Ranger, Colorado and Dmax
Submitted by sea-kem on Wed, 2014-12-31 15:44
Thought I'd throw this out therev again as I'll be seriously looking for a new set of wheels in the new year. I know the question has been asked before but it's been a while and a few of you guys who have bought these models will have had time to give some good feed back. I'm leaning toward a Dmax at the moment. But I love to look of the Colorado and the Ranger. I'm going for the top of the line model in whatever I get and in manual. Just looking for performance feedback, price comparisons and general opinions. Cheers.
____________________________________________________________________________
Love the West!
glastronomic
Posts: 892
Date Joined: 16/02/11
Ranger XLT
Ranger XLT now almost 1 year old.
Brilliant towing truck!
Last year there was a waiting list for these machines!
sstevee
Posts: 472
Date Joined: 15/11/11
Unfortunately if you do your
Unfortunately if you do your research you're going to hear bad things on all of the above... I bought a new colorado in 2013 and haven't had any issues with it... All 'service bulletins' (polite way of saying recall) have been done and servicing appears to be getting done right at north city holden..
I get approx 800kms to the 76l tank with normal suburban driving. It can do better country driving but maybe 100ks extra due to overtaking/sitting on 115k's etc.. Also manual, 5 speed before the 'update' to 6 speed.
At the time I was looking I saved around 5k in purchase price compared to the dmax and also scored the 'thunder' pack which included tow bar, tonneau cover, bonnet protector, weather shields, nudge bar and floor mats.
Mines very close to 30k k's and I'm still happy with it
Ant extra q's just ask
sea-kem
Posts: 15019
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Cheers Steve, good feed
Cheers Steve, good feed back. Yeah apparently the Colorado is better in price.
Love the West!
randall df223
Posts: 6454
Date Joined: 08/08/11
Not entirely in the three
Not entirely in the three you are considering andy, but we used a colarado and an amorok to get into steep point earlier this year. The colarado single cab, fully loaded, towed a trailer, the amorok dual cab towed a 4m+ tinny into shelter bay. Neither had any issues. Both were diesel and both really economical.
Fish! HARD!
glastronomic
Posts: 892
Date Joined: 16/02/11
Ranger
My ranger is purely used to tow my 3+Ton boat & trailer and has not missed a single beat!
Buy what you really like as anything with wheel$, propeller$ and skirt$ means TROUBLE!
Rig
Posts: 2925
Date Joined: 27/12/06
dmax
I have had the Dmax LS-T for nearly a year now and it has been flawless
I was turned off rangers with the variable alternators etc so only test drove 1, colorados have plenty of negativity on some of the caravanner forums but i know a few guys with them who havent had any problems
for me in the end it was between the colorado and dmax and the reason I chose the dmax as follows
Toyota auto gearbox, proven isuzu motor
the most fuel efficient of all the utes and the 2nd fastest out of the utes on the quatermile kw stands for nothing if your gearing isnt useful, colorado is the fastest
Leather interior and sleeker dash layout, electric fold in mirrors, central locking on the tail gate which is important if you fit a canopy like I have. at the time i wasnt impressed with the colorado interior it changes frequently though
either way I dont think you can go wrong, seriously consider an auto if your towing a boat, they are like a dream
Deleted
Posts: 6265
Date Joined: 26/04/14
ranger all day long, massive
ranger all day long, massive cab inside plenty of room, better looking. apart from a few minor tweeks here and there the colorado and dmax are very similar cars i think the dmax still has the 3ltr engine. like most holdens it usually takes a few years to iron out all the faults and recalls. not enough room in colorado engine bay for second battery.
any thoughts on mazda bt-50
this page compares there specs
http://www.motoring.com.au/reviews/2014/comparison/isuzu/d-max/isuzu-d-max-4wd-dual-cab-ute-comparison-2014-45219
iana
Posts: 652
Date Joined: 21/09/09
Just gone and brought a BT50
Just gone and brought a BT50, to new to have had any problems yet. Same vehicle as the ranger. At work I drive a BT50 drives well. We also have Rangers & Navarra's, haven't had any issues with them.
