GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #21 | Page 25

RV FEATURE If you’ve bought a caravan and are now shopping for a tow vehicle, you might be deciding between one of the latest generation of crew-cab utes or its SUV equivalent, with similar mechanical components but different bodies. Ranger or Everest? D-Max or MU-X? Amarok or Touareg? The answer depends largely on who will be travelling with you… and to where. COST Because of their dual work and play role, utes, including crew cabs, may not attract fringe benefit tax, making them potentially cheaper than equivalent SUVs based on the same drivetrain. And if you use a single or crew-cab ute for your work during the week, you can get a ‘free ride’ thanks to the other deductions you can make on its capital and operating costs with the Australian Taxation Office, depending on whether – and how – it’s written into your salary package. They can also usually be depreciated faster if they are claimed as a trade tool. Under current ATO guidelines, drivers are allowed ‘minor, infrequent and irregular’ private use trips; however, these “UTES DELIVER A HARSHER, CHOPPIER RIDE WHEN UNLADEN” Games on the grass with Captain Tony. gorv.com.au 25