Your questions answered: Should I buy a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid?

Plenty of carsales readers are thinking smaller this week, with growing interest in hatchbacks and smaller SUVs.

Perhaps it’s indicative of a market weathering the challenges of increased cost of living pressures?

That sentiment may also flow through to the continued interest in hybrids.

Plus we’ve got someone looking to make money out of a very low kilometre older car. And another wondering whether stop-start systems are worth the engineering effort.

I need the car for work and do about 25,000km per year, give or take. Would also like a car to do some long distance trips across Australia. Not planning on doing any real off-roading, however have always had an AWD and currently drive a Subaru XV, which has small cargo space.

I have only driven petrol cars and find EVs expensive and not confident enough to make the technological jump to pure electric just yet, hence my first foray into hybrid.

Also, any comparable hybrid SUVs I should be considering of this sort? I’m favouring Toyota because of its reliability reputation and drove a 2014 RAV4 for years which I loved. - Tony

Answer: The RAV4 Hybrid is now the elder statesman of the mid-sized SUV category (frightening!), something that shows in its cabin, which isn’t as snazzy as some fresher rivals.

Similarly, the RAV4’s hybrid system doesn’t break any technological boundaries, but it does deliver on fuel savings.

Crucially, the RAV4 is also still great value. Its servicing is also cheap while it’s under the capped price servicing for the first few years, it gets more expensive after that.

But don’t overlook alternatives, including the Honda CR-V Hybrid and Nissan X-Trail e-POWER. The Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson hybrids are also well worth taking for a test drive.

For a left-fielder check out the BYD Sealion 6. It’s got a terrific plug-in hybrid system that uses a similar amount of fuel to the RAV4 Hybrid but gives you about 70-odd-kilometres of EV driving and allows you to charge externally.

Its suspension is a tad mushy, but BYD says an update is coming soon. Short story is this: there are now a lot of great choices if you’re shopping for a mid-sized SUV that doesn’t use a lot of fuel.

She likes the size of the Jazz and feels as though it is reasonably zippy. She also likes the petrol consumption being very low.

We have had a look at the Honda range and nothing seems to replace it. Anything else all looks too big for her.

Looking around at other vehicles, they all either seem too large, or the quality is not so good until you get to the $35,000 mark.

Can you recommend a small car that would be appropriate? - Tim

Answer: So you’re chasing cheap and compact. In the past that’s been easy, although these days it’s not as much of a slam dunk.

Let’s start with some SUVs.

The Kia Seltos is a great small SUV, although it’s a tad bigger than the Jazz. The Toyota Yaris Cross is also a great economical small SUV, albeit with some cheapness to some elements of its cabin.

If you can stretch the budget, the Honda HR-V hybrid is a terrific buy these days.

If your mother has access to a powerpoint the MG4 is a very good electric hatchback. It’s not great for big country road trips, but it’s zippier than the Jazz around town and should work from a size perspective. At $30,990 drive-away (it steps up to $32,990 in November) it’s also something of a bargain these days.

Do they save significant fuel? Do they significantly reduce pollution?

Any other benefits?

Older diesel starting: turn on the key, wait for the glow plug light to go out, then start. Later models start immediately. What’s the difference? - Nat

Answer: Two very different questions. We’ll start with stop-start.

Manufacturers have spent many millions trying to make the internal combustion engines more efficient. Designers have also worked feverishly to reduce the weight of their cars and improve the aerodynamics, all in the name of lowering fuel use.

Although it doesn’t sound like much, anything that can save 0.1 or 0.2 litres per 100km is a big deal.

Engines can easily use 1.5-2.0 litres extra fuel while idling. So if you’re stationary in traffic for half an hour a day, you may be saving a litre per day.

Obviously stop-start systems won’t save anything on a freeway, but around town you might save 0.2 or 0.3L/100km, depending on how often you’re stopping and what your average speed is.

Any reduction in fuel consumption also has the same reduction in CO2 emissions. And that’s before you take into account the noxious emissions.

As for diesel glow plugs… They’ve come a long way from the days where you could wait 10 or 20 seconds.

The reason modern diesels don’t have anything like that wait is because of improvements to battery tech and the glow plugs themselves.?You may still get a minor delay in very cold weather (close to 0 degrees, for example) but we’re talking a second or two maximum.

She would like a hatch and not a hybrid. Any other suggestions and which one should I look more closely at? Many thanks - Brian

Answer: The three you’ve shortlisted are all worthy contenders.

The Mazda has the nicest interior finishes but the i30 and Cerato fight back on value. The seven-year warranty of the Cerato is also a bonus compared with the five-year coverage of the other two.

You’d better get in quick on the Cerato, though, because it’s being retired early next year and replaced with the Kia K4. It’s the same style of car – albeit with much bolder styling – but gets a new name. And probably a higher price.

As for choosing between the trio, a runout Cerato would edge ahead for us, unless you can get a sharp deal on the Mazda or Hyundai. Also check out the MG4, which is an electric hatch that is currently more affordable than those three.

Given the fact they are no longer in production would you recommend holding on to it in the hope it increases in value and becomes a classic one day? - Jason

Answer: Making money on cars is a tough game. Obviously most of them depreciate fairly reliably, although occasionally some head north.

Like gambling, it’s often only those rare winners you hear people boasting of!

There are plenty of people who did very well out of V8 Holden Commodores during the COVID era. But prices have now retreated significantly (although a good one can still be above what the owner originally paid for it).

So it needs to be a special and highly desirable car to have any chance of being worth more down the track.

Having so few kilometres on the clock and as-new condition certainly helps, but we’re not convinced a Chrysler will shoot up in value down the track. If you really love the car and plan to occasionally enjoy it for a weekend drive then go for it.

If you’re after an investment, we reckon there will be better options.

I would appreciate any thoughts you have regarding reliability, existing problems you may have heard about and whether the five-year service plan which includes roadside assistance at $2770 is a reasonable consideration.

I would be looking at selling the Golf privately as it is in considerably good condition and would appreciate a ballpark approximate figure. - Rosemary

Answer: The Style version of the T-Roc does without the DSG transmission that can be a tad frustrating in stop-start traffic (they can hesitate and be inconsistent in the way they engage). So that’s a good start, and the T-Roc generally is a terrific car to drive, with surefooted handling.

As you may know there’s plenty of Golf beneath the skin of the T-Roc. So it should be familiar territory for you. And while the 1.4-litre engine is compact, a turbocharger gives it decent thrust where you need it.

All of which leads to a tick from us. Also check out the Skoda Karoq, which uses the same 1.4-litre engine and eight-speed auto.

As for servicing, it’ll generally work out better to pay up front and bank a small discount. But you obviously don’t have to get it serviced at the Volkswagen/Skoda dealership. Often independent mechanics will be able to do it more affordably.

As for how much your Golf is worth, check out Redbook for a more accurate idea of what it’s worth. Just enter the make, model and year and you’ll get solid (and free) intel. But even then it will largely go on the condition of a car of that age. The better looked after it is, the more you can ask.

But also keep in mind that just because people are asking certain prices on carsales.com.au doesn’t mean that’s what the car will sell for. And good luck!

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