STICKER SHOCK FOR HONDA FANS
WRITE TO MOTORING AT CARS@NEWS.COM.AU OR PO BOX 2808, GPO SYDNEY, 2001
A Honda Civic for $47,000! This reminds me how good and fit-for-purpose early generation Civics were. They were benchmark cars in their day. And this from the company that has introduced fixed-price, nonnegotiable sales. I don’t understand it.
Chris Nixon, email
Honda’s new Civic is initially being offered in a single high-specification VTI LX grade at $47,200 drive-away with no haggling permitted. That’s more than $16,000 above the current Civic’s cheapest drive-away price. Not offering more affordable options alienates a large chunk of the small-car buying market. The bulk of today’s Honda sales are SUVS, but the brand shifted more than 7000 Civics last year. In 2022 it’ll struggle to sell one-tenth that number due to its price being close to an entry-level BMW 1 Series or Mercedes A-class. The new model looks good and is well equipped, but that price will truly test the Honda faithful.
BIG FAN OF THIS
Re: hot parked cars, my wife also has a black BMW and I solved the problem for $15. I bought a detachable solar window fan from ebay which I thought was a cheap gimmick but its effectiveness exceeded expectations. It clips on a window’s top edge, operates directly from sunlight and sucks out hot air. Our car’s at least 10C cooler inside on hot days and you’re not hit with the smell of hot vinyl when opening the door.
Lang Kidby, email
It looks a clever bit of kit, if a little flimsy. For that price it’s worth a shot, especially as your feedback is so positive.
LANDCRUISER LOVER
Re: David Mccowen’s Keep on Trucking article, he’s clearly not a ute owner. To put an LDV T60 in the same category as a Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series is, quite frankly, inconceivable. How can a Mazda BT-50 be in your top five but not the 70 Series? This article was ill-conceived and written without knowledge, which is surprising as Motoring is usually a good read. Glenn Gardiner, email
You’re right about one thing: the only way David would own a ute is for towing his beloved race car. But David has tested every one of these utes and they are some of th best pick-ups available. The LDV and Toyota were not in direct competition as their buyer types are very different. But David says: “Both are worth considering for people in need of new wheels: the Toyota for its rugged dependability and the LDV for its strong motor and bargain $40,000 price.” The 70 Series didn’t make the top five due to its high price (more than $80,000), ancient underpinnings and minimal safety kit. But rest assured, for some buyers it’s the only show in town.
SIZE MATTERS
My tyre shop quoted me $170 each for front tyres and $420 each for rears on my BMW 5 Series. The wheels are both 17-inches, but the rears are slightly wider. Even so, to cost more than twice as much for a similar amount of rubber seems ludicrous. My quote was for high quality Michelin tyres, but Dunlops and Goodyears are also roughly double the price for the 255/40 rear size over the 235/45 fronts. What’s going on?
Matt Northcote-smith, email
That’s a painful price hike. A tyre industry source told me: “Price positioning takes into account multiple facets such as tyre size, load/speed index and original equipment (OE) marking to reference a few.” More plain speaking, my mechanic source said: “255/40 is not a common tyre size. Not many brands make it so there’s less competition and they can price it higher. Common size tyres, like 235/45, are always going to be cheaper.” Economies of scale also mean that rarer size is pricier. Sticking with original tyre specifications is best practice, but your tyre shop should be able to fit a more common (less expensive) size in some cases.
GETTING GLASSED
Re: convex side mirrors, I got rid of them on my 2014 Holden Trax after a close call on the freeway. I’m changing to standard glass for my new Mitsubishi ASX too. You say you get used to convex mirrors and the brain adjusts. But how long does this take and after how many near misses?
Keith Walker, email
Re: convex mirrors, I’m with your other readers and don’t like them at all. I don’t think you get used to them and the issue is compounded when you have different cars in the household with different side mirror types. To avoid blind spots with normal mirrors simply lean forward before changing lanes. Doug Brockfield, email
I’m starting to feel like a lone wolf in favouring convex mirrors. Any support out there?