In-Depth Comparison - New Hilux vs Ranger vs Isuzu KB vs Amarok

Yeah .

Hello and welcome to Clip Coffee .

It is a legendary four by four testing ground outside of Worcester in the Western Cape .

And we're here because we've organized a massive bucky shootout .

We're here to test the Isuzu K B against the V W Amarok against the new face lifted Ford Ranger .

And all of those are going up against the new Toyota Hilux , which I'm driving right now .

First up ride comfort and fuel consumption , we set up a 30 kilometer loop featuring stretches of tar and gravel and each tester drove each bucky once the consensus was that the Ranger offered a marginally better ride on both surfaces .

The Hilux has improved significantly over the previous model but is still quite firm .

The Isuzu K B lagged behind in terms of drive train refinement .

However , the ranger was the thirstiest with real world consumption of 10.5 liters to the 100 followed by the Amarok Hilux and Isuzu .

I wonder if there are some actual clip book around here .

There were some earlier .

They're so cute .

There's one , there's a clip book you probably can't see that .

So cute .

Look at him standing on a rock while 0 to 100 times are not too important in the world of leisure vehicles .

We set up an off-road drag race to test acceleration and off the mark traction .

The Amaro was the most impressive with its small two liter engine giving the Hilux and Ranger a proper run for their money in multiple runs .

The Hilux Ranger and Amaro were all very close while the Isuzu was a distant fourth .

The K BS previous generation power train is just not able to provide the burst of acceleration to keep up with the pack .

Next up was an excursion into the dunes .

Now , I know you might not encounter dunes on your way to work every morning , but this kind of soft sand is an excellent test of a four by four's ability in the rough stuff , especially at low range and only interestingly , only one of the vehicles we have here today doesn't have low range .

That's the Amaro .

All the other cars though are 44 by fours .

Oh goodness me .

Uh it's a lot of fun .

A lack of low range didn't seem to hold the Amro back as its eight speed gearbox adapted to the conditions very well .

The ranger has the most torque and the lowest torque peak which makes it capable out here , but it does have an overly sensitive throttle .

The Isuzu might have the least torque and the least gears but it felt at home out on the dunes with its gear ratios , something which was a negative out on the road .

Our new Hilux was at a disadvantage on sand with its manual gearbox , the auto would have been easier to drive and it has more torque .

450 Newton meters over the manuals .

420 .

If you have one of these cars , you really do have to try and come out here and get all sandy .

It's epic a feature making its way into Bucky from the world of S U V s is downhill assist control .

Now , the new Toyota has it .

The Ford has it .

Isuzu doesn't have .

And the Amaro has a clever system where you can adjust the speed of the downhill assist control .

It works by using the A BS and the gearing to maintain a very steady pace when you're going down a steep slope and it really works and I can barely stand on the slope that went well .

Besides the mishap from our driver in the Isuzu , all of the Bucky performed as expected on the slopes , coping with the steep descent and poor surfaces very well .

The new 2.8 liter engine in the Hilux delivers its power very smoothly which makes off roading that much easier .

The Ford does feel like it's the heaviest vehicle here which it is .

But the 3.2 liter engine with class leading power and torque makes up for the bulk with the lowest power outputs .

The Isuzu had to work the hardest to keep up .

But it did just that the AOC proved that only in extreme conditions .

Will you notice the lack of low range gearing coming down from the slopes ?

We set up for our next challenge .

Welcome to the quarry at Clip Boop where we have devised an exercise to test wheel articulation .

Now , we're using the new Hilux as a benchmark .

That tire is just , just touching the ground .

It really is at full extension .

So when the other vehicles come through here , we will be able to see if their back wheel touches the ground or lifts into the air .

Now , of course , the diff lock has locked both the back wheels , so all the vehicles should be able to get off of here really easily and to make sure that everyone travels the exact same line , we have laid this very scientific pole on the ground .

The Hilux wheel articulation is complemented by its impressive approach angle thanks to a slightly oddly shaped nose .

Next up was the AOC .

It seems to be the most road biased bucky here and its articulation seemed to be just shorter than the Hilux .

It must be noted that our test unit was fitted with a Volkswagen approved aftermarket lift kit , which we would recommend as it greatly improves the Amaro's capability .