I went and got the free style cab and tray top. With the view of coupling a fifth wheeler caravan to it.
Anyfishwilldo (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
I have a 2014 LTZ auto
I have a 2014 LTZ auto Colorado and love it... I have done 9,000km In it so far with no problems at all. Only thing I don't like is there is a 2 second delay when you put your foot down from a standing start.
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
200 series does similar, to
200 series does similar, to limit the sudden torque from stomping it
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
scottland
Posts: 3039
Date Joined: 10/05/10
Trust me
You want that haha stopps shockloading twisted shafts etc
i support two teams eagles and whoever is playing the dockers
Pob
Posts: 356
Date Joined: 13/10/10
Got a 2014 dmax, love it,
Got a 2014 dmax, love it, fuel economy is superb, though mines an auto. If you want to have a closer look without a salesman breathing down your neck give us a yell, I live in Forest Lakes
emu472
Posts: 24
Date Joined: 15/01/09
Auto over manual
Hi Guys,
If you are towing a boat , I reckon an auto is best
I have a 21ft Cobia Walk-around just under 3 tonne and I pull that with a Turbo diesel Navarra manual.
Wish I had an auto.
sea-kem
Posts: 15019
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Thanks Emu that's my other
Thanks Emu that's my other quandry. Been bought up on manuals but a mate with a Dmax auto swears by it. I just want to know it will do the do on the beach with the boat.
Love the West!
Colt_Striker
Posts: 624
Date Joined: 26/07/09
Colorado 500nm torque is in auto only
Colorado 500nm torque is in auto only, the manuals are reduced to 420nm tourque they don't tell you that straight up need to read the full specs.
sea-kem
Posts: 15019
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Yeah I talked to a mate who
Yeah I talked to a mate who reckons the torque curve on the Colorado in the auto's peaks then drops away pretty quick where as the Dmax has slightly lesser but constant torque.
Love the West!
Rig
Posts: 2925
Date Joined: 27/12/06
torque
yep thats right, figures count for nothing its the torque curves that do the talking (pardon the pun), with your boat Andy you wont even feel it behingd the car
also look at how quick they are ie 1/4 mile gives you a fair idea, some of them are slugs comparitively
I always preffered manuals but now after having a dmax auto I will never buy a manual again
solly
Posts: 375
Date Joined: 11/09/05
Ranger wildtrak
Bought mine in June,13000ks and not a drama,tows my boat better than my 80 series ever did.I love the leather and all the extras for the 3 grand more.Cons 18" wheels are dificult to get tyres for if you want off road pattern.I put in a long range tank,arb bar and intensity light as well as a few more extras.Tha roller shutter is really easy to use and the tub liner is standard as well as the reversing camera.Am I happy you bet.15000klm service intervals a well and I got free servicing for three years.
There are two types of people ,do'ers and watchers
Right now the do'ers are the doing it
And the watchers are watching us do it
emu472
Posts: 24
Date Joined: 15/01/09
Auto over Manual
The auto in all the machines mentioned are built like tanks
I would be surprised if anyone who has bought any of those vehicles has had dramas with an auto.
Manufacturers are spending more time on R&D with autos.
iana
Posts: 652
Date Joined: 21/09/09
Sea-kem you know where I work
Sea-Kem you know where I work, you are quite welcome to come and have a look, its the Mazda BT50, 3.2 5cyl motor, auto with a tray top, and has the freestyle cab two dickie seats in the back and suicide doors.
sea-kem
Posts: 15019
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Cheers Ian, if I get time
Cheers Ian, if I get time next week I'll try and drop by for a look. Am going to check out a Wildtrak next week too, ex demo.
Love the West!
Sails4me
Posts: 53
Date Joined: 27/04/09
Get an Amarok
Had one for over two years. Much bigger and more comfortable than the other utes. Fuel economy is outstanding, only downside is a lack of power when towing, but I value the fuel economy over extra power but each to their own.
