Ute Buyers Spoilt For Choice
2020 Ford Ranger
Most of us will know the popularity of the ute in Australia. It’s an awesome type of vehicle for mixing work, play and family duties all together and so easily. Some utes even scrub up so well that they look stylish enough parked up next to a luxury Mercedes, so it is little wonder as to why we’re seeing the Hilux, Ranger or even Triton being very popular new car buys.
2020 Mitsubishi Triton
Australia’s top-selling modern utes need to be able to tow big weights, carry close to 1000 kg on the tray out the back, be capable 4x4s, drive with premium levels of comfort and refinement, look cool and have the latest technology, infotainment and safety aids. Tick all these boxes and, if you’re a new ute manufacturer, you can be sure that you’re going to get some foot traffic onto your showroom floors – which will then, hopefully, transfer into those feet driving one of your utes out of your dealership after just having sold the ute.
There are some pretty special new utes available already in Australia, but there will also be some new utes coming in the not-too-distant future. Hyundai, with joint interest and input from sister company Kia, are poised to bring an exciting ute to Australia. A team of experts from Hyundai recently visited Australia. They piloted a detailed ute market research project here in Australia, while also visiting other Asian countries as well as the Middle East. Hyundai Australia’s CEO, Mr Lee, commented that the new ute would be subject to its extensive local tuning program to tailor it to Australian conditions and consumer tastes. It sounds like Hyundai are doing their homework very well indeed. According to Kia Australia, the ute will be offered in a range of single-cab and double-cab body styles with both petrol and diesel engine options.
2020 Jeep Gladiator
The Jeep Gladiator is set to make an entry, and this really is a light truck/ute that imposes itself with immense on-road presence. It’s big, bold and capable both on and off the road and, essentially, it is a Jeep Wrangler with a big tray out the back. It will offer Sport, Sport S, Overland and Rubicon trims, and it offers two engine choices: a 3.6-litre Pentaster V6 that delivers 209 kW and 353 Nm, and a torquey 3.0-litre diesel V6 to launch a little further down the track. The Gladiator stretches 5.54 m in length, 1.88 m wide and up to 1.90 m in height. A 3.5 tonnes towing weight is no problem.
2020 Ram 1500
In the same vein as the Gladiator, but with even more hulk, is the new Ram 1500, a model that has been birthed out of the Ram Truck Division. Big on grunt the Ram 1500 comes with an updated 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine which should prove more fuel efficient than previous engines. The new engine is used in the newest Jeep Grand Cherokee and will sit above the entry-level Hemi V8 models. Taking a look at the 184 kW and 570 Nm figures for the Grand Cherokee, the same engine in the Ram 1500 should be a thumper – providing up to 4.5-tonnes of pulling capability. So, if you need one of the best tow vehicles then this will be one of them.
Mazda’s new BT-50 will become available next year, and it’s a ute that is being jointly developed with Isuzu. Tough and strong with masculine looks is what has been indicated.
All the recently updated Toyota HiLux, Mitsubishi Triton, Ford Ranger, Holden Colorado, Nissan Navara, Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 are still available. And don’t forget the powerful VW and Mercedes options that are growing in popularity as well. Ssangyong ‘s new Musso looks the real deal and delivers on rugged reliability and affordability, and will be well worth a look if you’re about to purchase a new ute for yourself.
2020 Ssangyong Musso
Ute buyers are spoilt for choice!
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