Automative journalists are coming to the extremely slow realisation that luxury road-tank utes in Australia only have a tray as a sort of emotional identity display for middle aged men www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/ute... - ThreadSky

ketanjoshi.co • 31 days ago

Automative journalists are coming to the extremely slow realisation that luxury road-tank utes in Australia only have a tray as a sort of emotional identity display for middle aged men

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/utes-are-useless-they-may-be-popular-but-modern-utes-such-as-the-toyota-hilux-isuzu-d-max

Comments

paddo42.bsky.social•30 days ago

The new ev Kombi is the one u want.

michaelruyg.bsky.social•31 days ago

Automotive ‘journalists’? 99.9% of them write what can only be seen as advertorials

denny3.bsky.social•30 days ago

Conservative American men are PATHETIC. Since everything isn’t given to them on a silver platter (they have to actually compete with women & POC) & women don’t have to marry their sexist asses, they’ve devolved into Naziism & intimidating everyone else on the road in their laughably gigantic trucks.

jaconthebrazos.bsky.social•31 days ago

I am always struck at how Australians decided not to speak English and just make up their own words for everything for just the most random stuff.

I could get by in England. In Australia, I'd be like, "are all of you insane?"

(Tray instead of bed was odd lol)

bicyclingpirate.bsky.social•31 days ago

The fragile-masculinity-mobile. I had a couple of (non-luxury) ones when i was working in regional Victoria and even there they are worse than a mpv for everything apart from a few narrow use cases. The bed or tray is too high to easily load and the interior space is cramped

bandit.nz•30 days ago

Agree with this. I had a 2018 Triton and a 2019 Model 3 for a while. With the tonneau closed to protect from weather, I could fit more stuff in the Model 3

hazdaz.bsky.social•30 days ago

Mid size, 4 door pickups are the most practical vehicles on the planet.

Use them like a family sedan. Haul a motorcycle or bikes. Transport a ton of gravel. Take it off roading. Get a roof tent and go camping. It's your moving vehicle. Get some full size lumber and sheet goods to the house.

plutonyum.bsky.social•30 days ago

It's also a way to get around fuel efficiency rules because it still counts as a 'truck'.

foggmeizter.bsky.social•31 days ago

Heeey, middle aged men might need some comfort in theyre life, divorced,sold house, kept on hobbies, maybe a trailer just to get away from a shrew,just seeking tranquility and piece of mind. Gone fishing.

thebigsouvlaki.bsky.social•31 days ago

I heard them called wankpanzers

poidapie.bsky.social•31 days ago

ESVs
Emotional Support Vehicles

pxtl.ca•31 days ago

Gender-affirming car.

vasco-pajamas.bsky.social•31 days ago

My little 660cc Kei Truck takes a bigger load than my Hi Lux

ketanjoshi.co•31 days ago

Gorgeous

kylee.bsky.social•30 days ago

I have a long wheel base hi top van. I can fit shitloads of stuff in it and go camping in it. I don’t have to tie anything down or worry about it getting wet.

rustymhman.bsky.social•31 days ago

Few years back,I brought home an entire flat pack Ikea kitchen in the back of my Mazda3. Including 2m tall flat pack pantries. It took half a dozen trips, but it was a big kitchen. These mega utes have trays that reflect the size of their owners' anatomy.

twistedhermit.bsky.social•31 days ago

I moved my entire house bar the fridge & bed in my first car, a little three door hatchback Ford Laser. At the time, that included four 180cm tall bookcasees, a dining room table, a couch & two armchairs plus boxes and boxes of books, etc. I'd never hang a bookcase out of a Utility with no utility!

nigelboor.bsky.social•30 days ago

The UK is about to tax double cabs as "cars".

bp740.bsky.social•31 days ago

Our city roads are too narrow for the American sized vehicles and most of the drivers act as if they own the roads.

pxtl.ca•31 days ago

A 150cm length flat pack desk box was his problem?

I used to drive a compact we-don't-call-it-a-station-wagon Pontiac Vibe. The cargo room was longer than 150cm with the back seats folded down in that car iirc.

Pathetic.

jasonandrade.bsky.social•31 days ago

A journo discovering that tradies just use utes to carry tools and any tradie that needs to actually move stuff uses an actual truck? Who knew..

