I've just finished watching all 4 episodes that you have created in relation to the MALAISE ERA. They were all great and I learnt a lot. Here in Australia the UTE had been around for decades, until GM and FORD in the USA decided to "pull the plug" on Australian manufacturing of world class cars and put tens of thousands of people out of work. This broke our hearts. The reason behind this decision from the USA was money! If I were a billionaire, I would start up a company and call it HOLDEN, not GENERAL MOTORS HOLDEN, just HOLDEN. With no ties to the USA Australia could once again start producing world class cars, including our UTE's. Some of the UTES that are left now sell to collectors for over $500,000.00 AUD. Initial price: $25K - $80K. Thanks so much for touching on this subject and making the effort of creating this video. DM.
Utes are becoming less common in the cities. Most tradies now opt for a Japanese pickup with a flat deck. Traditionally a ute would have the tray connected directly to the body while a pick up truck had the box or tray separate on the chassis. You could not remove the cargo section of the ute. Also, a two door station wagon was sometimes referred to as a "sedan delivery". Panel vans in Australia like this had a raised roof with the Holden Sandman being one of the hottest.
Personally i have an xw panel van. It’s weird to think that Americans hardly know anything about the ute let alone the panel van. I’m just worried it’ll become a “trend” to own an aussie ute or panel van and the Americans will import them out of existence
@@Man-bc8wv America is like a cemetery for coveted imports. Look at what they are doing to the Japanese cars right now. I mourn every time I learn of another car getting exported from its natural habitat in Japan to a backwards cap wearing JDM Bro in America. Hunted to extinction.
@@nickrustyson8124 vans and panel vans are completely different things you guys had them back in the day with like the old milk trucks but a “panel van” or “shagon wagon” or “sin bin” is usually based off of a sedan just the same as utes being based off of sedans. Vans however are usually based off of a truck or a more heavy duty platform Theres a difference from a sandman and a ford transit
@@Man-bc8wv In that case yeah we had them back in the 1950s, it's just when those cab over Vans came out they quickly replaced those old Panel Vans, mainly because they can fit more and it's easier to park with
@@nickrustyson8124 Those "utes" based on Model-T Fords were more than 90% likely modified by the owners who bought them. Henry Ford himself would've baulked at the idea of converting his beloved "Tin Lizzie" into a "ute".
A popular story in pubs Down Under on the origins of the ute is that during the Great Depression, farmers were subsidised by the government for farming equipment. This included the classic, uncomfortable pick up. The farmers were struggling and couldn't afford family cars. The manufacturers used this loop hole and produced the utility, implying it's a work vehicle and eligible for the subsidies. The manufacturers had a boost in sales as farmers already had pick ups built to last for decades. A freebee for the Landed Gentry.
As a fan of the Ranchero, El Camino and other American sedan pickups (as we call them in the U.S.), I was delighted to see this video presenting this story from the Australian perspective! Only one sad note: Holden was planning to sell the Commodore VR ute in the U.S. as the Pontiac G8 sport pickup in 2009...the year that Pontiac was discontinued stateside. And with the death of the ute in OZ, I don't think we'll see anything like it again...borrowing from your lingo, good on ya, mate!
The Aussie ute's days were numbered when Ford pulled the plug on local manufacturing because the Falcon sales had dropped considerably. Once that happened GM, wanting out of the RHD market worldwide, killed Holden. Toyota's massive factory in Melbourne followed suit because with no other local manufacturers there was no economy of scale for shared parts. The death of Holden, especially, was like an arrow in the heart of Australians everywhere. Holden was to Australia what Chevy has always been to Americans. Holdens were advertised as "Australia's Own Car" since the first model, the 48-215 rolled off the production line. Holden's Australian engineers designed cars which were built tough to take our outback roads and yet supple enough to cruise the highways and new freeways of the cities which started popping up in the 60s. Our American cousins got to sample some Holden product in the shape of the Pontiac GTO / G8 and the much underrated Chevy SS. Sadly, because GM US were frightened to annoy your autoworkers, the other Holdens like the ute and the station wagons never made it to your shores. The final Holdens, the "VF" series (I own a wagon version) were the finest car ever produced in Australia. In development they were benchmarked against BMWs and Audis and it shows. Superb suspension, handling and rollicking V6 and V8 engines. The build quality was second to none. The final Ford Falcons were also superb cars, well built, great handling and very powerful yet economical. Ford Australia wanted to export Falcons to the US and some made it over there for testing. FoMoCo US engineers and marketing guys loved them but the FoMoCo executives wouldn't pony-up the cash so that the floorpan of the cars could be made to accommodate LHD for exports, like the Holden Commodores. The execs were also terrified that that the Falcon would annoy your autoworkers due to their quality, low cost and durability. Had FoMoCo given the green light to a LHD Falcon our car industry might not have died but that's like spilt milk I suppose. BTW, you can buy LHD Holden utes from a company in the US which does low volume conversions of Australian vehicles to certify them for the US market. Look up "Left Hand Utes."
There were also Chevrolet, Mercury, Dodge, Plymouth and De Soto utes in Australia. Almost all vehicle manufacturers in the Australian market had a ute at some point.
Chevrolet was owned by GM who owned Holden Australia. Mercury, Dodge, Plymouth and De Soto Utes were never sold in Australia. Holden and Ford Australia had the Ute market cornered as they were very good cars. And Australia only had 4 Manufacturers, Holden, Ford, Toyota and Chrysler. Toyota never had a Ute in Australia, and the only Ute Chrysler had was an Import from America that did not sell very well at all as to big. I know this because I am Australian and am 61 and have grown up with Aussie cars and have my own Holden Ute.
@@BatMan-oe2gh en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup%C3%A9_utility Here's a list of "utes they didn't sell in Australia".! You will note that the list includes Mercury, Dodge, DeSoto and Plymouth!
@@stephenvelden295 You didn't read the article I see. No where does it say those Utes were Manufactured in Australia. They were Imported in very small numbers. And there are very few as even back in the late 60's, I never saw many on the road. Plus I grew up in Regional Areas that required those sorts of vehicles. Plus those cars were actually Pick Up Trucks, not Utes. You stated, " Almost all vehicle manufacturers in the Australian market had a Ute at some point". Australia was too small a market for the majority of Vehicle manufacturers and were too expensive for most people, that is why Holden did so well compared to the others. One example is the 1946 Mercury Ute, only 90 Built and sold in Australia by Ford, but they were more expensive than the locally made Ford Ute.
@@BatMan-oe2gh You are wrong! Do your research before you type. None of those utes mentioned were available in the USA or anywhere else. They were all locally manufactured for the local Australian market. That's why there are so few of them.
@@stephenvelden295 Did my research, and even looked at the link you provided. Here is one, Chrysler cars came to Australia during the 1920's and, in 1935, 18 independent agents formed Chrysler-Dodge-De Soto Distributors (Australia) Pty Ltd. Chrysler imported cars until they started building the Valiant range in the mid 60's. Before that they imported and assembled the cars here. But again, very few Utes. Toyota started in 1963, but did not build Utes. Ford was the only one who manufactured Utes in Australia until Holden started in 1948. But again, very few Utes were imported into Australia because America was not building them. They were Pickup Trucks, not Utes.
