Your questions answered: Should I cancel my order for a Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series V8?

It’s back to basics in this week’s carsales mailbox, with many of our readers looking at the more affordable end of the market – and one who’s wondering whether to keep his order for a new V8-powered LandCruiser now that Toyota is set to stop production.

One elderly driver is tossing up between a small SUV and a hatchback from the same brand, something that’s an increasingly common question as the divide between the two body types blurs.

There’s also more queries on hybrid cars and EVs, including one from a farmer hoping to use an electric car as a mobile power supply.

Question:

Answer: If you just want the better engine that does a better job in the vehicle, then the four-cylinder is a no-brainer. In standard guise – remembering that plenty of people who buy the V8 modify it to make more power – the four-pot will comfortably out-accelerate the V8 and use less fuel doing it.

How? Put it down to laziness, basically. The only tweaks to the single-turbo version of the 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 that first appeared in 2007 have been done to meet new regulations.

Toyota hasn’t bothered trying to improve its performance, instead leaving that to the innovation of the aftermarket – and, no doubt, ensuring it’s an under-stressed engine that will go for many hundreds of thousands of kilometres without issue.

But… if you’re looking at residual values down the track then the V8 will almost certainly be a better bet.

While we can’t predict what will happen in the used car market years down the track, there seems to be enough love for that LC70 V8 to ensure people will continue to pay decent money for it. The last few years has proven that.

So it could indeed be a worthwhile investment buying the engine with less grunt and a manual gearbox, rather than switching to the four-cylinder.

Question: I run a small business and have always had Toyota HiLuxes but I’m now wondering whether it’s time to look at other options. I know you love the Ford Ranger, but given cost is a big one for me I’m wondering if it’s worth the additional outlay? I just want a reliable, affordable ute that does the job reliably. – Lawrence

Answer: The basic Toyota HiLux WorkMate is a popular jigger at the entry level of the ute market – and with good reason. Sure, it lacks trinkets and in its current guise (this generation of HiLux arrived in 2015) is feeling tired.

But it does utey things very well. Importantly, it undercuts most rivals, especially if you go for the 2.7-litre petrol engine (most rivals are diesel only). And it has a stellar reputation for reliability, something so many businesses like yours love.

The Ford Ranger is undoubtedly a better car – with better driving manners and a fresher, more comfortable cabin – and comes with more safety and tech. But you pay for it.

If running a reliable car at the lowest price is your priority, then at the entry level we’d be sticking to the HiLux.

If you want more trinkets and comfort and are prepared to pay for it, then the Ranger – recently named carsales’ Best Dual-Cab 4x4 Ute for 2024 – is absolutely worth a look.

Question: I would really appreciate your advice regarding a choice between two Mazda models. A 2024 Mazda3 (hatch or sedan) or the latest Mazda CX-30. We are in our late 70s. Fully retired and would like to do a few medium distance road trips in the next few years. Cost is an issue. It will be our only car. We live in Sydney.

I have driven two Mazda3 hatch models over the last 20 years. Both bought new. One for 11 years and my current car for eight years. I have enjoyed my Mazdas and at times did a lot of driving. Very reliable cars. However there seems to be a lot of advice, including from my sons, that an SUV would suit us better. Easier to get into and safer. We hired a RAV4 last year during a holiday in Tasmania and enjoyed the drive very much.

Would be very grateful for any advice. Just in case one springs immediately to mind, is there an obvious alternative that you would suggest? – Lydia

Answer: There’s a lot to be said for the higher seating position of an SUV over a small car, especially as joints and muscles start ageing. It sounds like you’re fine with the lower height of the Mazda3, but to see if the CX-30 will suit better, pop your bums in the seats at a dealership.

In terms of which car is best, the two are so similar beneath the skin (sharing engines, architectures and major componentry) that it’s best to separate them on other factors.

The CX-30 is slightly more expensive, for example, but it has a touch more headroom. Its boot is marginally smaller but it’s available as an all-wheel drive (the Mazda3 is front-drive only).

Don’t go separating the Mazda3 and CX-30 on safety. Sure, the CX-30 is marginally higher so may perform marginally better in some crashes, but you could argue the same for the Mazda3 in other crashes.

