Once a staple for rural families working the land, utes have become extremely popular among suburban people, particularly for leisure. New Zealand is blessed with endless tracks of rugged, smooth, and rolling terrains that having utes seems more like a great, natural idea.
With a ute, you can work on your farm during the weekdays or spend the weekends strolling in pristine landscapes. Or you can do both at will. A ute is a must have. But before crashing into ute dealers in NZ, below are some tips to help you start with owning one.
Carrying and Towing Prowess
Most if not all buyers will definitely put a vehicle’s carrying and towing prowess as the foremost consideration. It is no different with utes. Actually, it is even more important. Models that offer a balanced suspension and improved strength are expected to tow better.
But too much rigidity, usually subscribed to by owners with few people and stuff to carry, can give you a bumpy ride. If you carry a family often, look for balance and space. Speaking of space, a double cab will surely be a hit to the children.
Cabin Comfort
Truly, comfort is hard to measure when you are just trying to get a feel of the wheels in a shop or even test driving. You have got to spend more time with your ute to see if it matches your expectations or your wants. Dual cabs or double cabs are made for comfort while single cabs are for performance.
There are some choices in between, those that can have the best of both worlds. Dealers will give you options for such need but limiting the need for performance and looking for more roomy interiors should give you the idea of a balanced ute. Also, do not forget to seek high ANCAP ratings.
Safety Technology
There are now more utes designed for safety. They are not just more equipped, but they are also high-tech. Standard fittings are usually reserved for traction control and side airbags. For more advanced features, one should find a ute equipped with a lane departure warning as well as adaptive cruise control capabilities.
Keeping your family safe every weekend trip or you and a companion in every work shift are taken into consideration now by manufacturers. And of course, utes with more capabilities come with a higher price tag.
Prices and Freebies
And yes, the price is the ultimate decider. If you cannot get a good finance deal or find models with good resale prices, especially if you are regularly upgrading, look out for free deals.
Free onroads and extra bonuses like an alloy wheel upgrade can be found. And so are free scheduled servicing (for the first few years), free accessories, and a free upgrade to auto.
Whether it be performance, comfort, safety, and affordability, any buyer would still be bent to find a ute that is best fit to one’s needs. All the above features will always come anyway, in one way or another. What is important is you get the right mix to give you a great driving experience.