Advice from UTE owners

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MikeB4
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#3433623 12-Nov-2025 07:34

sidefx:

It's probably worth reiterating this. Be very wary of how you drive modern diesel engines, when DPFs start going wrong they can cause major issues, I speak from experience.

The last diesel we had was a Toyota Prado, we didn't have any issues with it. We serviced every 10,000K. Transmission Gully in Wellington is a great place to get a diesel hot.

If we buy another diesel we will be adding a catch can.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

sidefx

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#3433624 12-Nov-2025 07:49

MikeB4:

The last diesel we had was a Toyota Prado, we didn't have any issues with it. We serviced every 10,000K. Transmission Gully in Wellington is a great place to get a diesel hot.

If we by another diesel we will be adding a catch can.

Anecdotally, it seems that many people just don't bother with anything like that and instead go straight for delete these days.

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Loismustdye

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#3433625 12-Nov-2025 07:50

We bought a new double cab last year - we bought the GWM cannon 2x4. I hd a bunch of second thoughts after purchase and it took me a few months to be truly happy with our decision, these were around the fact it was a Chinese vehicle and not one of the established in NZ brands.

pros :

heaps cheaper than the similarly specced other brands, in fact we added a tow ball, canopy, rear tailgate central locking and bonnet protector and still paid less than the cheap entry level from the competitors.
warranty is 7 years and is transferrable if we were to trade/sell within that time, unlike the tritons whose warranty wasn’t transferable if resold.
parts can be cheap s chips, many parts including rear tail lights which can be smashed are easy to pick up from AliExpress or similar for far less than the official channels and dealers.
DPF burns, this is a known issue for diesels that don’t do big daily drives, however gwm sort this by allowing for a manual dpf burn to take place. The gist of this is the ute will alert to the fact it has failed to do 3 auto dpf burns, at this point you simply park the Ute up, follow the procedure and the Ute will hit 2.5k revs while stationary to clear the dpf, most other manufacturers didn’t do this and if they went into limp mode had to get towed to the dealer.
tilgte had a built in step to allow us to easily step up into the tray as needed
18 months in and had no problems whatsoever, would happily purchase again

cons

the fact it’s a chinese vehicle comes with a stigma for some, in fact it did for me for the first couple of months, however more than happy now
audio system is underwhelming, however this was easily remedied through purchasing a dsp and speaker pods from AliExpress and some new speakers via Nz retailers, a total of about $700.
its a ute, travel isn’t as nice as a suv or similar
resale isnt great given the general feel with these vehicles, however because the initial outlay is far less than others its a similar “hit” to buying a new “other brand” ute and selling it second hand
mixed anecdotal feedback regarding some dealers, however the dealer where we purchased ours from has been excellent
only a 2 litre however we don’t tow and the 8 speed gearbox sorts this
for the same money we were looking at older rangers, hiluxes or tritons with no warranty and would have still needed to add a canopy in most cases.

johno1234

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#3433641 12-Nov-2025 08:45

MikeB4:

sidefx:

It's probably worth reiterating this. Be very wary of how you drive modern diesel engines, when DPFs start going wrong they can cause major issues, I speak from experience.

The last diesel we had was a Toyota Prado, we didn't have any issues with it. We serviced every 10,000K. Transmission Gully in Wellington is a great place to get a diesel hot.

If we buy another diesel we will be adding a catch can.

We have a J120 Prado - it's a V6 petrol guzzler so doesn't get run much these days. But man, the thing is cavernous on the inside and the 4WD system climbs like a mountain goat. And it is very easy to self maintain too. Great SUV.

MikeB4

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#3433651 12-Nov-2025 10:02

johno1234:

We have a J120 Prado - it's a V6 petrol guzzler so doesn't get run much these days. But man, the thing is cavernous on the inside and the 4WD system climbs like a mountain goat. And it is very easy to self maintain too. Great SUV.

