-Prince- Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) Hi Guys, Good day, planning for a new UTE for a daily driving, need a refined & reliable UTE please. It will be weekend drive as well. But no towing/commercial use. Just need a lined tub & reliable engine. Any recommendations please? Isuzu DMAX Mazda BT50 VW Ford Ranger Toyota Hilix Mitsubishi Triton I am happy to hear what brands to avoid as well. Thank you Edited March 9 by -Prince-
rantan Posted February 25 Posted February 25 ***I am really, not a fan of these ute/trucks and I think a medium/large SUV is a better choice.*** However, to get that out of the way and answer your question, I would recommend one of these. Lots of innovation, great design and some genuine points-of-difference. https://bydautomotive.com.au/shark-6 1
aussievintage Posted February 26 Posted February 26 5 hours ago, -Prince- said: Hi Guys, Good day, planning for a new UTE for weekend activities like fishing, kayaking, Cycling, Golf need a refined & reliable UTE please. It will be weekday driver as well. But no towing/commercial use. Just need a tub & refined engine to carry all needed gears. Any recommendations please? No EV's as I am in regional town and will do lot of kms. Isuzu Mazda VW Ford Toyota Mitsubishi LDV GWM Mahindra I am happy to hear what brands to avoid as well. Thank you I love my Ford Ranger. I have the 3.2 diesel, and it's the best about town and weekender I can imagine. They are nearly all 2 litre bi-turbos now, but I think they are good as well. I have driven one and it seemed nice. Mine is an XLT, and I woud buy that or the Sport. But plenty of options, even the 3 litre V6 in the more upmarket models like Wildtrak. 1
-Prince- Posted February 26 Author Posted February 26 18 hours ago, aussievintage said: love my Ford Ranger. I have the 3.2 diesel, and it's the best about town and weekender I can imagine. They are nearly all 2 litre bi-turbos now, but I think they are good as well Thank you, I can see lot of Ford ranger ute on the road almost more than new Toyota UTE. Do you mind asking how long you are owning this and know issues to be aware during your ownership?
-Prince- Posted February 26 Author Posted February 26 17 hours ago, Andythiing said: Dmax Thank you, I test drove one. The steering was so light and very refined to drive . I preferred the Dmax drive than the Hilux. Any issues you had during your ownership from Dmax?
aussievintage Posted February 27 Posted February 27 3 hours ago, -Prince- said: Thank you, I can see lot of Ford ranger ute on the road almost more than new Toyota UTE. Do you mind asking how long you are owning this and know issues to be aware during your ownership? Mine is four years old. There have been no issues so far. I towed a small caravan for a year or so when I first got it. Coming up on 60k km now. They compete well with the Toyota. However, for me, the choice was between a Ranger and the Dmax mentioned above. Ranger being more popular and having a better price (at that time), and also being immediately available, I went that way.
Addicted to music Posted February 27 Posted February 27 22 hours ago, Andythiing said: Dmax I 2nd this. The drive chain is also in the current BT50....so it goes without saying either this or the Toyota. I drove the 2016 version, that thing went like a bullet and puts many other vehicles on notice. The only thing i didnt like and it could be the previous custodian who didnt look after it and flooded the cabin that i had to cleaned was that the suspension was rubbish. On 26/02/2025 at 10:57 AM, rantan said: ***I am really, not a fan of these ute/trucks and I think a medium/large SUV is a better choice.*** However, to get that out of the way and answer your question, I would recommend one of these. Lots of innovation, great design and some genuine points-of-difference. https://bydautomotive.com.au/shark-6 Maaaate, you see many who dont agree with these trucks on the road, but the versatility goes far beyond any other vehicle.......thats why the are so popular. ANd becuase they are diesel the economy are better than something tiny. Yes, the boss hates parking it, but hey she needs to compromise. 1
rantan Posted February 27 Posted February 27 6 minutes ago, Addicted to music said: Maaaate, you see many who dont agree with these trucks on the road, but the versatility goes far beyond any other vehicle... Maaate. Let me ask a question about versatility. Picture a neat petite soccer mum with two kids coming out of the supermarket with a week's worth of groceries and fruit/veg. She gets the two kids safely into the back seat and then has to put the fresh food in the tub and it's a 40 degree day. That is not really versatile and nor can she park the thing because she is 1.4 metres tall and 45 KG soaking wet. These are great for tradies and grey nomads but for others why not buy A Toyota/Kia/Hyundai/ Ford five or seven seat SUV. THAT is versatility.
