Your questions answered: Should I buy a Tesla or a Toyota LandCruiser?

With the accelerating shift towards electric mobility, it’s fair to wonder if the Toyota LandCruiser will be irrelevant by the end of the decade.

But given our love affair with taking off on the Big Lap, it’s not likely any time soon.

Toyota says it is working on an electrified Toyota LandCruiser – either electric or hybrid – and that it will be here by the end of the decade.

Until then, it’s fair to assume diesel will do a lot of the work in hauling trailers and getting us to the more remote corners of the country.

Question:

Answer: Yes, there’s a push on to sell more electric cars and that’s gained more momentum since the recent change of government. But even the most optimistic have only half the new-car market as EV by the end of the decade, which means the other half will be powered by some form of internal combustion engine. The vehicles most likely to take longer to transition to electric are off-roaders such as LandCruisers, Patrols and any form of ute. So short story is that unless there’s some unforeseen event – the government decides to ban ICE cars or petrol tops $10 a litre (neither of which is likely) – then there will still be healthy demand for cars such as the LandCruiser for many years to come. That said, Tesla resale values are also excellent and RedBook expects the Model Y to perform very strongly, so you’d also be on solid ground there, too. Either way, you’re looking at two cars that are expected to be among the top of the pile for residual values. Just don’t go thinking the next few years will be like the last couple in terms of used car values; we’re expecting things to get back to normal, which means any new car will be worth less with age.

Question:

Answer: You’re right, e-POWER is a hybrid that needs a petrol engine to keep things moving. But the petrol engine never drives the wheels, it is used purely as a generator to charge the batteries. It is a series hybrid versus the more common parallel hybrid tech used by Toyota and others. If the onboard computer is doing its job the batteries should never be drained, with the engine feeding enough energy to ensure the car continues driving like an EV while being able to utilise the vast network of petrol stations. As for the life of the battery, in Australia Nissan currently offers an eight-year warranty for the high-voltage battery in its Nissan LEAF EV. While e-POWER is different from the perspective of the drivetrain, the batteries are lithium-ion units so should have a similarly long life. In some countries the e-POWER models get a 10-year battery warranty.

Question:

Answer: The wheels don’t care how or what produces the 300kW, only that they have access to that much power. There could be slightly different drivetrain losses between the two, because in an ICE car you’re transferring power through a gearbox whereas in an EV the motor/s typically only drive through a reduction gear. But assuming the wheels are being fed the same amount of power then the performance credentials will come down to other factors, such as the tyres, aerodynamics, braking performance and, critically, weight. You also need to consider torque; in an EV that pulling power kicks in a lot quicker and lower in the rev range, so can help with launching a car and punching out of corners. Short story is there’s no short answer!

Question:

Answer: You’ll have far more choice of SUVs if you look for ones with an internal combustion engine. That’s because the EV SUV options are currently limited and mostly include luxury brands with a price premium. The BMW iX3 is the pick if you don’t need all-wheel drive, while the Audi e-tron picks up points if you have a bigger budget and want two electric motors. Both are terrific choices that should only need to be charged once every 10 days or so given your wife’s average usage. If the budget doesn’t stretch to six figures then go shopping for something with an engine. The new Lexus NX is a great SUV with loads of tech. Plus it’s available as a regular hybrid (NX 350h) or a plug-in hybrid (NX 450h+). While we’re not usually convinced with plug-in hybrids, the Lexus NX 450h+ is one of the better ones on the market. It’s also worth considering the latest Volvo XC60. It’s a new-generation model compared with your wife’s current car and is a huge step up.

Question:

Answer: Yes… and no. All new EVs currently sold in Australia have what is called a Type 2 plug, the Tesla Model 3 included. Some also use a CHAdeMO connector (for fast DC charging), but those cars (including the Nissan LEAF and Lexus UX 300e) also have a Type 2 connector for slower AC charging. The Model 3 can use all those Type 2 chargers as well as the CCS combo chargers (which is faster DC charging that adds an additional two pins to the Type 2 connector). The biggest difference with a Tesla is that when using a Supercharger (which provides faster DC charging), a Tesla doesn’t use the chunkier CCS combo plug, only a regular Type 2 connector.

Question:

Answer: Some people claim spare parts must be supplied for 10 years from the sale date of the vehicle, but this is not true. Under Australian Consumer Law – which is overseen by the ACCC – vehicle manufacturers must guarantee “they will make available repair facilities or spare parts for a reasonable time”. As you can see, it’s open to interpretation and is likely to be longer for a Ferrari or Rolls-Royce than it would be for a sub-$20K hatchback. But the reality is most car brands will provide parts for at least a decade – not because they’re trying to be nice but because there is usually a fairly healthy profit in them. Many brands will supply parts well beyond that time, too. And remember, once the car reaches that age, they’ll typically start turning up in wrecking yards, providing another source of parts. It’s true that some parts may be harder to source quickly. But if that’s the case and the car is still under warranty then you should be able to get a loan vehicle or alternative transport from the manufacturer or importer.

Question: I’m looking for a seven-seater that is not like a torture chamber in the third row. Every time I look in the back of one of the hundreds (seemingly) of SUVs it gives me shivers wondering how anyone can sit in there. I appreciate they’re fine for kids, but I need one to get some lanky teenagers aboard. Help… – John A

Answer: If you really want to solve the third-row space issue then bypass SUVs altogether and go for a people-mover. As their name implies, they’re designed to carry lots of people and generally do so in comfort, although often at the expense of style. Still, the Kia Carnival is a cavernous machine that even large adults will be comfy in the back of. And it does something no SUV could dream of: carry up to eight people and their luggage. If you are wedded to the idea of an SUV then a Nissan Patrol is a great way to pack in plenty of people, although it’s a bit of a climb up into the cabin. The Land Rover Discovery is also impressively spacious in the third row. Of the more city-focused SUVs check out the Toyota Kluger and Hyundai Palisade.

Question:

Answer: Most dual-cab utes have a rated tow capacity of 3500kg, but most of them are also not great at towing 3500kg. One of the big issues comes with how much you can put in the car once you’re dragging that much behind it. In some instances a ute may have less than 300kg of payload left once you’ve got all that caravan behind it. That’s 300kg for luggage and people, which likely means some of the family will be staying at home. So that leaves two bigger options: the Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500. Both are relatively expensive and some models miss out some of the gear you’ll get in smaller utes, but they’re rated to tow up to 4.5 tonnes.

Question:

Answer: Short answer: yes, you’ll need to get it serviced as per the book. Many mechanics might privately tell you that you’re unlikely to do any damage by stretching the service intervals with such light work. But at the very least you want to get it serviced as per the schedule for resale value. Many buyers won’t touch a near-new car if it hasn’t been properly maintained, which can impact how much it’s worth. Besides, the first 10 services are capped at $375, which is a small price to protect such a big investment.

Question: I’m looking at a seven-seat SUV to transport my three kids and want to know which one will do a good job. Will I be able to easily fit the child seats in and will the kids have enough to keep them entertained? – William K

Answer: Let’s start with the child seats, because that’s arguably the most important point. Not all three-row SUVs cater for child seats in all three rows. Many just leave the top tether points to the middle row of seats. The latest Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is one such beast. It means that if you want to pick up the grandparents then Nanna and Grandpa will need to be ushered into the third row. There are exceptions. The Land Rover Discovery, Mazda CX-8 and CX-9 and Ford Everest are among the large SUVs that have top tether points for child seats in both the second and third rows. Beyond that, look for air vents (some don’t service the third row), cup holders (you can never have too many!) and USB ports (if there aren’t enough then buy some adaptors for the 12V outlets).

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