70 series land cruiser. I have a 2014 dbl cab. Now they are not a luxury SUV, they are not perfect, BUT they are a real truck and in my opinion the last true work horse.
mrfxit,
Aug 9, 2:05pm
Tho, they were never built to be a wannabe Ponsonby tractor anyway
s_nz,
Aug 9, 6:20pm
"Available exclusively on Wildtrak and the Ranger Raptor (coming later in 2018)" Note that the Wildrtack gets normal ranger tow rating and payload, unlike the raptor.
Based on what ford Australia is stating (NZ normally gets similar spec to Aussie with thai built cars), the 2019 ranger 3.2L will be sold as a six speed auto or manual.
OP, if swinging the ranger way could consider waiting for the 2019 model year to land, in order to get keyless entry, android auto/ apple carplay (higher spec levels), active safety features, and improved suspension, plus an exterior facelift.
"For the 2019 Ranger, the suspension has been upgraded across the range to reduce and better control roll, with an emphasis on improving the driving experience when fully-laden and towing."
Sounds desirable especially if you spend a lot of time loaded.
berg,
Aug 9, 6:43pm
I have a 2017 D Max and love it. It's a bit more agricultural trim wise than some of the others but it does come with that tried and true 3lt engine. Other than the trim it is quite well appointed, getting 8.1ltrs per 100km on average with some of that towing tractor on trailer, comfortable 4 up and not bad even 5 up. Plenty of room in the deck too. I narrowed it to the Colorado or the D Max and the Isuzu won on price
3tomany,
Aug 9, 6:58pm
I have had lots of rangers all faultless, way more comfortable than the competition and also easy to drive. Deals should be good with runnout of old model or pick up the new model. A base model ranger can be better specced than many cheaper utes top model so not as expensive as it looks but if you have the coin they can be very luxurious.
absolute_detail,
Aug 9, 9:37pm
The v6 Amarok is by far the best ute.
mrcat1,
Aug 10, 7:57am
Well longevity obviously wasn't on the designers list of requirements when they came to the twin spinner 2L, 157kw and 500Nm out of such a small engine, I wonder how long one would last for before dropping its lunch? I certainly wouldn't buy one for that reason alone, I like big capacity and big power and then it doesn't have to work hard most of the time, unlike this 2L with 3500kg behind it, it would be screaming the whole time. There is no reason why these small ute makers have to reduce capacity all the time.
mrfxit,
Aug 10, 10:49am
Just like most other items, as the next generation is smaller in size for the same item, but with higher performance = less chance of being repairable when it fails.
Seeing more & more of this in electronics & electrical tools. Expecting the same thing with smaller capacity engines running HP that used to be the domain of std 6 & 8cyl engines.
Even worse when you consider that some of these new mini ci + turbo engines are running more HP then a lot of std factory performance engines from as little as 10 years ago
berg,
Aug 10, 4:49pm
One of the points as to why I went the D MAX. 3ltr makes lazy power at low boost. Pretty unstressed especially when towing the tractor on trailer. I always think, more boost, more power but also more heat
3tomany,
Aug 10, 9:03pm
I love your choice of words calling dmax lazy power. I have never driven one but my son does daily as his work has a fleet of them. He often has driven my ranger 40km to his work only to get out of it and then take a work ute for even more ks than that. He says lazy is a bit kind as he would prefer to call them gutless compared to a ranger. Also boring and a bit light with an ugly dashboard. His words not mine as i never driven one.
peacebird15,
Aug 11, 7:04pm
Rams are toys, if they were really practical work vehicles they would sell more than 5% of there production run outside the USA
mrcat1,
Aug 11, 10:51pm
How many other utes on the market in NZ can tow just under 7 tonne and have 276Kw and 1084Nm? They are practical vehicles as I use mine as a work vehicle towing all the time, the difference is they are classed as a heavy vehicle in NZ and as such, you need a class two licence and they have to be right hand drive, hence why Walkinshaw has spent millions tooling up for remanufacturing them and HSV has done the same for the Camaros and Silverado's. In time people that need a heavy duty ute will work out that all these other small output utes are toys in comparison.