There is a distinct difference between a ute and a pick-up in Australia. A genuine ute is a slab-sided vehicle based on a sedan (or saloon). The pick-up, a term seldom used in this country, has a separate cargo area/ bin/tray. Both Ford and Holden produced smooth sided utility vehicles until Ford changed its design in its final years by fitting a separate loading area. Nevertheless, the Ford Falcon commercial vehicle was always referred to as a ute. Both companies vehicles were robust, reliable, comfortable and could be optioned to be both well appointed and extremely swift. Aussies miss their home grown utes, and with good reason, almost everything available today seems to be rice powered.
You could get a tandem rear axle HQ ute with a trayback. In the early '80s the term was "cab-chassis", if "pick-up" has ever been used it has to be this century. Traybacks are still utes. Always were.
Correct. I think the defining piece is that they are derived from a passenger car. I used to be super strict on the tray being integral to the body as well, but the Holden One Tonner and later Crewman, and the latter Ford Falcons with the seperate tub and or tray blurred the lines a bit. I would exclude them previously but I have softened my stance as they are car based.
Im impressed by your knowledge. As an Australian i am proud to own a ute and it is annoying how a lot af Americans think the ranchero was the first sedan based pickup.
As an Australian i am incredibly territorial for the ute because its our country’s pride and joy. Just know Americans if your thinking of importing one when they become legal make sure to ask the people importing it to flip the crate over because it would be upside down otherwise 😉
@Abe Vigoda's Left Testicle why isn’t it legal? I always thought you guys never imported them because of the 25 year import rule. Is it because of safety standards?
@@Man-bc8wv I might be wrong but here in Canada I think it's 15 years. Them Holden Utes are fucking cool. I'd drive that here. I asked a guy with a right hand drive skyline how he could see turning left at an intersection, he had a little camera in the front of his left mirror with a screen on the dash. Lots of heavy trucks running the trans canada here have ali-arc and herd bumpers. We call em moose juicers. Prob wouldn't do shit against a moose but cool name anyway.
With the Baja, ridgeline , rampage and brat I think this is a thing that will keep popping up once in a while. I at least hope they keep making half cab SUVs.
There seems to be a push, now , in the US, since the “Compact “ pickup trucks are really “ Mid-Size “ - , to fill a missing gap in the market. Personally, I like the idea. 📻🙂
@@jeffking291 Thinking about the VW Rabbit pickup, I've many time looked at my Highlander Hybrid and thought how easily it could be made into something with a bed the size of a Tacoma minus a toolbox, with the fuel economy of a Prius towing a trailer, but that still handles like a Camry with a lighter read end
There is ONE other bit that you missed...though, it's not that surprising, since it's rather obscure...but Toyota...at least, the Australian subsidiary...tried to get into the Ute game in the early 00's. Taking a Toyota Avalon...which was a first generation model, the tooling for which went from the US to Australia, after US production ended in 1999, with the Avalon being introduced as a 'new' model in 2000, after the second generation Avalon had already entered production in the US...they built a bright green Ute that they called the X-Runner, shown at the 2003 Sydney and Melbourne Auto Shows, using the AWD system and suspension from the Lexus RX/Toyota Harrier (as it was known in Japan). Toyota Australia planned to put it into production, but couldn't get the approval from the parent company, so Toyota's ute remained a concept, and Toyota eventually used the X-Runner nameplate on a trim level for the North American market Tacoma a couple of years later.
In south america we only have the Stradas and Saveiros But a new segment has been growing since the last years: the suv-based pick up, mostly, Renault Oroch and Fiat Toro. The same happened with the maverick and the Santa Cruz in the US
5:45 One thing to note is that car makers in general have used words that have origins in Californian geography and culture. Rancheros were ranchers in California before the Americans arrived in 1848 and El Camino is a reference to "El Camino Real" (The Royal Road) that runs from San Francisco all the way down to San Diego and dates back to the times of the Spanish before California became part of the United States. Another California reference would be the Chevrolet Tahoe, in reference to the well-known lake that straddles California and Nevada.
This channel is great, it's one of the few that I watch every episode from, even when the topic of the episode doesn't sparkle the slightest interest in me, I just watch for the jokes.
3:15, Holden Motor Body Builders, actually released a Chevrolet version of the Ute, two weeks after Ford Australia in 1932. They were working on the same idea at the time. BTW, in 1936, Holden produced the first 'all enclosed coupe'. 6:20, the Ford Courier (Mazda) was never a Ute, but a small pick up truck. It features a separate tub, bolted to the vehicle.A Coupe Utility is based on a passenger car (sedan/wagon), and may be full chassis or unitary construction. A Coupe Utility is a coupe (two door sedan), featuring a Tonneau (Utility) rear section. A Utility's body should feature a single panel, from the rear edge of the door, to the tail light. ie. one single body from tail light to cowl. The reason Australians like utes so much, is because they'r a '2 door, 2 seater sports car (that can take a load). All the corresponding sedan performance parts (including V8 engines) bolt straight on, and it weighs 200kg less. A little bit nose heavy, but that's good for burnouts.
Ya missed the best classic "ete". The first American "ete" the Studebaker Coupe Express made starting in 1937. It was built using their Dictator sedan and to my mind is easily the best looking "ute" or frankly pickup ever made.
my first car was a 1974 GMC Sprint (rebadged El Camino), so I have a soft spot for these types of vehicles. always wished Aussie Utes could be imported to the US
I can hardly look at a car without imagining it as a UTE. Every car I have ever owned, including the UTEs has gone through this in my imagination. proud former ownner of a Ranchero, El Camino and a Skoda Ute while in Yurope. Thanks Ed
Great episode! I'm really familiar with the Datsun/Nissan bakkie having lived in SA throughout the 70s A total blast to drive & unkillable. Practiced my driving skills, the rear wheels for most of the steering. They were simple, honest and durable, a quality all but gone today..
Although the Ute's are no longer in production they are still alive and kicking on the streets, you cant go a few days without seeing one driving around, their very popular with the tradesmen, more fuel efficient then a full size pickup and still has enough space for whatever trade work their doing.
There were other Australia specific utes like the Chrysler Royal, Valiant/Dodge Wayfarer, Austin 1800 as well as Aussie named - Subaru Brumby and Proton Jumbuck. Then of course the outlier -- neither a coupe Ute. nor an American style Pickup - the VW Kombi pickup. One other, we stopped building the Utes here because all local production ceased, not just the Utes.
The new Ford ultra light truck you mention at the beginning of the video is what is now in 2022 sold as the Ford Maverick. It's base model is shockingly Front Wheel Drive, with All Wheel Drive as an option. It isn't a Ute per se, but as close as we'll come for now.
This is the first of your videos I have seen. I detest when people try to be "funny" as if that is supposed to somehow be "cool" but I have to say I absolutely love your sense of humor and I thoroughly enjoyed this video! Plus, you really know your cars, (or are a really good researcher). I'm shocked that there are not more views/likes for this video. BTW, you had me laugh out at the Ford "King Ranch Dressing" pickup.
So its 2023 and in my small South American country RAM, of all automakers RAM is reintroducing utes, the RAM 700 is really a charm to look at, and I haven’t seen a ute since the early 2000s
Here in Brazil almost every business that has to transport something daily has at least 1 ute. True pickup trucks are expensive (not that utes are exactly cheap, but they are cheaper) and too big for most Brazilian roads.
