They rule the sales charts, but dual-cab utes are loaded with compromises

At the start of 2025, Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley stated that Australia was set to reach “peak ute sales” on the back of yet another year of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger dominating new-car sales in this country.

It looks like business as usual heading into the end of 2025, with the two popular utes again topping the sales charts – and that trend is set to continue into the new year, with the new HiLux coming on line and Ford introducing fresh Ranger variants.

Mr Hanley was pointing to a slowing in ute sales driven by the re-emergence of midsize all-wheel-drive SUVs such as the RAV4. This category now sits second behind 4×4 utes in overall sales and, for most private buyers, they make far more sense than a ute.

While utes are certainly practical and versatile vehicles, they are heavily compromised as daily family cars.

The cabins of midsize utes are a major compromise, particularly in the back seat, where most lack the space needed to carry adults – or adult-sized kids – in comfort over long distances. Yes, some of the newer utes are arriving with larger cabins and sliding rear seats to improve comfort, but they will never match the space or seat-back angle of an equivalent-sized 4×4 wagon.

While the internal size creates compromises, so do the external dimensions. These utes are big and getting bigger, and using one as your daily family runabout and shopping hauler can be a real pain. It’s fine if you rarely visit a shopping-centre carpark, but it quickly becomes an annoyance – and a risk of damage – if you do it regularly.

The long wheelbase of double-cab 4×4 utes also compromises their off-road ability, with low ground clearance and a poor ramp-over angle, while their IFS front ends typically lack wheel travel and traction.

While ute tubs are large enough to carry plenty of gear, they’re not secure unless you fit a canopy or roller shutter, and the GVM of most utes limits how much you can actually carry without resorting to further modifications.

I’ve always compared double-cab 4×4 utes to the venerable Swiss Army knife: they offer plenty of functions and gadgets, but none of them work as well as a single tool designed specifically for the job. The 12 utes in our Ute Of The Year test presented us with a sea of compromises.

Ford has the right idea in creating derivatives of the Ranger ute that are better suited to specific tasks. The Ranger Raptor sacrifices load capacity to deliver a superior ride and far better off-road performance, while the new Ranger Super Duty trades ride quality for unrivalled GVM and towing capacity. The Ranger SD and Raptor each have a more focused design and engineering brief, resulting in vehicles that do a far better job of their intended roles.

While regular Rangers and other utes of their ilk will be better for 90 per cent of users, they will never do any one job especially well. The Ranger Raptor and Super Duty, on the other hand, excel at the tasks they were built for.