Club 4X4 joined 4WD 24/7 to put the best 4X4 Utes of 2022 to the test on the tracks of Coffs Harbour.
Being a 4WD paradise and the country that birthed the trusty ute, it’s no surprise to see 4X4 utes regularly topping Australia’s new vehicle sales, both overall and as the dominant vehicle type within the highest-selling SUV category. These utes have come a long way in recent years too, with gadget-loaded interiors and car-like handling from ruggedly reliable modern platforms helping them break the workhorse stereotype to become the daily drive for many Aussies from all walks of life. Add to that the addition of factory features like locking differentials and pre-wired integrations for aftermarket electrical accessories, and you can see why these have become the off-road platform of choice for many 4WDers down under.
At Club 4X4, we can get around pretty much anything that you can head off the beaten track in while touring this great southern land of ours, but we of course jumped at the chance to join 4WD 24/7 in testing the latest and greatest 4X4 utes for 2022, which you can watch in the video above. Namely, we reviewed examples of the top 3 sellers in the Toyota Hilux Rogue ($75,107), the Ford Ranger XLT ($70,608) and the Mitsubishi Triton GSR ($63,490), joined by the Mazda BT-50 Thunder ($76,194), the Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain ($64,990) and the LDV T60 Max Pro ($38,937). Due to availability, 4WD 24/7 weren’t able to secure a Nissan Navara or Volkswagen Amarok.
We sent our Marketing Manager, Dave Carter, along as our resident rev head with a background in automotive journalism that’s seen him do similar tests many times before. Joining him on the judging panel was of course 4WD 24/7’s Shaun Whale, Tim Lightfoot from MITS Alloy as an expert in kitting out utes with canopies, Rob Gooley from Ultimate Diesel Tuning as an expert in tuning modern diesels, Ian Campbell from Bendix as an expert on brakes, Steve Cowling from Pinnacle 4X4 as an expert in high-end touring builds and Zac as a representative of the average punter who brought along his own recently purchased LDV T60.
To give the judging panel a good feel for what this fleet of 4X4 utes could do, Coffs Harbour was chosen as a destination that was a reasonable distance from 4WD 24/7’s Brisbane HQ for a solid stint of highway testing and an easy detour past Pebbly Beach for some sand driving on the way south. This was followed by a few days of testing on some of Coffs Harbours many 4X4 tracks, with the aim being to cover a variety of off-road terrain types. We won’t spoil it for you though, check out the video above and let us know what you think in the comments below!
If you’re considering purchasing a new rig and plan to put it to good use off-road, be sure to consider our insurance that goes anywhere a 4X4 legally can while covering the true value of all of the gear that goes into it and offering peace of mind with our Off-Road Recovery Cover should things not go to plan.