For all your building approval advice and assistance contact Inclusive Building Consultants at inclusivebc.com
bushbeaver
Posts: 159
Date Joined: 08/07/13
I have a 2014 Isuzu MU-X 3.0l
I have a 2014 Isuzu MU-X 3.0l diesel, which is the SUV version of the D Max, with auto transmission. 10.4l/100km (towing the boat over a 800km distance), and hardly notice that it is there. The back is large enough to comfortably sleep in.
pricey10
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 07/01/12
I just got a new colorado.
I just got a new colorado. It pulls my 3.5 ton boat up the road at 105km easy. Drives very nice mind you i got alot of mods done to mine straight off the showroom floor.
It was a hard choice between the Colorado and dmax for me. The ranger wasn't a option after speaking to people that do maintenance on a whole fleet of rangers.
Time will tell if it's reliable. Can't be near as bad as my navara
Karratha. WA
ChrisG
Posts: 558
Date Joined: 30/12/11
We have dozens and dozens of
We have dozens and dozens of rangers at work and.....
Rangers are NOW an okay bus - heaps of grunt, comfortable etc etc
when they were first released we had heaps and heaps of recalls and breakdowns.....everything.....coolant hoses wearing thru because too close to moving parts, and all seemed to have auto gear box issues at about 90000km plus
have driven and had experience with both the manuals and autos and if towing and road driving is the majority of your work then go the auto but if soft sand is something you are into then the manual leaves the auto for dead - think the auto box / computer just thinks too much.
Also, and I speakfrom experience, DO NOT bugger around with the electrical systems too much - we have had aftermarket and dealer figment of everything from high mount lights, to aux plugs, to lights permanently on function, wired in and we've had nothing but trouble electrically with them, including electrical fires under the bonnet.... If you don't mess with them then they are okay but mess with them by adding stuff and you will have issues....and lots of flat batteries.
Also, get the Eco charge function removed as flat barreries will become the norm.
cars are a personal choice and when spending $50k plus on a ute people tend to become defensive and offended when someone comments on the type of ute they drive, so I'm sure I'll get shot down with people saying Rangers are the best thing since canned piss....oh well! I think I'm pretty impartial given I don't personally own one but I do drive Rangers and hiluxs everyday, off road and on, towing and not.
What would I buy for reliability - hilux or 79 cruiser (massive con with hilux is comfort and towing capacity, and massive con with 79 is the price).....I just don't trust the ranger personally, although I do like driving them.
....amerok seems hard to get parts for in the bush (we trialled these a few years ago),
pricey10
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 07/01/12
that's pretty much what my
that's pretty much what my mate told me about the rangers aswell.
If only the hilux had a 3.5 towing capacity! 2.5t doesn't cut it anymore
Karratha. WA
sea-kem
Posts: 15019
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Cheers Chris, bloody good
Cheers Chris, bloody good feed back mate. So when you mention the electrical system are you saying by adding spotties etc will give you grief? And the newer models are better? Have you had much to do with the Wildtrak range?
Love the West!
Goodz
Posts: 2332
Date Joined: 20/07/09
I have a dmax and ranger and
I have a dmax and ranger and both are great! If I had to choose id go the ranger though. Good looking rig the xlt especially done up.
ChrisG
Posts: 558
Date Joined: 30/12/11
Sea-kem not sure about the
Sea-kem not sure about the wildtrak range sorry, as we only run the poverty pack versions given they're work Utes.
we have seen significantly less issues with the newer models from 0-50000km than the first batch on the wa market ;not sure what 50000km-1000000kms will hold for us with newer ones (all still less than 18 months old),
we flick them at 150000km or 3 years, so most of the original wa delivered new style Rangers have gone or are about to leave our fleet (due to kms not age) and good riddance to be honest.
