Who cares about the power numbers of practical 1-tonne utes? Given their aspirational nature in New Zealand and lifestyle/sports appeal, lots of people! So we thought we’d bring the 5 gruntiest together.
That’s 1-tonners, by the way, not the monster US pickups that are also available here; that just wouldn’t be fair. Note we’ve included power-to-weight, because the gruntiest is not always the fastest, and tow rating because sometimes you have to sacrifice some utility for high performance.
1. BYD Shark 6 Premium
BYD’s new ute beats allcomers on total output, breaking the 300kW barrier thanks to its dual-motor off-road (DMO) hybrid powertrain that combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine (so tiny!) with a plug-in hybrid system. It works mainly with electric drive, the petrol engine mainly used as a generator.
BYD SHARK 6 PREMIUM: Power 321kW/650Nm (combined) Towing 2.5t Power to weight 118kW/tonne Price $69,990.
Eco-cred’s a big thing here too, with a claimed NEDC EV range of 100km from the big 29.6kWh battery.
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It’s luxurious and good-to-drive on-road based on our first impressions, the only real downside being a tow capacity limited to 2.5 tonnes. Oh, and the hefty kerb weight (over 2.7 tonnes) does erode the power… but it still has plenty.
2. Ford Ranger Raptor V6
Raptor is a hero model for the Ranger lineup and rightly so. The howling twin-turbo 3.0-litre petrol V6 is epic and it’s great-to-drive on the sealed stuff, even though that’s not its USP.
FORD RANGER RAPTOR V6: Power 292kW/583Nm Towing 2.5t Power to weight 118kW/tonne Price $96,490.
In fact, the Raptor is arguably unique in this group because it’s a highly specialised machine designed to do just one thing really well: go fast off-tarmac and yump its way to glory. It’s an off-road racer in spirit. Lighter weight helps Raptor claw back lost ground against the BYD Shark 6: they have an identical power-to-weight ratio of 99kW per tonne.
However, Raptor’s fancy Fox suspension means it’s a full tonne down on other Rangers when it comes to tow rating; just go faster and make two trips.
3. GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra Hybrid
GWM is another brand that’s using hybrid technology to ramp up the power of its ute. The Cannon Alpha is available with conventional diesel power, but the Ultra Hybrid combines a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol with an elecric motor to make some deeply impressive power and torque figures.
GWM CANNON ALPHA ULTRA HYBRID: Power 255kW/648Nm Towing 3.5t Power to weight 99kW/tonne Price $68,990.
Two more notable things about the Alpha: it can still tow 3.5t and it has that novel split tailgate, which can open downwards in the conventional manner or sideways, like barn doors.
4. Volkswagen Amarok Aventura TSI
Amarok is a twin-under-the-skin to the Ford Ranger, but unique-to-VW in the Kiwi market is a version of the ute with a high-powered 2.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. We do still have to thank Ford for it, though: it’s the same unit used overseas in Rangers and the Mustang.
VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK AVENTURA TSI: Power 222kW/452Nm Towing 3.5t Power to weight 97kW/tonne Price $96,000.
Lots of power, not nearly as much torque as our other ute heroes. And yes, it’s almost as expensive as a Ranger Raptor, but its ace is a 3.5t tow rating. Horses for courses… and it is quite good at hauling a horse box.
5. Ford Ranger/Volkswagen Amarok V6s
The 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine option for Ranger and Amarok is a beauty, combining lots of power with an impressive slab of torque. In fact, depending on what you’re doing with it, the V6 can be just as economical as the 2.0-litre biturbo four-cylinder option in our experience, because it’s so unstressed.
FORD RANGER/VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK V6 TURBO DIESELS: Power 184kW/600Nm Towing 3.5t Power to weight 77kW/tonne (approx, varies by model) Price $84,900 (Ranger Wildtrak) to $95,000-$96,000 (Amarok PanAmericana & Aventura).
You can have the V6 diesel as an option in the Ranger Wildtrak or standard in the Amarok PanAmericana and Aventura models (the latter also available with that turbo-petrol, see above).
Wild card: Toyota Hilux GR Sport
It’s outside the top 5, but is this the specialist ute everybody forgets about? At any rate, we wanted to include the Hilux GR Sport, because it’s an undeniably interesting proposition and absolutely the most exotic Hilux you can buy.
TOYOTA HILUX GR SPORT: Power 165kW/550Nm Towing 3.5t Power to weight 75kW/tonne Price $75,490.
The GR Sport does indeed have more power than the standard Hilux, thanks to a revised turbocharger and injection control.
It’s a modest 10% increase, because this is not necessarily a Raptor-style machine: its “performance” focus is extreme off-road ability, with a wide-body design and heavily uprated suspension.