HYBRID HIATUS
On a recent visit to my home country, Sweden, I saw an article in a technical magazine that Toyota was introducing the RAV4 in the similar hybrid version to the one Lexus is using.Is there any news around that happening here? Chris Westergren, email Toyota spokesman Steve Coughlan says: “The RAV4 Hybrid uses the same drivetrain as our locally-produced Camry Hybrid. Whilst we don’t have any plans to augment the local RAV4 range with a hybrid variant currently, we continue to assess customer demand and haven’t ruled out a future introduction within this segment”.
THE GOOD OIL
I have just purchased a new Subaru WRX premium 2.0-litre turbo. What engine oil do you recommend and what viscosity please? Geoff Rothberg, email The official oil recommendation in the owner’s manual is 5W30. The Subaru Rally Team in Australia uses premium Castrol TWS Motorsport 10W60 for maximum protection in the WRX driven by national champion Molly Taylor.
SOLID WORKER
I have just bought a Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Sportback which I am happy with. As I have never seen this model in any of your columns, could you please give me your thoughts on it? Terry Burman, Maryborough Vic The Lancer does the job, and is reasonable value, but not a favourite.
SMALL DISCREPANCY
A current-model Honda Civic is larger than the mid-sized Accord Euro and the current Mazda3 is bigger than the mid-sized Mazda 626. The Corolla is in the middle of the Toyota passenger range, between Yaris and Camry. These cars are genuine options for families who do not want a large family car like a Holden Commodore, Ford Mondeo, Toyota Camry or Skoda Superb. So why does the motoring press continue to call them “small”? Sure, they were small once, but makers have recognised they have grown, adding other models to cover the market for those wanting small cars. Alan Williams, email You make an interesting point but official car classifications are decided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, not journalists. We are reporting, not setting the sizes.
FIRM FAVOURITE
We have just sent a Mazda3 SP25 to God. We have test driven both the Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Qashqai Ti with CVT. The preference is for the Nissan. Your thoughts please. Bernie Phelan, email The Nissan is fine, but the Mazda is better by a fair margin on quality and refinement, so gets The Tick.
EXCESSIVE RISK
Recently a reader commented that the insurance excess on Ford loan cars is $5000. I thought I’d let you know it’s the same for Subaru in Frankston, Victoria, with the possibility of dropping the excess to $3000 with a payment of $25. We probably wouldn’t have availed ourselves of the courtesy car had we known about the excess and needless to say we drove it as little as possible. Lynne, email Not good, but good to know.
COLD CASE
I recently experienced a range of problems that could be similar to those of your Mazda CX-5 owner with unresolved software issues. I have had my 2012 Alfa Giulietta diesel since new and it now has 80,000-plus kilometres without any problems, until recently when it started to intermittently display errors during start-up. The first time this happened, the engine started without any hesitation and I put the selector in Drive, but it was as if the car was in neutral. I then noticed the multifunction display saying there was a transmission failure. I got out of the car and locked the door, waited a minute, then unlocked the car and got in again and then it started and selected gears correctly and the car performed normally for the next two to three weeks before it started happening randomly again. It twice cut out after I had driven a couple of blocks and I had to coast to the side of the road before performing the usual process to restart. I then recalled that the error messages only happened on cold mornings so I trickle charged the battery overnight and had no further issues for three weeks. The battery was still showing 12.4 volts when cold but, on starting, the voltage dropped to 8.5, so I fitted a new battery and have had no further issues. Maybe everyone just needs to be made aware of the range of potential problems that can be caused by batteries that test OK but are not up to the task in certain conditions. Gary Bryant, email Some great advice.