That the model Prado we had but ours was the turbo diesel so was marginally better on the Fleetcard. It towed the boat like it was not there and could go any place the Landrovers or Jeeps would venture but would get us back home again. The third row of seats were a pain to get out though. I do miss that beast.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

MikeB4

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#3433701 12-Nov-2025 10:16

Loismustdye:

We bought a new double cab last year - we bought the GWM cannon 2x4. I hd a bunch of second thoughts after purchase and it took me a few months to be truly happy with our decision, these were around the fact it was a Chinese vehicle and not one of the established in NZ brands.

Thats an interesting read. We don't have an issue with Chinese products, my wife worked for Huawei for a few years and visited China about 10 times. She saw a lot of the tech and auto development over there. GWM on their first foray here were less than stellar but the Chinese learn and develop fast.

The local GWM dealer Brendan Foot is a very good company to deal with and we have purchased many vehicles from them. I am going to go and see them in the next few weeks. They are a multi brand dealership with GWM/Haval, Chery/Jaecoo, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi and Suzuki so a smorgasbord of offerings. We were more considering used but maybe new is a better option as we do for all our car purchases.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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Scott3

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#3434055 13-Nov-2025 11:11

MikeB4:

@Scott3 thanks for that, there is a lot of food for thought. A van for us would need to be bigger than shown. The hoist in Nissan depending on load limits looks good. We discussed it last night and we are going to revisit the SUVs again.

We were told that it is not legal to remove the third row seating in a SUV, do you have any idea about that?

We will be flying up to Auckland again to visit Milners to reassess their offerings. A friend has suggested the GWM Tank, I have briefly looked at these but don't know much about their details, drivability and reliability. I guess a visit to Brendan Foot is on the cards over the weekend.

A key thing, is that if you can find a vehicle that is already modified (Partially outside of Milners, who's range is impressive, but prices seem high), that will work for you it is going to be a heap cheaper than having something modified.

If you are considering spending $60k+ on a ute + mods, potentially buying that sub $10k Nissan just to try, and resell if it doesn't work well. Throw some all terrain tire on it, and it would be a fine touring vehicle (but you would need to throw your bags on the back seat if the rear is full with electric wheel chair / scooter).

On removing 3rd row seating of SUV's, it's fairly common. Particularly in stuff like the Landcruiser 100 series (designed to be removed without any tools, so allow for more boot space), of the Toyota Fortuner (fold up against the size, reducing visibility and also taking up space. Need to pop off trim panels and break out spanners for this one.

https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof-and-cof/general/vehicle-interior/seats-and-seat-anchorages#

If you are going to be spending say $10k on modifications, you want to be more conservative with your buying choices than a typical car buyer. Target common models with a good reputation from mainstream brands. And I would strongly suggest buying new.

I didn't really mean to poor cold water on the ute idea. Products do exist to do what you want with Utes (utes / pickups are extremely popular in the USA), just to highlight that SUV / wagon / van products are gong to struggle with the tailgate.

Red pickup truck with a mobility scooter lift attached to the bed, holding a small scooter next to the vehicle.

Harmar Tailgater Electric Truck Bed-Mounted Power Chair & Scooter Lift | Discount Ramps

Wheelchair truck conversion

For NZ conditions, I think something to keep the wheelchair dry and out of sight would be highly desirable. 2nd image above would likely work with a regular cheap ute canopy.

And it is possible that a side loading setup could worth with a service body like the one below:

Service Bodies - Boss Aluminium

sidefx

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#3434114 13-Nov-2025 14:44

johno1234:

We have a J120 Prado - it's a V6 petrol guzzler so doesn't get run much these days. But man, the thing is cavernous on the inside and the 4WD system climbs like a mountain goat. And it is very easy to self maintain too. Great SUV.

Wish I'd gone for something like that, rather than a modern diesel, which I think relies on Turbo to get enough heat for DPF burn-offs. Mechanic who finally diagnosed it all thinks cracked boost intake meant DPF was gradually getting blocked. First sign of trouble was cracked exhaust manifold which Mitsi dealer happily replaced at great cost i guess without looking at root cause. Weeks later ended up in limp mode on motorway during Xmas shutdown period. DPF completed blocked by that stage. Rumour I heard is Mitsi dealers have been told to just waterblast out DPFs when they get to that stage so it gets them out of the warranty phase. Would not recommend another Mitsi TBH.

