In this 4×4 comparative review, we take a closer look at the Toyota Hilux 2,8 GD-6 Legend RS, Volkswagen Amarok 3,0 V6 TDI Highline and Ford Ranger 2,0 BiT Thunder double cabs.
When asked why he felt the urge to risk life and limb in conquering Mount Everest in 1924, English climbing legend George Mallory pointed to the 29 000-foot peak, batted aside any considerations as boring as reason, and proudly stated, “Because it’s there!”
Now, while we do our utmost to keep logic and reason at the forefront of our vehicle testing at CAR, there are occasions when the planets align in such a manner that myriad considerations of a comparative test are momentarily lost in the glare of a wondrous opportunity. In this case, our glistening peak is a trio of newcomers to the local double-cab market. Their engine outputs differ, their prices sit poles apart but there’s no denying they’re all similarly poised to scale the lifestyle-invested double-cab summit …
THE LEGEND
Toyota Hilux 2,8 GD-6 4×4 Legend RS AT
Our stint late last year with the flagship of the Hilux range is still fresh in our memories. Even in the face of opposition as stiff as that chasing it to the summit of this test, we remain thoroughly impressed at how Toyota has breathed new life into what’s essentially an updated version of its AN120-generation double cab.
The 2,8-litre GD-6 turbodiesel four-cylinder is now the recipient of a larger turbocharger and improved common-rail diesel injection unit that bumps the outputs up to 150 kW and 500 N.m, improvements to the tune of 20 kW and 50 N.m. As our recent testing showed, the Hilux is a sturdy performer that comfortably bested its pre-facelift precursor but gave a good account of itself here; only conceding to the more powerful Ranger by a tenth of a second or so in each of the acceleration performance exercises. Fuel consumption has also improved markedly. The GD-6’s 8,00 L/100 km bested its pre-facelift GR-Sport model by 0,40 L/100 km and equalled the Ranger’s figure on our fuel run.
Mechanical refinement has also seen a welcome improvement. Yes, there’s still a good deal of engine clatter from idle but at motorway speeds, there is pleasingly little noise permeating a cabin that has undergone some considerable changes for the better in terms of perceived quality and ergonomics.
While there’s no doubting the AN120-generation Hilux’s ability to withstand some workhorse or off-roading duties, the lifestyle family vehicle proviso the Legend badge brings with it means Toyota’s tough-as-nails bakkie also needs to exhibit a friendlier persona when away from the bundu. In this regard, things are a bit of a mixed bag. One area where the Hilux has undergone a considerable improvement is steering feel. The fitment of a variable-flow steering rack that ups the assistance at low speeds – where town-bound bakkies can be a real handful – and provides a bit more weight when pressing on has made the Hilux feel altogether wieldier. Revisions to the springs and shock absorbers have brushed up the Toyota’s road manners, but it still doesn’t have the fluid body control or ability to ride bumps quite as eloquently as its rivals.
Where it falters on tarmac, though, the Hilux excels on the loose stuff. That improved steering better communicates any upcoming loss in traction and affords greater levels of responsiveness should the tail step out; while the suspension’s bounciness on-road now makes way for a supple, more flexible nature that marginally bests those of the Amarok and Ford when confronted with obstacles at moderate speeds. This Hilux is priced at R853 100.
THE MUSCLE
VW Amarok 3,0 V6 TDI Highline 4Motion AT
It’s hard to believe 10 years have elapsed since the Amarok set foot in a decidedly hostile South African one-tonne pickup market. Mild updates – including a few limited-edition models and a 165 kW V6 TDI later – and the current Amarok now nears the end of its impressive run with the most powerful double cab in our market. The long-serving 3,0-litre engine has been given a shot in the arm that bumps up the outputs to 190 kW and 580 N.m; the former creeping up to 200 kW when the 10-second overboost comes into play.
As lusty diesels go, the Amarok’s uprated unit is deceivingly demure. The changes in outputs haven’t wrong-footed the wonderfully smooth eight-speed automatic transmission. The gearing feels taller than anticipated; the expected spine-pinning wallop of torque when planting the throttle is more of a measured press. You’d be forgiven for initially feeling a little underwhelmed … that is until you notice how rapidly the scenery whips by.
Performance testing saw the Amarok breasting the 100 km/h mark from standstill in 7,94 seconds. Those recalling the 7,82 second sprint time the 165 kW model posted back in 2017 will no doubt have reservations over this apparent regression. However, that particular test unit was equipped with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters which we had to artfully feather to garner that figure. Even so, the engine’s upper-end is remarkable. The 80-120 km/h in-gear run that once took 6,03 seconds has been pared to just 5,24 seconds. In our 10-stop braking tests, the Amarok served up a car-like 3,14-second average stopping time. As impressive is its ability to wrap all this performance into a package that still managed to deliver 10,20 L/100 km on our mixed-use fuel economy run.
