UTILITY PLAYERS

Dual-cab utes are the Swiss Army knife of vehicles, having a go at a variety of tasks without necessarily being the best tool for a specific job. The notion that a ute will do it all resonates with drivers keen on a vehicle that can handle work, play and family life.

The nation’s bestsellers, Toyota’s HiLux and Ford’s Ranger, have been on sale for years and aren’t eligible for our Car of the Year award.

So the Mitsubishi Triton, Mercedes-Benz X350d and SsangYong Musso were tested on COTY criteria — value for money, performance, design, technology and safety.

SSANGYONG MUSSO

Remember the SsangYong Musso four-wheel drive sold here in the 1990s? That name is on the tailgate of the ute that’s the core of the brand’s Australian relaunch.

Priced from $34,990 drive-away, the longwheelbase Musso undercuts established rivals

Powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel (133kW/420Nm), the top-end Musso is available only with a six-speed automatic transmission. On the bitumen, it’s a rear-wheel drive proposition only, with low and high-range 4WD selectable on loose surfaces.

The engine is adequate if not outstanding, getting the job done with a touch of turbo lag and less noise than you might expect. We weren’t impressed by the auto, which struggled to anticipate driver needs in its default eco mode.

The rear suspension bounced around without a load in the bed, the tyres sometimes skipping across the bitumen of our test route.

MERCEDES-BENZ X350D

“Don’t you mean the Navara?” Mentioning the Mercedes dual-cab at a Friday night catch-up highlights the problem with the X-Class ute.

Launched in early 2018 in four-cylinder form with Navara engine, transmission and