Dual-cab domination! With the Toyota HiLux on the ropes, the new Ford Ranger ute is ready to roar in 2023

The Toyota HiLux suddenly finds itself in an unfamiliar position, with the top-selling ute — and the country's best-selling vehicle for years on end — kicking off its 2023 campaign trailing the all-new Ford Ranger for two consecutive months.

Last year, despite facing supply constraints and delivery headwinds, the Toyota HiLux swept away the competition, with more than 64,000 examples sold over the course of 2022. That was more than enough to finish ahead of its core rival, the Ford Ranger, which managed around 47,500 sales.

But the scales have shifted so far in 2023. According VFACTS, some 4473 examples of the Ford Ranger found homes in February, up a significant 29.5 per cent on the same month last year. Conversely, Toyota managed 3939 sales last month, a fall of 18 per cent year on year.

And in the first two months of 2023, the Ranger has managed a total 9222 sales, while the HiLux has sold 8070 units. So the Ford Ranger is now ahead, and if this trend continues, Australia could have a new vehicle wearing our 'most popular' crown. But what it also boils down to is a battle of an old favourite versus a new challenger.

Around the middle of last year, Ford unveiled a new Ranger, with new engine options and a new hardcore Raptor variant. Toyota, on the other hand, has been dragging its heels on a true hardcore competitor.

But that day is now just around the corner, with the Toyota HiLux GR Sport edging closer to launch in Australia.

Set to launch in the second half of this year, the HiLux GR Sport features the ute's regular 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, but with the power upped to 165kW and 550Nm. For reference, the new Ranger Raptor has swapped to petrol power, and features a twin-turbo V6 good for 292kW and 583Nm.

Toyota will assemble our vehicles in Melbourne – alongside the HiLux Rogue – and almost all the important bits have been upgraded, including the power pump, a wider track, tuned suspensions and better brakes.

The brand has also tweaked the automatic transmission to deliver better acceleration, and says the 140mm (front) and 155mm (rear) track "cater for the most demanding driving conditions".

As a result, Toyota says it's confident it will finish 2023 "very strong", disputing the idea that a lack of brand-new metal will impact the HiLux's sales results.

"Well we wouldn't say there's no brand-new metal – we've got the GR Sport coming," says Toyota Australia's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, told us earlier this year.

Set to launch in the second half of this year, the HiLux GR Sport features the ute's regular 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, but with the power upped to 165kW and 550Nm.

"So we've got a GR Sport coming, we've got the Rogue ongoing, we've got incredibly exciting things happening around that car for the coming year.

"In the end, the market will determine, but I expect that HiLux (sales) will be very strong."

Reports have also emerged of Toyota offering electrification on its trusty 2.8-litre turbo-diesel either late this year or early next, in the form of a mild-hybrid system.

But the battle for the country's top-selling ute is likely to come down to more than just metal, with each company's ability to actually deliver vehicles likely to shape as the most important weapon in this war.

It's not so much a fight over the vehicles themselves, but who can shrink their order queue fastest.

Towards the beginning of the year, the average wait time for a HiLux was around six months. But the brand said it had ordered strongly, and is hoping to bring that down to more like three months as the year progresses, and as more HiLux's are delivered.

Ford is facing its own delivery challenges, with the brand adjusting prices as it deals with ongoing supply issues, and that due to semiconductor shortages (forcing the removal of the heated wing mirrors and internal motion sensors as part of the anti-theft suite).

But one thing is certain — this is the battle to watch in 2023.