Best pickup trucks (2022)
March 25, 2022 by carwow
You won’t find many more versatile, capable vehicles than pickup trucks. Whether you’re looking for a serious off-roader, a towing workhorse or even a family 4×4 that doubles as a van, there’s plenty on the market that can fit the bill.
If you’re considering a pickup truck as your next new daily driver, check out carwow’s guide to the best pickup trucks that are currently on sale.
carwow’s pick of the best pickup trucks on sale in the UK:
- Ford Ranger
- Toyota Hilux
- Isuzu D-Max
- SsangYong Musso
1. Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger has been the UK’s best-selling pickup truck for several years now, so it’s no surprise the Ford makes a great choice if you’re shopping around for a new pickup.
It’s especially worth considering if you regularly haul heavy loads. All Ranger variants can carry a payload of at least 1,024kg, and towing capacities range from 2,500kg to 3,500kg depending on the engine you specify.
Better still, the Ford Ranger has more going for it than its hardy workhorse credentials. It’s fairly comfy and fun to drive by pickup truck standards, and equipment levels are decent across the board, too. Some rivals do fare better when it comes to interior build quality, though.
2. Toyota Hilux
As a rule of thumb, if you want a pickup truck with the best possible towing capacity, you’ll need to go for the most powerful version. However, the Toyota Hilux is an exception to that rule – it can tow up to 3,500kg and haul a 1,000kg payload, regardless of whether it has the 150hp 2.4-litre or 204hp 2.8-litre diesel engine.
As is par for the course for a pickup, the Toyota Hilux has a hardy interior, though it does come with a decent amount of creature comforts (especially if you opt for the mid-range or higher-spec models). Just be aware that, because it has stiff suspension, the ride can be quite bumpy even by pickup truck standards.
3. Isuzu D-Max
The previous version of the Isuzu D-Max was already a popular, capable buy, and the latest iteration promises to keep that trend going. Its 164hp 1.9-litre diesel engine isn’t the punchiest or most refined you’ll find in a pickup truck, but it does allow the D-Max to tow up to 3,500kg (though this does drop to 2,500kg on rear-wheel-drive models).
The driving experience is pretty good for a working truck. Granted, you need some weight in the back to settle the ride down, but even fully unladen it smooths out at speed and is plenty happy on a motorway slog.
The D-Max doesn’t have the plushest interior out there, and the large infotainment screen on higher models could be easier to use, too. One area that’s seen a big boost, though, is the Isuzu’s safety credentials; the latest D-Max has been awarded a five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP thanks to its wide range of active safety systems.
4. SsangYong Musso
SsangYong is another small player but it does make ‘proper’ cars, too. The latest Musso is based on the Rexton large 4×4 – a decent value alternative to a Land Rover Discovery.
The Musso is better to drive than you might think. Its engine is surprisingly quiet, performance is pretty strong and it’s good at towing, being able to lug 3,500kg even with a full load bay. However, the ride is quite bouncy and unsettled, particularly when there’s no weight in the back, while the load bay itself isn’t the largest around.
The interior, though, is as smart and roomy as the Rexton on which it’s based – plus it comes decently loaded with creature comforts. It can’t match the D-Max for safety kit, however.
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