Here Are The Fastest Double Cabs Currently in The Land

This is a metric clearly close to the heart of many South Africans if my drive to the local Spar is any indication. Also a disclaimer, this is based completely on their claimed figures. You’ll also notice a slight advantage in manual cars and well, just see what happens when a petrol burner is added to the mix.

That excludes the Roush-tuned Ford Ranger and cars that have not quite made it to the country just yet so that means no Raptor either. It also excludes any V6 Isuzu KB since they don’t make any – I only mention this in reference to a recent comment by Yugo Kiyofuji, the deputy managing director at Isuzu Ute Australia who when probed on the firm’s willingness to compete in the new power battle currently being waged since the Mercedes-Benz X-Class joined the fray had this to say, “It isn’t a racing car!”.

The years to come will be interesting since even KIA is poised to enter the market with a doublecab. And that is a market that has already recently swelled to accommodate a Fiat and Renault bakkie. Remember when double cab bakkies used to be a South African thing? Now then, onto that list starting with the least fastest.

10) Toyota Land Cruiser 4.0 V6 Double Cab

Cheeky Toyota has a lot of skin in this game and for pretty much the same amount of your rands too, but we’ll get to the lighter and more dynamic Hilux later on. Here’s the old man, the Cruiser with a great big engine to help you on your quest to turn gravel into fine powder and swill gallons of petrol into the ether quicker than you can say global warming.

9) Isuzu KB 300D-TEQ Double Cab 4x4 LX

Manual shifting always has the edge over a conventional auto when drag wars are fought metres off the ground in a bakkie. The Isuzu workhouse has the power credentials to be quick but as mentioned earlier, these aren’t race cars, bud.

8) Mazda BT-50 2.2 SLE Manual

Now just so we’re clear, there is in fact a Ranger-aping 3.2 litre option in the range but according to our data the 2.2 turbodiesel with a manual ‘box trumps it to 100kph, in 12.03 seconds versus the larger engine’s 12,18 seconds. Go figure.

7) Mercedes-Benz X250d 4x4 Power Auto

Okay, many caveats here. The car officially launches in less than a week but you can pick one up immediately. In this tune it shares a drivetrain with the (marginally quicker) Nissan Navara and sprints to 100kph in 11.8 seconds. But towards the end of 2018 we’ll have a 190kW V6 version which has a real shot at the 0-100kph title. If I was a teacher I’d be grading this as “must try harder in the third term.” 

6) Nissan Navara 2.3D 4x4 Double Cab Auto

Nissan’s Navara was once accused of being expensive but in this company of quickish trucks it’s almost a bargain, especially when it’s German half-sib comes in at almost R250,000 dearer and still gets pipped to 100kph. But there are faster machines here yet.

5) Ford Ranger 3.2 Double Cab 4x4 Wildtrak

The Wildtrak looks faster than it is, but then that’s really the appeal with these carbo-loaded gym companions. And besides it really does need to leave a gap for its shredded counterpart, the 2.3 litre Raptor when it arrives next year.

4) Fiat Fullback 2.4 LX Turbo Diesel 4x4

Whoa Nelly, we’re in the 10s! The Fiat represents great value for money, is essentially an Italian Mitsubishi Triton, and the better for it. It also shames at least six other more established double cabs on our list at the traffic lights so that’s nice.

3) Mitsubishi Triton 2.4DI-D Double Cab 4x4

But still there’s no substitute for the original – the Triton (son of COLT) dips into the low 10s albeit for an extra R40,000. These are proven workhorses with pedigree to boot and Japanese reliability in spades. It turns out they’re also apparently fairly nippy.

2) Toyota Hilux 4.0 V6 Raider 4x4 Double Cab

It burns petrol, papa. Ja, consumption is now stratospheric at a claimed 14l/100km (which you’ll never achieve). With that petrol fuel bill however comes petrol performance – the infamous Toyota 4 litre V6 will raid the 100kph mark in 9.4 seconds. Which makes it quicker than your average Toyota. Also if you really must know, the top of the line diesel 2.8GD-6 does it in 10.8 seconds.

1) VW Amarok 3.0 V6 TDI Double Cab Highline 4Motion

Jinne. If you pull up alongside this one in anything slower than a Golf GTI, maybe just wait a second or two before embarrassing yourself in a traffic light grand prix against this behemoth. And even then best nail that launch as this Amarok will crush the sprint in under 8 seconds. The king for now. Vulgar. Lovely.

Bonus - The also rans from quickest to slowest: