Rockhampton’s Scott Jones has owned a few diesels over the years and but has worked on them continuously for most of his adult life. Scott is a diesel fitter who mostly works on large mining vehicles, and this is the story of how a diesel expert chose a different path for his latest dual cab.
Scott’s most recent privately owned diesel was a Volkswagen Amarok, which he loved: “It was rugged and reliable but also comfortable and refined,” he said.
After Scott bought a large boat, though, he found the Amarok struggled with steep inclines at low speed. This is despite the weight of the boat and trailer still falling under the Amarok’s 3.5t tow limit.
“I just didn’t like how the combination worked when the weight of the trailer and boat was greater than the vehicle towing it: it didn’t feel good,” he said.
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So, Scott sold the VW and bought a new 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ. The extra weight and power of the big American fixed the problem, and Scott bought it despite the fact it wasn’t a diesel.
“It was a powerful V8 and it was spacious and sounded great too,” he said.
Scott later sold the boat but kept the Silverado that he enjoyed so much. However, a couple of years on and troubles kept cropping up in the big Chevy.
“There were multiple problems with the fuel pump and belt and tensioner, and then problems with the water pump and oil cooler meant it spent plenty of time in the workshop. I just couldn’t trust it anymore,” he explained.
This meant Scott was in the market for another dual cab, although this time he didn’t need the heavy towing capability.
Through his work he was familiar (and unhappy) with what Toyota and Ford were offering and was leaning back towards another diesel Amarok. Scott had also been keeping an eye on a very different type of vehicle that had recently arrived on the market.
It was the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute from Chinese manufacturer BYD. Moving even further away from the diesels he knew so well would be a bigger jump than getting the petrol Chevy, but being in the engine business Scott reads widely about the different technologies and wasn’t frightened by a hybrid – if it could meet his needs.
The Shark 6 combines a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with one of BYD’s own lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and two electric motors, which can move the vehicle up to 80km on battery power alone.
The BYD also proved a little larger than his old Amarok, with a large enough tray and towing capacity for his present needs. With a rating of 2.5t, it could easily tow his motorbikes in their dedicated enclosed vehicle trailer.
The plug-in hybrid ute also offered the promise of substantially lower running costs than the big Silverado if he charged its battery at home. That was the theory anyway: as like most Australians, Scott had never driven a Chinese ute before. With no dealers nearby at the time, he flew down to the Sunshine Coast for a test drive.
Scott admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect, and the build quality was the first thing that really surprised him.
“Those who trash these brands as low quality clearly haven’t sat in one”, he said. “It was as well-built as my Amarok. There were no squeaks, rattles: everything felt tight.”
He also liked the fact that all the modern features like decent stereo, ventilated seats etc. were part of the deal as standard. No expensive options were necessary. The real-world performance also matched the numbers on paper.
“It really does feel like it has 321kW when you put your foot down,” he said. “None of my diesel utes could get moving like this thing does.”
Scott took the plunge and placed an order in June 2025 for a Shark 6 in white, with delivery coming two weeks after signing.
When asked his thoughts of these first few months with the ute he said simply: “It has been a great vehicle so far and has matched up really well with my requirements. It even has lower fuel consumption than the Silverado when towing my bike trailer long distances along the highway. I can get 18L/100km at 100km/h whereas the Silverado returned 24L/100km.”
I asked Scott what his colleagues and friends thought about him going from a Chevrolet V8 to a Chinese hybrid.
“Some found it hard to believe what I had done, especially given all my diesel experience. They think it’s a backwards step in every way,” he said.
His typical reply to this? “I tell them to hop in. The quality speaks for itself. If you put your foot down, they swear – and then they go quiet. They hear it only has a 1.5-litre engine but they don’t understand what electric motors can do. It really is quicker than a Raptor.”
Scott charges the battery overnight if he’s going to use the vehicle the next day. When he’s not towing, he’s happy with his average range of 80km on pure electricity when driving around town on a fully charged battery.
When asked what he didn’t like about the BYD, Scott replied: “It needs more storage. The Silverado had fantastic storage options everywhere. I want bigger compartments and more of them.”
Scott admitted he also missed the epic soundtrack of the big V8 but is content with the instant torque, lower fuel bill, and the Shark’s tech and interior comfort.
Would he have bought the BYD again, now after a few months’ ownership? “Sure” he said. “And when BYD bring out the bigger one with the 2.0lt engine, their Blade 2 battery and the higher towing limit, I’ll buy that too.”
Finally, would the diesel specialist consider another diesel ute in the future?
“Diesels still have an important role to play, but for my own requirements… it would have to be pretty special to fight off machines like this,” he said.
The author received no payment, gift or benefit from BYD, or any BYD dealer group, for writing this owner’s purchase story. BYD had no involvement in this content. Surname changed for privacy reasons.
