SOUTH Africans who want a new bakkie, (or pick up or ute) can choose from 27 brands, ranging from the plucky little Changan 1,3 half-tonner to the beastly 6,7-litre RAM trucks imported by US Trucks in Richards Bay.
But mostly, we don’t choose.
Instead, we stick with a Hilux, SA’s best selling vehicle overall and the bakkie that enjoys over a third of local sales for two reasons — lots of dealers and high resale values.
Last month, Toyota sold 3 366 Hiluxes, compared to Ford’s 2 535 Rangers; and just three Boarding
bakkies from JMC.
bakkies from JMC.
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| Metro sales boss Elvis Naidoo looking develish handsome with the SA's littlest bakkie, the Changan from China. |
The Hilux is, however, no longer SA’s the best-selling double cab. Ford now claims that title for the Ranger bakkie, in which the 3,2-litre diesel turbo engine makes 470 Newtons.
The Newtons show how big the engine’s muscles are, while the kilo-Watts show how fast the muscles can move without tearing apart. Race cars need high kilo-Watts. Bakkies need high Newtons.
The most Newtons in a bakkie in SA comes from the 6,7-litre turbo diesel in the specially imported RAM Laramie. This Yank tank makes over 1 000 Nm, good for towing big boats and tractors, but too much and way too thirsty for daily use.
In a double cab bakkie that weighs in at some 3,5 tons with two passengers inside, you want about 300 Newtons for sprightly performance.
To use less diesel, you also want this torque to be made between 1 500 and 2 500 revolutions per minute (rpm) — what truckers call the powerband.
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| The JMC Vigus made more power than listed when we put it on the dyno. |
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| The Amarok Extreme is all the high-seated race car a farmer can want. |
They are Merc’s X-Class 350D and VW’s Amarok Extreme.
The Merc makes its 550 Nm between 1 400 and 3 200 rpm — the widest powerband here, while the VW has a narrower powerband of 1400 and 2750 rpm. Making only 20 Newtons less than the Ranger’s bigger engine is the award-winning 2,3-litre turbo diesel deployed in the Nissan Navara, the Merc X-Class 250D and soon, the Renault Alaskan, (due in SA before year end). Then comes the Fiat Fullback and its twin the Mitsubishi Triton, (both making 430 Nm); the Hilux 2,8-litre (420 Nm); the X-Class 2,3-litre, detuned to make 403 Nm; and the popular Hilux 2,4-litre (400 Nm).
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| The first Mercedes-Benz bakkie, the 180D is a far cry from the new 550 Nm V6 X-Class. |
These are all very capable double cabs with similar looks and specs that all average out on a spreadsheet, which makes choosing one above the other a question of heart, not head.
Hence, we suggest ticking just three boxes to choose from SA’s strongest bakkies.
• Is the monthly cost affordable? (Bear in mind the finance cost is only about 40% of the running costs).
• Is the dealer close by for those services?
• And most important, does the bakkie make you smile each time you drive it?
When you have a double cab that ticks all boxes, remember, it is a buyers’ market and dealers like Key Group are all offering big discounts or fantastic trade-ins to win your business.
If they don’t, move to the next closest dealer on your list.
SA’s strongest bakkies in 2018
| Mercedes Benz Xclass 350D | 550 Nm |
| VW Amarok 3,0 V6 TDI Highline | 550 Nm |
| Ford Ranger 3,2 | 470 Nm |
| Mazda BT50 3,2 4x4 SLE | 470 Nm |
| Mercedes Benz Xclass 2,3 250D | 450 Nm |
| Nissan Navara 2,3 | 450 Nm |
| Fiat Fullback 2,5 DiD 4x4 LX auto | 430 Nm |
| Mitsibishi Triton 2,4 Di-D | 430 Nm |
| Toyota Hilux 2,8GD-6 Raider | 420 Nm |
| Mercedes Benz Xclass 2,3 220D | 403 Nm |
| Toyota Hilux 2,4GD-6 SRX | 400 Nm |