davidmoore,
Aug 14, 6:55pm
I've owned Ranger,s and now have a D max, the Ranger is a really powerful fast good looking ute, maybe a falcon sedan with a ute body on top , i had issues with all 3 of them, the D max is a truck with a ute body on top, surprisingly good to drive,really economic as i tow a boat a lot, but most importantly its reliable, a great tow vehicle with really good torque, a really underrated vehicle and will certainly be buying another one
The big pickups dont offer good value for money outside of the USA where they are about 50% of the price, gas is cheap and you can U turn the titanic in most back yards, thats why they have never been popular here as work vehicles aside from the tradie owner who has a liking for them.
The Ram 3500 and bigger f series are the bosses toy.
99.99% of businesses in NZ are going to buy a real truck to get jobs done and have a useful carrying capacity on the back as well as what it can tow.(and lets face it, if your trying to tow 7 tonne, your probably only carrying 70% of that in actual load due to trailer weight) I get wanting to drive something you like, and being able to spend money on what you like when its your business and running your machines accordingly. I have a mate who uses a harley to do quotes, he will claim practical justification until the cows come home But by comparison as a work vehicle, although im sure you get great use out of it, yours is a toy, im sure it gets you more pleasure than a flat nose fuso.
Other 4wd ute owners spend about 33% of the purchase price of a Ram and get over 50% of its weight capacity. That more a bargain by comparison than toy.
Interesting factoid, nobody knows (outside of the makers) how many F150's, ram 1500, ram3500 or f250's etc are really built. They give total numbers for the range, but never release the individual number for the models.
mrcat1,
Aug 15, 5:25pm
Well the big makers are all starting to do RHD in the real utes now, Walkingshaw do the Rams, HSV are doing the Silverados and Ford are going to do factory RHD F150,250's etc in 2019-2020.
eleni01,
Aug 15, 6:05pm
Christ, what a pointless comparo. A Fuso weighing 6 tonne with a 6 tonne payload is in no way comparable to a Ram/Chev 2500 or F250. Maybe an F550 or chef 6500. Owners of the American pick ups generally demand what the common double cab Utes offer plus more. The added luxury/features, superior engine choices, tray and interior space, payload and towing can well be justified.
Fair call when compared to the Ranger. I used to work for Isuzu and the reliability helped my decision. Wouldn't say the dash is ugly or its light tho.
mrcat1,
Aug 15, 11:08pm
Exactly, 170hp verses something with near 400hp and stump pulling torque, leather heated and cooled fully electric seats, plus the back on my ram has the seats down and i have gear in there. Unless you have owned and driven the likes of a Ram you are really wasting your time trying to compare them with anything else, really people who do try and compare them to the jap utes are only trying to justify to themselves they don't need a real ute and are happy with a jappa. Once you own and regularly drive a real ute there is no way you would ever go back to a small ute, they dont compare.
rovercitroen,
Aug 15, 11:28pm
I suppose it depends on how big your penis extension needs to be. some need a little help, some need alot.
survivalkiwi,
Aug 16, 7:26am
Which is code for you cant afford one or the wife wont let you have one.
rovercitroen,
Aug 18, 9:22am
Ha Ha. Both!
rovercitroen,
Aug 18, 9:27am
Have been driving around Queensland the last couple of weeks. The Aussies like their utes just as much as us Kiwis. But more of a mix of the brands here. The Ranger doesn't seem to dominate so much over here. As far as cars go the Toyota Camry and Corolla are very popular as are Kia and Hyundai. Alot will be rental cars though as it is holiday season. Mitsubishi seem to have a bigger slice of the market here as far as utes and SUVs go too.
3tomany,
Aug 18, 10:58am
Same as here Hilux and ranger absolutely dominate the ute market in Aussie.
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