I think they have slightly different meanings where “use” is more direct like a tool and “utilize” is more indirect like a system but that could be more about context than meaning. The words “usage” and “utilization” show this more where I would expect “usage” to be binary or integer and “utilization” to be fractional or percentage. That context and expectation is important for clear writing.

“Never use a longer word when a shorter one would suffice” - a “joke” repeated many times by one of my high school English teachers.

strictly better than "uze" though

It doesn't have the same utility.

«Use» and «utilise» are not always interchangeable. «The burglar utilised the door to escape» would sound comical at best, or it would have the domain knowledge intrinsic to the forensics.

But «utilise» is almost always interchangeable with «employ», which almost always has the same meaning.