Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado are taking off Australia, but are we really equipped for these US super-sized utes? | Opinion

It has been a big year for big utes in Australia. As the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram range continue to attract new buyers, Ford Australia announced it will begin selling right-hand-drive F-150 pick-ups in 2023, and more recently Toyota Australia finally committed to bringing the Tundra Down Under.

There’s a lot of sound logic behind these decisions, and there had to be because both Ford and Toyota are two of the most conservative and pragmatic car brands in the local market, so both brand’s clearly believe the US ute segment is a growing market. 

Certainly the success of the Chevrolet and Ram models - which start at more than $80,000 and stretch to more than $160,000 - shows that the demand for these US juggernauts is high in Australia. In the first eight months of 2022 Ram has sold a whopping 3550 vehicles, split across the 1500, 2500 and 3500 models. General Motors Speciality Vehicles (GMSV) is behind but has still managed to find buyers for more than 1400 Silverados.

So there’s no argument that there’s a significant number of Australians who want to buy these types of vehicles. And we live in a capitalist democracy, so I’m not going to argue that people shouldn’t be allowed to buy a certain type of vehicle - as long as it meets all the relevant road rules.

But what I am going to question is the purpose and suitability of such utes in Australia, because with more and more coming, it has the potential to have a major impact on Australian roads and infrastructure.

Why? Because Australia is simply not designed for these kinds of utes, whereas the US is. Large swathes of the US and its infrastructure have been designed specifically to accommodate these behemoths - from lane sizes to car parks, and even drive-through lanes at fast food restaurants. 

The reality is these US models really do blur the line between what we consider a ‘utility’ vehicle and a small truck. No-one could reasonably call a Toyota HiLux a small vehicle, measuring 5265mm long and 1800mm wide. But the Tundra will dwarf it because it’s 5933mm long and 2037mm wide - that’s an extra 668mm of length and more than 200mm of width.

In the first eight months of 2022 Ram has sold a whopping 3550 vehicles.

The Tundra isn’t alone, the F-150 is more than 670mm longer and nearly 200mm wider than the already imposing Ranger.

I speak from personal experience in understanding the practical differences between the two countries, and the way these utes fit into the environment. I have family in the US, living deep in truck territory in the mid-west where seemingly every driveway has an F-150, Silverado, Ram or Tundra.

The roads there are mainly laid out in grids, without the kind of natural topography that shapes Australian roads. This typically leads to wider lanes that better accommodate utes that tend to be 200mm wider than our more common dual-cab utes, such as the HiLux and Ranger.

GMSV has sold more than 1400 Silverados.

Car parks are one of the areas that really highlight the difference between Australia and the US. Whereas Australian shopping centres by-and-large use multi-story parking garages with tight corners and ramps, in the US (especially outside the major cities) shops tend to be free-standing and are surrounded by large, single-story parking lots. This means they don’t need to worry about the height of these big utes and can often provide physically larger spaces to accommodate these wider, longer vehicles.

That’s not to say driving a Chevy or Ram is impossible in Australia, in fact they both have strong appeal and their own charms, but even for experienced drivers it takes time to get accustomed and comfortable with their extra girth.

Ultimately the message to would-be buyers should be this - does a Silverado, Ram, F-150 or Tundra really fit your life? Both in a practical sense (will it fit in your garage?) and in a holistic sense (do you really need a powerful, full-size US pick-up if you don’t plan to tow or carry a load in the back?).

The F-150 is more than 670mm longer and nearly 200mm wider than the Ranger.

If you need to regularly tow more than 3500kg, then certainly one of these US utes makes a lot of sense. But if you’re getting it for a less-tangible quality, then you may want to pause and think through the reality of living with such a big vehicle in a country that hasn’t had its road infrastructure shaped by them.

After all, it’s not the first time Australia hasn’t been able to match the demand for US-sized vehicles.

In the mid-1990s Holden tried to sell the Chevrolet Suburban to Australians and found the target audience ended up being television companies who used them as outside broadcast vehicles. While in the US, the Suburban is used by parents to take their kids to football practice or head to the local Walmart to do the shopping. They can do that because the roads, car parks and other infrastructure is designed to accommodate such big machines.

Ultimately it’s a ‘horses for courses’ scenario. No doubt many buyers need the extra practical benefits these utes offer, but I’m not convinced Australia is really for a full-scale invasion of US pickups.