I am mainly a city driver, recently sold my large Aussie sedan and now considering buying a dual cab 4wd ute. Not specific on which dual cab ute yet but i have been toying with the idea for a few months now. There are a few things a Ute would be useful for.
Advantages are towing, the GF has a jetski which we tow to the central coast. She also wants to take me on a road trip to the NT this winter and we are towing a trailer up to Darwin for her family, some off road is also planned. We were originally going to do this in her Subaru but it was recently written off due to flood damage. I'm feeling some pressure to find something soon because at this very point in time we both do not have cars and public transport with groceries has become a chore. I also dive so a ute would be much better to put the wet gear in the tub, garden waste disposal is a bonus, we both ski and snowboard so might make the journey easier and safer with 4wd if there is good snowfall this season. Extra range sounds nice too. I also drive to the Goldcoast often to visit family.
The disadvantages I think would be parking and general driving around Sydney, i live in the east so i tend to park on the street sometimes. It was already difficult finding large enough street parking for the sedan, even harder with a longer ute. General Handing will be different sitting so high up plenty of small roundabouts near me i suppose i could just drive over them instead of going around, acceleration might take a while to get use to not having any.
So please ozbargain. Talk me into, talk me out of. Make some recommendations.
TLDR - sold car and now without a car, do lots of outdoor activities with junk in trunk, thinking about ute
EDIT: Further discussions with the missus whilst test driving potential vehicles. If we get a 4wd of some sort then we will also accompany her friends into the Kimberleys. I have read its not a necessity to have a 4wd but it makes the journey much easier and gives us the ability to access serious off-road tracks. She is comfortable driving large 4wds, I come to realise it must be an integral skill having grown up in the Top end unlike myself who grew up in Sydney
I own a Ute, twin cab Navara. It is handy, but pretty big to drive around town. They are less comfortable on the highway unless you are carting a decent load because they are designed to carry said load and the springs are stronger because of it. It doesn’t corner as well as a smaller car, but you learn to drive it accordingly.
Carparks aren’t fun, usually have a pretty big turning circle. Takin a load of groceries home in the tub isn’t ideal. I have a tonneau cover and it leaks a bit in the rain which can be a problem. It is also less secure than something that is lockable. I do prefer the flexibility of the soft cover though when carting larger items (bikes in particular).
Back seats are generally not comfortable for adults for a long trip, they are smaller than the equivalent wagon size.
4wding is fun, but not enough time to enjoy it.
Contrary to popular belief you can tow with smaller cars. Unless you are gettig a massive caravan you could tow with a Forester or similar quote wasily.
Having said that we also have a wagon for the family so the beat of both worlds.