SUMMARY REPORT2021
AFTER five days of testing and with only four cars left after day two, there was no obvious winner, yet each of the drivers had shared their opinions, likes and dislikes on each car.
They agreed that the new D-MAX is a step up over the previous model but questioned whether or not it has strayed away from its dependable, value-for-money selling point now that it has more tech and its prices are higher. They agreed the working-class LS-M has everything you need in a touring or working 4x4, but all thought it was priced high when compared to other vehicles in its class.
Ron Moon commented: “The D-MAX is a solid, reliable dualcab ute but seemed expensive with the accessories added.” That pretty much summed-up all the sopinions.
The Isuzu’s Mazda brother appeared better priced for the equipment included, even though it was one spec level above the D-MAX. One tester mentioned it felt better put together and more solid, and that he’d happily pay the extra money for it. Even though it failed to proceed on day three of the test, the drivers rated it better value-for-money and better priced among its competitors in the dual-cab ute class.
“I’ve never been so impressed with a Hilux before,” said Ronny at the end of day five of testing. “It ticked all the boxes, whether you want it for work or play.”
This echoed the judges’ opinions of the Toyota with one saying, “This is what the Hilux should have been when it was released five years ago; it’s taken Toyota this long to get it right.”
The Hilux SR5 wasn’t the highest scorer in any criteria but it scored consistently across the group.
Throughout the week it was obvious that each of the drivers loved getting behind the wheel of the Gladiator, but they all complained about the cramped space in the driver’s footwell as well as some other ergonomic grievances. However, there was no questioning its off-road ability, even if it was widely agreed that it needs a raise in ground clearance. The $80K price of the Rubicon model and the lack of a diesel engine variant were also causes for concern for the Australian market.
The high purchase price was again in question when we spoke about the Defender, especially when you consider the last one was almost half the price. Sure, the new model is
nothing like that last one and has the latest tech features in it to make it more capable, safer and easier to live with, but is it worth twice the price of the old one? The complexity of accessing some of the Defender’s user controls was also a bit much for some.
All agreed that the Defender was very capable and nice to drive no matter the terrain or road surface. A few mentioned the poor ride quality when you have the suspension jacked up to its highest level.