I drive a troopy and boy I'd never say it was Comfortable on the journey; once you've parked up though it's a different story! Plus, it's a legitimate compromise in offroadability with the height, weight, and long ass wheel base compared to a ute or wagon.
I have a wagon but I don't think there is any clear winner in either type of vehicle. Both have pros and cons and what personal preference work well for you.
Great video as always, thanks. I'd like to add one point in favour of a UTE, as I recently switched from a UTE to a SUV. Loading dirty stuff. Sounds like a small thing, but stuff like a oily chainsaw, even just goodies used on a visit to the beach. In a UTE, chuck it on the back, no problem. In an SUV or station wagon it's tricky to pack dirty stuff. Roofracks are all good and well until something leaks shmoo on the roof paint. I didn't think much of it until I made the switch, but it definitely rearranges your approach to what and how to pack.
Like you said, it really depends on what you plan on doing with your 4wd as to what you buy. If you're camping with just 1 or 2 of you often a ute will be better because it's way easier to get away without towing a trailer, even for longer trips. But then they might not be as capable off road, depending on the ute or wagon you're comparing. One big plus for utes that you forgot to mention is that if you want to chuck in a load of fire wood for camping or tools for work or dirt and rocks for a backyard reno a ute is by far the better option as it's not in the cab with you and it's easier to clean out with just a hose, no doubt about it, but that's just 1 aspect. In the end it really just comes down to what you want and how you build it. Almost all 4wds are just as viable offroad and for camping if you're smart with the build so you can't really pick a clear cut winner.
I chose a wagon because I like to have my bed in the back over customs drawers, no flapping tents or dirty dusty swags. Snug as a bug, love it. But there can be no winner because it just comes down to personal needs ie. People who ride motorbikes gonna want a ute etc
Great video Ronney. I have a duel van ute with a canopy Would love a wagon. People with a wagon would love a dual cab ute with a canopy. Both are great and no one is really happy with what they have...
You didn’t mention about Camping/touring when the weather turns bad..... I would have thought that the wagon would have the advantage here due to being able to fit larger awnings on the side of the car. Wagons/Troopies can be better setup for wet weather in my opinion....
I think you can mount that same choice of awnings to a dual cab as a wagon? And in stock form yeh wagon is better but when you consider all the canopy options, some of them are really good at being weathproof like the stainless steel or marine hooded ones.
Matthew Ray I was thinking more the full length awnings that run down the full length of the vehicle. With utes, I would have thought there would be issues with the different flexing between body and rear tray if u tried mounting the full length awning down the full length of the vehicle? For the amount of shade and protection from rain, I think wagons are a bit better in this area. When looking at the type of vehicle most commonly used for over landing around the world, I reckon the majority would be some form of a wagon....
I have just transitioned from owning 3 utes to my first wagon. I am not sure if I have made the right decision, but I do like my new 76 series. I have been so used to piling heaps of crap on the back. Now I guess it will be the roof.
Having owned both it’s a close call....the Ute has more space which made it easier to go overlanding, touring, the Wagon is more comfortable and definitely handles obstacles better. What would I pick - probably the wagon....200 series for the win!!!
Yah 200 series 2014 gxl here modded, mate has 2015 lc 79 ute with canopy. i like to drive it, he likes to drive mine..but i love the auto and electronics in low 4. 200 for sure
Had a Ute, then a wagon. Then back to two more utes. First was a single cab full size. Put a king size bed in the back with tool/storage on the sides and sliding under. Best short notice camping vehicle ever. At a mates place and the conversation turns to what the he'll, lets go now. This is no problem with that setup. Problems were three people max, parking and weight. It always was fully loaded but could be called on to go for a week or two with zero notice. The wagon was great for carrying more people, that was the main reason for purchase. It filled that role well. It also off roaded better because of the shorter wheel base. A full length roof rack with 1inch square mesh made it the best spotlighting vehicle I've seen in 30 years of shooting. Mattress on top with a wind brake and sand bags for distance shots. However, it failed badly when transporting meat back. A Ute can be washed out easily. A wagon cannot. Throwing game on the roof rack might look bad assed but its just a pain in the ass. So I went back to its but this time dualcabs. A compromise between the two. Too small for a bed in the back like a full size ute, but it can carry more people. A canopy provides a balance to keep gear in there for short notice but its too small to make it a full time instant trip vehicle without restricting its day to day usage. So I got a bigger dual cab. Its a good mix of everything except economy and certain off road conditions. Quite honestly, there is no vehicle that does it all very well. So pick the ones it does very well with what you need or want now. Just bear in mind, your needs will change. My 1st Ute carried three people and a king sized bed. But I was single and going out with the guys meant two vehicles and tents. Now I'm married, no kids, and the idea of a single cab with a bed in the back is ideal. The wagon for me had more disadvantages than anything but that was my particular case. I can see how for many it would be the best choice. Sometimes working out what is really important comes after the purchase. Be prepared for the limitations that you can't live with.
