With the 2017 Ranger offering high levels of equipment and SUV-like driving characteristics, you’d think the Amarok would have its hands full, if it didn’t have that one ace up its sleeve, that is.
The Ranger will impress right off the bat with its 8″ touchscreen running SYNC3 (Apple CarPlay & Android Auto), its safety and driver assistance tech, and the amount of room inside the cabin. In XLT trim, you even get a heads-up display, which is great to have in a compact pickup/ute.
With the Amarok, the infotainment system has a smaller touchscreen display, and while you do get connectivity features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it’s not as impressive a system as the one in the Ranger overall – plus, it’s not as spacious nor as tech-savvy as its rival
Still, as you’re about to see in this CarAdvice comparison review, the Amarok does prove its worth in other departments, such as performance, where its 3.0-liter V6 TDI unit is good for 165 kW (224 PS) and 550 Nm (405 lb-ft) of torque.
The Ranger on the other hand uses a 3.2-liter 5-cylinder diesel unit, with 147 kW (200 PS) and 470 Nm (346 lb-ft) of torque. While you could argue that the difference doesn’t sound all that massive, during 0-100-0 tests, the Amarok easily pulled ahead thanks to its faster acceleration times (the braking distances were pretty much identical).
In the end, both are very competent vehicles, and with similar price tags, customers need only decide which one is a better fit for them and their lifestyle. However, there was one overall winner in this test, but you’ll need to stick around until the end of the video to find out who and why.