Isuzu

At one time, the Isuzu D-Max was the everyman’s ute, cheap and cheerful, extremely tough and dependable. It still carries most of those characteristics, but in the eight years in between model updates, there have been some changes, many of which have come about through Isuzu’s collaboration with Mazda for this generation. Extensive safety upgrades have put the top spec D-Max into the price range of mainstream players.

LDV

LDV has proven itself to be the quiet performer for the first few months of vehicle registrations this year. It hasn’t quite made it into the top five, but hey, number 6 in February for 4x4’s ain’t exactly a poor showing! Obviously priced right and appealing to the shrewd and canny buyer, the LDV T60 looks to be a credible market player in a very competitive segment.

Mahindra

It still takes some getting used to in terms of its styling, which was always going to be a bit of a sticking point for the Indian automaker, but the Mahindra’s off-road abilities – if those are what you are looking for in a ute – are above reproach. The Pik Up is actually far more off-road capable than many utility vehicles twice the price and which will never see the rugged areas a Mahindra can get to.

Mazda

The Mazda BT-50 seems to have come full circle in terms of its design. For 2021, Mazda’s ute has moved towards the purposeful, shying away from the swoopy look the brand defended so valiantly. What has happened in the inside however, is truly remarkable. Mazda has imbued its light commercial offering (with its very generous aftersales offering) with a ‘Mazda magic’ interior, taking ute cabin design to a new benchmark.   

Mitsubishi

Triton may have fallen from favour compared to the all-star passenger product wearing the Mitsubishi badge, but it is still a ‘go to’ vehicle as far as many fleets are concerned. Small wonder really, given the variety within the range in terms of its specification levels and ‘business back end’ options. Triton is still holding its own after its facelift which saw the working ute cement its place in the modern family of Mitsubishi.

Nissan Navara

It’s a case of another comprehensive set of upgrades for Nissan’s Navara, the first local turbo-diesel double-cab ute to get coil spring suspension front and rear.  Broad model range over single and twin turbo 2.3 litre engines and the inclusion of advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility systems ticks all the key consumer boxes, while rugged look and features keep things fresh for 2021 and beyond.

SsangYong

SsangYong’s ute is not on the critically endangered list as its namesake is, but it certainly in need of some help. The weird part of it all is that the Rhino is actually a very good, very useful and very capable utility, with good strong engines, long or regular trays and 2 or 4WD options. We suspect it just doesn’t show up on the radar very often, a bit like its namesake: we don’t think about the Rhino because we’re not really aware of it.

Toyota

In the ongoing battle for top spot in the utility vehicle market, Toyota launched its superweapon, the new generation Hilux with reduced model complexity, increased levels of standard equipment, a massive focus on all but eliminating noise, vibration and harshness and to cap it all off, driveway pricing which sets it up as one of the most affordable utility vehicles on the market. What’s not to like?