My mother grew up on the Ute native reservation in Ignacio, Colorado also hahaha. My grandpa was a pricipal there. I would so love to own one of these vehicles and pimp it out..indigenous style hahahha
The Ford you have shown that is based on the Fiesta, is a Bantam, not Courier. The first ones were based on the Erika (Mk 3 Escort), the second gen on the Mk 4 Escort, then on the Mazda 323 platform, and the last gen on the Fiesta. Massive success in South Afrika. The 323 based models had a payload of 700kgs. One of mine, had a constant load of around a Ton, and was loaded from time to time with a lot more... Scary to think that a little bakkie like that has a bigger payload than a F150. Our UTEs ranged from Ford Bantam, Mazda Rustler (same thing, different badge and trim), Ford Ranchero (Ausie version) Fiat, Opel, Chev (Daewoo), Datsun/Nissan, Toyota, Renault/Dacia, and yes, we also had the Ausie El' Camino under the Chev badge. We also had the Cortina, a semi ladder chassis, where the front section was sedan based and the rear a traditional ladder/body on frame assembly. Most of these, developed locally in SA.
The one real criteria for a ute to truly be a "ute" is being based on, and have major interchangeability with an equivalent passenger sedan. The Japanese had an initial crack at the Aussie ute market with a few of these, including the Toyota Crown and Corona utes in the 60s, Mazda had a cute ute based on the Mazda 1200, Nissan with the Datsun 1200 ute, then they started to stray from the formula, with dedicated 'ute' platforms like the Toyota Hi-Lux (more being a replacement for the "Stout"), Datsun 720, Mazda B series (also badge engineered as Ford Courier)
Awesome video. I just got a pair of Audi D2 A8L and am considering creating a long wheelbase Avant using C4 100/A6 rear roof and hatch, lots of structural adhesive/silicon bronze brazing and steel rollbar. If all goes South then UTE it is!!
As the owner of an 80 Chevy El Camino I'd say you hit the nail on the head as to why the died in America. Even as late as the 1970s (when pickup ownership started going mainstream) trucks were very rugged and very clumsy to drive, so if you only used the bed for runs to Home Depot for home improvement supplies, the idea of a car with a bed was very appealing. The engineering of consumer grade pickups has advanced to the point where the ride and handling of pickups are not that far off car like levels. In fact, I'd argue that the biggest reasons to not get a pickup are fuel economy and the fact that the current crop of midsized pickups are large enough to take the fun out of driving. One might argue that a Focus based ute might appeal to some people, just as car based SUVs appeal to people who don't want to drive a truck based SUV. Hmmm...maybe that's where Ford is going.
I'm an American....Californian born....I have owned both Ford Rancheros and El Caminos....Both seem to have issues with water leaks ingressing into the interiors but, for water leaks...The El Camino is truly THE KING!
Now I think about it, most cars in original mad max were actually Utes. Here in europe/czech republic, we had felicia pickup (sold as 2nd generation VW caddy in the west), which was basically a ute and its still very popular today, even its usually very rusty and 25 years old. There is no replacement for it and its a big shame, it was great.
0:15 This would end up as the unibody Ford Escape/Ford Bronco sport based pickup known as the Maverick. That name was previously used for a line of compact 2 and 4 door sedans in the 1970s.
My daily driver is a 1983 Toyota Hilux 4.2D twin cab ute, and just this week replaced the gearbox and diff oil and the coolant because I intend to keep it on the road for a while longer yet
Listening to this from my 1996 F250 long bed extended cab with the 7.3l Turbo Diesel in America haha. Rarely see such things as Utes here for sure, I see more Heavy Duty pickups than light duty even. Big roads big toys big work sites big drivers hehe.
My first big training op in the Marines was in Australia. When we got time off in Brisbane, the Ute was definitely an Australian cultural icon. I'm glad to see this video hit the nail on the head. Great story
Don't forget the 1982-84 Dodge rampage and Plymouth scamp. These were FWD car based pick ups which are much similar to the 80's-up Australian utes. I've owned an 84 rampage for almost 30 years now.
I wouldn't say too similar- no Aussie utes were fwd. Unless you want to include obscure, "failed" attempts like the Austin 1800 ute in the 60's. Mind you, I wouldn't mind one now, upgraded with mitsubishi magna v6 drivetrain!
I've always liked the Ranchero and El Camino. When I was looking to get something not as large as the full size pick up I was interested in finding one of the older UTS but found even a non running rusted one outside my budget . Even my wife likes them. My needs did change o er the years so I don't see myself ever getting one.
Worth noting that “trucks” here in Australia are still called “utes”. The ‘death of the ute’ (being the falcon & commodore) doesn’t seem to have really occurred, since vehicles like the Ford Ranger, VW Amarok, Mazda BT-50, and Toyota Hilux are all top-sellers here… and are all called ‘utes’ locally.
I just saw this video today - I'm trying to view all of yours. Anyway, in the opening you alluded to a new Ford vehicle we now know is called the Maverick. Would you consider that another version of the Ute?
Just for the sake of context - UTEs are so popular in Brazil because of 1. Government incentives for small flex-fuel vehicles with high mpg; 2. Insurance is MUCH more expensive for pickup trucks such as Ford Ranger, Chevrolet S-10, Toyota Hilux and VW Amarok in comparison. These causes pickup trucks to be anti-economical for most small/medium service providers.
the American company version of the ute (GM Ford) suffered from the "malaise "in design because the companies wanted to tell us what we wanted , but didn't ask us , so now the sedan based ute is dead whereas the offerings from Toyota and Nissan are wildly succesful
If a Ute is defined as a pickup built on a car chassis, the Ford Model TT (based on the Model T car chassis) and the Ford Model AA (based on the Model A car chassis) both predate the introduction of the Australian Ford Coupe Utility. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_TT
People are pointing out vehicles left out, but, honestly, this subject has no hard edges or boundaries. Taking in the whole world is a big proposition.
i must have watched this video like 10 times, i always know the mighty boy bit is coming...... but every time i need to pause the video after to stop laughing
The El Cameo and the Rancheroo gave you the worst of both worlds, the cabin space of a 2 door pickup, and the carrying capacity of a sedan. I grew up with them, and they never really caught on in North America.
The ram 1500 in australia now has an 800kg payload. It's a huge vehicle compared to an aussie ute. The typical payload for a 70's Aussie ute was 750kg. I like the ram, but the payload is embarrassing. And you can't fit in a supermarket carpark here either. They're impressive, but inconvenient.
I wish they still sold cars like this in the states. Ive always wanted the cargo space but I don't really want to haul around a giant truck everywhere. Even a ranger is a bit on the big side for me, I like how sedans/ coups drive better. And with modern engines, I imagine they could be made quite efficient and zippy.
How about the 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier? It had a fancified pickup cab but also had a bed that was at least visually styled to continue the lines of the rest of the vehicle, i.e. slab sides instead of bolted on fenders and automobile ish tail lights.
