Your questions answered: Picking the perfect tow machine

From buying a new heavy-duty tow machine to servicing a Toyota Prado and buying an INEOS Grenadier, it seems the lure of the big Aussie adventure still looms large for many new-vehicle buyers.

At the same time, there’s still plenty of interest in EVs as those in petrol- and diesel-powered cars look to take the electric plunge. Throw in some questions around SUV space-hunters and it makes for a varied selection in the carsales e-mailbox this week.

Question: We’ve recently become empty-nesters and are planning to vacate the nest ourselves and head off to explore Australia. We’re looking at a sizeable caravan so we can do it in style, but I’m wondering what car would do a good job? We’re novices at this towing thing and need all the help we can get. – Margaret and Ken

Answer: There’s a lot more to towing than simply hitching up the caravan and heading off into the sunset, as we wrote here recently.

The biggest mistake many make is overloading their rigs. So grab a calculator to make sure you are not about to break any rules or endanger yourself or other road users. First things first: calculate the weight of the caravan and anything you’re planning to put in it, from knives and forks to water containers and bedding. It all adds to the weight of the trailer and must be taken into account when loading up.

Obviously you don’t want to be busting the tow capacity of the vehicle, but you also need to take into account the GVM and GCM. The first is gross vehicle mass and is everything in the vehicle, including people and luggage. When calculating GVM you also need to account for how much weight the caravan is pushing down on the rear-end of the car; every kilogram of towball down-weight (usually about 10 per cent of trailer mass) must be subtracted from the overall load capacity (or payload) of the vehicle.

The second acronym is GCM and that is the entire weight of your vehicle, everything in it and whatever you’re towing (it’s how much the whole thing weighs if you drive onto a weigh bridge). Again, there are strict limits on that, and breaking them can impact your vehicle’s performance, safety, warranty and legal standing should something go wrong.

You also need to be aware of braking requirements; any trailer between 750kg and 2000kg must have some form of braking and anything over two tonnes needs an electronic brake controller, which allows independent adjustment and control of the brakes on the trailer. Then there’s balancing the trailer, which can be an art in itself. And it could also be worth doing a towing course with an organisation such as Tow-Ed.

As for the car, be aware that despite their big claims many tow machines can’t carry a whole lot if you’re dragging the maximum trailer weight behind it. As a general rule we’d recommend knocking half a tonne off whatever the claimed max is. And if you’re determined to take the maximum then make sure all the calculations mentioned above are spot on.

SUVs that do a great job of towing include the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol. Plenty of utes will also do a decent job, including the new Ford Ranger V6 that brings class-leading towing and payload capacities.

Question: I want to get a V8 before they’re all gone. Any suggestions? I’ve never been wedded to Ford or Holden, but have those two at the top of my list.
Which is best? – Andrew E

Answer: This could result in a bar room brawl, so we better stay home after we dish out this advice… The short story is the last of the Holden and Ford V8s were great things. Forced to choose we’d head down the Holden route, in part because there were a lot more of them sold and they built V8 utes for much longer, so you should have more to choose from on the used market.

Shoot for one of the last VF Series II Commodores built between 2015 and 2017, which picked up the 6.2-litre LS3 V8. Previously reserved for HSV and Corvettes, the LS3 has loads of muscle and sounds terrific, too.

As with any purchase of a used car – and more so with a performance model such as a V8 – do your due diligence to learn more about how it’s been treated, both from a servicing perspective and from the point of view of who has been behind the wheel.

Also be aware that prices of Aussie V8s are a bit nuts at the moment, which is something we’d expect to come off over the next year or two. So if you can wait it could be worth settling in to watch the market cool a little, at least for all but the best examples.

Question:

Answer: There’s no chance of a diesel version of the Seltos for Australia. The diesel versions are only manufactured at the Kia plant in India whereas ours are sourced from Korea. Not that Kia would have been in a mad rush to bring a diesel to Australia.

