One of the most effective ways of choosing the right 4WD ute is to go out and test it in your own environment, preferably against its opposition. In a perfect world that’s what we’d all prefer to do.
But how many of us have access to six of the best manual double cab 4WD utilities, and the ability to test them back-to-back in identical conditions, while eliciting the views of six experienced on and off-road testers?
Fortunately you don’t have to even worry about it, for NZ Company Vehicle has gathered all the vehicles you want to know about. What’s more we’ve not only done our usual on and off-road tests, but we’ve thrown in a couple of real-life work experiences to boot.
The vehicles chosen were all “one-tonners” powered by turbo-diesel engines, with manual gearboxes and full 4WD with low range. All were double cabs, and priced between $49,990 and $54,490, with premium specifications.
The vehicles were the Ford Ranger XLT, Holden Colorado LT, Mazda BT-50 SDX, Mitsubishi Triton GLX, Nissan Navara ST, and the Toyota Hilux TDi.
Our tests were split into two parts, and each vehicle followed the same route, driven by every driver.
The on-road route included a trip up the tight and winding road between historic Clevedon and Maraetai, on Auckland’s south east coast, and this enabled our testers to get a really good feel of how the vehicles handled, as well as being able to sample ride quality.
Acceleration tests were done using our electronic test equipment, and interior sound levels were checked with a noise meter.
We also measured the vehicles, including the interior measurements of the wellside, and all these measurements are contained in the accompanying “Key Facts” table.
To make it simpler to compare specifications we have also compiled a table of the most important comfort and practical features.
Here’s what our testers had to say after the on-road test. We also scored the vehicles on a simple first second and third basis.
FORD RANGER
Everybody liked the seats and the seating position, and especially the up-market cloth material with its contrasting stitching.
“But it rides like a ute, and I banged my head getting in. The seats hugged me well, but this could mean they will get hot in the summer heat”, said one of our merry band.
The interior layout was praised, and especially the manual lever selector for the 4WD high and low range.
Engine performance across the range was good, very responsive above 2000 rpm, with a smooth slick gear change.
“While not as large as some I can understand why many rural people buy them. Very good all round,” was one comment.
The biggest compliment of all: “A really nice driver. Everything works well. I would be happy to drive it to Wellington – it does everything I would expect of it”.
And the biggest complaint?
That old-fashioned umbrella handle handbrake under the dash. Although this frees up space between the seats, it does make life difficult when you need to hold the vehicle on the handbrake, especially on a hill where you may have to fight against the seatbelt to lean forward to reach the brake lever.
Score: Five second places and one third. The Ranger came out second for on-road use.
HOLDEN COLORADO
Most of our testers felt it was easy to get comfy in the Colorado, and that there was some sideways support in the seats, although one tester felt there was not enough.
“Not too firm and not too soft, with a simple basic layout suitable for a ute,” was one comment.
The engine was responsive, with lots of low-down torque and good pickup, but sometimes a bit noisy. However there was unanimous condemnation of the imprecise gear change – although it wasn’t the worst.
Another factor was apparent to all the testers – loud wind noise, seemingly emanating from the driver’s door mirror.
And body roll was slated. “It wallows a little on undulating corners but this doesn’t unsettle the line, and it’s got good turn-in,” said one tester. However this same factor meant it had an absorbent ride.
“It feels a generation behind all the rest, but it handles better than I thought it would,” said another.
Perhaps this sums it up: “The old Rodeo (the Colorado’s predecessor) could match the Hilux, but this Colorado feels like a step back in time”.
Score: One third place.
MAZDA BT-50
Most comments for the Mazda echoed those for the Ford – not surprisingly, because the vehicles, on paper at least, are virtually identical.
However, there were a few surprises.
“I prefer the look of the Mazda over the Ranger, and for some reason I felt the Mazda was a better handler,” said one tester.
Another thought the Mazda had better “brand value”
Score: Five first places and one second. The Mazda came out first for on-road use.
MITSUBISHI TRITON
The driving position was praised, and especially its seat height adjustment.
“However the interior seemed a bit ‘low rent’, which I suppose is reflected in its purchase price – it seemed to be a bit plain.
The Mitsubishi was the only vehicle that comes standard with highway tyres rather than the all-terrain rubber fitted to the rest of the pack, and this, said one tester, made it more difficult to compare it to the others.
