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Five best ute deals below $40,000 to kick off the new year

The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger might have stolen the limelight in the end-of-year sales race, but there are still some bargains to be had at the bottom end of the market.


There are normally slim pickings below $40,000 but a few special deals have emerged that provide buyers on a budget more options.

Isuzu has given its base model D-Max SX tradie pack the limited edition treatment, creating the D-Max X-Rider.

The Isuzu D-Max X-Rider (pictured below) still has vinyl flooring but gets a sports bar, charcoal 16-inch alloys off the D-Max LS-M instead of steel wheels, side moulds and blacked out window frames. 

It costs from $39,990 drive-away for the six-speed manual; six-speed auto adds $2000 although we are told by Isuzu dealers that customers won’t need to twist an arm to get the auto at the manual price if they ask nicely.

 

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It is in effect about $2000 less than the Isuzu D-Max LS-M, which gains projector beam headlights, a chrome grille and carpet interior.

As with the rest of the D-Max range, the X-Rider comes with a six-year warranty and roadside assistance – and the cost of routine maintenance is capped for seven years/105,000km, whichever comes first.

Holden has sharpened the pencil on its tradie pack Colorado LS double-cab 4x4 (pictured below) with automatic transmission. It’s now $38,990 drive-away (about $4000 off full price) as a demonstrator model, so the registration may have already started on some examples. Be sure to compare what’s available at different dealerships.

In addition to Holden’s standard five-year warranty, the company has included seven years’ free servicing.

 

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The Nissan Navara SL double cab 4x4 is available to ABN holders for $37,990 drive-away with manual transmission and $40,490 drive-away with auto, but be sure to haggle as dealers are having a red-hot go in the lead up to March, the end of the Japanese financial year.

The Mitsubishi Triton remains the value king in the sub-$40,000 price bracket, however, with several options from $34,990 drive-away to $39,990 drive-away, depending on whether you want the GLX tradie pack double cab 4x4 with steel wheels (pictured below), the same model with the optional safety pack, or the GLX+ which gains alloys, side steps, Apple Car Play, and comes standard with advanced safety.

That’s why the Triton gets two mentions to round out our Top Five buys right now, because both the GLX and GLX+ are compelling propositions at these prices.

 

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If you’re wondering why the top-selling Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger didn't make the Top Five list, they’re not in the sub-$40,000 segment. At least not with a 4x4.

The sharpest deal we could find on a Ford Ranger double cab was a 4x2 2.2-litre XL automatic from $36,490 drive-away. 

Proving that the “build-and-price” sections of some websites are a long way off the true retail prices, the same Ranger XL double cab with the same engine but with 4x4 was listed at a staggering $52,500 drive-away. You can get a Ranger XLT for that.

Meanwhile the best price we could find on the Toyota HiLux double cab 4x4 was $43,990 drive-away for a Workmate (pictured below) powered by a 2.4-litre diesel (not the 2.8) with auto, black steel wheels and a vinyl floor. That’s the equal cheapest price this model grade of the current generation HiLux has been since launch in mid-2015.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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