Great topic Ronnie, I guess it's personal preference mostly but I like the wagon. Bear in mind that many of smaller utes ie Ford Ranger, don't have a large GCM so when towing big stuff the load carrying capacity is greatly reduced. A GVM upgrade does not necessarily increase the GCM. Highway comfort is another big issue especially here in WA driving a screaming bouncing Rodeo for 700km did my head in.
Excellent comparison! From my personal experience, having owned several of both, I prefer the versatility of the Ute to customise to suit individual needs.
Good overview Ronny. But why do you say a wagon needs a roof rack? I have an 80, has toured most of WA, SA, NT, VIC and NSW without a roof rack. Took four people across the Simpson Dessert without one and my partner and I plan to cross the CSR next year without out. They are a want not a need. Wagons all the way btw!
Missed one, flexibility. The Ute can be used to haul larger stuff and questionable stuff when not configured for overlanding. Especially stinky stuff, wet stuff and fuel/chemical stuff. Who wants THAT inside?
For me, a wagon is better by FAR. My wagon has an official "van conversion" so it's limited to just the front seats, but I only pay 10% of taxes I'd normally pay. I also converted my wagon so I can sleep inside instead of a roof tent. So for overlanding, it's a lot more subtle and safer. Would love to have an even longer wagon than the 110 I currently have.
and then there is also the toyota troopy... which in some ways could be an in-between alternative, and even not considering this it would always be my clear preference! (mainly because it is big and can be customized in many many ways)
as a person only recently starting to learn about 4wd's, im very happy to see a welcoming comment section on most of these videos i watch. im leaning towards getting a wagon personally :)
i guess it depends on your situation, for a bloke with 3 kids and a mrs a wagons probably going to be the go... for a single guy with a bike and a kayak ya cant beat a ute
I ordered some shirts and a sticker one day, and had them delivered the next! amazing service guys. Love the quality too. After having a dual cab Ranger I changed to a wagon (LC200) and love it. Comfort and no dust in the gear.
When you talk of 4 wheeling it should be about movement and overcoming obstacles, not loading. The wagon is better because when both are not loaded there is more traction at the rear tyres to propel the car forward, because the back is heavier. It is also much easier for wagon to climb and descend more steep surfaces than the ute as demonstrated due to their length between the back tyres and the end of the back.
Exactly I also am used to backpacking where all the gear you need for a few days in nature should fit in a backpack so I don't need tons of storage space just for camping so off-road capability takes precedence. If I needed to haul something too big for the trunk the larger and flatter roof or small cargo trailer would do.
@@jaymueller2418 Thankfully I haven't made that error yet, so thanks for the heads up. As they say, not all heroes wear capes, although I'm sure you'd look like an absolute boss in one.
except for price, ouch. And the craftsmanship needed ot do it right, so could be al ot of not so well done oneso ut there. But assuming all that, yes best of both, id be very happy to chop a GU to dual cab and put a 1600mm lng tray on the back (im ok with it being a pain to park, my D22 is a pain to park most the time anyway and its not really supposed to be the daily drive)
Matthew Ray you clearly don't know what it costs (not much more than a 79 series) and there is people out there who do really good jobs and not hard to find.