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tweake

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#3434139 13-Nov-2025 16:29

sidefx:

Wish I'd gone for something like that, rather than a modern diesel, which I think relies on Turbo to get enough heat for DPF burn-offs. Mechanic who finally diagnosed it all thinks cracked boost intake meant DPF was gradually getting blocked. First sign of trouble was cracked exhaust manifold which Mitsi dealer happily replaced at great cost i guess without looking at root cause. Weeks later ended up in limp mode on motorway during Xmas shutdown period. DPF completed blocked by that stage. Rumour I heard is Mitsi dealers have been told to just waterblast out DPFs when they get to that stage so it gets them out of the warranty phase. Would not recommend another Mitsi TBH.

actually turbo removes exhaust heat not add to it.

cracked boost intake, yes. leaking airflow can certainly do it. this is because it makes the air going in have higher amounts of egr in it. egr flows increase soot production almost exponentially. that extra soot is what clogs the the dpf. some makes are very prone to cracking the intercoolers. if you see oil leaking out the intake pipes, find the air leak and fix it (the oil is fairly normal).

also lack of airflow can cause exhaust temps to go up, which can crack the manifolds.

sidefx

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#3434144 13-Nov-2025 16:44

tweake:

actually turbo removes exhaust heat not add to it.

Ok thanks, not really my area🤷‍♂️

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michaelmurfy

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#3434219 13-Nov-2025 20:07

I know it’s been mentioned at the very start but if you’re travelling around NZ, another vote for the BYD Shark.

The little extras with it having AC outlets, being a really smooth ride, lots of power (you don’t really feel Transmission Gully) and the great tech will make it just that bit better on long roadtrips. Vehicle to load on these vehicles is also incredibly handy for camping and powering the home during power outages.

When you’re around home driving in EV mode can save a rather considerable amount of money. If you want to protect the paint then PPF exists for that exact reason.

I honestly think you’ll get lots of use out of it - if you’re wanting to travel around NZ why not do it in comfort?

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Scott3

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#3434753 15-Nov-2025 14:00

On PHEV's, they make most sense for applications with a decent percentage of electric running (ideally 70%+).

Great for people who use the car to commute a say 50km / day, but don't want to go full electric (Perhaps because they want to tow a boat the lenght of the island once a year, or perhaps becuase there are no pure full electric cars in the segment (until the Riddara RD6 is lunched there are no new full EV ute's in NZ).

Often PHEV's if not plugged in use more fuel than comparable hybrids / diesel's.

And in NZ you get charged for (half price) RUC's, on top of petrol taxes with PHEV's, so there is a strong incentive not to buy a PHEV if it is rarely going to get plugged in.

In general it is not worth DC fast charging PHEV's (similar cost as petrol, but much more time consuming). And it is likely not worth seeking out accommodation with chargers either sadly.

If OP is looking for a dedicated touring ute, I would suggest going diesel.

MikeB4

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#3434827 15-Nov-2025 17:33

The BYD Shark is a nice piece of kit. One of my sons had a demonstrator for a month to evaluate for a fleet purchase and liked it a lot. He also evaluated to JAC and Riddara. The JAC was average but he felt that the Riddara was awful.

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TwoSeven

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#3435101 16-Nov-2025 19:06

not a 4wd person - currently at a campsite down south (otago) doing some motorcycle camping and I can see three relatively new vehicles that look like Toyota land cruisers.

one looks like a double cab land cruiser 70 with a deck, the others might be different models - they have a rear cab on. All have tents attached to the side and the two with the cabs have those fitted out for camping.

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MikeB4

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#3436014 19-Nov-2025 16:13

Thanks for all the advice folks. Geekzone is really the best.

I have managed to get my self really confused and conflicted on what direction to take. I guess I just don't want to make a mistake.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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