What's the difference?
There was a time when utes were bought purely for work but some these days look more like high-riding prestige cars with their sparkling pearlescent paint, sumptuous leather seats that heat, cool and massage, high-tech hybrid drivetrains, independent rear suspensions and 0-100km/h times that were once the sole domain of supercars.
However, traditional ute buyers like tradies, farmers and fleets are still well catered for by some brands when seeking a utilitarian turbo-diesel workhorse designed primarily for hard yakka.
Mitsubishi has recently added 4x2 and 4x4 cab-chassis variants to its local Triton line-up comprising single-cab, club-cab and dual-cab body style across most model grades to broaden the Triton’s appeal for either working roles or adventuring.
We recently spent a week aboard one of these new cab-chassis variants in base GLX specification, to see from a tradie’s perspective if it has what it takes to cut it in the rough-and-tough world of working utes.
About a decade has passed since the Fiat Scudo mid-size (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) van was last sold in Australia, when it shared its underpinnings with the Peugeot Expert before Fiat-Chrysler and PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) merged to become the giant Stellantis group in 2021.
In 2026 the Scudo (which means ‘shield’ in Italian) has returned under the Fiat Professional Australia banner as the Series 3 or third-generation, again sharing its underpinnings and core styling with the Peugeot Expert but now based on the latest Stellantis 'EMP2' platform.
We recently spent a working week aboard Fiat’s new commercial offering to see how it measures up from a tradie’s perspective in this popular van segment.
Apart from its distracting driver attention monitor, we can't see any major flaws that would detract from this vehicle’s comfort, practicality and performance when serving as either a utilitarian 4x4 workhorse or back-to-basics 4x4 dual cab for adventures off the beaten track.
The Fiat Scudo LWB Primo offers a large payload rating, excellent fuel economy, peppy performance and practical features like its load-through flap. However, it also has shortcomings like a tiny tow rating and no sequential manual-shifting. So, only a potential buyer can determine if the positives outweigh the negatives when deciding if this largely badge-engineered European van is the right fit for their business.