By Paul Gover.
Q: Is there any other vehicle out there apart from a 200-Series Toyota LandCruiser that is capable of towing a 3-tonne caravan and still getting reasonable fuel economy?
Mal S
A: Nothing beats the Cruiser. Do not be tempted by a Jeep Grand Cherokee, as they don’t have the same reliability or dealer back-up away from the capitals, and the Nissan Patrol is only a petrol V8 so heavy on fuel.
Q: I ordered a Toyota Camry hybrid in July, agreed the price and placed a deposit.
The car arrived about three weeks ago and the dealer emailed us an invoice for the correct amount, but now we need to collect the car they want another $550 as they are saying the car now has Apple CarPlay.
We do not need Apple car play and do not want to pay the extra so where do we stand?
Nitesh
A: Sorry, but you’re up for the extra, as this is considered a significant change of specification and affects the whole infotainment system in the car, not just CarPlay.
Q: I am looking for a car with low kilometres and good resale in 2-3 years.
It must be excellent on fuel, so I was looking at maybe a 2-3 year-old Mazda3 or Kia Cerato.
I have had a bad experience with the CVT transmission in a Nissan X-Trail and wonder if the SkyActiv in the Mazda is a CVT.
Tracey M
A: I would suggest the Kia as better value, but no worries about CVT on the Mazda3 as SkyActiv is part of the engine.
Q: I currently drive a Volkswagen Passat 2008 and we have been very happy with it.
Now we would like to update our car and purchase something that is higher as we both have back issues.
What do you think of the Toyota RAV4 Cruiser? We’ve been told it’s a good deal as it comes with all the extras.
Connie
A: There are better cars than the RAV4 these days and I’m a big fan of the Skoda Karoq, which is also from the VW Group that produces your Passaat. Best to take comparison drives and choose the one you like.
Q:We are looking at buying a new car capable of towing our caravan of 1600kg loaded and have room to move grandchildren when needed..
We have looked at the Holden Trailblazer LTZ, SsangYong Rexton and Isuzu MU-X.
When we were at the Nissan dealer, they told us that diesel would be phased out in the Australian market starting next year. Is this correct?
Lynette H
A: From your short list I would take the Trailblazer, which sold very poorly before Holden more effort into its value. Diesel is not being phased-out in Australia, and I think the Nissan dealer might have been trying to spook you into buying something of theirs with a petrol engine.
Q: I have had a Ford Escort, two Mitsubishi Sigmas and a 2002 Mazda 323 I’m still driving and I’m now looking for something new.
The majority of the time I’m by myself when driving around my region, with an occasional long trip at Christmas time.
Not interested in a SUV, prefer a sedan, would consider a hatch, price range up to $22,000.
Jill M
A: Go for a Hyundai i30, but make sure to get the Active model with all the safety features as it gets The Tick from me.
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