WE ARE incredibly fortunate in Australia not only to have an amazing country to tour and explore, but to have so many capable, dependable, and let’s face it, desirable vehicles with which to do it.

Four-wheel drive utilities and utility-based wagons are increasingly popular options for adventure-seeking families, recreational buyers and the ‘grey nomad’ set, the flexibility and value for money offered from either body-style making the choice between them more difficult than ever.

Utes in particular are not the barebones tradie workhorses of the past. Most models on sale in 2022 are as well equipped – and as safe – as the family SUV, and with their generous payload and towing capacities can tempt buyers to take the boat or caravan along for the journey.

But as is the case with any new vehicle purchase, there are pros and cons to the dual-cab utility, just as there are with a wagon or ‘SUV’ derivatives – and it is those points we’ll take a closer look at here.

To best exemplify those differences – while keeping as close to model parity as we could – we spent some time with the Mitsubishi Triton GLS (ute, from $53,990 plus on-road costs) and Pajero Sport GLS (wagon, from $54,190 plus ORCs) to discover the positives and not-so-positives of each from the viewpoint of one of our aforementioned buyers.

Our aim here is not to find a winner, per se. But to point out the differences you may not have considered before rushing to sign on the dotted line.