It has been a quiet year for the Chevrolet brand in South Africa but with the Chevrolet Utility I’m convinced the best has been saved for last. With the Corsa’s strong foundation never too far from view, transition with the Chevrolet Utility begins seamlessly. But has the new car done enough to distinguish itself from just a new badge?

The sub 1-tonne market is not one massively concerned with style – generally the boxier the better – but the new crisp design language could shake things up much like the VW Amarok did for the bakkie sector.

Now in its third production phase the Utility is available in three different guises; Base, Club and Sport with aggressive pricing from R115 000 to R160 000.

The dapper urban face begins with the classic dual-port grille and large sweeping headlights. Remove the Base model from the equation and the Utility shows off generous amounts of colour coding while the Sport hunkers down on avant-garde 15’’ alloys and low-profile rubber. Many described the styling as a baby Lumina – a slam dunk for all Chevrolet fans.

The Sport model further justifies its higher price with new fog lamps, a dark masking behind the headlamps, heated mirrors, side sill mouldings and aluminium roof spoiler. The Base version is not scant on extras, albeit of a more functional tune. Side step mouldings allow easy access to the rear bin and cargo hooks help to secure loads.

The rear end of the Utility is marginally different; keen observers may notice that the tailgate is slightly lower which improves rear visibility and the rear light housings have also taken on a more modern finish.

New Utility is 78mm longer, 54mm wider and 127mm higher while the wheelbase has been shortened by 45mm. During our drive it was difficult to say whether these changes had made a significant difference – payload volume has increased by 0.6% with a weight capacity of between 730kg and 760kgs. New Utility will comfortably handle small commercial businesses or lifestyle activities like motorcross or fishing.

Changes specific and unique to the South African market include reinforced chassis protection and improved seals around the doors for a dusty climate.

On the road there’s little to choose between the 1.4-litre petrol or 1.8-litre petrol. The single overhead camshaft engines are refined around town and didn’t need to bullied by the gearbox or a heavy right foot. The 1.4-litre produces 68kW and 120Nm while the 1.8-litre makes a fraction more with 77kW and 161Nm. Unloaded and out on the highway the thirstier 1.8-litre wasn’t able to outmuscle the smaller engine – perhaps with a heavy load it might validate itself.

Essentially the drivetrain is a carry-on from the previous model although we’re told a number of refinements to fuel economy and emissions have taken place as well as a longer final drive ratio for sustained highway driving.

Like the Chevrolet Spark and Sonic, the Utility has a digital instrument cluster with readouts for speed, tachometer and fuel. Club and Sport models come with radio/cd player compatible with a multitude of plugins for AUX devices, USB and Bluetooth.

Seating position in the Utility has been raised and the cloth seats improved with a durable cloth pattern and higher levels of posture support, still appropriate for two burly workers. Seat and steering is height adjustable but the wheel doesn’t cater for reach. Space behind the rear seats proved sufficient for overnight travel bags as well as two laptops.

Dual airbags are standard across all models and Sport models come equipped with ABS and EBD.

The Chevrolet Utility is a sharp progressive contender in a market that has withered with the withdrawal of the original VW Caddy and Ford Bantam. Next to the Nissan NP200, which sells at an almost identical price, the Utility is the far more dynamic offering.