aussievintage Posted February 27 Posted February 27 5 minutes ago, rantan said: Picture a neat petite soccer mum with two kids coming out of the supermarket with a week's worth of groceries and fruit/veg. She gets the two kids safely into the back seat and then has to put the fresh food in the tub and it's a 40 degree day. That is not really versatile and nor can she park the thing because she is 1.4 metres tall and 45 KG soaking wet. You do those women a disservice. My wife is small, but she drives and parks the Ranger just fine. Also, putting stuff into and out of the "tub" is easier than with an SUV. The tailgate is balanced and easy to operate, and more importantly, is the correct height for lifting and moving heavy objects, not at the wrong height, reaching over a large lip, as in an SUV. Lastly, things can be tall and still fit into the tub, whereas an SUV always seems to be just that bit squeezy.
rantan Posted February 27 Posted February 27 8 minutes ago, aussievintage said: You do those women a disservice My honest apologies. I am the very last person to be sexist so my description is just a "person" and was/is never, ever intended to be misogynistic. I still have questions about leaving perishable food in the rear cargo area,on hot or rainy days 1
Addicted to music Posted February 27 Posted February 27 23 minutes ago, rantan said: Maaate. Let me ask a question about versatility. Picture a neat petite soccer mum with two kids coming out of the supermarket with a week's worth of groceries and fruit/veg. She gets the two kids safely into the back seat and then has to put the fresh food in the tub and it's a 40 degree day. That is not really versatile and nor can she park the thing because she is 1.4 metres tall and 45 KG soaking wet. These are great for tradies and grey nomads but for others why not buy A Toyota/Kia/Hyundai/ Ford five or seven seat SUV. THAT is versatility. A close family friend has 3 boys and drives a RAV4. When i 1st got the ute, the 1st thing she did was looked into the back of the vehicle and said i can fit all the bikes in this easy! When i was in Cairns, yummy mummies where mostly in utes....... Then i realised why, they get on a cain field and drive on unsealed driveways......
aussievintage Posted February 27 Posted February 27 3 minutes ago, rantan said: My honest apologies. I am the very last person to be sexist so my description is just a "person" and was/is never, ever intended to be misogynistic. I still have questions about leaving perishable food in the rear cargo area,on hot or rainy days No worries, I was as much teasing about it as anything. She would laugh 1
Addicted to music Posted February 27 Posted February 27 @rantan I actually dreaded getting a ute for work, i drive everywhere including CBD, and some of those private car parks arent designed for large vehicles.... But it wasnt long that i enjoy driving them.... You also sit high so you see whats happening when you are stuck in traffic.... a real bonus. THe boss said shell never be seen driving the thing when i get it,, she doesnt like it but she adapted.
Tony M Posted February 27 Posted February 27 (edited) We bought this about 12 months ago to replace out old farm ute. In the end we kept the old ute as well, but that's another story. Very soon, Mrs M commandeered it to go for horse-riding lessons 2 to 3 times a week. It now has a fitted aluminium box on the tray and tonneau cover and works for towing a horse float carrying all the gear, tranporting bales of hay etc. The point is she's in the 70+ age group and is a bit over 1.5 metres tall and slight build and enjoys driving the thing except where tight parking spots are involved. I'm personally anti-SUV's and drive a big Audi hatchback, which does pretty much everything a 5 seater SUV could do and is much safer for us and other road-users. Everyone's needs are different, but I do see a real purpose for these big utes in many cases, but less so the majority of SUV's on the road, where a good old Aussie station wagon (remember them?) would often be a better option. FWIW, the choice of the Mazda was due to price and availability at the time, not to mention Mrs M preferred the less macho frontal appearance. It's been great so far and the lazy 3 litre 4 cylinder diesel coupled to the 6 speed Aisin slushbox is a very relaxed/relaxing power train. Ample power for most purposes and devoid of unnecessary sound and fury. It's really quite car-like to drive apart from the sheer bulk and very well equipped inside apart from electric memory seats, which we could really do with. And we regard the road-holding of any vehicle of this type to be inherently suss and drive it accordingly. Edited February 27 by Tony M
rantan Posted February 27 Posted February 27 OK, but nobody has addressed my concerns about having perishable food on hot or rainy days. Also, it just bothers me when I see one person ( the driver ) who is clearly NOT a trades person or a cane field warrior driving their RAM in commuter traffic
Tony M Posted February 27 Posted February 27 5 minutes ago, rantan said: OK, but nobody has addressed my concerns about having perishable food on hot or rainy days. Also, it just bothers me when I see one person ( the driver ) who is clearly NOT a trades person or a cane field warrior driving their RAM in commuter traffic It didn't take long for Mrs M to realize she needed a boot - initially for drums of horse food that were a bit grubby to have inside. So we added this: As for cold food transport, I keep an ancient tiny Engel fridge in the boot of my car and Mrs M just uses a foam esky +ice pack whether she's going to the supermarket in the ute or her 22 year old Falcon sedan (which BTW is rated to tow 2500Kg!) 1
aussievintage Posted February 27 Posted February 27 39 minutes ago, rantan said: OK, but nobody has addressed my concerns about having perishable food on hot or rainy days. Also, it just bothers me when I see one person ( the driver ) who is clearly NOT a trades person or a cane field warrior driving their RAM in commuter traffic There are at least 3 different options for a cover over the rear, so rain is not an issue. Also I wonder which gets hotter, the car cabin, or the covered rear tub? Probably not much difference - at least there's no glass letting in the light and heat in the tub..
