Your questions answered: Should I buy a Ford Everest, Toyota Prado or Isuzu MU-X?

Christmas is just around the corner and it seems plenty of carsales readers have an EV or plug-in hybrid on their wish-list for Santa.

We’ve got one would-be Kia EV9 owner in inner-west Sydney – where off-street parking is a rarity – wondering if he can live without home charging.

And another considering a PHEV or EV for occasional trips across the Nullarbor.

Tempering the electrons is one reader keen for adventure and working out which 4x4 off-road SUV to buy for some towing and rural driving.

Question: I’m currently looking at a 4WD to replace my ageing Land Rover Discovery 3. The vehicles I’m looking at are the Ford Everest Sport V6, the Toyota Prado GXL and the Isuzu MU-X LST. I’m leaning toward the Isuzu because of price and reliability, but it is not up there when compared to the Everest V6 in terms torque as I need it to haul a two-tonne caravan. I like the Prado but it’s due for a model update and it may feel a bit old when compared to the other two.

The quotes I’ve had are around $70K for the MU-X and around $80K for the Everest and Prado, so is it worth spending an extra $10K for what I need? Most of my driving is on rural roads. – Chris T

Answer: The Ford Everest is a class act in that market segment right now – and not only because of the availability of a V6 engine. Its driving manners and technology – both in terms of infotainment and making the drive easier – is a step ahead of rivals.

So if you can stretch the budget we reckon you’d be impressed.

That said, don’t write the Toyota Prado off. Despite coming up to its 15th birthday, the 150 Series is still an excellent option that stands up remarkably well. And while it’s expensive for what you get, Toyota 4WDs have traditionally paid part of that back when you come to sell it with excellent residual values.

We’d expect that to continue with the arrival of the new Prado in mid-2024 because we’re expecting prices to increase from today’s car.

Obviously, the best-case scenario would be waiting for the new Prado to at least see the pricing and read what we think about it. But the arrival of a serious new competitor like that can also sometimes spur rivals into action with a model update or sharper pricing.

Check out the comparison test between the Everest and Prado we undertook earlier this year.

As for the Isuzu MU-X, it’s a solid rig that will absolutely get the job done, although its lane departure warning system can be frustrating (you can turn it off!). And while its torque falls shy of the Everest V6, it’s still got plenty of muscle where you need it and shouldn’t struggle with a two-tonne load.

Still, we’d be sticking the Everest at the top of the heap if you can stretch the budget.

Oh, and on the reliability front, all three of the options you’re looking at have a much better reputation for reliability than the Land Rover you’re stepping out of.

Question: We live in inner-west Sydney with terrace house and no off-street parking. Upgrading from a 2012 Volvo XC90 to new seven-seater. Kids are 13, 11, 9 and happy to invest for next decade of transport for normal activities, occasional (one-to-two times per year) 200km down coast or up to Dubbo is about as far as we go. We want safety, practical refuelling, some street and school cred but nothing too showy/bling.

Answer: The Kia EV9 is a great car, but it’s expensive – and very expensive for a Kia. That said, it’s the best seven-seat EV on the market for now. You’d want to get the Earth model, though, to get the bigger battery and the longest range. That will soak up your $120K budget but give you an excellent car.

Charging is obviously your challenge. Those 22kW pole chargers will be fine if you can get to them every week or so. You should add 80-90km of range for every hour you’re plugged in.

Obviously, an ultra-rapid charger would be preferable. The 350kW ones at the shopping centre in Zetland could work for you as a back-up, adding almost 300km of range to an EV9 in about 20 minutes. Once you head further west to Concord and Homebush there are more fast charging options – and while somewhat glacial, the network is expanding.

Which is a way of saying that with some planning to use the pole chargers and back-ups with a trip nearby you should be able to make an EV work. And we reckon you’d be happy with it after the first month or two of getting into a groove.

One rival to the EV9 coming soon in the all-new Volvo EX90, the electric replacement for the XC90. It’s not due until late 2024 and will likely be more expensive than the Kia.

And, yes, the CX-90 has some issues, one of which is its price tag.

Another option worth considering is the Hyundai Palisade, which unfortunately isn’t available as a hybrid. It’s excellent buying. But we’d suggest giving an EV a go. Yes, there will be some adjustment when you first get it, but we also reckon you’d enjoy the benefits.

Question: Hello, my best car I ever bought was a Kia Soul. Sold it to mum and she is flying around Sydney in her 80s! I would love to buy an EV Soul, is this possible at all? Can you advise me how to obtain one? Excited beyond words! – Kym O

Answer: The Kia Soul is no longer sold here and the EV version never made it Down Under. The closest you’d get to it is the Kia Niro, which is a thoroughly respectable EV. Also consider the Hyundai Kona Electric, which is the same basic car under the skin. First deliveries are due within weeks.

Interestingly, while Kia has one of the best new-car warranties, the separate warranty covering the high-voltage EV battery caps out at seven years/150,000km, which is one year and 10,000km sooner than the battery warranty on the Hyundai (and most rival EVs).

Don’t ignore some of the other electric options, though, including the BYD Atto 3 and Tesla Model 3.

Question: I am planning on buying a new car in 2024. We are retired and the low-kilometre eight-year-old HiLux is not required or really used enough. Our daughter is in the army currently in Sydney so we have been known to jump in the car and drive there from Perth.

With this and the fact that most other travel is short we are considering a plug-in Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, partly due to the slow delivery of Toyota cars.

I get the issues with plug-ins in that you are dragging electrics around that you are not using or petrol that you are not using. We have the predictable electric range reserves. We have $100K plus the SR5 to spend plus more if needed. Thoughts? – Michael H

Answer: It’s a tricky one. You can easily get across the Nullarbor with an EV, but it takes planning and some extra time to factor in for the slower charges. The only real issue is the 650-odd-kilometres between Madura and Ceduna; you’d have to factor in an overnight stop at Eucla or the Nullarbor Roadhouse to use their three-phase charging facilities.

If you’re not up for that adventure, then a hybrid is worth considering. The Outlander PHEV is okay, although its performance in EV mode is modest. To get the benefits of the plug-in hybrid system you need to be charging it regularly and running in EV mode as much as possible (but you’ll still have to service the petrol engine just as often).

And as with all PHEVs, it’s not particularly efficient once you run out of charge and are running on petrol only. We reckon you’d be averaging something like 7-8L/100km across the Nullarbor. A regular hybrid (running only on petrol and not externally chargeable) would do a better job.

We’ve actually just done a trip in the Outlander PHEV from the Nullarbor Roadhouse near the WA border, all the way to Adelaide.

If you don’t want to wait for a Toyota Corolla Cross (which is a good hybrid) then have a look at a Honda ZR-V or CR-V, each of which has a good hybrid system. The Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER is also a good thing, albeit not quite as efficient as the Toyota hybrids.

Question: Given a Tesla has a dark glass roof, how much difference does the body colour make to the internal temperature? So, for instance, does a red Tesla use a lot more power cooling the interior than a white one? – Phil

Answer: We haven’t tested that but it’s a good (and easy) one to test given Teslas have interior temperature sensors that can be viewed via a smartphone app – we’ll stick it on our list of things to test!

Keep in mind that most of the heat radiating into a Tesla comes in through its standard panoramic sunroof. So while we think there would be a difference between, say, a black and white Tesla when parked in direct sunlight, it may not be as pronounced as some cars where the vehicle colour extends to the roof.

As an aside, we recently had a red Tesla parked in the sun on a hot day and saw its cabin temp climb to 73 degrees. Fortunately, you can cool it down remotely by activating the ventilation via the app. And Teslas also have a cabin overheat protection system that if activated will automatically cycle air through the cabin to keep it below 40 degrees.

Question: For medical reasons my next car (possibly an electric SUV) needs to have hand-operated controls as well as foot controls. Do you have any recommendations as to manufacturers who do this well? – Alan S

Answer: Volkswagen in Australia offers some factory-approved conversions for a vehicle that can carry a wheelchair.

We’re not aware of any manufacturers that modify their vehicles for hand controls. Instead, it’s aftermarket companies that typically add hand controls.

Some of those companies include Freedom Motors Australia, Total Ability, PME Auto Conversions and Reflex Automotive Engineering – but a Google search will show many more.

We’d suggest contacting one or more for advice before you go buying a vehicle.

Question:

Answer: There will be a very minor performance advantage as well as a fuel efficiency advantage to running premium unleaded in a car designed to run on regular. However, the fuel efficiency improvement is unlikely to recoup the circa-10-per-cent additional cost of the premium unleaded fuel.

There are also often additional cleaning elements in premium unleaded that with extended use could lead to a cleaner engine. We’ve spoken to mechanics who suggest they can tell the difference between a car that’s been run mostly on premium unleaded over regular.

Find more of Your Questions Answered by carsales