2018 Toyota Hilux SR5 4WD

$50,990 (manual), $53,490 (automatic) As capable and versatile as ever, reputation, resale value, easy to drive for the properly tough stuff, too.

And even on mild gravel, the differences are clear. In two-wheel drive it’s fine, but when slotted into four high it grows new confidence and rides bumps with much more assurance. Toyota also says that protection underneath has been beefed up, which just serves as added incentive to test its capabilities.

At the end of the day, there are better utes out there in almost all the big categories. But the Hilux still stands up as a safe go-to option for those who value hard-working traits and off-road chops. And if you don’t rate those elements, well . . . you’ll probably buy one anyway. The numbers don’t lie.