Your questions answered: Should I buy a Toyota Tundra instead of a LandCruiser 300 Series?

It’s the battle of the titanic Toyotas in this week’s letters following the announcement that the Tundra ultra-large pick-up truck will soon be sitting alongside the LandCruiser in showrooms. But which makes more sense?

Another fan of smaller Toyotas is considering swapping their two Yaris Cross cars for one RAV4 and we take a look at EV battery charging best-practices and why battery chemistry is important.

Answer: Pricing is the big unknown for the Toyota Tundra at this stage although early indications are that it will kick off somewhere around $150K.

Yes, you get plenty for your money. That said, a big chunk of that price covers the extensive remanufacturing that involves stripping the car back to metal and rebuilding it with the steering wheel on the right (it’s imported into the country as a left-hand drive vehicle).

It’s an amazingly involved process that isn’t cheap.

That said, being a commercial vehicle, the Tundra doesn’t attract luxury tax (which is crazy, because you only have to look at the equipment to realise it’s every bit as luxurious as a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series; then again, the luxury car tax itself is nonsensical).

So the money you’ve saved there probably pays a fair chunk of the conversion cost.

Really, though, the decision on whether to choose a Tundra over a LandCruiser should come down to how you’ll use the car.

With these considerations, we would be edging slightly closer to the LandCruiser, unless you absolutely need the higher 4500kg tow capacity of the Tundra.

Question: We have two Yaris Cross hybrid Urbans, 2021 both about 22,000km on the clock. We’re thinking of trading both for just the one RAV4 Cruiser hybrid. Is it worth getting AWD over 2WD for city driving? And are we stupid?? - Felicity

Answer: It’s not for me to say you’re stupid. It sounds like you don’t need two cars, in which case it makes sense to get one that’s better. The RAV4 certainly ticks that box.

Not having to pay rego and insurance on a car that doesn’t sound like it gets used much also makes sense.

As for the front-drive/all-wheel drive decision… one advantage the RAV4 all-wheel drive brings over the two-wheel drive is its tow capacity. The two-wheel drive is limited to 480kg, which is basically a small box trailer.

The all-wheel drive can haul 1500kg, allowing you to hook up small boats or camper trailers.

Otherwise there’s not much difference in performance. So if you’re not planning to drive in snow or on gravel regularly, we wouldn’t be bothering with the circa-$3000 additional expense of all-wheel drive.

And while the RAV4 is a great SUV, don’t ignore other hybrid options. Some worth considering are the Nissan X-Trail e-POWER, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

The van weighs about 2.5 tonnes and the car tows it fine, but I’ve heard some people suggesting that you should put the transmission in a lower gear.

Answer: As a general rule I’d be leaving the car in ‘D’ for Drive and letting the vehicle’s onboard computer figure out the best gear when towing. Transmissions these days will typically adjust to the driving conditions and driving style to optimise shifts.

That said, many transmissions are also programmed to slot into a taller ratio to reduce fuel consumption. So in some instances it could make sense.

Many Fords have a Tow/Haul mode designed for exactly this situation and they aim to reduce ‘hunting’, where the transmission can constantly dart between two gears, as it computer brain struggles to make a decision.

But, again, the first step would be to leave it in ‘D’ and let the ones and zeroes do their thing. If there is a tow mode then engage that.

Only go for a lower ratio in some situations if you notice the transmission regularly jumping between two gears.

Answer: Hybrids generally don’t have much higher service costs compared to a petrol-only car. Before many Toyota models recently went hybrid-only, the capped price service costs were the same for pure combustion engine and hybrid variants.

And that’s because the electric system doesn’t need a whole lot of attention. Batteries and motors are designed for the life of the vehicle and have no service requirements.

There may be differences elsewhere when comparing the hybrid version of a particular model with its petrol-only alternative and the Hyundai Tucson is a good example. The front-drive petrol-only Tucson with the 2.0-litre engine needs attention every 12 months or 15,000km and costs $1840 for the first five services over five years.

The Tucson hybrid uses a 1.6-litre turbo engine, so like other non-hybrid variants that use that engine it needs servicing more regularly, every 12 months or 10,000km. And the costs for the hybrid is $2040 for five years and 50,000km. That’s $201 more than the non-hybrid car with the same engine.