Just a little note on your remark about the Nissan 1400 ute in South Africa. Bakkie means small bowl. But in car terms bakkie/LDV/pickup /ute are the same thing. Nissan/Datsun , Mazda, Toyota , Colt all had these half ton (500kg) bakkies on the market in the 70s and early 80s and like you said the Nissan survived for 37 years. Come to think of it Mini also had one. Then there was a three quarter ton (750 kg) class. Many many manufacturers had them. The real pickups had 1 ton (1000kg) capacity. But they are all called bakkies. Every manly man in South Africa want's a bakkie, some have no purpose for them but they have them any way. You will be amazed what loads these bakkies can carry, just Google images overloading South Africa. Axle and chassis breakages are common as well as dead passengers.
the real killer of the coupe utility in australia was in the 80's and 90's. before that, if you wanted a work vehicle, you just bought a holden belmont ute or a ford falcon ute, because they shared parts with every other car on the road, they were cheap to make, and cheap to maintain. but when the downsizing happened in the 80's, something interesting happened: when holden introduced the smaller opel-based commodore, they didn't make a ute version of it. Instead they relied on the older, larger WB ute until it went out of production in 1984, and they didn't introduce a commodore ute until 1989, meaning there were 4 years with no holden ute. meanwhile in 1979, ford brought out their XD series of falcons, and a new ute alongside it. but 9 years later in 1988, when the all-new EA falcon came out, ford just... kept making the old generation of ute. even when the 1994 melted cheese EF falcon came out, it took ford 2 years just to graft its round front end onto the same old late 70's body. these were made up until 1999, meaning the same ford ute got made for 21 years! in that time of both being poorly updated, many companies who needed a basic, reliable work vehicle started to look elsewhere, and found japanese trucks like the mazda Bravo and toyota hilux, combine this with the "button plan", where manufacturers were basically forced to rebadge cars (leading to the ford courier and holden rodeo, amongst other monstrosities), and the coupe utility suddenly lost its market. ever since the release of the VT commodore and AU falcon, a lot less utes were actually purchased as commercial vehicles, and were much more popular with young men who only needed 2 doors, and liked having no weight over the back because it made burnouts easier (the ute muster types among them).
Honestly I love that ford didn't update the ute design all that much. The X series of utes are some of my favourite designs simply because they have the same styling as an early 80s car in the late 90s.
GM had utes before the Holden. There were some prewar Chevrolet utes back when Holden was just a coachbuilder under contract to GM (before they spun it off as its own company in '48).
I kept waiting on you to add the clip from “My Cousin Vinnie” where the judge asked Vinnie, “What is a yute?” He then replies, “I’m sorry your honor, yoouuuthss.”😂 Also, I saw the “c” word in regard to the “regards”.😳😆
As an argentinian I would like to point out that not only we did have the Ford Ranchera (yes, not Ranchero with an O but with an A. Don't know why it differs to the american name) based in the Ford Falcon, but we did have the Siam Di Tella Argenta based on the Siam Di Tella 1500 and I say it's worth checking it out if you like tailfin cars or, in this case, utilitarian cars
By the way, as I mentioned the Ford Ranchera (and although I'm kinda young) I remember them being used as ambulances* and hearses but those had a fixed roof. Those were the familiy size Ford Falcon and were called Ford Falcon Rural with originally came with four doors but you could order them as coupe AND then you could repurpose them as the special vehicule as you needed. I already mentioned them beiing repuposed as ambulances and hearses but You could make them as anything you really needed them to be. In fact our city's Civil Defense was using one of them for transporting supplies. I haven't seen it recently so I think it was decomissioned a relatively short time ago. Although you could argue it was a budget problem that proves they were really made to last. *=Yes, I know what you are thinking. Because of its low roof it would be kinda unconfortable. But bare in mind this: those were much faster than regular ambulances. So they were cheaper to buy, faster. That's convenience. But those weren't a majority because of regular ambulance having move room to make more complex procedures if needed and THOSE were really majority
The problem with Ausie UTEs is that they are based on large family cars, and with a poor payload. In SA, we use small cars as the base, so 1.3-1.6L engines are the norm, with a payload between 500-750kgs. That is perfect for small delivery vans, people who just want something to take away garden trash etc. And they are popular with the youth, can be quite sporty as well. (The first road going vehicle in SA to break the 300 kph on a 2.2 km stretch way back in the day, was V8 with HUGE nitrous injection, the second, a little Bantam with a 2L FE3 Turbo motor in it)
I've just finished watching all 4 episodes that you have created in relation to the MALAISE ERA. They were all great and I learnt a lot.
Here in Australia the UTE had been around for decades, until GM and FORD in the USA decided to "pull the plug" on Australian manufacturing of world class cars and put tens of thousands of people out of work. This broke our hearts. The reason behind this decision from the USA was money!
If I were a billionaire, I would start up a company and call it HOLDEN, not GENERAL MOTORS HOLDEN, just HOLDEN. With no ties to the USA Australia could once again start producing world class cars, including our UTE's. Some of the UTES that are left now sell to collectors for over $500,000.00 AUD. Initial price: $25K - $80K.
Thanks so much for touching on this subject and making the effort of creating this video. DM.
Please don't ever change your graphics, they are awesome as they are and totally go hand in hand with the tone of the channel. Love it!
1:51 😁
I agree very on brand
I hope to God you don't give up before you start getting the views you deserve.
In 5 years some of his vids will be recommended by RUclips
@@Ice_Soup_3k This one was in my feed today...
I agree. These reviews are so much better than most of their type.
Amen to that! I love Ed's stuff. We need to keep supporting him to make sure.💪
Wow, that Aussie house frau was really honest in her self assessment.
What a way to sign a letter.
YUP ...always proof read voice recognition dictation ...😂
Utes are becoming less common in the cities. Most tradies now opt for a Japanese pickup with a flat deck. Traditionally a ute would have the tray connected directly to the body while a pick up truck had the box or tray separate on the chassis. You could not remove the cargo section of the ute. Also, a two door station wagon was sometimes referred to as a "sedan delivery". Panel vans in Australia like this had a raised roof with the Holden Sandman being one of the hottest.
Personally i have an xw panel van. It’s weird to think that Americans hardly know anything about the ute let alone the panel van. I’m just worried it’ll become a “trend” to own an aussie ute or panel van and the Americans will import them out of existence
@@Man-bc8wv America is like a cemetery for coveted imports. Look at what they are doing to the Japanese cars right now. I mourn every time I learn of another car getting exported from its natural habitat in Japan to a backwards cap wearing JDM Bro in America. Hunted to extinction.
@@Man-bc8wv Panel Vans are a thing in America you know. Vans exist in America
@@nickrustyson8124 vans and panel vans are completely different things you guys had them back in the day with like the old milk trucks but a “panel van” or “shagon wagon” or “sin bin” is usually based off of a sedan just the same as utes being based off of sedans. Vans however are usually based off of a truck or a more heavy duty platform
Theres a difference from a sandman and a ford transit
@@Man-bc8wv In that case yeah we had them back in the 1950s, it's just when those cab over Vans came out they quickly replaced those old Panel Vans, mainly because they can fit more and it's easier to park with
As we Aussies invented this vehicle type, *WE GET TO NAME IT!* We called it the *UTE!* And that's the name that should stick!
And decades later, Joe Pesci and Fred Gwynn had a conversation about utes in a courtroom......
ruclips.net/video/K6qGwmXZtsE/видео.html
But Volvo invented it
@@nickrustyson8124 Volvo never put it into fulltime production, so the credit for invention of the *Ute* stays *firmly* with us Aussies.
@@neilforbes416 Okay then, what about those trucks based on a Model T?
@@nickrustyson8124 Those "utes" based on Model-T Fords were more than 90% likely modified by the owners who bought them. Henry Ford himself would've baulked at the idea of converting his beloved "Tin Lizzie" into a "ute".
A popular story in pubs Down Under on the origins of the ute is that during the Great Depression, farmers were subsidised by the government for farming equipment. This included the classic, uncomfortable pick up. The farmers were struggling and couldn't afford family cars. The manufacturers used this loop hole and produced the utility, implying it's a work vehicle and eligible for the subsidies. The manufacturers had a boost in sales as farmers already had pick ups built to last for decades. A freebee for the Landed Gentry.