All our work Utes have spotties and no I don't think spotties have ever been an issue,
the issue we had with the forward facing lights (and I say forward facing cause there were lots more issues with rear facing brake and indicator bars we fitted) was we had a light on function wired in by the dealerships meaning the normal head lights would be on whenever the car was running day or night. 2 things happened.... First one, when tonking around at low speeds up north in the heat during the day the lights got massively hot and melted the loom and globe and pretty much everything near by.....the second thing was when driving at night with the high beams on, the normal lights didn't turn off as they would have without the mods we made.... high beam and low beam on together produced massive heat and they melted and caught fire - again driven at low speed without much air getting to them.
Honestly mate they are a good ute for the money and you seem to get a lot more for your dollar than a toyota....I would just exercise caution with mucking around with them electrically too much. They have a massive brain and anything that draws power that the brain doesn't reckognise you may have issues with.....those issues for the most part will be flat batteries, but as I said we've had a few major safety issues too, albeit because we mucked around adding stuff not standard....we had always had toyotas perviously and they as most people know are pretty old technology and hard to screw up......might be just like when fuel injected cars hit the market....prior to that anyone and everyone could work on their own car and do pretty much anything to them....add in technology and computers you limit what Joe public can do themselves and what mods you can make.....something I still struggle with,
sea-kem
Posts: 15019
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Ok mate, totally understand
Ok mate, totally understand what you are saying and the clarification. Thanks again for the great feed back. I'll keep this thread updated at what I look at and decide to go with.
Love the West!
solly
Posts: 375
Date Joined: 11/09/05
Dual battery
I put a dual battery system in after talking to the light vehicles boys and had the eco charging taking off and it works great. Basicly the eco charger only cuts in above 2000 rpm which you only reach on open roads or drive around in third.I have the manual and its small throws between gears which took a little getting use to and my cruiser was like a truck.Its a big rigand has heaps of touque. Wildtrak is a magic beast
There are two types of people ,do'ers and watchers
Right now the do'ers are the doing it
And the watchers are watching us do it
glastronomic
Posts: 892
Date Joined: 16/02/11
Mine is an Auto box. No way
Mine is an Auto box.
No way getting back to MANUAL! in day to day driving!
Motorsport is a different issue!
I have had LED spotlights brake unit and a bull bar fitted!
No problem at all with the electronics1
Brake unit is wicket makes the stopping power, because off 4 disk brakes on trailer, even shorter than normal!
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
you've used up your entire
you've used up your entire 2015 quota of exclamation marks in one short post.
Now what?
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Anyfishwilldo (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
Anyone running 235/85/16 on
Anyone running 235/85/16 on their Colorado?
Nelly
Posts: 518
Date Joined: 04/05/08
Spend some time researching
Spend some time researching and you will find it easy to find problems with the ranger(coolant hoses rubbing,alternator,auto trans) and the colorado.On the other hand you struggle to find people dissatisfied with the dmax.Speaks for itself.I will be buying another dmax in the next few months.
Poltergeist
Posts: 159
Date Joined: 03/12/13
Mate there are plenty of
Mate there are plenty of people dissatisfied with their D-Max's.
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/2002-2012-isuzu-d-max/2.html
On that site the Ranger actually scores a slightly better score than the Dmax and the Amarok rates one of the best.
sea-kem
Posts: 15019
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Well the deal has been done.
Well the deal has been done. Have opted for a Wildtrak (auto) in silver. A few add ons as in a 140l long range tank,nudge bar with a decent set of spotties, tinting paint protection and electronic corrosion control. Guys at Lynford were pretty good but it's always like sitting in millionaires hot seat dealing with car salesmen. Hopefully take delivery in a couple of weeks, can't bloody wait!
Love the West!
Deleted
Posts: 6265
Date Joined: 26/04/14
glastronomic
Posts: 892
Date Joined: 16/02/11
That's where I bought mine.
Nice choice! Have fun!
SeaRider3
Posts: 58
Date Joined: 21/01/14
Nice buy sea-kem, I have the
Nice buy sea-kem, I have the xlt and they are a very nice car and tow vehicle.
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