It’s time to settle the arguments and answer the question many Australians are asking: Which is the best dual-cab ute – Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux or the new Volkswagen Amarok?
- How much do the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok cost?
- How safe are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
- What technology features on the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
- What powers the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
- What are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok like to drive?
- How good are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok off-road?
- What are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok like for towing and payload?
- What are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok like inside?
- Should I buy a Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux or Volkswagen Amarok?
The new 2023 Volkswagen Amarok is based on the excellent Ford Ranger 4×4 dual-cab ute, so it’s no surprise that VW’s version stands as the biggest threat yet to the Blue Oval. Let’s not forget that the Toyota HiLux remains the nation’s most popular ute alongside the Ranger, so we’ve lined up all three in a premium specification to answer the question that many buyers are now asking: Which is the best dual-cab ute in Australia – and why?
How much do the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok cost?
The new 2023 Volkswagen Amarok in PanAmericana TDI600 (V6) trim competes most directly with the Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 and the Toyota HiLux Rogue.
Pricing, however, is a different story.
Not quite $1000 separates the Ford and Toyota, with the Ranger Wildtrak V6 starting at $71,190 plus on-road costs and the HiLux Rogue kicking off at $70,200 plus ORCs.
At $75,990 plus ORCs, the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana is $4800 more expensive than the equivalent V6-powered Ranger Wildtrak, and $5790 upstream of the HiLux Rogue.
What equipment comes with the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
The 2023 Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok on test are all premium-spec models, either one rung down from the flagship grade – or, in the case of the HiLux Rogue, soon will be with the arrival of the HiLux GR Sport due in the third quarter of this year.
That also excludes the Ford Ranger Raptor, which really is a model in its own right, with a far more off-road performance focus.
All three utes lined up here have obvious high-end features such as leather upholstery, heated front seats, power front seats (driver’s only in the HiLux) and, of course, automatic wipers, auto headlights, an auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror and keyless entry/start.
Park assist is included on the Ford and Volkswagen utes only.
As for tray area inclusions, only the Volkswagen misses out on a powered roller shutter (in fact, it has no standard tonneau cover).
Each ute has a rear step bumper, but the Ranger also has side steps for easier tray access with the tailgate lowered. There’s a drop-in bedliner insert for the Ranger, removeable marine-grade carpet in the HiLux and a spray-in liner for the Amarok. The Ford and Toyota have LED lighting in the tray area, while the Ford also has a 12-volt auxiliary socket.
Ford charges $700 extra for non-standard paint, while for Toyota it’s $696 and for Volkswagen $990.
Warranty is five years/unlimited kilometres for each ute, while roadside assist is one year for free for both the Ranger and Amarok. The HiLux has no free roadside assist.
The Toyota also needs servicing sooner; a return to the workshop is due every six months or 10,000km, while the Ford and Volkswagen have longer 12-month/15,000km intervals.
That makes comparing the capped-price servicing offers tricky; even if you don’t do 10,000km in six months, the vehicle is still scheduled for a service based on the time period; so on that basis, the Toyota needs double the services the other two do.
Over five years/75,000km, the Ford Ranger V6 costs $2520, the Toyota HiLux $3763 (with a service distance of up to 100,000km) and the Volkswagen Amarok V6 the lowest at $1801.
How safe are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
There is not much missing from a premium ute’s safety suite. The 2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Toyota HiLux Rogue and Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana are all fitted with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and lane keeping assist.
Front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree surround-view camera are standard too, along with LED headlights and front fog lights.
Helping justify its higher price, the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana has advanced Matrix headlight technology, which is an option on the Ranger Wildtrak and unavailable on HiLux Rogue.
This underscores the age of the HiLux, which arrived in its current eighth generation in 2015; it received a safety upgrade in 2019, but still doesn’t match the newer Ranger (launched last year) and the related Amarok (this year).
For example, HiLux lacks the Ranger and Amarok’s evasive steer assist (called swerve steer assist in the Volkswagen), load adaptive control, rollover mitigation, rear disc brakes and tyre pressure monitoring.
All three utes have a five-star ANCAP safety rating, with the HiLux’s dated 2019 and the Ford and the Volkswagen from 2022 (under upgraded protocols).
The Ranger and Amarok have nine airbags – front, side and knee airbags for both the driver and front passenger, plus a centre-front airbag between them and full-length curtain airbags across the front and rear compartments – while the HiLux has seven: dual front, side, full curtain and a driver’s knee airbag.
Calibration of the lane keeping and other driver assist systems is good in all three utes, with none of them intervening too quickly or aggressively on test.
What technology features on the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
The 2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana have a more sophisticated infotainment and in-vehicle technology set-up than the Toyota HiLux Rogue, which is no great surprise given the Toyota’s core development happened several years before the Ford/VW pair.
All three utes have hands-free Bluetooth telephony and audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, voice recognition and digital radio.
The HiLux only gets a small central (4.2-inch) digital section on its otherwise analogue driver’s display, while the Ranger’s configurable digital dash display is 8.0-inch and the Amarok has a full-width 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
The centre touch-screen is 12-inch on the Ford and Volkswagen, while the HiLux has a much smaller 8.0-inch screen.
All three have embedded sat-nav, but only the Ranger offers traffic alerts via its embedded modem (although the subscription is free for only one year).
The HiLux has a three-year free Toyota Connected Services subscription for emergency calls, collision notification, stolen vehicle tracking and the myToyota app. The Amarok offers an emergency call button, but it uses a paired phone’s cellular connection.
Wireless phone charging is included in the Ford and Volkswagen, but not Toyota’s ute.
Even though their systems are very similar, the Ford and Volkswagen software appears to have different parameters.