As a fan of the Ranchero, El Camino and other American sedan pickups (as we call them in the U.S.), I was delighted to see this video presenting this story from the Australian perspective! Only one sad note: Holden was planning to sell the Commodore VR ute in the U.S. as the Pontiac G8 sport pickup in 2009...the year that Pontiac was discontinued stateside. And with the death of the ute in OZ, I don't think we'll see anything like it again...borrowing from your lingo, good on ya, mate!
The Aussie ute's days were numbered when Ford pulled the plug on local manufacturing because the Falcon sales had dropped considerably. Once that happened GM, wanting out of the RHD market worldwide, killed Holden. Toyota's massive factory in Melbourne followed suit because with no other local manufacturers there was no economy of scale for shared parts.
The death of Holden, especially, was like an arrow in the heart of Australians everywhere. Holden was to Australia what Chevy has always been to Americans. Holdens were advertised as "Australia's Own Car" since the first model, the 48-215 rolled off the production line. Holden's Australian engineers designed cars which were built tough to take our outback roads and yet supple enough to cruise the highways and new freeways of the cities which started popping up in the 60s. Our American cousins got to sample some Holden product in the shape of the Pontiac GTO / G8 and the much underrated Chevy SS. Sadly, because GM US were frightened to annoy your autoworkers, the other Holdens like the ute and the station wagons never made it to your shores. The final Holdens, the "VF" series (I own a wagon version) were the finest car ever produced in Australia. In development they were benchmarked against BMWs and Audis and it shows. Superb suspension, handling and rollicking V6 and V8 engines. The build quality was second to none.
The final Ford Falcons were also superb cars, well built, great handling and very powerful yet economical. Ford Australia wanted to export Falcons to the US and some made it over there for testing. FoMoCo US engineers and marketing guys loved them but the FoMoCo executives wouldn't pony-up the cash so that the floorpan of the cars could be made to accommodate LHD for exports, like the Holden Commodores. The execs were also terrified that that the Falcon would annoy your autoworkers due to their quality, low cost and durability. Had FoMoCo given the green light to a LHD Falcon our car industry might not have died but that's like spilt milk I suppose. BTW, you can buy LHD Holden utes from a company in the US which does low volume conversions of Australian vehicles to certify them for the US market. Look up "Left Hand Utes."
There were also Chevrolet, Mercury, Dodge, Plymouth and De Soto utes in Australia. Almost all vehicle manufacturers in the Australian market had a ute at some point.
Chevrolet was owned by GM who owned Holden Australia. Mercury, Dodge, Plymouth and De Soto Utes were never sold in Australia. Holden and Ford Australia had the Ute market cornered as they were very good cars. And Australia only had 4 Manufacturers, Holden, Ford, Toyota and Chrysler. Toyota never had a Ute in Australia, and the only Ute Chrysler had was an Import from America that did not sell very well at all as to big. I know this because I am Australian and am 61 and have grown up with Aussie cars and have my own Holden Ute.
@@BatMan-oe2gh en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup%C3%A9_utility
Here's a list of "utes they didn't sell in Australia".! You will note that the list includes Mercury, Dodge, DeSoto and Plymouth!
@@stephenvelden295 You didn't read the article I see. No where does it say those Utes were Manufactured in Australia. They were Imported in very small numbers. And there are very few as even back in the late 60's, I never saw many on the road.
Plus I grew up in Regional Areas that required those sorts of vehicles. Plus those cars were actually Pick Up Trucks, not Utes. You stated, " Almost all vehicle manufacturers in the Australian market had a Ute at some point". Australia was too small a market for the majority of Vehicle manufacturers and were too expensive for most people, that is why Holden did so well compared to the others. One example is the 1946 Mercury Ute, only 90 Built and sold in Australia by Ford, but they were more expensive than the locally made Ford Ute.
@@BatMan-oe2gh You are wrong! Do your research before you type. None of those utes mentioned were available in the USA or anywhere else. They were all locally manufactured for the local Australian market. That's why there are so few of them.
@@stephenvelden295 Did my research, and even looked at the link you provided. Here is one, Chrysler cars came to Australia during the 1920's and, in 1935, 18 independent agents formed Chrysler-Dodge-De Soto Distributors (Australia) Pty Ltd. Chrysler imported cars until they started building the Valiant range in the mid 60's. Before that they imported and assembled the cars here. But again, very few Utes. Toyota started in 1963, but did not build Utes. Ford was the only one who manufactured Utes in Australia until Holden started in 1948. But again, very few Utes were imported into Australia because America was not building them. They were Pickup Trucks, not Utes.
"Down undaahhh" Perfect bombshell to a closeing statement. 😆
There is a distinct difference between a ute and a pick-up in Australia. A genuine ute is a slab-sided vehicle based on a sedan (or saloon). The pick-up, a term seldom used in this country, has a separate cargo area/ bin/tray. Both Ford and Holden produced smooth sided utility vehicles until Ford changed its design in its final years by fitting a separate loading area. Nevertheless, the Ford Falcon commercial vehicle was always referred to as a ute. Both companies vehicles were robust, reliable, comfortable and could be optioned to be both well appointed and extremely swift. Aussies miss their home grown utes, and with good reason, almost everything available today seems to be rice powered.
Thanks for the thumbs up.
You could get a tandem rear axle HQ ute with a trayback. In the early '80s the term was "cab-chassis", if "pick-up" has ever been used it has to be this century. Traybacks are still utes. Always were.
Correct. I think the defining piece is that they are derived from a passenger car. I used to be super strict on the tray being integral to the body as well, but the Holden One Tonner and later Crewman, and the latter Ford Falcons with the seperate tub and or tray blurred the lines a bit. I would exclude them previously but I have softened my stance as they are car based.
Im impressed by your knowledge. As an Australian i am proud to own a ute and it is annoying how a lot af Americans think the ranchero was the first sedan based pickup.
As an Australian i am incredibly territorial for the ute because its our country’s pride and joy. Just know Americans if your thinking of importing one when they become legal make sure to ask the people importing it to flip the crate over because it would be upside down otherwise 😉
America and Canada: the bigg trucks. Land down under, smol trucks. Kinda neat dynamic. Also writing this from my big 90’s 7.3l diesel F250 heh.
@@ApolloTheDerg i mean when you think about it suv’s are just giant hatchbacks aye
@@Man-bc8wv Suvs are just wagons on truck frames, that isn't even a joke back in the day the Suburban was known as a wagon
@Abe Vigoda's Left Testicle why isn’t it legal? I always thought you guys never imported them because of the 25 year import rule. Is it because of safety standards?
@@Man-bc8wv I might be wrong but here in Canada I think it's 15 years. Them Holden Utes are fucking cool. I'd drive that here. I asked a guy with a right hand drive skyline how he could see turning left at an intersection, he had a little camera in the front of his left mirror with a screen on the dash. Lots of heavy trucks running the trans canada here have ali-arc and herd bumpers. We call em moose juicers. Prob wouldn't do shit against a moose but cool name anyway.
With the Baja, ridgeline , rampage and brat I think this is a thing that will keep popping up once in a while. I at least hope they keep making half cab SUVs.
There seems to be a push, now , in the US, since the “Compact “ pickup trucks are really “ Mid-Size “ - , to fill a missing gap in the market.
Personally, I like the idea.
