Utility can be simply defined. It means usefulness, and it explains – and in this case defines – whether a vehicle is fit for purpose.
South Africa calls them Bakkies.
Aussies – like New Zealanders – call them utes, and claim to have originated the category.
Americans generally call them pickups (if big) and minitrucks (if small). They too claim to have created the category.
Europe and the UK don’t have a strong ute culture, and they really go more for what are now known as SUVs. And that’s fine. It does rain and snow more there than it does here, so a big single-box interior is probably better for their purposes. Unless it’s also carrying a half ton of wet golden retrievers or Labradors. In which case the owners might well yearn for the aroma-proof design of a ute with a good canopy.
Modern European utes are pretty good – VW makes a handy one – but in the
