Top-10 Dual-cab utes for towing

Carsales' biennial dual-cab 4WD ute comparison is a hit with buyers looking to tow.

However, with most utes claiming a hefty 3500kg of braked towing capacity, it’s imperative new-ute buyers understand which models can legally pull that weight – and do it safely.

For this part of the test we hitched a 3000kg caravan to our 10 contenders and set out on a mixed road loop. Braking and engine performance are scrutinised, so too dynamic and stability measures.

We also look at the electronic driver aids that now make towing safer. Find out below which dual-cab 4WD ute tows best.

Related: 2019 Carsales Best Dual Cab 4x4 Ute Comparison

Tow-test parameters

The criteria we used for the towing element of our 2019 Dual-Cab 4WD Ute Comparison were: engine performance; transmission performance; vehicle stability, ride quality and towing tech and specs.

Engine performance is about to how well the rig can climb a steep hill and how easily it can maintain a touring speed on the plains. Is it a realistic 100km/h tourer or does it constantly need to dip into lower gears and higher revs to keep momentum?

Do steep hills slow the vehicle and van considerably, or can it hold speed if you want it to? Long descents can be hard on a rig’s brakes, so engine braking is also part of the engine performance criterion.

Transmission performance is about whether the gear ratios are appropriate for towing and whether the transmission is able to settle into a gear or if it’s restless with regular shifts.

Being able to engage manual mode or downshift quickly (with paddle shifters, for example) and being able to hold gears into redline (rather than upshifting before it) in manual mode are other criteria.

Vehicle stability is always compromised with a heavy van behind, but this criterion score is about how well a ute copes with the inherent imbalance of towing. If a tow vehicle begins to yaw easily (with accompanying caravan sway), it is not stable and will be more prone to jack-knife and/or roll-over. Excessive fore-aft pitching over bumps can also create instability.

Ride quality can change dramatically from unladen with a trailer hitched up. Having a mass pushing down on a point out in the breeze behind the ute (i.e. towball download) creates a unique load situation for the ute’s suspension. Some are better tuned for this scenario than others. Poorly tuned utes will either be too soft or too brittle in the response to bumps, which can be very tiring if you’re towing on a long trip.

Our towing tech and specs examination bundles in points for a vehicle’s towing-specific tech such as whether it has trailer-sway control, whether its rear-view camera has a centre marker for lining up a towball (or even has a field of view that actually includes the towball).

Towing specs includes whether there are any towing restrictions such as manufacturer-decreed speed restrictions (below posted limits), bans on Weight Distribution Hitch use or an especially poor GVM or GCM.

Hitching up the van

To test our 10 double-cab 4WD utes we towed a big Coromal Princeton tandem-axle caravan, with a 2933kg Tare mass. With a 265kg towball download mass, the Coromal was light enough on the ball even for the Volkswagen Amarok and Nissan Navara (with their stated 300kg towball download maximum) and had a Tare that kept us legal even with the lowest-rated ute (the Toyota HiLux, with 3200kg braked towing capacity).

We enlisted Ian McCallum from WeighStation to measure the kerb mass of each ute as tested (unladen, with a full tank of fuel) and the caravan’s as-tested mass.

The Mitsubishi Triton, SsangYong Musso, Nissan Navara, Toyota HiLux and Volkswagen Amarok had payload limitations that would see them exceed GVM when towing if we included a 375kg dummy payload, so to keep us both legal and consistent the only payload was the caravan’s towball mass (265kg) and two occupants with combined mass of 184kg.

The Gross Combined Mass (GCM: total mass of vehicle and trailer) would have been exceeded in the Toyota by 73kg if we had tested it with a 375kg dummy payload.

The Amarok would have had just 195kg remaining for vehicle payload, followed by the Ford Ranger (213kg) and the Mazda BT-50 (254kg).

The rest of the utes had only around 300kg payload to play with, the best of them being the Triton with 341kg remaining payload.

All but two utes allow up to 10 per cent towball download mass (TBM). The Nissan and Volkswagen, each stating a 300kg maximum, have just under nine per cent maximum TBM.

The Nissan’s 300kg TBM is only available provided that the Navara is running 410kg less than GVM. It wouldn’t be very hard to exceed the TBM with these vehicles when towing a heavy trailer.

Checking the fine print

Owner’s manuals reveal much about a vehicle’s towing ability or what its manufacturer forget to tell you in the glossy advertising.

The Amarok’s manual reveals that you cannot use a weight distribution hitch and it says to not drive at more than 80km/h when towing more than 3300kg. The VW manual goes on to say that when towing any trailer, to only exceed 80km/h in “exceptional circumstances” (although it does not define what constitutes exceptional circumstances).