*Literally every tradie and anyone who has ever looked at what they drive. Anything bulky is delivered onsite. By a van or truck. Not a ute. 🤷🏾

bicyclingpirate.bsky.social•31 days ago

Lots of people drive to site in these wankpanzers but if anyone actually needs to move something they use the Isuzu or Hino 2-tonne tipper

rchirgwin.bsky.social•30 days ago

Or they buy a single cab version with chassis, and attach a proper tray to it. If I look at any building site, I can tell which is the workhorse and which are driving people around.

jasonandrade.bsky.social•30 days ago

The article was about dual cab utes..

But even single cab utes on a work site usually have pretty large toolboxes and very limited carrying capacity (space) as a result. Those tradies usually tow a trailer..

🤷🏾

undbtlydoubtful.bsky.social•30 days ago

love your work - just shared with my ute infused workplace

kayloulee.bsky.social•31 days ago

That's a yank tank, even if it's a Japanese brand. It's the same owner mentality anyway.

danambergstrom.bsky.social•31 days ago

A bit slow, but I see a lot of young tradies buying these too, getting into huge debt when they actually need an old flat tray Ute.

eddyc.bsky.social•31 days ago

They are perfect for what I need them to do work wise. But once that is over, it sits in the driveway, taking up space, because there are easier ways to get around.

yes2renewablesuk.bsky.social•31 days ago

Ute's are not popular in the UK & Europe due to climate and the fact that all drivers can tow a small #Trailer as standard.

Just encourage politicians to amend driving legislation.

2pensi.bsky.social•31 days ago

...smallest tool in the shed...?

claire02.bsky.social•31 days ago

They are only popular because of incentives. Take away the incentives and they would cease to be as popular.

luckytoastseb.bsky.social•31 days ago

I miss long beds. I can't wait to restore my 56 f600 with its 14 foot bed we hauled grain in.

coffeeslot.bsky.social•31 days ago

Utes are good if what you've got in the back is full of chemicals or dirty (petrol chainsaws, swab bottles etc). If what you're putting in the tub is something you want to keep clean and or dry, you are so much better off with a van. Only losers choose to use utes for supermarkets and school runs

angecat.bsky.social•30 days ago

finally someone says it. the trays of these pieces of shit fit less than most station wagons. I learned to drive on a 1970 Toyota Stout (hilux predecessor) and the tray floor space was more than 4 times of the useless things they make today

maconnolly888.bsky.social•31 days ago

IMHO it's not a ute if it can't take a 2400x1200 sheet of gyprock, plywood, etc

rb-citizen.bsky.social•31 days ago

I'd wonder if you could fit it in traditional Citroen 2CV?
I could fit long skis in one.

rollsouth.bsky.social•31 days ago

Most of them are driven by middle management types these days as well. Not a spot of dirt on them, and some bloke in a button down oxford in the driver’s seat, the tray full of cobwebs. And the Ford Ranger is bloody awful for off-roading, no visibility at the front whatsoever. Get a station wagon!

ravenswyng.bsky.social•29 days ago

Hmm, Daesh seems to be partial to the Hilux I hear ...

railmaps.com.au•31 days ago

The tray isn’t for carrying goods. It’s to provide plausibility to gain an exemption from the luxury car tax….

Under ATO guidelines, “if the principal purpose of the vehicle is to carry goods, then it is exempt from the luxury car tax”.

https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/ute-tax-breaks-exemptions/

alexanderlambrt.bsky.social•31 days ago

this line was a bit shocking for me

"For cars, the ATO has determined that the effective life of a new vehicle is eight years or 12.5 per cent of the value of the asset," Ord previously told Drive.

twistedhermit.bsky.social•31 days ago

In America, some expensive runners (as in footwear) come with a patch of fur on the sole so importers can classify them as "slippers."
Nothing like a wee little furry bottom to announce one's robust bank account and manliness.

adamfromphilly.bsky.social•31 days ago

I play a game with my kids when we see these full size tanks called “do they need this for work” and it’s almost always no unless it’s 12 years old with a regular cab and full size bed. real workers buy vans anyway to protect your tools from lot pirates.

k53au.bsky.social•30 days ago

I get over 1/2 a ton of firewood in the back of mine..

austingmackell.bsky.social•29 days ago

At least a wagon can seat 8 people with dry luggage. And a dual cab doesn't leave space for a dirt bike, a surfboard, or a real tradie's rig.

