompanying beefier coil springs) and gains sat-nav and digital radio, while the Rogue sees a different grille, front bumper, as well as black and metallic grey highlights, a hard tonneau cover, marine-grade carpet tub liner, and black 18-inch alloys. Inside, refreshed instruments, leather, metallic trim and floor mats complete the changes. Note all have a 200kg reduced payload.

As all these vehicles show, the ceiling to how much pick-up buyers are willing to pay seems to have risen dramatically; it also reflects the growing need for better-equipped, more refined and much more capable vehicles that simply aren’t just workhorses – in much the same way that the classic Aussie utes aspired to be since Ford received that letter from a Victorian farmer way back in the early ‘30s.

So, the stage is set for an all-out assault on the hearts and wallets of cashed-up pick-up buyers across the land. And, as their popularity continues to soar, they won’t be the last either… 

Protect your pick-up truck. Call Shannons Insurance on 13 46 46 to get a quote today.