However, it does get a stability programme as well as traction control, the only vehicle in the test group to have the latest electronic equipment, though all were fitted with ABS anti-lock brakes.
Our testers criticised the ride, and more specifically its stiff suspension.
However other factors were praised. “It’s nippy and very responsive,” said one. “You drive it more like a car than a ute. A great small PLAY ute”.
“Surprisingly quick from A to B”, said another.
The engine was described as “grunty” – although there was not quite as much mid-range pickup as expected, until around 2500 rpm.
“I like it. It feels good, and the steering actually offers a bit of communication. Quite good fun to drive”, said a third.
“A good all-rounder, with excellent space. It has the latest technology, but I felt a limited slip diff. would have been better for the handling than ASC (stability control) intervention, although the latter might be safer for Joe Average”, was a final comment.
Score: Not placed in the top three for on-road use.
NISSAN NAVARA
The seats were described as comfortable, though lacking in sideways support, but most of our testers felt this was the most comfortable cabin of the selection.
The engine too, came in for its share of praise. “No great peaks or troughs, just smooth progressive power, with delivery everywhere,” was a comment.
However the gear change was universally panned. “It felt like stirring a bowl of porridge,” said one tester. Another questioned the need for six gear ratios, while a third summarised “You would have to be mental not to go for the auto”.
However ride quality gained the Navara a lot of kudos, and the steering was described as “impressive”.
“The ride was a bit soft but it felt stable, possibly because it has the widest track and the widest tyres – it sits very well in corners”, was one comment.
“Ride and handling impressed me as the best compromise,” said one tester, while another stated:
“It gripped quite well with not a lot of body roll”.
Score: One first and four third places. The Nissan came third for on-road use.
TOYOTA HILUX
The seats in the Hilux were found wanting, with not enough support for the small of the back. However testers liked the steering wheel controls for the audio system, though they felt that generally “controls were all over the place”.
Handling was praised, especially at speed, but the vehicle easily lifted a rear wheel creating tyre squeal when taking a slow corner. Ride comfort got the general thumbs down.
“I felt sick after only 15 km on normal roads,” said one tester, while another “hated it – the worst of the bunch”.
“I felt every bump in the road through the steering,” said another, “and the gearbox felt very 1970s Corolla”.
The engine was felt to be smooth low down, but our testers “would have expected more top end”. And one tester thought it was “rattly”, and another ”noisy”.
Overall, one tester summed it up as follows: “It’s not terrible, but it’s not terribly good”.
Score: Not placed in the top three for on-road use.
THE OFF-ROAD TESTS
We re-grouped for the off-road section of our test at Kevin Isemonger’s farm off Twilight Road in Clevedon, where we were to perform a couple of work-related tasks as well as test for 4WD uphill and downhill performance, cross axles, and mud crossings.

It hadn’t rained for quite a while when we conducted our tests, but Kevin’s place has a perennial stream and it was quite soggy in places, while a number of ditches gave plenty of cross axle testing.
Kevin had felled a few large pine trees in one paddock getting ready to stock up for winter warming, and our first test was to attach one of the biggest to the back of each ute to see how it performed with a dead weight behind.
Next up we loaded them with bails of hay – although two of them, the Ford and the Toyota, had after-market hard lids fitted on the load area, which severely limited access and the number of bails each could carry.
Our uphill slope was quite short but steep, and the intention was to see how well the vehicles performed on low (or ideally no) throttle settings.
Similarly, going back downhill there had to be low enough first gear ratios that the vehicle didn’t “run away”.
Here’s what the testers had to say:
FORD RANGER
“I liked it,” was one of the opening comments. “It felt more stable than it had on-road, and the low ratio was good, with easy selection using a positive lever.”
“It felt very comfortable, went everywhere I wanted it to. Great,” said another.
“Surprisingly good, I liked it, and felt it was better off-road than the Mazda,” was a third comment.
But for another tester it wasn’t so convincing. “It was OK, but they are all OK. The Ford didn’t stand out in any way, although it does the job”.
One feature that was commented on – and this also applies to the Mazda – is that once off-road you can unlock the front diffs remotely via a switch on the dashboard – but you don’t have to lock them again when you go off-road as this happens automatically.
However testers felt there should have been some indication on the dashboard on whether the vehicle was in 4 High or 4 Low, not just a 4WD indicator.