It is known.

snark66.bsky.social•30 days ago

Son has a Hilux and it's perfect for him and his partner and dogs etc. he uses it for work and camping.

My other son has a leaf. 😂

centretoleft.bsky.social•30 days ago

That trays function is so they can get out of their #wankpanzer and place their enormous balls on it while they look at the path of destruction they left in their wake.

kimmylea.bsky.social•30 days ago

Also the trucks being higher now would make it more difficult to lift items up into the tray and get them down again for a lot of people. Bigger risk of injuring yourself than if the tray you're lifting from is between hip and shoulder height

gilgreen.bsky.social•31 days ago

Sacrificed to the big dual cabs.

narvuntien.bsky.social•31 days ago

100% true I have been complaining about this everywhere.

My dad has a 2017 Holen Ute and there is literally no vehicle to replace it. Even more complicated by the fact the rest of us in the house drive EVs and he hates paying for fuel. There might be some EV utes but they are Dual cabs and useless.

cdunnart.bsky.social•31 days ago

And yet, you and I the taxpayer are STILL subsidising these ‘tradie’ tanks

sunnydarkgreen.bsky.social•31 days ago

Laughing at wankpanzers trying to carry anything longer than a cricket bat is my fetish. Am unbearably smug that my corolla fielder hybrid can take 2.4m lengths inside, 3m on the roof racks, and gets well over 700km out of a 35l tank.

boothwobblies.bsky.social•30 days ago

I loaded a whole outdoor setting into my VW Passat wagon. Also 3m lengths of wood and steel for a building project. Can tow a boat with the punchy 2 litre engine too. And park in normal car bays.
Trying to buy an electric wagon but can only find SUVs or sedans. Grrrr!

100dianne.bsky.social•31 days ago

Concur

severincarrell.bsky.social•31 days ago

I tried Google Translate on “ute”, but it failed…

sigkill.bsky.social•31 days ago

A typical Hilux driver where I live is an actual tradie (20-something, white), but the tray is almost always empty, even in company-branded utes.

novgord.bsky.social•30 days ago

But have you tried chuk it in the yute?

margbell.bsky.social•30 days ago

Need to tri it on before you buy

hock17.bsky.social•30 days ago

We have a Triton for towing a caravan and a Hyundai Getz for around town. If buying furniture off a buy, swap, sell type deal we take the Getz.

zerogeewhiz.bsky.social•31 days ago

We’ve known this since day one. I have always, always said buy a wagon if you actually need to move things and people.

wombat74.bsky.social•31 days ago

Or a HiAce/iLoad. Work vans get overlooked a lot.

dwjperry.bsky.social•31 days ago

If my EV could tow another tonne or so to do a dual axle braked trailer I'd be set I think...

zerogeewhiz.bsky.social•31 days ago

Ok “we” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

midofo.bsky.social•31 days ago

I bought the old Hilux Xtra-Cab back in 2005 (so I could beach launch my boat) as the tray was not the ridiculous small size the dual cab was

wrbski.bsky.social•30 days ago

Pickups are crap: just sling your tools in the back, and they'll have been stolen when you next need them. Or if it rains, they'll be rusty or seized or shorted out.

That sack of cement has now set.

Long loads? Nope. Anything light? Blew away. Racking? No chance.

Get a van.

maire19.bsky.social•31 days ago

One of these monsters was parked next to a regular ute in the car park, and despite it being shorter in total the regular ute tray was twice as long

onimod53.bsky.social•31 days ago

They're Tonka trucks for kids who never grew up. Amazingly, the more cheap and tacky plastic you can hot glue to the outside the more you can charge for them too.

ketanjoshi.co•31 days ago

anyway i'd put good money into predicting these US findings replicate in Australia

https://ketanjoshi.co/2024/02/17/car-companies-are-wrecking-climate-efforts-to-make-money/

fugitivecourier.bsky.social•31 days ago

They do, because trucks aren't used for actual work around here. They're garage queens that losers drive to compensate for their tiny pee-pees and stunted emotional development.

