Best-value Tradie Cars

GOLD WINNER FORD RANGER XLT 4X4 DUAL-CAB

Australia used to ride on the sheep’s back – now it’s a passenger in a dual-cab 4x4 ute! More than half of the 10 best-selling new vehicles last year and year to date in 2020 are dual-cabs, with Toyota’s HiLux and our category winner this year, the Ford Ranger XLT 4x4, traditionally duking it out for top spot most months.

Utes have come a long way since the very first was built by Ford Australia. While they attract more family buyers than ever, their key appeal is to user-choosers who want the same vehicle for playing on Sunday and working on Monday.

It’s appropriate that the current Ford Ranger was engineered and designed in Australia by Ford for the world – it’s not built here but its Aussie intellectual property hits the market in more than 160 countries. “The current Ford Ranger has been on the market for so long now that you almost expect it to wearily slump to the bottom of the ute pecking order. It hasn’t. Quite simply, the Ranger’s performance, ride quality, handling dynamics, interior space, general comfort and overall refinement are a clear notch above the others,” says Carsales.

Canny tradies want value for money and the other standout dual-cab is the Mitsubishi Triton GLX-R 4x4 dual-cab. It can’t ultimately match the Ford for overall performance but it’s great value. So, too, the Mitsubishi Express GLX SWB van. A rebadged version of the Renault Trafic, it beats the original hands down for retained value, such is Mitsubishi’s brand collateral.