It’s also important to note that Volkswagen does not sanction the fitment of an electronic brake controller from the dealership. Like the other manufacturers on test, VW did fit an EBC for the purposes of this comparison, but wished to make clear that it “does not endorse brake controllers, nor does it have a factory-certified one to offer.

If customers do insist on fitting one, Volkswagen urges them to have it fitted professionally by a qualified auto electrician”.

SsangYong too puts a towing speed restriction on the Musso in its owner’s manual. It states, “Always drive your vehicle at a moderate speed (less than 80 km/h)”.

When queried on this, SsangYong Australia representative Andrew Ellis said: “We have no issue with towing at highway speeds”.

Rankings and attributes

Trailing the field is the Nissan Navara, which began to yaw at 80km/h and was the most lethargic hill-climber of the 10 dual-cab 4WD utes. It really had to work hard with 3000kg behind it, although the engine was eager and relatively smooth, it didn’t use much fuel and ride quality (up to 80km/h) was acceptable.

Next up is the Toyota HiLux, which was not as prone to yawing as the Nissan but was easily disturbed by cross winds or truck buffeting and the engine had to work hard and noisily to maintain momentum – which also saw it on the thirsty side.

However, the HiLux’s rear-view camera was one of the best for accurate solo hitching and ride quality was good.

The Mitsubishi Triton was up next. While it performed well, it didn’t have a very stable platform with plenty of both yawing and pitching – perhaps influenced by its long rear axle to towball measurement, which was 110mm longer than any other ute here.

While not yawing as much as the Nissan, the Triton’s chassis was not confidence-inspiring, a feeling not helped by its too-light steering.

The Isuzu D-MAX was a better tow performer than its score suggests. Solid as a rock with no yawing and only a small amount pitching on undulating roads, the D-MAX was one of the more relaxed performers here. Although it was one of the slowest, its fuel economy was among the best here too.

Up next were the Mercedes-Benz X-Class and SsangYong Musso, with equal billing – for different reasons.

The X-Class delivered cracker performance, equaling the Amarok in the hill climb and actually feeling more composed (engine-wise) and with a quicker gear changes than the Volkswagen. However, like the Navara, its chassis stability deteriorated beyond 80km/h.

The Mercedes also had light and lifeless steering. Ride was firm at lower speeds and too soft – with pitching – at highway speeds.

The Musso was a surprise package: no yawing or pitching and ride quality was acceptable. Better hill climb performance and a less noisy engine when under load would have seen an even better point score.

Next up on equal points were the Mazda and Volkswagen.

The Amarok is frustrating because while it has great engine performance and smoothness, (albeit neither quite as responsive nor relaxed as the X-Class when towing) and great towing stability, its ride was uncomfortable when towing on rough secondary roads. Volkswagen’s no-WDH edict for Amarok and 80km/h speed restriction when towing don’t help.

The Mazda BT-50 is stable, has good engine performance (albeit accompanied by a noisy, truck-like engine note) and great engine braking. Its ride is brittle on rough roads, however, and the transmission is too keen to pick up a lower gear during easy cruising.

The Holden Colorado scored well, thanks to a combination of good (if not flawless) stability and good performance. We did note it was a little noisy and its 500Nm is delivered in a very narrow band – not ideal for many towing situations.

Winning package

But the Ford Ranger was the top-scoring ute. The new 2.0-litre/10-speed powertrain is even better than the Ranger’s alternative five-cylinder/six-speed powertrain for performance, fuel economy and smoothness, and the rest of the Ranger package is the towing hero we know and love.

It is very stable, has a composed ride and its engine performs well, in combination with a transmission that picks the right gear at the right time.

2019 Ford Ranger Wildtrak Bi-Turbo towing specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 157kW/500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 350kg

2019 Holden Colorado Z71 towing specs
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 147kW/500Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 350kg

2019 Isuzu D-MAX LS-T towing specs
Engine: 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 130kW/430Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 350kg

2019 Mazda BT-50 GT towing specs
Engine: 3.2-litre five cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 147kW/470Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 350kg

2019 Mercedes-Benz X350d Progressive 4MATIC towing specs
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 190kW/550Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 350kg

2019 Mitsubishi Triton GLS Premium towing specs
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 133kW/430Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3100kg
Max towball download: 310kg

2019 Nissan Navara ST-X towing specs
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 300kg

2019 SsangYong Musso Ultimate towing specs
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 133kW/400Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 350kg

2019 Toyota HiLux Rogue towing specs
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 130kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3200kg
Max towball download: 320kg

2019 Volkswagen Amarok Ultimate 580 4MOTION towing specs
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 190kW/580Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Max (braked) towing: 3500kg
Max towball download: 300kg