Hi Ronny there is no better or worse. It is a question of taste and especially in which concept you feel better. I have some friends here in Germany they prefer the pickup. I personally like my old Discovery1 and my D3. But anyway, everyone should drive the car what they can and want to afford. The nice thing is, we all have the same hobby around the world.Best regards from Germany.
Very good comparsion, thank you. I think the structure of the UTE is rougher or stronger for overlanding while the wagon is better for the road, the city and family.
Age is also a factor. Always had some type of 70 series when I was younger, for 20 years and they were great. Now I'm older and the body gets sore and likes comfort more, so the wagon is the go.
It really depends on what you want out of the thing. I have actually been torturing myself trying to make up my mind whether i wanna build an SUV or a pick-up for my next offroader. The wife green lit a "family friendly" offroader. I could go with something like a 4runner for the 4 seats and room for a roof rack or i could go with a 4 door Tacoma and flat bed it. I would still get the 4 seats (might be a bit tighter fit though but i get the small bed area that could be loaded down with junk). The nice thing with those 2 is they share almost all parts. I could also go with a full size truck for more room like a Silverado/F150 or full size SUV like a Blazer/Bronco.
Different horses for different courses, I can solo camp inside my wagon if the weather is conspiring against me, I wouldn't have that luxury in a tray, tub or canopied ute.
depends how the ute is setup? Rooftop tent is one option, textiled canopies are another, you can fit most avg height people in a good sleeping setup on the back of a dual cab tray if you have a canopy for it. and obviously the space and single cab ones have heaps of room. So just really dpeends, like he said, with a ute you can make it very niche to your style whereas the wagon is more generic and set.
I got a mate with a tray body hilux (dual cab) with an ally canopy with drawers on the tray and he quite comfortably rolls his swag out in the canopy if he needs to. It just depends on how you build it
Nice! Another category "safety" on and off road. One of the problems of SUV's ("wagons") is all that crap you bring is liable to hit you in the head be it an on or off road situation. Now the same could go for an extra or double cab truck if you have many unsecured items up front, There is however an advantage having the partition esp if you add a "headache" rack. I'd imagine many SUVS are safer than trucks being designed for families, but That pickups have some other safety plusses.
I discovered your channel about a month ago, and so far, it's changed my life. I've decided to take my 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I was building into a rock crawler, and change directions, and build an overlanding rig. I live in Utah, USA and everyone can crawl rocks here, and everyone DOES, but overloading is the new thing, and not everyone can do it, so it's probably far less crowded and isolated...and I want to be a part of it. Thanks again.
I have both. I have a 3/4ton GMC Crew Cab short bed 4x4 and a Second Gen Nissan Xterra. The GMC is long, heavy, slow, under powered but has tons of space for my family of 5 (plus dog). It has the topper on it with locking dark-tint windows and we have room to spare for gear for a weeks trip. The Xterra gets better mileage, better weight/power ratio, still a good amount of room for people but we have to pair down our gear for a week to just the essentials if we don't want to use the roof rack or a hitch carrier.
Can only afford 1 vehicle so ute hands down. Wanna go camping/fishing/hunting/4x4 - ute. Wanna go furniture shopping - ute. Wanna move house - ute. Lug tools for work - ute. Cart the family around as long as theres 3 kids - ute. Its just so practical in every way for all aspects of life. Also the amount of stuff you just chuck in and your on your way without having to buy expensive aluminium racks. I.e. sports gear, fishing gear, bikes etc
After stating the pos' and neg's of both, there is no winner...it comes down to budget and use....you guys are lucky to be living in such a beautiful country
What about actual real 4WD/Offroad Capability? Will a wagon go further on a hard track/beach etc than an ute? (Based both cars are he same like hilux/fortuna; pagero/Triton; MUX/Dmax; Ranger/Everest)
Gotta say those are moot points. Utes are workhorses, definitely, while wagons are more of pride horses, or family wheelbarros.. Never seen a wagon that can outperform a well maintained or well modded ute. Most wagons I see are just that; even worse they're mostly four by two.