📻🙂
@@jeffking291 Thinking about the VW Rabbit pickup, I've many time looked at my Highlander Hybrid and thought how easily it could be made into something with a bed the size of a Tacoma minus a toolbox, with the fuel economy of a Prius towing a trailer, but that still handles like a Camry with a lighter read end
@@MarcillaSmith
It wouldn’t take much to do this on a number of current Crossovers.
📻🙂
And the newly unveiled Hyundai Santa Cruz!
origin of all these were flower cars built for funeral homes..
Let's face it. The Aussie's WERE way ahead of us Americans in this. Good work, Australia.
My country says thankyou.
just a damn shame they lost a war to some big birds
@@punchy207 Wow, You have hit peak humour! How funny.
@@crapcopter i cant tell if youre being sarcastic or not
@@punchy207 Sarcastic haha.
There is ONE other bit that you missed...though, it's not that surprising, since it's rather obscure...but Toyota...at least, the Australian subsidiary...tried to get into the Ute game in the early 00's.
Taking a Toyota Avalon...which was a first generation model, the tooling for which went from the US to Australia, after US production ended in 1999, with the Avalon being introduced as a 'new' model in 2000, after the second generation Avalon had already entered production in the US...they built a bright green Ute that they called the X-Runner, shown at the 2003 Sydney and Melbourne Auto Shows, using the AWD system and suspension from the Lexus RX/Toyota Harrier (as it was known in Japan).
Toyota Australia planned to put it into production, but couldn't get the approval from the parent company, so Toyota's ute remained a concept, and Toyota eventually used the X-Runner nameplate on a trim level for the North American market Tacoma a couple of years later.
Toyota made Crown utes in the 60's.
I'm sure I've seen a Nissan Cedric and Toyota Corona mk 1 ute too. There was also the Datsun/Nissan 1200.
Never knew that about the Avalon.
7:40 As a Brazilian, i left here my grandious thanks... thanks for remember of us!
In south america we only have the Stradas and Saveiros
But a new segment has been growing since the last years: the suv-based pick up, mostly, Renault Oroch and Fiat Toro. The same happened with the maverick and the Santa Cruz in the US
5:45 One thing to note is that car makers in general have used words that have origins in Californian geography and culture. Rancheros were ranchers in California before the Americans arrived in 1848 and El Camino is a reference to "El Camino Real" (The Royal Road) that runs from San Francisco all the way down to San Diego and dates back to the times of the Spanish before California became part of the United States.
Another California reference would be the Chevrolet Tahoe, in reference to the well-known lake that straddles California and Nevada.
This channel is great, it's one of the few that I watch every episode from, even when the topic of the episode doesn't sparkle the slightest interest in me, I just watch for the jokes.
3:15, Holden Motor Body Builders, actually released a Chevrolet version of the Ute, two weeks after Ford Australia in 1932. They were working on the same idea at the time. BTW, in 1936, Holden produced the first 'all enclosed coupe'.
6:20, the Ford Courier (Mazda) was never a Ute, but a small pick up truck. It features a separate tub, bolted to the vehicle.A Coupe Utility is based on a passenger car (sedan/wagon), and may be full chassis or unitary construction. A Coupe Utility is a coupe (two door sedan), featuring a Tonneau (Utility) rear section. A Utility's body should feature a single panel, from the rear edge of the door, to the tail light. ie. one single body from tail light to cowl.
The reason Australians like utes so much, is because they'r a '2 door, 2 seater sports car (that can take a load). All the corresponding sedan performance parts (including V8 engines) bolt straight on, and it weighs 200kg less. A little bit nose heavy, but that's good for burnouts.
Proud Aussie ute owner here. Year 2000 Ford Falcon XR8 ute. It's black. It's a V8. It's a manual. And it's my daily 😁👍
Ya missed the best classic "ete". The first American "ete" the Studebaker Coupe Express made starting in 1937. It was built using their Dictator sedan and to my mind is easily the best looking "ute" or frankly pickup ever made.
I think that your channel is very underated, outstanding quality videos!
Ya missed one Subaru Brumby ute[Brumby is a wild horse in Australia]. The thing was unkillable, and went just about anywhere.
Every flog calls it a Brat though
my first car was a 1974 GMC Sprint (rebadged El Camino), so I have a soft spot for these types of vehicles. always wished Aussie Utes could be imported to the US
I can hardly look at a car without imagining it as a UTE. Every car I have ever owned, including the UTEs has gone through this in my imagination. proud former ownner of a Ranchero, El Camino and a Skoda Ute while in Yurope. Thanks Ed
Great episode! I'm really familiar with the Datsun/Nissan bakkie having lived in SA throughout the 70s A total blast to drive & unkillable. Practiced my driving skills, the rear wheels for most of the steering. They were simple, honest and durable, a quality all but gone today..
Although the Ute's are no longer in production they are still alive and kicking on the streets, you cant go a few days without seeing one driving around, their very popular with the tradesmen, more fuel efficient then a full size pickup and still has enough space for whatever trade work their doing.
Thanks, Ed. Fun as usual. I enjoy your perspective.
There were other Australia specific utes like the Chrysler Royal, Valiant/Dodge Wayfarer, Austin 1800 as well as Aussie named - Subaru Brumby and Proton Jumbuck.
Then of course the outlier -- neither a coupe Ute. nor an American style Pickup - the VW Kombi pickup.
One other, we stopped building the Utes here because all local production ceased, not just the Utes.
This review is brilliant!
If only the Aussies had stuck to Utes and Musters!
The new Ford ultra light truck you mention at the beginning of the video is what is now in 2022 sold as the Ford Maverick. It's base model is shockingly Front Wheel Drive, with All Wheel Drive as an option. It isn't a Ute per se, but as close as we'll come for now.
Unfortunately now GM has discontinued the Holden brand.
R.I.P Holden
A gift to the world... we have enough shitty cars as is.
This is the first of your videos I have seen. I detest when people try to be "funny" as if that is supposed to somehow be "cool" but I have to say I absolutely love your sense of humor and I thoroughly enjoyed this video! Plus, you really know your cars, (or are a really good researcher). I'm shocked that there are not more views/likes for this video. BTW, you had me laugh out at the Ford "King Ranch Dressing" pickup.
the car you see at 2:57 is from the swedes telegrafverket (the telegraph service).
The ranchero and el camino is the mullets of automobiles
I’m immensely enjoying this series. I have a man crush on your accent and sense of humor. 😛
So its 2023 and in my small South American country RAM, of all automakers RAM is reintroducing utes, the RAM 700 is really a charm to look at, and I haven’t seen a ute since the early 2000s
You are a VERY entertaining guy! Thanks.
Here in Brazil almost every business that has to transport something daily has at least 1 ute. True pickup trucks are expensive (not that utes are exactly cheap, but they are cheaper) and too big for most Brazilian roads.
Fascinating car history. I will never stop regreting that I didn't buy the beautiful Ford Ranchero I had the chance to buy when I was 15 years old.
My mother grew up on the Ute native reservation in Ignacio, Colorado also hahaha. My grandpa was a pricipal there. I would so love to own one of these vehicles and pimp it out..indigenous style hahahha
Being a native South African the Datsun Bakkie was a very common part of the roadscape lol. Great video as always my friend
The thing is, here in South America very few can afford a full-size pick-up, so that's why UTEs are so pupular :)
Trucks are kind of trashy anyway.
Hey Ed! I can’t believe you don’t like the styling of the late model Ford rancheros. I think the “Lincoln” front end looks really cool!