The Ranger’s system is easier to use, menus are simpler and it offers more hardware dials for key controls (that is, climate control fan and temperature), whereas the Amarok relies more on the touch-screen menu system, with problems of distraction and sometimes confusing menu systems.
For example, checking trailer lights and setting up the trailer parameters was intuitive in the Ford; not so much with the Volkswagen.
What powers the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
The 2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 and Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana TDI600 share the same 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.
Both engines are smooth, quiet and free-revving, and gather speed deceptively quickly teamed with their (also identical) 10-speed automatic transmission.
The Toyota HiLux sticks with a 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which has more noise and vibration and is less willing to rev. Its six-speed auto isn’t as smooth, either.
The HiLux isn’t painfully slow, especially if you make the most of its beefy torque curve – it’s just completely overshadowed in this company.
How fuel efficient are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok?
All three vehicles share the same 8.4L/100km official combined-cycle fuel consumption figure, despite the higher outputs from the V6 diesel in the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok.
On test, the four-cylinder diesel-powered Toyota HiLux was slightly more efficient, averaging 10.7L/100km compared to 11.5L/100km recorded for both the Ford and VW utes.
What are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok like to drive?
The 2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue lacks ride quality and also has body flex over bumps, suggesting less rigidity than the Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana.
While it gets better as you pile on speed on a rough road, and always feels stable, the HiLux again is just a step behind the other two more sophisticated utes.
The Amarok, with lighter steering and a firmer ride, turns in more quickly and more decisively than its Ranger cousin, and is more enjoyable to drive quickly – on a smooth, paved section of twisting road.
But throw in a few bumps – as you do, when travelling on many Aussie roads, paved or not – and the Volkswagen fidgets and fusses over even small undulations where the Ranger does not.
The Ranger might be a little more dull to drive on smooth roads – and doesn’t exactly have a magic-carpet ride on rough corrugations, either – but is the best compromise for ride and handling of these three.
How good are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok off-road?
We only conducted a short off-road test for this comparison, but we’ve had plenty of experience in the rough stuff with the 2023 Ford Ranger – much of which carries over to the new Volkswagen Amarok – as well as the Toyota HiLux.
All three have the basics elements required for serious off-road touring: low-range gearing, a rear differential lock and reasonable ground clearance.
Naturally, a deep dive into a 4×4 accessory catalogue is needed by all three for serious Outback touring or off-roading, but Ford and Toyota (and hopefully soon Volkswagen) have plenty of off-road accessories available.
All have air intakes that are well protected, space for a dual battery set-up and solid front recovery points (but none at the rear). The HiLux’s alternator is also positioned high to avoid muddy water ingress when off-road; the Ranger and Amarok alternators are mounted low.
The VW has Goodyear all-terrain tyres fitted standard; the same rubber is optional on Ranger. That said, these are not much more than mud-and-snow tyres, so for anything like serious off-roading you’ll need better tyres than what’s fitted here to all three utes.
What are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok like for towing and payload?
We hitched up an 1800kg trailer for assessing the towing capability of the 2023 Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok and Toyota HiLux. And it was clear the Ranger is better in stability and ride, and equal-best for towing performance with the Amarok.
While the Amarok has a fidgeting ride, it’s better than the more abrupt HiLux, which overall trails the other two for towing.
Weights and payloads are such a problem with utes, especially when they don’t all quote the same weight ratings. Volkswagen gives tare only, Ford gives kerb and tare weights and Toyota only kerb weight.
Please note that our mass estimations, based on manufacturer figures, are indicative only. Get your ute (and trailer) weighed to really know if your ute exceeds the absolute figures.
None can legally have a full payload and tow 3500kg. Having said that, both Ranger and Amarok can carry about 580kg of payload when towing a full 3500kg, while the HiLux can carry a mere 94kg. (That’s based on 5850kg GCM less 3500kg maximum tow capacity, equalling 2350kg vehicle and payload max. Factor in the 2256kg kerb weight and you’re left with a 94kg payload max).
Amarok has the best useable tray space only because it didn’t have the power roller shutter option or drop-in liner of the other two; the shutter especially digs into useable tray space.
Amarok’s 1550x1370x530mm (LxWxH) dimensions translate to about 400-500mm more length and 90mm more width (with a similar useable height) to the comparable space in the other two utes.
What are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok like inside?
It’s clear that the 2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue lacks presentation and features compared to the Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana.
The HiLux has hard plastics everywhere, doesn’t provide power adjustment for the front passenger seat, has a simple lack of technology, and so on…
And it’s not like all could be forgiven due to a low asking price.
The seats hold you in place best in the Volkswagen Amarok, although its buffalo hide upholstery doesn’t allow you to shift in your seat easily, while the Ford Ranger is less supportive but ultimately the most comfortable compromise of the three.
The HiLux has simple ergonomics – perhaps too simple, in this company.
The Ranger has intuitive screen menus and an array of well-placed and well-spaced controls. The Amarok, in comparison, has a crowded centre console/lower stack and the infotainment suffers from some confusing menus.
Should I buy a Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux or Volkswagen Amarok?
The 2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue feels well behind the more contemporary Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana in terms of ride, handling, performance, interior presentation and technology.
That leaves the closely matched Ranger and Amarok.
Both utes offer excellent performance from their smooth and quiet V6 diesel engine, and both have a large, comfortable interior.
However, it’s the Ford Ranger that pulls ahead to win this comparison, thanks to its more well-rounded ride and handling and better interior layout and infotainment menus.
2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 at a glance:
Price: $71,190 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 184kW/600Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 222g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)
2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue at a glance:
Price: $70,200 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/500Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 222g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)
2023 Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana TDI600 at a glance:
Price: $75,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 184kW/600Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 222g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)
Keyword: Ford Ranger v Toyota HiLux v Volkswagen Amarok 2023 Comparison