I will never forget a guy screaming at me me not to scratch the bed/tray *liner* when I loaded something into his truck.

wm.hdly.io•30 days ago

I agree many vehicles are not bought to be used as they were designed. This includes shiny new 4x4s made for rock crawling, Lamborghinis in the middle of NYC, etc.; however, some people use them but also take care of them. I’ve come to expect judgement, but that’s life!

fugitivecourier.bsky.social•30 days ago

Kudos to you, sincerely. I admire anyone who purchases with intent in mind (and I'm envious of your plan). You're an increasingly rare example, though.

boboxide.bsky.social•31 days ago

It is generally known and understood here that a car is a modern penis sleeve.
And with those penises we beat and beat up everything living around us.

happyjack333.bsky.social•30 days ago

twinfold.bsky.social•31 days ago

The shrinking bed size drove my dad nuts. Had nice big beds in the 80's, got smaller in the 90's, and been a pain in the ass the past 20 years for him. Mostly had GMC's pickups but last I heard he was using an F150 because it was the biggest bed he could find & GM wouldn't do a good deal for him.

realphilgold.bsky.social•31 days ago

Those long beds in those old utes made utes unstable in cornering when empty @zerogeewhiz.bsky.social can explain the physics

qldsteve.bsky.social•31 days ago

Coupla slabs of long neck VBs, and a box of tools and you’d be right

zerogeewhiz.bsky.social•31 days ago

It already has. The Everest is a Ranger underneath. The Pajero Sport a Triton. The Fortuner a HiLux.

ketanjoshi.co•31 days ago

Ah my bad, I mean the survey / use findings

zerogeewhiz.bsky.social•31 days ago

I was congratulating you for your accuracy 😀

telephonebooth.bsky.social•31 days ago

yes, vanity pickup trucks everywhere here, never carried lumber, never get dirty, definitely taking up too much road and drive too fast, last bit of the American dream still selling

oliverham.bsky.social•31 days ago

More like to appease the ATO.

kayawanu.bsky.social•31 days ago

They can knick off. I'm going to convert my Effie and drive it forever around home.
City utes a step down from 4×4 city cars with a bad aerodynamic luggage rack bolted on the roof they never use.

canberrabybike.bsky.social•31 days ago

Pour one out for the wankpanzers.

sunnydaybluesky.bsky.social•31 days ago

The ute tray is the driver's esky. Nobody's even bothering to pretend they do anything more move beer from one location to another.

kimbasgarden.bsky.social•31 days ago

I once commented that the current dual cab ute tray style seemed way less practical (smaller) than previous utes appeared to be. I received rather a lot of cranky responses.

rocketpilot.xyz•31 days ago

If you can’t safely transport a full sheet of plywood (2400mm X 1200mm) in one without most of it sticking out, what’s even the point of it

kimbasgarden.bsky.social•31 days ago

Well yes. Useless for many trades. Or at least that's how it seems to me.

carlton2020.bsky.social•31 days ago

yep.
This style of 1 tonne Ute:

1) generlly cannot carry 1 tonne properly
2)are terrible to drive
3) the tray is too small to be useful for most things.

Allocated one for work car for a few years - terrible on fuel, bounce whenever the road is rough at speed and generally useless

darwinboy.bsky.social•31 days ago

Surely someone is going to come out with a single cab, flat tray back?

pxtl.ca•31 days ago

Or if you enclose the bed, you can make the cargo space and passenger space connected and then fold the seats down to have the versatility of both modes oh dear I've invented a station wagon.

darwinboy.bsky.social•31 days ago

I will always try and own a station wagon. The best design in my opinion. SUVs suck

krisb.bsky.social•30 days ago

Ranger, Hilux, D-Max, Navara, Triton, all offer single cab flat deck models.

darwinboy.bsky.social•30 days ago

PHEVs? EVs?

krisb.bsky.social•30 days ago

There's a single PHEV ute I know of, the BYD and no, that doesn't come in single cab. Top spec drive train with bottom spec everything else doesn't exist anywhere any more.

bettybarcode.bsky.social•31 days ago

Gender confirmation vehicles

rchirgwin.bsky.social•31 days ago

The tray exists to claim tax relief and let you park in loading zones. It's not there to actually carry stuff.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply