Your questions answered: Should I buy a Nissan Patrol or Ford Ranger Raptor?

There’s something of a dichotomy going on in the new car market these days. There are those who never want to buy petrol again, in turn reducing their vehicle CO2 emissions to zero.

Then there are those who want one last blast of grumbling performance – at almost any cost.

We’re seeing both ends of the spectrum in our letters this week.

We’re also looking into the emerging (or re-emerging) world of utes powered by petrol. Diesel has long been the load-lugging norm, but a gradual switch to petrol seems inevitable.

Plus there’s a question about big dealer delivery charges and how to charge an EV in an apartment block.

Question: I am looking to buy a new car for me to keep for a long time. I like SUVs most and have budget around $100K. My top options are Patrol Ti-L and Ford Ranger Raptor. This will not be my daily driver but more for fun as I want a little kick in drive and also to travel with friends and comfort.

Why Patrol? Want to own last V8s, love the look of Patrol, the space and comfort. Why Raptor? Heard it’s fast with new interior looks. So, all in all I am so confused: should I go for Patrol which ticks most of the boxes or Raptor because it’s fast and new technology (hope it has better drive and features). If you could please guide me and if there is any other option to consider which have things like fast with comfort and features and space? – Akash K

Answer: If you’re looking for the best and most exciting car to drive then look no further than the Ford Ranger Raptor. It’s a seriously exciting bit of kit that not only works nicely on-road – in a big, utey sort of a way – but also nails the off-road brief. Some of Australia’s Outback roads will be perfect to tackle in a Raptor, provided you can keep enough fuel in the tank (it’ll need more refuelling than the diesel Rangers). While it doesn’t have the V8 sound, there’s absolutely no shortage of performance. Plus it’s got some interesting tech.

The Patrol, on the other hand, is an older vehicle and is starting to show that age (it doesn’t even have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity and the interior isn’t exactly a model of modernity). But the Patrol ultimately gets more grunt and a heap more space. It’s a more comfortable vehicle to cruise around in – and the traditional wagon body makes it easier to pack gear in if you ever do get away for that Big Trip.

So, head says Patrol, but if you’re thinking with your heart, you’ll love the way the Raptor goes about its business.

Question: Presently, one of my cars is a 2019 Hyundai Tucson Highlander which I am as happy as a pig in … well, a pig pen! Other car is a 2017 Mazda MX-5 GT RF and love it. I am of the opinion it is a long way to go in Australia for the general acceptance by the public of electric vehicles. Particularly, the likes of myself who travel a lot to Outback places around our great land and at the moment limited charging stations.

The question is: I do not wish to be left high and dry so to speak with a car that becomes worthless by hanging on too long prior to upgrading. What incentives. if any, will governments offer to encourage changeover and, I value your appraisal, as to when I should bite the bullet and upgrade without losing a substantial amount of the almighty dollar. Sometimes, on a whim, I shall jump in a car and drive to Darwin or to Bullamakanka and certainly have reservations about switching to EVs at this stage. – Terry C

Answer: We’re not about to wake up tomorrow and see demand for petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles plummet. Interest is already swinging towards EVs and we’d argue that there is already broad acceptance of – if not uptake – of electric vehicles. But around 97 per cent of all vehicles sold each month still rely on fossil fuels.

The short story is we have many years – possibly decades – of ICE (internal combustion engine) driving yet.

Blame it on prices. EVs are still more expensive than conventional vehicles, something that cuts them off the shopping list of many buyers. That sentiment is arguably more pertinent in the used car market, where there are many more ICE options.

Ultimately, it will be governments that have the biggest impact on how fast we adopt EVs. As for what incentives governments will offer, we’re already seeing plenty of circa-$3000 rebates for more affordable EVs in most parts of the country. The federal government has also proposed an exemption of fringe benefits tax, which promises to save thousands annually for many buyers. That last one is yet to pass parliament, so still has some hurdles to cross.

As for other incentives, none have yet been announced, although the proposed CO2 legislation – which should limit how much petrol or diesel cars can consume – could have the effect of making ICE cars more expensive.

You’d need one heck of a powerful crystal ball to work out exactly where the pieces are going to fall. We reckon you’d be better off playing the stock market or picking the next housing boom…

Which doesn’t really help on your timing for biting the bullet. Our recommendation would be to keep one of your cars on ICE for that Bullamankanka adventure and switch the other to EV when you find something you like (and when you find a car in stock!).

Yes, there will be something better coming in future, but when that arrives there will also be better EVs on the horizon.

Question:

Answer: Toyota hasn’t announced anything about a new Prado yet – and those dates were all speculation from Japanese media.

