YEAR-ON-YEAR sales of new 4x4s continues to boom, thanks largely to 5893 more pick-up/cab-chassis variants being sold in the first half of 2018 compared to the first six months of 2017 (88,997 versus 83,104), representing a healthy 7.1 per cent increase.

Utes, led by Toyota’s Hilux, which has squeezed back past Ford’s Ranger into top spot, are the dominant force in the 4×4 market. Some 80 to 90 per cent of utes sold are dual-cabs, reflecting their repositioning away from being work vehicles.

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Against this ute-dominated background, sales of dual-range 4×4 wagons are also generally up, with Toyota’s Land Cruiser 200 Series increasing more than 12 per cent in year-to-date (YTD) sales to match the Hilux’s rise.

Toyota’s Prado has also done well to climb up to fourth in YTD sales. Making it a very Toyota-flavoured start to the year, the Land Cruiser 79 Series has also climbed into the top 10 after years of hovering just outside.

However, not all of the top 10 are winners, with the Holden Colorado, Nissan Navara and Mazda BT-50 all sliding in popularity.

So that’s the big picture, but how do these top 10 shape up in detail? – Ford Ranger – Holden Colorado – Isuzu D-Max – Mazda BT-50 – Mitsubishi Triton – Nissan Navara – Toyota Hilux – Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series – Toyota Land Cruiser 200 – Toyota Prado