The Ford you have shown that is based on the Fiesta, is a Bantam, not Courier. The first ones were based on the Erika (Mk 3 Escort), the second gen on the Mk 4 Escort, then on the Mazda 323 platform, and the last gen on the Fiesta. Massive success in South Afrika. The 323 based models had a payload of 700kgs. One of mine, had a constant load of around a Ton, and was loaded from time to time with a lot more...
Scary to think that a little bakkie like that has a bigger payload than a F150.
Our UTEs ranged from Ford Bantam, Mazda Rustler (same thing, different badge and trim), Ford Ranchero (Ausie version) Fiat, Opel, Chev (Daewoo), Datsun/Nissan, Toyota, Renault/Dacia, and yes, we also had the Ausie El' Camino under the Chev badge.
We also had the Cortina, a semi ladder chassis, where the front section was sedan based and the rear a traditional ladder/body on frame assembly.
Most of these, developed locally in SA.
Rootin in the back of the Ute! -Kevin Bloody Wilson
The one real criteria for a ute to truly be a "ute" is being based on, and have major interchangeability with an equivalent passenger sedan. The Japanese had an initial crack at the Aussie ute market with a few of these, including the Toyota Crown and Corona utes in the 60s, Mazda had a cute ute based on the Mazda 1200, Nissan with the Datsun 1200 ute, then they started to stray from the formula, with dedicated 'ute' platforms like the Toyota Hi-Lux (more being a replacement for the "Stout"), Datsun 720, Mazda B series (also badge engineered as Ford Courier)
Awesome video. I just got a pair of Audi D2 A8L and am considering creating a long wheelbase Avant using C4 100/A6 rear roof and hatch, lots of structural adhesive/silicon bronze brazing and steel rollbar. If all goes South then UTE it is!!
Just build it as a ute, then take it to "Deni Ute Muster".... (search on youtube will be your friend).
@@7divad37 I will look into it however the only reason for a UTE vs a wagon is carrying TALL items. I don't.
An Electric Ute has to come out to save the Aussie Ute culture
As the owner of an 80 Chevy El Camino I'd say you hit the nail on the head as to why the died in America. Even as late as the 1970s (when pickup ownership started going mainstream) trucks were very rugged and very clumsy to drive, so if you only used the bed for runs to Home Depot for home improvement supplies, the idea of a car with a bed was very appealing. The engineering of consumer grade pickups has advanced to the point where the ride and handling of pickups are not that far off car like levels.
In fact, I'd argue that the biggest reasons to not get a pickup are fuel economy and the fact that the current crop of midsized pickups are large enough to take the fun out of driving. One might argue that a Focus based ute might appeal to some people, just as car based SUVs appeal to people who don't want to drive a truck based SUV. Hmmm...maybe that's where Ford is going.
I'm an American....Californian born....I have owned both Ford Rancheros and El Caminos....Both seem to have issues with water leaks ingressing into the interiors but, for water leaks...The El Camino is truly THE KING!
i think this is a good channel...u deserve better Ed...u have a lovely voice, had a distinct style...its nice to hear your stories
Hey people in America were converting Model Ts into trucks/ utes way before Australia
They were called buckboards. Anyway utes are a production model, we're not talking about conversions.
Utes tend to be unibody designs
Utes were factory made production models, not cars modified by clowns in their backyards
70 Ranchero. Loved it, miss it
Now I think about it, most cars in original mad max were actually Utes. Here in europe/czech republic, we had felicia pickup (sold as 2nd generation VW caddy in the west), which was basically a ute and its still very popular today, even its usually very rusty and 25 years old. There is no replacement for it and its a big shame, it was great.
0:15 This would end up as the unibody Ford Escape/Ford Bronco sport based pickup known as the Maverick. That name was previously used for a line of compact 2 and 4 door sedans in the 1970s.
My daily driver is a 1983 Toyota Hilux 4.2D twin cab ute, and just this week replaced the gearbox and diff oil and the coolant because I intend to keep it on the road for a while longer yet
Just subscribed ! I love your car history episodes. ! This one about the ute was very interesting. Thanks!
You forgot the Suburu Brat, made in some form for decades. Also, Dodge made the Rampaige in the 1980's.
Listening to this from my 1996 F250 long bed extended cab with the 7.3l Turbo Diesel in America haha. Rarely see such things as Utes here for sure, I see more Heavy Duty pickups than light duty even. Big roads big toys big work sites big drivers hehe.
I got a 1995 with 5 spd, still on original clutch, and still pullin hotshots
Granted the last Ute that wasn't 100% terrible came in 1987, over 34 years ago.
My first big training op in the Marines was in Australia. When we got time off in Brisbane, the Ute was definitely an Australian cultural icon. I'm glad to see this video hit the nail on the head. Great story
What year was that?
Not even 5k views ?!! Wow you deserve to be really more known !
Having watched two of his videos out of curiosity, I can understand why he's only achieved less than 5k views.
He repeats info from other existing videos...
Tell a friend.
Thailand also has a similar "ute" trend, but the difference is that they are mostly Japanese brands.
And they are pick-up trucks, not utes.
Love the videos. Ed you are hilarious!
And here comes the Hyundia Santa Cruz on US soil. I'm guessing a true UTE since it's car based. Hope they make an ext cab version.
Don't forget the 1982-84 Dodge rampage and Plymouth scamp. These were FWD car based pick ups which are much similar to the 80's-up Australian utes. I've owned an 84 rampage for almost 30 years now.
Are you aware in te 1980s they weren't Australian Utes
I wouldn't say too similar- no Aussie utes were fwd. Unless you want to include obscure, "failed" attempts like the Austin 1800 ute in the 60's. Mind you, I wouldn't mind one now, upgraded with mitsubishi magna v6 drivetrain!
Lover this guy. More please.
Thanks, I really enjoyed this video.
Hope to see more coming.
I've always liked the Ranchero and El Camino. When I was looking to get something not as large as the full size pick up I was interested in finding one of the older UTS but found even a non running rusted one outside my budget . Even my wife likes them. My needs did change o er the years so I don't see myself ever getting one.
Are you aware a Ranchero and El Camino were longer than Fullsize single cab trucks right?
Love this channel. So underrated
Worth noting that “trucks” here in Australia are still called “utes”. The ‘death of the ute’ (being the falcon & commodore) doesn’t seem to have really occurred, since vehicles like the Ford Ranger, VW Amarok, Mazda BT-50, and Toyota Hilux are all top-sellers here… and are all called ‘utes’ locally.
I just saw this video today - I'm trying to view all of yours. Anyway, in the opening you alluded to a new Ford vehicle we now know is called the Maverick. Would you consider that another version of the Ute?
THE "UTE" the Aussie's Answer to Chores & Church👍
Just for the sake of context -
UTEs are so popular in Brazil because of
1. Government incentives for small flex-fuel vehicles with high mpg;
2. Insurance is MUCH more expensive for pickup trucks such as Ford Ranger, Chevrolet S-10, Toyota Hilux and VW Amarok in comparison.
These causes pickup trucks to be anti-economical for most small/medium service providers.
the American company version of the ute (GM Ford) suffered from the "malaise "in design because the companies wanted to tell us what we wanted , but didn't ask us , so now the sedan based ute is dead whereas the offerings from Toyota and Nissan are wildly succesful
Our neighbor took a 1984 AMC Eagle wagon and made it into a ute.
