Categories: Articles, WheelsPublished On: 19th December 2019

A feast of super bakkies for the connoisseur to pick from!

By 6 min read
1256 words
toyota

legend 50

During the past year the Ultimate Drive team again had a feast of bakkies at their disposal for test-driving and enjoyment so that our readers can join them when they ‘hit the gas’ during the festive season.

Below are a few of the stalwarts in their new guise:

2019 Toyota Hilux Legend 50 double cabin 4×4: Is this South Africa’s champion bakkie?

by Dirk Gallowitz

After five decades Toyota’s Hilux bakkie still cooks up a storm dominating sales in its segment in South Africa. After 50 years on the local scene it remains one of the country’s favourite pick-ups. Toyota SA also acknowledge this by regularly launching a special edition known as the “Legend”. Over the years Toyota has had the Legend 35, 40, 45 and now the Legend celebrating the half century of the Hilux name.

The Legend 50 package is now number one and replaces the Raider as the top model in the Hilux range. Our test vehicle was the 4×4 double-cab with the Toyota 2,8 litre GD-6 turbo diesel engine of 130 kW and 450 Nm, mated with the 6-gear automatic box.

An eyeful

With the introduction of the Dakar version of the Hilux in 2018, Toyota kicked off with cosmetic changes such as a new frontal view with re-designed headlights and grille. Buyers thought this was great!

These changes were retained with the new Legend 50, except that Toyota now use a glossy black in the place of chrome on the Legend 50 for, among others, the grille, the roll bar at the back, as well as the trim rims, rear fender, side trim and running boards. There are also Legend 50 insignia on the back of the roll bar, tail gate, on the front of the doors and underneath the side mirrors. The LED headlights are now also fitted with day-driving lights.

The side mirrors, roof carrier, door handles and insignia on the tailgate are still shiny chrome, which results in a nice contrast. A towing hook and heavy duty tarpaulin cover also form part of standard equipment should one buy the Legend 50. Specially designed two-tone 18 inch alloy wheels with 265/60/R18 “All Terrain”-rubber ensures that the 50 can tackle just about any terrain with ease and makes driving on even the worst gravel roads reasonably comfortable thanks to the 60 profile tyres.

The interior

The interior of the Legend 50 shows minor improvements compared with, for example, the Dakar-model of the Hilux and for example features black leather trim with light blue stitching and a glossy black inlay strip over the width of the front panel, stylishly outlined with a chrome strip.

Further the white background of the instrument panel gives it a striking style, while an 8-inch TFT multi-info screen has user-friendly touch functions in a practical and no-nonsense layout. The system has been upgraded with improved functionality.

On the road

While changes are mainly cosmetic, we did find marked improvement in driving quality and steering feel of the new bakkie. The cab is surprisingly quiet with little road and wind noise, even at flat-out speed. The newcomer holds the road well, steers true with little body roll, while handling and road dynamics on both tarred and dirt roads is surprisingly pleasant.

Conclusion

According to NAAMSA figures Hilux bakkies are most months at the top of the list. Furthermore statistics of used vehicle sales confirm that Hilux bakkies fetch some of the best second hand prices. Special models, specifically such as the Legend series, are more sought after by buyers of previously owned vehicles.

I reckon the special features package of the Legend 50 should be responsible for real enthusiasm among Toyota buyers because I regard this Toyota as the most striking Hilux bakkie to date.

Price

Toyota Hilux Legend 50 double cab:

• Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 4×4 Legend 50 6 speed manual – R647 600

• Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 4×4 Legend 50 6-speed automatic – R668 800.

2019 Ford Ranger 2.0Bi-T DC 4×4 Wildtrak automatic

We had Ford’s revamped Ford Ranger 2.0 Bi-Turbo double cabin 4×4 Wildtrak auto at our disposal for a week. Initially we were rather sceptical about the ability of the two litre diesel engine mated with 10-speed gearbox and if it would be able to do what the hefty five cylinder 3,2 turbodiesel was capable of.

But . . . what a lovely surprise did the newcomer proved to be! After a week’s driving on the open road and in the veld, we were totally bowled over by the prowess and performance of the “new” Wildtrak.

The revamped Ford Ranger bakkie series was launched locally in April 2019 with only minor and mostly cosmetic changes to the exterior image. However, under the bonnet major changes have been brought about. The 2019 Wildtrak is now powered by the brand new bi-turbo 2,0 litre four cylinder diesel engine with an even higher output than the 3,2 litre five cylinder source of the previous top model.

The new flagship engine, now built in Ford’s Port Elizabeth plant, has two turbochargers and astonishingly delivers an even higher output of 157 kW/500 Nm, compared with the maximum of 147 kW en 470 Nm of the 3,2 litre turbo five cylinder. Ford mated the new flagship engine with a new 10-speed automatic gearbox, which is mainly responsible for the dramatically improved fuel efficiency (officially given as 8,1 ℓ/100 km) for the newcomer.

Road dynamics and performance

The 2019 Ranger Wildtrak 4×4 is comfortable and sure-footed on tar and gravel with its 10-speed box which changes gears smoothly. My initial fear that the box would hunt between the gears on the open road, was never confirmed. As a result of smart technology and plenty of torque (500 Nm!) the box moves quickly between gears and makes overtaking at open road speed a feast.

This newcomer feels lighter, nimbler and more dynamic on the road compared with the previous model.

2019 Ford Ranger Raptor: The Rambo of the bakkie brigade

by Dirk Gallowitz

We could test-drive Ford SA’s new Ranger Raptor shortly after we had the 2019 Ranger Wildtrak for a week-long test. Both bakkies are powered by Ford’s new 2,0 litre bi-turbo four cylinder diesel engine through all four wheels with the aid of a brand new 10-speed auto gearbox. The engine kicks out 157 kW and 500 Nm torque.

Ford markets the Ranger Raptor as a high performance rough terrain vehicle, but we wanted to get behind the reason why the new high performance South African built Raptor is so special that Ford markets it at a hefty price premium for the Raptor compared with the Wildtrak model.

The following are some of the reasons, we think, why you pay more for your Ranger Raptor:

Aggressive looks and design

The Ranger Raptor looks much bigger than its Wildtrack sibling, mainly because of greater width between the wheels (150 mm wider than the standard Ranger) and bigger ground clearance of 283 mm because of the bigger BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres, which gives the Raptor more lift above ground level. The prominent wheel arches and big, black grille trumpets an aggressive, intimidating presence on the road.

Specially designed and built for the outdoors

The white coats at Ford built a special chassis and suspension system, significantly more rigid than that of the standard Ranger, and went to great lengths to do it in such a way that it can deal with the absolute brutal demands of off-road rallies.

Among others the Raptor chassis boasts a newly-designed coil spring shock absorber (coil-over) for the rear axle with an integrated Watt’s shackle for bigger up and own movement, while minimising the sideways movement of the rear axle.

The result is better handling and control, as well as higher comfort levels when driving in the veld.

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