Recording 33 percent growth over the first half of 2015, 4x4 Commercials are the fastest growing LCV sector. With the demise of one of the market’s biggest players at the end of this year (the Land Rover Defender), here’s your guide to the other models in this sector.
However, 4x4 Commercials are still small sellers; only 8,763 of them were registered in 2014, compared with 33,823 for pickups. This has led a lot of manufacturers, including Ford, Nissan, Toyota and more to withdraw from the market.
Restricted payload and load area sizes, which are a lot less offered than those by pickups, are the seen as the main reason why operators are put off 4x4 Commercials. All 4x4 Commercials are based on SUVs though, and generally offer higher levels of comfort, refinement and safety systems.
Dacia Duster Commercial
The Dacia Duster is the newcomer to the market, after going on sale in Summer 2015. The baby of the group is unsurprisingly the smallest, offering a payload of 550kg and a load volume of 1.15 cubic metres. Good news for operators though is the price tag; starting at just £9,995 plus VAT, it’s the cheapest 4x4 Commercials to go on sale for some time.
Read the Dacia Duster review.
Land Rover Discovery
Although the Land Rover Defender may be taken off sale this year, sales of the Land Rover Discovery commercial will continue. The Land Rover Discovery commercial is now into its fourth generation, and offers a 2.1 cubic metre load area and a 657kg payload. The 2.7-litre diesel engine produces 255bhp and is capable of towing up to 3.5 tonnes.
Mitsubishi Outlander
Making its LCV market debut in 2013, the Mitsubishi Outlander set the precedence in terms of comfort and refinement. Practicality, however, was somewhat compromised with just a 1.7 cubic metre load volume and a 525kg payload. In 2014, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was launched, the sector’s first plugin hybrid.
Read the Mitsubishi Outlander review.
Mitsubishi Shogun
The Mitsubishi Shogun is the longest running vehicle in this sector, having hit the market back in 1982. Now into its fourth generation, the Mitsubishi Shogun continues to be one of the best sellers thanks to its comfort levels and the choice of a short or long wheelbase. Load volumes and payloads vary between 1.12 and 1.79 cubic metres and a 465kg and 635kg payload respectively.
Read the Mitsubishi Shogun review.
SsangYong Korando
Sitting on the lighter end of the market is the Ssangyong Korando. A completely unrelated vehicle to the SsangYong Korando Sports pickup, the Korando offers a small 1.3 cubic metre load volume and a very poor 433kg payload. SsangYong’s 2-litre engine is a particular highlight, providing 147bhp and 360Nm.
SsangYong Rexton
With a 2.2 cubic metre load volume, the SsangYong Rexton is seen as the ‘big brother’ of the SsangYong Korando. The payload has also been amplified to give it the best in class figure of 740kg, although the 3-tonne towing capacity falls short of the Mitsubishi Shogun. The 2-litre engine from SsangYong is tuned to 153bhp.
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