If a Ute is defined as a pickup built on a car chassis, the Ford Model TT (based on the Model T car chassis) and the Ford Model AA (based on the Model A car chassis) both predate the introduction of the Australian Ford Coupe Utility. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_TT
People are pointing out vehicles left out, but, honestly, this subject has no hard edges or boundaries. Taking in the whole world is a big proposition.
i must have watched this video like 10 times, i always know the mighty boy bit is coming...... but every time i need to pause the video after to stop laughing
3:28, been to that museum! Holden museum in Echuca
The El Cameo and the Rancheroo gave you the worst of both worlds, the cabin space of a 2 door pickup, and the carrying capacity of a sedan. I grew up with them, and they never really caught on in North America.
They were around, but they were never the working man's car, it was his bastard dipshit son's car
The ram 1500 in australia now has an 800kg payload. It's a huge vehicle compared to an aussie ute. The typical payload for a 70's Aussie ute was 750kg. I like the ram, but the payload is embarrassing. And you can't fit in a supermarket carpark here either. They're impressive, but inconvenient.
I wish they still sold cars like this in the states. Ive always wanted the cargo space but I don't really want to haul around a giant truck everywhere. Even a ranger is a bit on the big side for me, I like how sedans/ coups drive better. And with modern engines, I imagine they could be made quite efficient and zippy.
"The already compact-sized Ranger"
That thing is 5+ m!
laugh in Dacia Logan pick-up ^^
Ah yes the, *Ford f350 superduty XL King Ranch dressing Harley Davidson Bukkake edition* my favourite vechile
How about the 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier? It had a fancified pickup cab but also had a bed that was at least visually styled to continue the lines of the rest of the vehicle, i.e. slab sides instead of bolted on fenders and automobile ish tail lights.
Another great review. You’re a funny guy for a Clog Wog😂. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺
I got a 1979 GMC Caballero and I love it!
Whatta crack up Ed, from the very first few seconds about us Auzzies etc....more more!
Auzzies? wtf! never seen it spelt like that b4... sure you're an Aussie or just some wannabe?
Looks like you may have missed the '60-'63 Ford Falcon pickup.
Just a little note on your remark about the Nissan 1400 ute in South Africa. Bakkie means small bowl. But in car terms bakkie/LDV/pickup /ute are the same thing. Nissan/Datsun , Mazda, Toyota , Colt all had these half ton (500kg) bakkies on the market in the 70s and early 80s and like you said the Nissan survived for 37 years. Come to think of it Mini also had one. Then there was a three quarter ton (750 kg) class. Many many manufacturers had them. The real pickups had 1 ton (1000kg) capacity. But they are all called bakkies. Every manly man in South Africa want's a bakkie, some have no purpose for them but they have them any way. You will be amazed what loads these bakkies can carry, just Google images overloading South Africa. Axle and chassis breakages are common as well as dead passengers.
Lol, didn't expect to see the Datsun/ Nissan 1400.
That's a very clean example in the photo.
the real killer of the coupe utility in australia was in the 80's and 90's.
before that, if you wanted a work vehicle, you just bought a holden belmont ute or a ford falcon ute, because they shared parts with every other car on the road, they were cheap to make, and cheap to maintain.
but when the downsizing happened in the 80's, something interesting happened:
when holden introduced the smaller opel-based commodore, they didn't make a ute version of it. Instead they relied on the older, larger WB ute until it went out of production in 1984, and they didn't introduce a commodore ute until 1989, meaning there were 4 years with no holden ute.
meanwhile in 1979, ford brought out their XD series of falcons, and a new ute alongside it.
but 9 years later in 1988, when the all-new EA falcon came out, ford just... kept making the old generation of ute.
even when the 1994 melted cheese EF falcon came out, it took ford 2 years just to graft its round front end onto the same old late 70's body. these were made up until 1999, meaning the same ford ute got made for 21 years!
in that time of both being poorly updated, many companies who needed a basic, reliable work vehicle started to look elsewhere, and found japanese trucks like the mazda Bravo and toyota hilux, combine this with the "button plan", where manufacturers were basically forced to rebadge cars (leading to the ford courier and holden rodeo, amongst other monstrosities),
and the coupe utility suddenly lost its market.
ever since the release of the VT commodore and AU falcon, a lot less utes were actually purchased as commercial vehicles, and were much more popular with young men who only needed 2 doors, and liked having no weight over the back because it made burnouts easier (the ute muster types among them).
Honestly I love that ford didn't update the ute design all that much. The X series of utes are some of my favourite designs simply because they have the same styling as an early 80s car in the late 90s.
@@fardmcshid931 The thing is though, that also is a sign they didn't give a shit about it
GM had utes before the Holden. There were some prewar Chevrolet utes back when Holden was just a coachbuilder under contract to GM (before they spun it off as its own company in '48).
I kept waiting on you to add the clip from “My Cousin Vinnie” where the judge asked Vinnie, “What is a yute?” He then replies, “I’m sorry your honor, yoouuuthss.”😂 Also, I saw the “c” word in regard to the “regards”.😳😆
As an argentinian I would like to point out that not only we did have the Ford Ranchera (yes, not Ranchero with an O but with an A. Don't know why it differs to the american name) based in the Ford Falcon, but we did have the Siam Di Tella Argenta based on the Siam Di Tella 1500 and I say it's worth checking it out if you like tailfin cars or, in this case, utilitarian cars
By the way, as I mentioned the Ford Ranchera (and although I'm kinda young) I remember them being used as ambulances* and hearses but those had a fixed roof. Those were the familiy size Ford Falcon and were called Ford Falcon Rural with originally came with four doors but you could order them as coupe AND then you could repurpose them as the special vehicule as you needed. I already mentioned them beiing repuposed as ambulances and hearses but You could make them as anything you really needed them to be. In fact our city's Civil Defense was using one of them for transporting supplies. I haven't seen it recently so I think it was decomissioned a relatively short time ago. Although you could argue it was a budget problem that proves they were really made to last.
*=Yes, I know what you are thinking. Because of its low roof it would be kinda unconfortable. But bare in mind this: those were much faster than regular ambulances. So they were cheaper to buy, faster. That's convenience. But those weren't a majority because of regular ambulance having move room to make more complex procedures if needed and THOSE were really majority
Also, us Americans had that too in 1961-64, it doesn't differ at all from the Ranchera, so the name change is even weirder
The ranchero (a) falcon had more rear overhang than the aussie falcon ute, to me they looked like they might not handle too well when loaded fully.
The problem with Ausie UTEs is that they are based on large family cars, and with a poor payload. In SA, we use small cars as the base, so 1.3-1.6L engines are the norm, with a payload between 500-750kgs. That is perfect for small delivery vans, people who just want something to take away garden trash etc. And they are popular with the youth, can be quite sporty as well. (The first road going vehicle in SA to break the 300 kph on a 2.2 km stretch way back in the day, was V8 with HUGE nitrous injection, the second, a little Bantam with a 2L FE3 Turbo motor in it)
i have a 1979 ford ranchero and every time i go to a show someone always ask if its a el camino or "ive seen the chevy one never the ford one"
How annoying,i had a BA XR8 Falcon with cobra stripes....some american asked me what model mustang that was.....i told him it was the mustang's daddy
@@sriley064 nice mustang bri
So sad I found your videos so late.
Great content. I'm subscribed
Brilliant! Loved it!
When I saw the Doge Daytona version of this, I wondered where I could get one. Fantastic idea. Now I know what the name of it is.