wagon with 750 kg trailer, roof loaded wagons suck fuel, even with just bars nothing else, you'll use an extra litre per hundred at 100/kmh, loaded, the drag is enormous So there's my take on it, lite trailer, tyres same as the tow vehicle and a long drawbar
there is now outright winner. what is the right vehicle is an individual thing depending on what a person requires. All you can do is point out the pros and cons of the two as you have just done. what is good for one may not be for the other.
they both wins , depends who needs what . but for long trips that UTE of his is not so comfy . seat is rubish and you sit so high and there is no space in back for passengers. wagon is more versatile car as for all needs. it can be your everyday car, shoping car, passenger car, take 5 people easily and with comfort to trips if you need . UTE when you modify it is done. is just for trips .you cant carry potatoes in back or bags of cement or wood or peaces of steel. or people with bagage . but then there are different cars are capable differently in different roads. i hate people who make their wagons for australia trips and then they travel out of city like 100 km trips . you must make car for territory depends on where you live . im not live in australia and i can find petrol station near any place i would go camping or offroading. same in europe. no problem with shops everywere or petrol stations. so you no need many stuff in car because you not in the middle of nowere as in australia or US some areas. then again wagon with open diffs is not capable of anything. old grand cheroke allready capable just as it is can go as tractor and comfy . so it depends on car.
i have a wagon because that suits my needs, different vehicle's for different needs, all so personal likes same as what manufacturer and model people have.
Hey mate got a question with your landcruiser, did you fix the rear wheels issue? The front diff had to be widened to put the v8 in but the back was left standard.
Being from the USA, it was good to finally understand that a UTE is a truck(/pickup) :) And buy extension, a 'wagon' is what we like to call an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle). "open tray" is bed or truck bed? "GVM" in usa GVWR (max) or curb weight(current weight). In USA, payload is carry weight. "ramp angle" is break over angle. UTE 'tub'? is this what we call a truck 'bed' in USA? Another example of "two countries separated by a common language" It's fun learning how language changes over time in various geographic places. US/AUS/UK slang and terminology while not separate languages they are diverging slightly over time.
Good video... however, we have a Toyota HZJ78 ' Bushtaxi'... wagon, leaf springs behind... enormous load capacity... with a Hercules 'sleeping roof' from AluCab South Africa a great camper inside the car, fully equipped kitchen INSIDE (suitable for European weather), when the roof is up standing height inside in the back, up to close to the seats.... so there are exceptions to the rule.
1-2 People, pack light, sleep in the back, SUV wins all day every day. My wife and I (in the US) do 6-7,000 mile trips living out of the back of our 1999 4Runner with ease :) BUT (again, for the US people who don't have amazing options like y'all), IF you need more room for more people PLUS gear, a first gen Tundra or second gen Tacoma would be great with something like a Vegabond Drifter Wedge Camper Shell. Seats don't have to be folded down like the 4Runner or Landcruiser to sleep in the back, room to drive with multiple people, low profile, room for more gear, etc. 1-2 packing light, Wagon all day every day. Whole family and needing room for gear and to sleep still, Pickup with a wedge :D
I had ex Telstra 4.2 patrol single cab Ute with Telstra canopy Awesome vehicle.. had rug rats and went to patrol wagon also awesome Car but impracticable for work (construction)... now... straight back to 79 series dual cab with canopy... steamin my jeans every day... dual cab Ute with canopy all day... Ute for the win...
Personally I've always liked trucks better; and when it comes to extras in the cab, I don't really care. I own a '96 Chevy K3500. Base model, crew cab (6 seats), 8 ft long box. Only electronics in it are the lights and the radio. Does it ride rough? Of course it does, it's a truck. But I like that. I like being able to feel the vehicle. I don't really go off-roading but my 4WD still sees action in the winter. Which honestly, all vehicles in Canada should come stock with 4WD, or at the very least AWD. I love this thing and intend on keeping it for as long as possible.
That is one sexy rig.. the truck. SUV wins. Lmao @ wagon. Primary reason is because the SUV is the bed. Between high winds, lightning strikes, wild animals, wild humans, freezing temperatures. It's very much a safety issue. Forest fire, you just immediately jump in the front seat and go leaving your shit behind.