Cross-axles situations didn’t unduly faze the vehicle even with one rear wheel high in the air, the limited slip diff doing its job well, except in one particularly bad ditch crossing where one tester “got hung up”.
Visibility was good all round, and the mirrors gained praise.
Score: With two firsts and two seconds the Ford came out first for off-road use.
HOLDEN COLORADO
The Colorado has push button electrical selection of high and low ranges, and this gave problems for some of our testers. “I found it hard to select,” said one tester, although another felt the system was “good and simple”.
“It’s a lot like the Nissan,” said another. “It feels bigger than the others”.
“I was really surprised. I had written it off, but off-road I was quite happy with it. Everything worked just the way I like it to feel,” was a very positive comment.
“I felt the same,” said another tester. “It surprised me off-road – it was more convincing off-road than on the road.”
“The floppy on-road ride makes for quite a comfortable off-road ride,” was one comment.
However it was felt it struggles a little in cross-axle situations, although its low gearing gave very good downhill control – albeit with a degree of transmission whine, the only vehicle to suffer from this.
“An OK truck, but not the best,” was a fair summary.
Score: The Holden scored one third place.
MAZDA BT-50
Again, many of the comments mirrored those for the Ford.
However one tester had this to say: “It was quite adequate, but I felt the Ford was a little better”.
This was echoed by another who said: “I was slightly more convinced by the Ford than the Mazda”.
A poorly-adjusted clutch may have been to blame for this – two testers admitted to stalling the engine as a result.
“There were lots of clunks and bongs but it does the job convincingly. The abrupt clutch take-up makes delicate low-speed stuff slightly tricky. But the steering is nice and accurate,” summarised the Mazda well.
Score: The Mazda scored four second places and one third to come out joint second for off-road use.
MITSUBISHI TRITON
The best first: “For the dollars it’s the only one with any electronics (excluding ABS, which they all have) and they did the job – it ate up everything I threw at it”.
“Quite good, but not outstanding,” said another. “It has low sills, which could be a problem”.
“I would struggle to say why, but my least favourite of the lot – it didn’t feel that convincing” was a third comment.
However the simple levers for selection of high and low ratios were praised, though ride quality off-road wasn’t.
“It had quite a rough ride – I was thrown around a bit”.
However others praised the ride and steering, as well as engine power and flexibility, which got a “very good”.
All the testers liked the electronic systems. “In the last cross-axle test the vehicle lost traction but the traction control pulled us through”, said one.
He described it as “a recreational play ute”.
Score: Two first places. The Mitsubishi scored fourth overall for off-road use.
NISSAN NAVARA
“It’s a good open country vehicle, but with that horrible gearbox I had a lot of trouble selecting between first and reverse when I tried to rock the vehicle out of a cross-axle”, said one.
Although testers liked the Navara’s carrying capacity, the long wheelbase – 200 mm longer than the next longest – meant it had some problems with ramp over, and a couple of testers felt the side steps rub as they crested the brow of our hill..
“I found the gear ratios were well suited to off-road, and it rode quite well,” said one tester. “There always seemed to be the right gear thanks to the six speeds. However I hated the electronic selection of 4WD, although on the whole I liked the vehicle.”
There was good visibility from the driver’s seat, and the Navara was easy to place on the track – “but it feels big”. Power and flexibility were praised, and downhill engine braking was excellent.
Ride quality was described as “firm, but adequate”. Another tester said: “It is as smooth and comfortable off-road as it is on-road, with effortless performance”.
“A big open country work vehicle,” summarised the Navara well.
Score: One third place.
TOYOTA HILUX
“I think, for me, the Toyota is still the best off-road, but not by as much as it used to be – the others are catching up. A valid comment.
Another tester stated: “It’s the opposite of the Holden. It would have to be close to being my favourite off-road”.
But another was disappointed. “It didn’t perform as well as I expected – it seemed big”.
A fellow tester had a similar complaint, criticising poor visibility over the big bonnet. “I had high expectations but it fell short of them,” he said.
Responding to that, another tester said “I didn’t give it high expecations but it did quite well. Gearing was good and it had good traction and gave a smooth ride over the bumps”.
Engine flexibility was generally praised. “It was far better off-road than on,” was one statement.
“Excellent, especially when climbing,” was another.
“Good but not the best to live with”, summarised the Toyota.
Score: Two firsts, one second, one third. This placed the Hilux joint third for off-road use.