ATN #418

STRAIGHT-UP PERFORMANCE
If straight-line performance is
important to you, there is really only
one option. The Ford Ranger XLT is
definitely the sprinting star of our
assembled group, taking just 8.93
seconds to hit 100km/h and five
seconds to shoot from 60–100km/h.
Its engine may offer just two litres
but a pair of turbos help produce a
healthy 157kW and 500Nm. It makes
a reasonably sporty noise as far as
diesels go and there is an impressive
spread of torque, but the star of
the show has to be the 10-speed
automatic, which always keeps the
engine on song.
The figures prove the efficacy of
this approach and the transmission,
in general, does a good job of figuring
out which of its myriad ratios it wants
at any given moment.
Sadly, the Ranger blots its copybook
with sub-standard braking. It wears
similar all-terrain tyres to its rivals –
in this case Dunlop Grandtreks – but
takes more than 42m to come to a
stop from 100km/h.
That figure blows out to almost
64m on a wet surface (averaged over
three runs to account for any surface
variation) – a poor performance that
prevents the Ranger XLT from being
the clear performance leader.
Nevertheless, its grunt pays
dividends when hauling a load,
taking 3.6 seconds to accelerate
from 20–60km/h with a 500kg pallet
aboard and six seconds when towing
our Turbo Taxi Falcon: both figures
easily the class of the field.
The D-Max shoots off the line
eagerly, even chirping its tyres. This
enthusiasm doesn’t last, however,
with acceleration tailing off as
speeds increase. But, the three-litre
four-cylinder turbo-diesel offers
respectable mid-range muscle, taking
10.1 seconds to reach 100km/h and
six seconds from 60–100km/h for
second place.
It would benefit from more gears
than its current six to exploit the
engine’s relatively narrow power band.
The noise is also a definite reminder
of the Isuzu’s workhorse roots, with
plenty of diesel clatter at all revs.
The impressive grunt helps it
with a load aboard, though. Laden
acceleration is a respectable four
seconds from 20–60km/h and 6.9
seconds when towing.
Dry braking performance is
impressive for a vehicle like this, with
a consistent and confidence-inspiring
sub-40m stop. Wet braking is quite
poor, however, at more than 57m
and, on the final stop, some steering
correction was required to keep the
D-Max straight despite all electronic
stability programs being activated.
The Toyota HiLux’s upgraded
engine serves it well. The 2.8-litre
four-cylinder diesel now produces
150kW/500Nm (as an automatic; the
manual is limited to 420Nm) and it
Above: Ford
Ranger XLT
Top left: Nissan
Navara ST-X;
Mitsubishi
Triton GLS
Below: Toyota
HiLux SR5
Opposite right:
Izuzu D-Max
X-Terrain
Happy news for the tens
of thousands of Aussies
that bought a HiLux last
year: it is a good ’un
70 ATN July 2021 FULLYLOADED.COM.AU