Next up was the Suzu .

The K B performed well here easily matching the New Hilux .

And lastly the Ford Ranger , this was interesting as the heavy engine up front , pulled the whole car over lifting the rear of the ground , which isn't ideal .

After two days of exhaustive testing , I would now like to present to you a summary of sorts .

Let's start with the Isuzu .

I'll take you through the stats and then I'll tell you what we'd like and don't like about it .

Priced at 563,000 RAND .

It's the second most expensive car here after the Ford that has a three liter turbo diesel engine with 100 and 30 kilowatts and 380 Newton meters .

That's the lowest figure here .

However , its fuel consumption of 7.9 liters is the second best after the Toyota .

It only has a five speed auto , but it does have a decent five year warranty and five year service plan .

So things that we like about it .

Uh It's red , uh it's got decent rear space actually came second in our rear space test .

It really does feel like it's made of granite .

It feels like it's going to last .

It's a bit of a workhorse in that sense , but its workhorse feel means it doesn't really feel like a good leisure vehicle .

And in terms of drive comfort , it's quite far behind the rest of the group .

But as a low stress car , low stress drive train , it really does feel like it's going to last a lifetime , moving on to the Amro at 558,000 RAND .

It has a two liter bi turbo diesel engine with a consumption figure of 8.3 liters to 100 .

That's the second worst after the Ford .

It does have a great eight speed gearbox though with a four motion drive train .

It's the only permanent four wheel drive vehicle here .

100 and 32 two kilowatts and 420 Newton meters is almost exactly the same power as the new 2.8 liter in the Hilux .

It's got Park distance controller standard , a three year warranty and a five year service plan .

It will also tow three tons .

So here's what we like and don't like about it .

It's got a very good gearbox , probably the smoothest here .

It's very comfortable on road and it's better than you would expect off road only in extreme conditions .

Will you miss the fact that it doesn't have low range ?

It does seem to cope with just about everything we've thrown at it .

It's kept up with all the other cars here .

It's well built .

It's comfortable inside .

In fact , it actually feels a bit like an S U V but it's tied last for rear space with the Toyota , right ?

The new Hilux at 547,900 rand .

It is the cheapest double cab bucky here also has the best consumption figure of 7.6 liters to the 100 from its new 2.8 liter diesel engine , 100 and 30 kilowatts , 4 20 Newtons , as I mentioned earlier .

Same as the Amaro .

It's got seven airbags , a three year warranty and a five year service plan .

Here's what we like about it .

What we don't like the power delivery is excellent .

The new 2.8 liter is a peach .

We're really not going to miss the three liter D four D very quiet in the cabin as well .

The refinement is very good on the Toyota .

It's got a good looking dash , although we're not so convinced about some of the ergonomics .

Uh , for instance , the four by four knob is right by your knee .

It's a bit odd .

Uh It will now tow legally 3.5 tons of a weighted brake trailer , which is quite exciting if you're into that sort of thing .

However , the rear doesn't have great space .

In fact , it's tied last with the Amaro in our very , very scientific Hannes and I'll sit behind myself test .

Don't look at it from the side .

It looks a bit odd but no one cares about the looks anyway .

However , when it comes to the Ford , everyone does seem to care about the looks because everyone said that it's the best looking bucky here at 566,900 .

It's also the most expensive bucky here .

It's also the thirstiest with 8.5 liters to the 100 .

It's also the most powerful with 100 and 47 kilowatts and 460 17 Newton meters of torque from its 3.2 liter five cylinder engine .

Those figures are unrivaled here today .

It also comes with park distance control and seven airbags , a four year warranty and a five year service plan .

It will tow 3.5 tons as well as I mentioned , quite good looking , isn't it very chiseled jaw ?

Uh It's a good compromise between a leisure vehicle and a workhorse .

We like how spacious it is and it probably has the best ride both on and off road .

It is thirsty but it is very powerful .

So you've got to weigh that up in your purchasing decision , does offer the most talk , as I mentioned .

But what we don't like about it is an overly sensitive throttle which makes off roading a bit more difficult than it needs to be right .

There's your summary of all four vehicles to see our point scoring system and who we might have declared the winner .

Click the link below to go through to our article .

Thanks for watching .