You might think the Ford Ranger, pictured above, is the best bakkie in South Africa for one of two reasons.

One, you drive a Ford Ranger, and you rather like it, or two, you’ve seen them everywhere and assumed that quantity equals quality.

They really are everywhere. I saw four on the way to work this morning.

According to Leisure Wheels magazine, however, the title of best bakkie, or rather ‘Bakkie of the Year’, goes to the VW Amarok 3.0 TDI V6 4Motion Canyon.

Wow, quite a mouthful.

For a summary of the results, take it away, BusinessTech:

The German bakkie, up against nine other double cab bakkies for the crown, scored 90.5% ahead of Ford’s Ranger Raptor (86.3%) and Toyota’s Hilux 2.8GD-6 Legend 50 (85.4%).

Leisure Wheels said that its new competition format was based on Average Joe’s bakkie requirements, “and not flippant matters such as 0–100km/h acceleration times.

The competition took the bakkie back to its roots, with a focus on real-world issues like how much fuel it guzzles (the cost of petrol, hey?), the comfort of the interior, safety, handling, and the overall driving experience.

The Leisure Wheels team, supported by independent vehicle dynamics test experts, spent a week at the Gerotek Vehicle Test facility, putting the bakkies through a variety of dynamic tests, collecting comparable data.

This data was incorporated in the different segments to ensure a more scientific approach to the results, instead of merely offering the opinion of a panel of judges, it said.

The bakkies were also subjected a dynamometer test at Dastek Automotive Service City to capture the actual horsepower at the wheels. The results, Leisure Wheels said, were somewhat controversial.

You’re going to want to avert your eyes, Ford fans:

“The erstwhile Toyota Land Cruiser 79, as tough as it may be, was upstaged in the dynamic department by all the young ‘uns. The powerful Mercedes-Benz X350d, fitted with a trendy but expensive aftermarket styling package, recorded the second slowest time in the emergency double lane change test.

“And the Ford Ranger Raptor, with its cool cabin and bespoke suspension, recorded the third lowest power-to-weight ratio result – adding impetus to the school of thought that it deserves more horses under the bonnet, and that more horses may have elevated the Raptor to the top spot on the podium.”

The Ford Ranger wasn’t entirely hard done by. The trusty bakkie scored two spots in the top four.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Volkswagen Amarok 3.0TDI 4Motion Canyon AT – 90.5%
2. Ford Ranger Raptor – 86.3%
3. Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 4×4 Legend 50 (manual) – 85.4%
4. Ford Ranger 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4×4 Wildtrak AT – 83.4%
5. Mercedes-Benz X350d 4Matic – 81.6%
6. Isuzu D-Max 3.0DT 4×4 LX (manual) – 78.9%
7. Nissan Navara 2.3D 4×4 Stealth AT – 78.8%
8. Mitsubishi Triton 2.4Di-D 4×4 AT – 75.9%
9. Mahindra Pik Up 2.2CRDe 4×4 Karoo – 70.4%
10. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Namib – 64.2%

For more on the results of the competition, go here.

At the end of the day, you know what you like, and you know why you like it.

Do you.

[source:businesstech]