aussievintage Posted February 27 Posted February 27 43 minutes ago, Tony M said: not to mention Mrs M preferred the less macho frontal appearance Mazda's cars always have nicer designs than most others in the same price bracket. 1
rantan Posted February 27 Posted February 27 (edited) 3 minutes ago, aussievintage said: Probably not much difference - at least there's no glass letting in the light and heat in the tub.. The tub does not have air conditioning and packing eskys with ice isn't really convenient Edit: I don't want to de rail this thread and I acknowledge that people buy the vehicles that they like ( for whatever reason ) and it is not my right to challenge that. So I have said my piece and I won't be questioning the choices that people make. God bless you all, but please just park within the lines OK ? Edited February 27 by rantan 2
aussievintage Posted February 27 Posted February 27 Just now, rantan said: The tub does not have air conditioning and packing eskys with ice isn't really convenient None of them have aircon when parked. If I am driving - it won't be long and I will be home, so an esky (no ice) is fine. Even those cooler shopping bags do the job. If shopping far afield - I plan ahead.
Tony M Posted February 27 Posted February 27 4 minutes ago, rantan said: The tub does not have air conditioning and packing eskys with ice isn't really convenient I was referring to a ice pack, @rantan. A plastic fluid-filled brick you grab out of the freezer and throw in the esky or the cooler shopping bag @aussievintage mentioned. I sometimes find it more convenient for short distances/durations than switching on the fridge in the boot. 1
blybo Posted February 27 Posted February 27 4 minutes ago, rantan said: The tub does not have air conditioning and packing eskys with ice isn't really convenient My tub has a 40l fridge on a draw slide run by a 70Ah lithium battery bank. Can do the shopping and not have to go straight home. The battery bank only ever needs to be recharged in the height of summer when the fridge is working hard. I don't use it on a daily basis but incredibly useful when needed. I've owned my V6 Next Gen Ford Ranger Wildtrack for a little over a year now and we only really use Mrs B's Volvo XC40 when we know parking is going to be really tight. I bought mine to tow our caravan but despite being a wagon tragic I have found it very useful many times. Carrying dirty stuff like firewood loads, getting large stuff home that would never fit in a wagon etc etc. I'd prefer a large wagon but it compromises payload too much. THe Ranger has something like 350kg's more payload than the equivalent Everest. 1
Mining Man Posted February 27 Posted February 27 On 26/02/2025 at 7:13 AM, -Prince- said: ... weekend activities like fishing, kayaking, Cycling, Golf need a refined & reliable UTE please. It will be weekday driver as well. But no towing/commercial use. Just need a tub & refined engine to carry all needed gears. ~ Unless you specifically need high ground clearance and all-wheel drive (which even on unsealed roads, you don't), and / or a back seat, the best ute for the activities you've listed off are the ones we don't make any more; the good old Falcodore ute. Other than whilst towing a caravan or doing long road trips a few times, the Ranger I owned for 6 years was more downside than upside. Big, heavy and utterly obnoxious as a weekday driver. 3 1
rantan Posted February 27 Posted February 27 4 minutes ago, Mining Man said: Big, heavy and utterly obnoxious as a weekday driver. Quite.
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