For New Zealanders, utes make a lifestyle statement. Once, they were all about work and it was easy to know what someone did for a living by looking at their ute. They were considered a tool of the trade just like a builder’s hammer, a farmer’s Swanndri.
Just like tools, they were built for function, with appearances hardly thought about, let alone considered in the design.
Fast forward to today and the average ute owner is much more image conscious. Their ute has become an expression of who they are as a person and the freedom of their lifestyle. Utes have got taller, wider, bolder, more high-tech - and black has replaced chrome. It’s now common to buy utes off the shelf that have good appearances at the forefront of their design - the Ranger Raptor, Triton Black Edition, Hilux SR5 Cruiser and many others.
When choosing accessories for a ute it’s easy to get the process wrong and make a $50,000+ vehicle look tacky, outdated or just plain weird.
Although it’s down to individual preference, Utemaster reckons the following things should be avoided:
- Wheels that belong on a car, not a ute. Even if serious off-roading is not in the plan, make sure the wheels don’t scream “pavement princess”
- Low profile tyres again belong on a car and are extremely impractical. The truck is not a sports car
- Chrome, just avoid it and if it comes on the vehicle – get rid of it through a black out paint job or vinyl wrap
- Wheel-arch flares that are covered in fake bolts – these were a craze for a while and thankfully are going out of fashion due to the fact that they devalue the look of the whole vehicle
- Budget/tacky accessories.
Spending good money on the vehicle? Then don’t skimp on the accessories through perceived cost savings as it will only ever look like what it is. Cheap. - Wellside covers that have a lot of moving parts simply don’t last because the very reason people buy utes is for the utility aspect.
Utemaster products are designed to look good as well as be highly functional. Because the team understands that its products have to enhance the appearance of the truck, not drag it down for the sake of extra functionality.
But at the same time accessories need to be extremely functional, tough and hard wearing.