While diesel engines dominate in utes and large SUVs, they’ve faded from most other parts of the market, especially the compact SUV segment. Don’t let it put you off though, because the Seltos is still great buying and the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine (which is updated for the 2023 model) is relatively economical if you use its torque rather than revving it hard.

Question: Will we be getting more EVs in Australia? It seems like there aren’t that many and the ones that are here have big waiting lists. I’m keen to go electric but feel there aren’t enough choices. – Adriana P

Answer: There’s a whole lot happening in the EV space over the next 18 months. Some brands that currently don’t offer an electric vehicle – including Toyota and Volkswagen – plan to have them on sale by the end of 2023. As with others already available here though, the Toyota bZ4 and Volkswagen ID.4 will likely be priced towards the premium end of the market.

There are also dozens of other EVs planned from established brands and newcomers such as Cupra, Chery and Ora. If you can stretch your budget, EVs should save you plenty in running costs; electricity is a lot cheaper than petrol per kilometre and the servicing requirements for EVs is typically less frequent and a lot cheaper than an ICE vehicle.

Question: I’ve just taken delivery of a new Toyota Prado and the dealer tells me I need to get it serviced every six months. Coming from a European car that only needed servicing once a year it seems onerous. Is six-month servicing really necessary? All I’m doing is running the kids around town and the occasional trip for a weekend away. – Janelle Y

Answer: Toyota is one of the most conservative car-makers on the planet and that’s something that flows through to its service requirements, which in turn could also contribute to the brand’s well-earned reputation for reliability.

But it’s also worth keeping in mind what the Prado is designed for. It’s a very competent off-roader that many people also tow with. Towing and going off-road can be harsh on everything from suspension components to oils and fluids. So you can guarantee Toyota is accounting for the worst-case scenario with the service schedules for the Prado.

While it sounds like you’ll be a long way from stressing the car, we’d warn against saving a few bucks on servicing. The biggest factor here is arguably what it could do to your Prado’s warranty and resale value. A well-cared-for Toyota off-roader is gold on the used-car market, and vehicles with skipped services are far less appealing. So stick to that service schedule.

Question:

Answer: INEOS is better known for chemicals than cars, although it does part-own the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team and has sponsorship on the cars as a result. The story of how INEOS got into cars is worthy of a beer (or three) – and all started in a London pub when some of the execs were bemoaning the end of the original Land Rover Defender.

As Land Rover went upmarket the boss of INEOS – who is a keen off-roader – decided someone should keep the legend alive. So a plan was hatched to create a modern off-roader clearly influenced by the previous Defender. The car – and the pub – is the Grenadier.

A great story is one thing, but it’s not what matters in a 4WD. INEOS has done extensive testing and development around the world, including in Australia. It’s also turned to top-shelf suppliers, including BMW for engines.

All of which suggests it could be a surprise in the 4WD market. We’ve ridden in one and came away impressed. While there’s much more luxury than in those older Land Rovers, the Grenadier also has rough-road capability at its core. We’re looking forward to doing more with a Grenadier soon. Your only problem could be getting hold of one.

Question: I need a car with a big boot. Me and my partner like taking off for camping weekends, plus we have a dog that likes a bit of space to roam. I’ve looked at a Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 and can’t seem to make them work. And I don’t need a seven-seat SUV. Are there any other solutions? – Andrea K

Answer: The Kia Sportage is one of the biggest medium SUVs on the market and we also recently named it our Best Mid-Size SUV of 2022. It’s a class act with good space, tech and driving manners, as well as a seven-year warranty. As a bonus it gets a full-size spare tyre, which is a rarity these days.

Another option worth considering is the Subaru Outback, which has a sizeable boot and a comfy cabin. And if you don’t need the high-riding stance of an SUV then the Skoda Superb will deliver loads of space for people and their gear.

Got a question but don’t know where to find the information you need? Email us at editor@carsales.com.au

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