The current 150 Series model went on sale in 2009, so is certainly ready for a replacement. That said, Toyota appears in no rush given buyers are falling over themselves to get into off-road wagons these days. Besides, the longer Toyota can stretch out the arrival of the new car, the closer it will be to that car’s imminent addition of an electrified drivetrain.

While the Australian government still gathers its thoughts on exactly what our vehicle CO2 policies will look like, we don’t imagine Toyota will be in a huge rush to replace what is still popular.

That said, there’s clearly work going on, so we’d expect to hear more in 2023.

Between now and then, expect more limited-edition models, such as the Matte Black Edition recently revealed in Japan.

The Prado is also approaching its 30th anniversary in Australia (it arrived here in 1994) – and we’ve rarely seen the Toyota marketing department overlook an excuse to celebrate.

Question:

Answer: You’re right, the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok were developed together and are essentially the same ute beneath the skin. Interestingly, though, they will come out of different factories; the Ford is built in Thailand and the Volkswagen will come from South Africa.

As for the differences in spec, keep in mind that the Ranger/Amarok twins were developed for about 180 global markets, each of which has different requirements. So while a whole bunch of mechanical components, tech and features were engineered into the core vehicle, what ends up in each market depends on the product planners for that market.

For whatever reason, Volkswagen has decided that the time is right for a petrol engine (the engine is a Ford engine) in Australia.

That’s not as silly as it sounds. We’d expect to see an uptick in petrol-powered utes over coming years. Sure, diesel does a brilliant job now, but it’s getting tougher for car-makers to meet stricter global emissions standards. While those standards don’t yet exist in Australia, they’re almost certain to come at some point.

Another thing likely to accelerate the transition to petrol-powered utes is the imminent arrival of hybrid options. Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota and others are all working on hybrid utes and a hybrid drivetrain is generally teamed to a petrol engine.

So while you might sneer now, prepare yourself for a petrol-powered ute invasion.

Question: I’m trying to buy a new car and the dealer wants to charge me $6000 for dealer delivery. Shouldn’t delivery already be included in the price? What am I getting for my $6000? – Anita S

Answer: You’re right. When you buy a fridge or phone, part of the cost has gone into the freight to get it onto the shelf.

Dealer delivery for new cars is a little different, because it involves preparing the car for the road before you drive it away (again, yes, you could argue it should be included in the price).

The biggest cost is a check of key components, filling it with fuel (something that usually happens these days), washing it and screwing on some numberplates once they’ve had a liaison with the registration authority.

As an hourly rate on your car we reckon the dealership would be getting something like $2000…

Dealer delivery is often used to pump up the profits on a new vehicle, something that can often be slim.

And dealer delivery can change from dealer to dealer. So don’t be afraid to shop around. And make sure you include dealer delivery in the haggling.

Question:

Answer: Apartments can be trickier than houses when it comes to charging EVs. But often it’s not the infrastructure that’s the issue but the body corporate. There’s a lot of misinformation about EVs and how they have the potential to fritz electrical networks.

Companies such as JET Charge have products designed to deal with limited electrical power into buildings with lots of residents. They’ll basically limit the peak charging loads and share it around as required to ensure that all cars remain topped up.

Keep in mind that most EVs will only need a relatively small top-up each day – and some may go days without any charging at all. So it’s not like you’re having to do a full charge on every car in the building every day.

As a first step, start the conversation with the management committee of your building. The sooner you put EV charging on their radar, the sooner you should be able to get owner agreement and hopefully work towards a technical solution that will be palatable for the whole block.

Also, if you’re likely to do less than 100km a day and you have a regular power point in your garage space, then you’d be able to get away with charging from that.

Question:

Answer: The new version of the HiLux is a tweak to one of the models in the line-up, the Rogue. Toyota has also announced it will be doing a new HiLux GR Sport, which will replace the Rugged X that never really fought particularly hard at the upper end of the ute market. The big news with the Rogue and soon-to-be-revealed GR Sport is revised suspension that places the left and right wheels 140mm further apart. The ground clearance has also increased by 20mm. All of which should improve on-road dynamics and off-road performance.

Not that we know anything about that just yet. We’re yet to drive the new HiLux variants, but should be getting behind the wheel in the next few weeks. None of which changes the core of the car. the body, engine and interior of the new models are all shared with other variants.

As for the Ranger, we’ve written plenty about it and continue to be impressed by a car that is comfortably ahead of its rivals in almost all areas. Even in four-cylinder guise the engine is better than the one in the HiLux (and the Ranger has a V6 option – if you’re prepared to wait). And the Ranger smashes the HiLux for tech and equipment.

We’ll bring you a proper assessment once we put them head-to-head.

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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