Hyundai says the difference comes down to the braking system. The hybrid has a more complex brake bleeding procedure that requires the car to be connected to the onboard computer while the process is occurring. Plus the battery requires a health check, which is done by plugging into the onboard computer (or ECU, electronic control unit).

Most of the time I am charging at home on a 240-volt outlet. I live in Tasmania and I think Tassie is the perfect place for an EV.

Many thanks in advance - Sharon Wade

Answer: All EV batteries can be charged to 100 per cent when required. But some recommend only charging to 80 or 90 per cent for everyday driving then limiting the full charges to those longer drives.

The difference comes down to the battery chemistry.?

Nickel manganese cobalt (NMC or NCM) batteries that are used on most American, European, Korean and Japanese EVs, are the ones that recommend not charging to 100 per cent regularly.

Lithium ferrous phosphate (LFP) or lithium iron phosphate don’t have the same requirements, often recommending to charge to 100 per cent regularly. Most Chinese EVs and entry-level Teslas (known as Rear-Wheel Drive) use LFP batteries.

As for your MG, it’s manufactured in China (MG is these days owned by SAIC, which also owns LDV, among other brands) but the batteries it has depends on the model you bought. The regular models (with a 51.1kWh battery and 320km of claimed range) use an LFP battery. The longer range models (with a 72.6kWh battery and 440km of claimed range) have an NMC battery.

Friends came for dinner, early 2017 and knew of a Yeti for private sale. What Himalayan animal is that, we asked? After looking and taking it for a small drive, we bought the car, two years old.

It served us well as a couple, and travelled well to SA, Wollongong via Blue Mountains from Geelong, as well other road trips, including recently to Tanunda in the Barossa Valley.

It handled well both ways and had power when needing to pass larger transport.

One breakdown occurred 15 or so months ago when the car totally lost power (I had to call RACV). Other than that it has been serviced regularly, four new tyres and I still enjoy it. This Yeti suits my needs. I recently took all four grandsons to Melbourne aged 10-15.

My sons are encouraging me to think beyond this car, as it has no inbuilt map system, and minimal safety features, by modern standards.

I do not wish to drive a much bigger or higher car. My main driving is Geelong and surrounds, with the occasional interstate trip. But these will get less as I am more likely to fly or catch trains. (I am 71)

Can you give me a rundown on how this nine-year-old car stands up in relation to predicted possible things that begin going wrong, and market value (I know that it is no longer made). We paid $20K.

Any helpful information that may assist me to make an informed decision as to whether I keep the Yeti for a few more years, will be gratefully received. Perhaps it may be more prudent to change over soon?

At my age I feel content to continue driving either a hybrid or petrol car, although I am not against an EV.?I do not have home solar panels but do have a powerpoint in the garage.?- Allyson

Answer: Sorry for your loss, but we’re glad you’ve been enjoying the Yeti.

As you may know Skoda is part of the Volkswagen Group so uses the mechanicals of many Volkswagen models. Issues with the twin-clutch transmission (also known as DSG) can be expensive, but it’s tricky to tell when or if something major will go wrong.

Like any older car things will start to go wrong, though, and a mechanic would be in a better position to advise of any potential concerns.

We’d recommend going to an independent mechanic or a Volkswagen specialist rather than taking it back to the original dealer. Some may be more detailed in their investigations and what they’re looking for.?

Similarly, residual values are tricky to estimate without knowing more about the car. Redbook is the best place to get an idea.

Our experience in keeping an eye on used values is that Yetis experienced a fair bit of depreciation early in life, but you’re unlikely to get big drops in value now that your car is getting on in age.

If you do decide a replacement is in order, the Toyota Corolla Cross is a great place to start. It’s got a good hybrid system and decent space inside for what is a small SUV.

Also check out the Skoda Kamiq, which is the closest modern alternative to your Yeti. The Honda HR-V is another great option, as is the Hyundai Kona.

But it also sounds like you could stick with the Yeti for another year or so, which would allow you to wait for new entrants in the EV market.

The upcoming Kia EV3 is a great option, for example. Or you could look at second-hand options of the EV versions of the Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro.

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