ROADSIDE ASSIST TIME FOR A CHANGE
CARS@NEWS.COM.AU OR PO BOX 2808, GPO SYDNEY, 2001
At 75 years of age it’s time to let go of my Toyota Landcruiser. I’m looking at a petrol Subaru Forester Premium and am interested in your thoughts. It’s typically for normal city driving with fortnightly trips from Sydney to the mid-north coast of NSW.
Terry Gilchrist, email
It’s a good time to cash in on the Landcruiser as used prices are sky high, no matter the model. The Forester’s a solid, safe choice. The cabin’s roomy, light-filled and practical, the drive’s easy and comfortable and its X-mode means it’ll go far further off-road than most family SUVS. The interior is a little bland, though and I find Subaru’s safety systems too nannying. The petrol Premium costs $48,000 drive-away and while a lower grade L Hybrid is the same price, I don’t think it’s worth it. The hybrid uses 6.7L/100km while the petrol does 7.4L/100km – not a substantial difference – while the Hybrid has a chunk less power and torque. I’d cross-shop a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for proper city economy but wait times are very long.
HIGHWAY ROBBERY
Diesel prices have been ridiculously expensive for months. Why is it so much more expensive than petrol? Fuel bills for my Hilux – don’t criticise me, I need one for work – have soared. Jason Saxby, Coolum Beach, QLD
In your region, according to petrolspy.com.au, unleaded is roughly $1.75 per litre but diesel’s $2.35. It’s a similar story across much of Australia. Filling your Hilux’s 80 litre diesel tank costs about $188. An 80-litre tank of petrol (91RON) would be $140. That’s a big difference. As Australia imports its diesel, we’re at the mercy of global markets and high demand worldwide has seen diesel prices surge. You’ll struggle to get a straight, sensible answer from fuel retailers, industry bodies and politicians as to why petrol and diesel prices are what they are. We can see the terminal gate price – what fuel’s sold for wholesale to the industry – and it shows petrol at about $1.73 in Brisbane while diesel’s at $2.20. I’m happy to be proven otherwise but it looks like retailers are profiteering from diesel right now.
DIESEL DEVOTION
It may be politically incorrect these days, but long live diesel cars! I’ve just done a 700kilometre round trip in my 2017 Kia Sportage. Great engine, plentiful torque and 6.4L/100km in extreme wind and rain. I’ll keep it as long as it’s legal to own diesel.
Geoff Mcdonald, email
Great to hear form a happy diesel customer, but $2.35 per litre surely stings. What happens if it hits $3 a litre? High prices, diesel’s poor recent PR and incoming electric/plug-in hybrid vans and utes don’t paint a rosy future for the fuel. Having said that, there are no concrete plans to phase diesel out in Australia.
THEM’S THE BRAKES
Re: Leslie Guy’s Haval radar cruise control issues, we suffered similar when renting a Mercedes A-class in the UK. The brakes would activate quite severely. A similar system on our late model Kia Sorento has no such problem. Doug Reynolds, email
The A-class braking issue is linked to its aggressive lane-keep assist. If you stray onto the white lines it brakes the wheels on that side, accompanied by a harsh grinding sound that had me thinking we’d crashed. It certainly gets your attention, and you could say it’s Mercedes demanding driving perfection! Otherwise, the A-class is a cracking little car.
REJECT THE TECH
Car reviewers regularly highlight a car’s highend audio system. How much do these add to the cost of a vehicle? As someone who just listens to AM radio, I’d prefer a simpler system and cheaper new vehicle price.
Algis Kusta, email
You’re not alone. Some entry-level car models still have what I’d call very average sound systems, specifically the speakers. But practically all new cars feature colour touchscreen head-units with smartphone mirroring, digital radio and streaming services. Overall, it’s cheaper for car companies to homologate a single system across the range. They may look fancy and the development costs will be high, but the hardware’s quite inexpensive.
THERE’S A LIMIT
Re: David Mccowen’s Jeep Grand Cherokee review, he states it has an unlimitedkilometres warranty. That’s incorrect. It’s five years or 100,000km, whichever comes first. I’m on my second Grand Cherokee and have told Jeep many times they should match their competition’s unlimited kilometre warranties. Peter Taylor, email
Well spotted and apologies for the error. Jeep’s warranty looks stingy these days, as the vast majority of brands have five-year, unlimited kilometre warranties. Jeep needs to play catch-up.