Upon their arrival in our market in 2011, the Amarok and Ranger ushered the term “car-like” into the double-cab handling vernacular. Here, the Volkswagen continues to impress. Perhaps it’s an upshot of that additional torque or better footwear, but the heavy, low-speed steering feel that irked some of the testers in the 165 KW doesn’t seem to afflict the 190 kW as badly. The ride is firm but not unforgiving, body control taut under brisk directional changes, and the prodigious grip of the permanent AWD system means the Amarok will break its line on loose surfaces only under extreme provocation.
The Amarok has aged gracefully, its blend of rugged frame and upmarket detailing has a timeless appeal. The same cannot be said of the cabin trimmings, though. While the interior has traditionally met with positive press, those hard trim plastics feel low-rent when compared with the soft-touch elements in both the Ranger and Hilux cabins. It’s a similar story regarding the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-enabled infotainment system. It now incorporates a reversing camera but the unit’s 6,3-inch screen is no larger than most smartphones;
it’s fiddly to operate on the move, unlike the larger, more legible units in the Ford and Toyota.
In its Highline guise, the Amarok is reasonably well equipped: heated leather seats, front and rear parking sensors, air-conditioning (not climate control, mind), Bi-Xenon headlamps, 18-inch alloys and an ownership package incorporating a three-year/100 000 km warranty and five-year/90 000 km service plan are among the standard items. Yet, at R921 900, it is stratospherically priced, especially when taking into account how capable its cheaper rivals have proved to be.
THE ALL-ROUNDER
Ford Ranger 2,0 BiT Thunder 4×4 10AT
It has to be said that the addition of yet another lifestyle-flavoured variant to Ford’s already burgeoning Ranger line-up is always going to set the double-cab fraternity’s collective spidey senses tingling. With the wealth of Raptor-inspired bolt-on kits and aftermarket styling addenda capable of visually elevating your stock Ranger to Mad Max chase- scene status, the provocatively labelled Thunder simply had to take a tilt at the V6 Amarok and Hilux Legend RS.
In essence, the Thunder adheres quite closely to the Legend RS’s formula. Take an already striking flanker model (in this case, the Wildtrak) and apply a healthy dose of sports-inspired cosmetic bits, including LED headlamps featuring darkened bezels, darkened taillamps, red grille accents, gloss black finishes for the rear sportsbar and alloy wheels, tinted side windows and plenty of Thunder labels. Inside, the wealth of soft-touch trim elements, logical facia layout and spacious cabin give it an edge over its rivals. Of particular interest is the SYNC3 infotainment system offering a crisper display and more logical interface than the others. Some of the team found the system the most stable of the three when holding a connection with their Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-enabled phones.
The Wildtrak’s area management system rear load compartment suite – comprising a drop-in loadbed liner, 12V power outlet and cargo tie-downs – has been carried over to the Thunder. The Ford also features a roller shutter for the rear loadbed and while it isn’t motorised like the Toyota’s, the black powder-coated item is standard, which is somewhat telling when you consider the Ranger’s comparable standard specification and lower asking price.
Mechanically the Thunder is all but identical to the Wildtrak, utilising the same 2,0-litre four-cylinder twinturbodiesel engine rated at 157 kW and 500 N.m, mated with a smooth 10-speed automatic transmission. While the raw performance data indicated a slight advantage to the Hilux – and needless to say, a yawning gap from the Amarok – in terms of in-gear acceleration, neither rival could match the fluid and measured manner in which the Ranger transfers its power to the road.
The suspension setup is the best balanced; yielding enough to absorb bumps with aplomb without succumbing to uncomfortable bounce and rebound. Of the three, the Ranger’s steering is the most responsive. Allied with a supple and communicative (by double-cab standards) chassis, the Ford proved the most entertaining to pilot on loose surfaces (as pictured); providing just enough mid-corner slip to excite at speed while effortlessly recoverable and reassuringly stable.
On the open road, only the Amarok comes close to rivalling the Ranger’s composed manners. Body roll is reined in, even under hard cornering, and the suspension configuration – sitting comfortably between the slightly too-soft Hilux and the firm Amarok – is pretty much spot-on for long-distance travel.
In terms of value for money, the Thunder – although hardly a snip at R830 900 – gives you a lot of equipment for your outlay. As with the rest of the Ranger line-up, the Thunder models ship standard with a four-year/120 000 km warranty and a six-year/90 000 km service plan (with 15 000 km intervals) but the Thunder also throws in an impressive suite of safety features such as adaptive cruise control, rain/light sensors, lane-keeping assist, self parking and semi-automated braking.
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