Let’s not pretend that dual cabs are cheap these days. Most of the big players in the market tend to go for way north of fifty gorillas, with a few of them getting alarmingly deep into ‘six figures and one of your kidneys’ territory. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a few new dual cabs to be found on the new vehicle playground under $50k.
Sure, you’re probably not going to have heaps of bragging rights to the neighbours, and you may have to put up with inclusions closer to the ‘manual windows, cloth seats and an 8-track tape deck sound system’ end of the specs list, but that’s not always bad. Less to go wrong, and often cheaper to fix. It’s all about minimising those depreciating assets, right finance gurus?
To keep things under that $50k mark, we’ve gone for a couple of new dual-cab utes from the wave of cheap imports that seem to be cropping up everywhere (with undoubtedly more to come), but there are also a couple of old faves in there to keep things balanced. All prices are based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices, too, in case you were wondering.
Ssangyong Musso Ultimate Luxury XLV
RRP: $44,000
Yeah, so about that having to put up with minimal inclusions thing. Our first horse out of the gates proves that line was BS. Ssangyong’s Musso Ultimate Luxury XLV is the top of the range and has all the mod cons you’d expect with that fancy title.
It has a 2.2L turbo-diesel putting out 133kW and 420NM with 9.0L/100km claimed economy, heated and ventilated front seats, a massive 12.3in touchscreen multimedia unit along with the same size driver display, faux-leather, 360-degree camera system and an auto-locking rear diff. Braked towing capacity is the industry standard 3500kg, and payload is a respectable 880kg. There’s also a better-than-decent 7-year warranty.
Is it the best off-road? Absolutely not. The ground clearance is ordinary, and the wheelbase is long, meaning bottom-outs are almost inevitable. Still, there’s a lot to like about this thing, too. Build quality is better than decent, rear seat passengers have more room than in a HiLux, and the handling is almost car-like. For the occasional weekend trip and daily work hack, there are plenty of compelling reasons to give the Musso a look if you’re after a new dual cab under $50k.
LDV T60 Max Plus
RRP: $48,411
The T60s have been around for nearly 8 years now, and they’ve won fans for their high level of inclusion and low buy-in prices. They’re also available as a manual, which a lot of old-schoolers will like, plus there’s a bunch of top-end gear included, like 12.3in touchscreen, synthetic leather, LED headlights and a bunch of interior storage, which is handy. The payload in the manual is 840kg, and the braked towing capacity is 3000kg. The twin-turbo 4-cylinder 2.0L diesel engine puts out an impressive 150kW and 500NM while using a claimed 9.3L/100km.
For off-road, there’s a rear diff lock (limited to 30km/h), and the approach, departure and rampover angles are on par with other dual-cabs, so there is nothing to sneeze at. The electric power steering is one of its best features, but the engine is a little lacklustre (more so in the auto models), and the rear coils (another plus if you’re that way inclined) are super stiff from stock.
Is it a perfect ute? Nah, but for the money and the value you get for this new dual cab ute under $50k, you can put up with a surprising amount, I reckon.
Jac T9 Haven
RRP: $45,630
Who or what the hell is a Jac T9? It’s the latest offering from the stable of Chinese automakers that are looking to soak up as much of the massive Aussie ute market as they can. Jac is a relatively unknown player, not only here but overseas as well, but they’re doing their best to jam as much value into their T9 as they can and have backed their product with a 7-year unlimited km warranty, which is a great start.
The interior is chick full of gadgetry and comfort, and the usual safety additions are all over the shop. A rear diff lock is included, and they even have puddle lights for those who have champagne tastes on a VB budget.
The engine is a little bit of a letdown. The 2.0L turbo deezy puts out 120kW and 410 Newtons, which is low for the segment, but is somewhat offset by the 7.3L/100km of economy gained from driving a slug. The tow rating is 3500kg, and the payload is 1000kg, which sounds pretty good, but you’d have to question the wisdom of anyone towing a trailer that weighs nearly 1500kgs more than the tow rig (2055kg), especially when they’re on Chao Yang HT tyres (nope, I’ve never heard of them either).
The biggest question mark over the T9 really stems from the fact that it’s so new, it’s so unknown and Australian conditions have a rich history of chewing up new vehicles like this and spitting them out.
Even so, the price at under $50k, the inclusions, the economy, the warranty on this new dual cab, and the low emissions, which is an increasingly important factor for a lot of folks, are all pretty darn attractive. Could the Jac T9 be your next wheeler?
Mitsubishi Triton GLX
RRP: $49,990
The Triton needs no introduction to these pages. It’s tried, it’s tested, and it has come up a winner more times than we can count. We have a real soft spot for the Mighty Tritey and the base model GLX is near the top of our bang-for-buck list.
There’s no sweet-as-leather seats, massive touchscreens or expansive camera set-ups here, but the cloth pews are supportive enough, the 9in multimedia unit is up to the job and if you need more than the perfectly adequate reversing camera to safely operate your vehicle, we’re going to have to ask you to kindly return your driving licence to the Weetbix box from whence it came.
The 2.4L twin-turbo diesel is no slouch with 150kW and 470NM, but even so, the big advantage with the Triton is its off-road pedigree. It has several off-road modes, a rear diff-lock, and is simply a pleasure to drive and modify for more serious wheeling. It’s rated to tow 3500kg and payload is a beast-mode 1095kg. It also has a 10-year warranty, the longest in this list of new dual cabs under $50k.
GWM Cannon XSR
RRP: $45,490
The top dog of the GWM range, the Cannon XSR are the last of the 2024 models, before the new hybrid Alpha models arrive, and at the time of writing, are being run out for nearly $10K cheaper than the RRP, making them ridiculous value. It has outsold both the Navara and the Amarok over the last year as buyers become more appreciative of the Chinese automotive company, and with the inclusions list, it’s fair enough, too.
As you’d expect, the mod-cons are right up there, and the off-road credentials seem pretty legitimate. Front and rear diff lockers as standard (nice!), an 875kg payload and LED lighting are all ticks in the W column, and the Cooper Discoverer AT rubber earns a few extra tough points on top. The 120kW, 400NM 2.0L TD is a miss, but it’s paired to a ZF 8-speed auto, which is something, I guess.
The 3000kg tow rating isn’t that amazing, but this isn’t the ute to buy if you’re towing heavy anyway, so we can let it slide. This is more about getting the value of having a brand new dual cab ute that would cost close to double the price from another manufacturer for well under $50k, which really does make it pretty amazing value.
I agree the “ so called Market leaders “ are well over prized
& these units are starting to make in- roads ✅
The inclusions in some are good but what about reliability and parts availability? I bought a new T60 and the dealer could not supply a spare fan belt ($250) and had to order it in so Repco got the job. That just made me wonder how you would get on for major parts. That said though the local Toyota dealer has a crap reputation for service and warranty work, so bad I won’t buy a vehicle from them. I’m west of Blackwater Qld.
Dual cabs seem to get uglier and less aerodynamic every year