Chev’s Utility is a modern cult pick-up
The Chevrolet Utility is one of those rare vehicles in South African motoring history that has attained something of a cult status. In the half-ton-to-three-quarter ton pick-up market, other cult bakkies over the years have included the (Golf-based) Volkswagen Caddy and the Datsun/Nissan 1200-1400 "Champ" series.
You just have to take a trip around the northern suburbs of Pretoria or Cape Town to check out countless examples of these older, sought-after bakkies still running round. These are the ones often sporting lowered suspensions, special wheels, and in some cases, monstrous turbocharged engines, clearly demonstrating their iconic appeal.
But, more than any other recent half-ton pick-up (the modern small pick-ups can actually carry much more than half a ton), the Chev Utility has achieved a similar cult status, where legions of owners obviously pamper them, modify and accessorise them. This trend has its roots in the Opel Corsa pick-up which preceded the Chevrolet Utility from 2003 to 2010 — mainly because the Corsa pick-up had strong performance connotations, thanks to Opel’s previous motorsport program in this country back in the 1990s. AutoTrader currently lists over 400 used Chevrolet Utility examples for sale.
Related: Top 3 Chevrolet Utility articles on AutoTrader.
Why was the Chevrolet Utility discontinued, then?
The Chevrolet Utility was withdrawn from our market at the end of 2017. This came after General Motors’ global decision to concentrate on China and the Americas, and leave the South African market (along with a brace of other international operations). At the time of GM’s withdrawal, the Chevrolet Utility was a sales leader in the light pick-up segment, vying for the top spot with its only other local competitor, the Nissan NP 200. At present AutoTrader lists close to 700 examples of the Nissan NP 200 for sale, which you'll find in a link at the end of this article.
Chevrolet Utility still commands top value retention
Last year, South African company True Price released figures of value retention in the used pick-up market. These figures were based on auction prices logged at bank repossession auctions for bakkies produced between 2015 and 2018, with mileages between 0-150 000 km. Unsurprisingly, the Toyota Hilux came out tops with 72,4 % value retention, as it has been South Africa’s top-selling one-ton pick-up for close to 50 years!
The big surprise was that the Chevrolet Utility was in second place, with 71,8 % value retention. This was a huge endorsement for a vehicle that had already gone off the market at the end of 2017.
Chevrolet Utility competitors — Nissan NP 200 and GWM Steed 5
In preparing this used-vehicle running costs comparison we naturally included the Nissan NP200 as one of the Chev’s competitors. The NP 200 has had the light pick-up market (nowadays denoted as a three-quarter ton) to itself since January 2018, and has been notching up sales figures of between 1 200 to 2 000 units a month. It can only be a matter of time before another major manufacturer launches a competitor in this market. In the True Price survey the NP 200 placed third with a 67,8 % value retention.
Related: We review the Nissan NP200 Stealth.
As a third competitor we considered the Ford Bantam, but as it has been off the market since 2011 (it was sacrificed to the global production plan of Ford’s highly successful Ranger one-ton pick-up at the Silverton plant), we felt the Bantam was too long in the tooth. Thus, for the Chev’s second competitor we rather focused on price, and went for a larger 1-ton bakkie instead of a very old Bantam.
The natural choice, then, was the GWM Steed 5, which, at the time of the Chevrolet Utility’s withdrawal from new car showrooms, had a similar pricetag. Incidentally, the Steed 5 came in at Number 10 in True Price’s survey, with a value retention figure of 56,7 %. We currently list over 110 GWM Steed 5 vehicles for sale in our New and Used Cars for Sale section.
Related: New vs old GWM Steed 5: what are top 3 differences?
Purchase price in December 2017
Chevrolet Utility 1.4. R163 900
Nissan NP 200 1.6i. R164 900
GWM Steed 5 2.2 L Workhorse. R164 900
Performance factors
Chevrolet Utility 1.4. 1,4-litre four-cylinder Petrol engine, 68 kW, 120 Nm, five-speed gearbox, front-wheel-drive.
Nissan NP 200 1.6i. 1,6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, 64 kW, 128 Nm, five-speed gearbox, front-wheel-drive.
GWM Steed 5 2.2L Workhorse. 2,2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, 73 kW, 180 Nm, five-speed gearbox, rear-wheel-drive.
Estimated fuel consumption
Chevrolet Utility 1.4i. 8,5 litres/100 km
Nissan NP 200 1.6i. 9,7 litres/100 km
GWM Steed 5 2.2 L Workhorse. 10,5 litres/100 km
Tyre sizes (smaller tyres are cheaper to replace than larger tyres)
Chevrolet Utility 1.4i. 185/65 R14
Nissan NP 200 1.6i. 185/65 R15
GWM Steed 5 2.2 L Workhorse. 215//75 R15
Service Intervals
All three vehicles have 15 000 km service intervals. Although General Motors left South Africa in late 2017, it put in place guarantees for servicing and spare parts for all their products on sale here at that time, including the Chevrolet Utility. This is carried out by ex-GM dealerships, some of which form part of the Williams Hunt Group (which also imports Opels to our country).
Verdict
The Chevrolet Utility 1.4i is the winner on running costs. In its favour are its greater value retention, lowest-in-group fuel consumption, and smallest (standard fit) tyre sizing. Of course the Nissan has factors in its favour such as their current 6-year/150 000 km warranty. The GWM’s biggest selling point in this company is that it is able to take a load of over 1 200 kg, while the Chevrolet has a rated load of 763 kg. The Nissan enjoys a slightly bigger load area than the Chev, and an 800 kg load rating.
The Nissan and the Chevrolet will offer very similar car-like driving experiences. The GWM will offer a harsher, bouncier ride - that's the price exacted by that formidable payload. Of course, in the used market it all depends on whether you secure a well-looked-after car, so take your time before making a purchase decision.
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Shop for a used Chevrolet Utility here.