How can he rant so much about the difference and NOT MENTION THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR OVERLANDING-ITS EASIER TO SLEEP OR LAY A BED IN A WAGON THAN A PICK UP-DUH DUH? HOW DO U SLEEP IN A DOUBLE CAB?
I got a 8 seater wagaon Prado for family car which fits my family of 6, then chuck them in and go camping, the reason I don't have a 4x4 ute is because every day I'm going to work I'm saving fuel, tyres ,etc by driving a light 2wd pickup Hilux, you might be able to tax deduct your ute but your using so much more petrol and your tyres every few years are heaps more, and who on earth could be bothered to unload all there tools out of the ute just to do 2 nights of camping??? You would spend hours unloading and then hours re loading late on a Sunday night, stuff that, Wagon wins with me, but not having side opening doors does suck, if you don't care about all that and you have plenty of money and vehicle that's just for weekends, then a ute with the big box on the back to have SO much better access from sides
Why do you need to take so much stuff? People travel in a Jimny! Jimny! I feel totally comfortable with a swb Pajero. What do you take that you need a roof rack on a TLC 80? TLC 80 is huge.
In Russia mostly use wagon - in 70-80%. Because - comfort, security and cold climate. But my choice is single cab UAZ because low cost, repairability and 2.5 meters of custom freedom - cheap and angry.
UTE is a clear winner for overlanding. Pick a dual-cab up second hand with a service body already installed and you’re laughing. Customise away. Way better access underneath for fitting water tanks, a compressor, a receiver tank, whatever.
I love my dakota for every day use but is be lying if I said I dont have my eyes on a matching durango for a camper setup and more back seat use. I see the back seat of a pickup, even a full 4 door short of a mega cab ram, as a once in a while passenger carrier. By the time I have kids I want the larger back seat of the SUV and even more interior room so a trip to the grocery store doesn't leave me with a bunch of bags loose in the truck bed. I'll still keep the truck for hauling stuff and probably my own daily. The truck bed is just barely too short for me to stretch out and I can't lock it up with me in there. An SUV with all the back seats flat gives me more flat space for a bed and I can lock it, crawl up to the driver seat if I need without getting out, I won't have "crap i forgot x in the cab" and most importantly of all HEAT AND AC! I plan on a suv style tent either way since I have a camper shell on my truck and I can use it with either.
GVM upgrade on the troopcarrier will allow nearly 4 tonnes, but at that GVM you might as well have a truck that looks like Megatron's transformation... but WA cops won't like that, where you can easily reply with "fuckin' roo's" and they will understand
In the UK as long as you have a business and can justify something it can go through the business and be tax deducted, example I put a hot hatchback through the business as a “quotation and site visit vehicle”, I put a defender through for “towing and light goods” even down to knives, 12v coolers, lights, tyres, maintenance and clothing
(US viewer here) I think it is toss-up. I really like both myself, and have liked wagons for a longer time. For me, my choice between a 4Runner and a Tacoma was made when there was no longer a manual transmission available for the 4Runner. Tacoma it is, then.
These modern dual cabs are a useless yuppies vehicle made for insecure people who want to try and look big and tough. You can't even fit anything of length in them and they are plastic crap. No match for the old troop carrier's, landrover defender or even an old HQ one tonner. At least the wagon's and single cabs are practical. Don't waste your money on useless dual cabs. Leave them for the town yuppies!!!
Some of these arguments are flawed. A ford ranger can carry 350kg more than a cruiser. Gvm argument is flawed. Put a customised 350kg canopy on and the dust argument is moot. The 350kg is a net of removing the standard tray.
ute wins, however wagons are better if you take your family off roading. I myself have a HJ45 landcruiser with a 12HT plus heaps of other mods and I would not trade it for a wagon. But at the end of the day it comes down to preference and what purpose the vehicle will serve.
I own a 76 series wagon 2016 model and which a saved a little more dough and bought a dual cab 79.....only reason I didn't buy a 79 dual was cos I'm a newbie to the tracks