Don’t go ruling out alternatives, either. Others to stick on your shortlist are the Kia Cerato, Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla or Corolla Cross, each available with a fuel-saving hybrid system.

Question:

Answer: There’s no shortage of great talent in the mid-size SUV segment.

Toyota set the template with the RAV4 Hybrid and it still sets a high bar, although price rises over the past few years have eroded some of the value. Still, it’s a terrific option that is priced well against rivals.

The Honda CR-V e:HEV hybrid is also an excellent option and comes in a fresher car with a classier (more modern) cabin. The main negative with the petrol-electric CR-V is the price. It’s currently only available as a range-topping RS, which is about $60K drive-away.

Honda says it will feed that hybrid tech into more affordable models soon, so if you can wait it may be worth seeing if one of those other variants may suit you better.

And don’t ignore some of the excellent options from rivals, including the Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER, Kia Sportage Hybrid and just-arrived Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.

If you’re after the best car then the CR-V and X-TRAIL are hard to go past, although the RAV4 fights back on the breadth of its model range, which makes the price of entry more appealing.

Question: I have a beef to pick with you. I have gone over all your reviews – yet there is no single review from a large driver’s point of view and comfort. The elbow-room width along with driver’s seat width, height, seat adjustability and steering wheel are some issues I am facing.

The new “seat wings airbags” dig into my back as my back is not contained within those wings. I have found older models are better like a Kia Sorento. And an SUV is easier to get into rather than a sedan. Leather seats are again easier to slide out of and into compared to cloth seats due to friction.

Could you recommend or review SUVs with the largest and most comfy driver’s seats, $20K to $30K budget for your larger readers? – Nadir

Answer: There’s a broad range of shapes and sizes in the carsales office and I’m towards the fuller end of the spectrum. That said, there aren’t many seats I have a major issue with these days.

Sure, some of the heavily sculpted performance seats can have bolsters that get friendly with your kidneys. But mainstream models tend to cater for most body styles.

The Hyundai Kona is a decent choice and the Toyota Corolla Cross is also good for bigger frames.

There are plenty of stout Germans out there so it’d also be worth looking at a Volkswagen T-Roc or Skoda Karoq (Skoda being part of the Volkswagen family).

Question:

Chatting with a friend recently, he said that anyone modifying an EV required an exemption from AS3000 (commonly known as the wiring rules), acquired by satisfactory completion of a course which he thought was about a week long. I presume he is correct, given the risk of working with high voltages, but Google has found nothing which looks like it is relevant. Do you have any information on this course? – John

Answer: This is wandering a tad out of our area of expertise. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) or vehicle-to-home (V2H) has run into regulatory hurdles in Australia and been delayed by years, but it is apparently getting closer to widespread reality.

And it shouldn’t require any modifications to the car, which will hopefully make life easier for you. But it will require additional hardware.

The issue revolves around how to classify that bi-directional hardware required to get the car interacting with the grid, as well as ensuring it doesn’t negatively impact the grid. But a crucial hurdle was recently overcome with Standards Australia saying it would rewrite the two relative standards.

That should pave the way for more of that hardware to make V2G/V2H possible.

But… keep in mind the hardware is currently priced at around $10,000.

Either way, having that AS tick appears to be a big part of making V2G/V2H a reality, something that will hopefully happen by the end of the year or during 2025.

Keep in mind there’s another way to achieve what you’re trying to do, which may work better in your situation: vehicle-to-load (V2L).

It’s effectively a 230V power point incorporated into the car, and plenty of EVs in Australia already have the tech. Some of the brands with V2L functionality include Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, BYD, Genesis and MG.

So you could purchase a second-hand BYD Atto 3, for example – current listings on carsales show they start from around $35K – and utilise that as a big battery bank without requiring any modifications to the car or any additional hardware.

As with other V2L systems, the Atto 3 can supply up to 3.3kW of electricity for peaks or 2.3kW (10A) as a continuous load.

Even for the shorter-range model with a 50kWh battery, that would provide around 20 hours or electricity. And if you buy the bigger version – or get one of the Kia or Hyundai EVs – you could have a lot more than that.

If you’ve got a question, email us at editor@carsales.com.au

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