Your questions answered: Should I really wait for a Toyota?

The queues for new cars keep getting longer, which has many people considering their options with alternatives.

But stepping outside your comfort zone can bring its own challenges with online buying and a baffling array of acronyms confronting new-car buyers.

Often it pays to at least keep your options open.

Question:

Answer: Toyota certainly nails the reliability part of car ownership, as you’ve experienced. But that doesn’t mean you should rule out other brands, especially if reliability is important to you. Most of the Japanese brands offer high levels of reliability, something that helps with their resale values over time. It could also be worth considering a Kia, which comes with a seven-year warranty for added peace of mind. As for the Mitsubishi ASX, it’s a car that’s feeling its age. So, here’s a shortlist if you’re prepared to venture from the security of Toyota: Mazda CX-30, Kia Seltos or Subaru XV. The Hyundai Kona is also judged carsales’ Best Small SUV. If there’s no budging you from the Toyota fold then the Corolla is a great car to drive, albeit with nothing like the rear seat space of the Camry. Also consider some of the Toyota SUVs, including the Yaris Cross and C-HR. The waiting lists could be slightly shorter!

Question:

Answer: I’m hearing you Andrew. Car company marketing departments sometimes have a knack of bombarding people with all manner of gadgets and gizmos, some of which sound a lot better than they are. There are a few things we’d be worrying about. Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is certainly useful – and will soon be mandatory in Australia – but make sure it operates up to at least 80km/h, preferably above 100km/h. It’s not guaranteed to avoid a nose-to-tail collision but should at least reduce its severity. Blind spot warning is also handy because it can alert you to vehicles you may not spot in your mirrors. And rear cross traffic alert or rear auto braking can also be helpful, even if it occasionally activates when you may not want it to. Oh, another one is speed limit recognition; it can let you know what speed you’re supposed to be driving at (or under) by using sat-nav data and/or spotting speed limit signs. There are plenty of driver assist features we’re not sold on. Lane keep assistance, for example, is often more of a hindrance than a help. We reckon there’s lot of work to be done to make that genuinely useful. Anyway, all of the features mentioned above may go under different names or acronyms depending on the brand you’re looking at, but hit the dealer with the generic term to check if it’s fitted to the car you’re looking at.

Question: Why are car headlights so bright these days? I constantly find myself being blinded by oncoming vehicles at night. Surely they can’t be legal? – Jean P

Answer: There’s a few things going on here, most of which revolves around big advances in headlight technology. Most modern headlights use LEDs instead of older, usually halogen globes. As well as being more efficient, LEDs can be more accurately directed. So instead of having a vague yellow-ish glow out the front of the car you can now have a very focused near-white beam pointing exactly where the engineers want it to. The challenge is if you go over a speed hump or hill that direct beam – which is also brighter than older headlights – is suddenly aimed at the retina of someone who doesn’t really appreciate it. Fortunately, technology is coming to the rescue. Many higher-end models – including some Volkswagen and Mazda cars – now have dozens of LEDs arranged in a matrix. Clever computer control can individually switch those LEDs in response to other road users, in effect shadowing them out. It’s clever tech that works brilliantly to give the driver better visibility and reduce the chances of blinding other drivers.

Question: I’m not sure I’m comfortable with buying a car online, but that seems to be the way a lot of brands are moving. Is there an alternative? – Janine K

Answer: There’s certainly been a big shift to the digital space since the start of the pandemic. Brands have adapted and more people are comfortable with signing up to a car online. Some, though, are not – and that’s completely understandable. Even the brands that offer an online-only sales process can still walk you through the process with a real person. Tesla, for example, will sit you down at a computer in one of its ‘stores’ and help guide you through the process. Others allow you to choose between buying online or dealing with a dealer. And Mercedes-Benz and Honda are among the brands that allow you to go through the sales process online or do the same deal with a human. In many instances there is no advantage or disadvantage to the personal approach; you’ll get the same price and the same choice of vehicles. However, for those brands that still run traditional dealer networks you may be able to crunch a sharper deal in person.

Question:

Answer: Both are great options but the Toyota has one big advantage over the Mazda: it’s available with a hybrid drivetrain. Toyota’s hybrid systems are generally not particularly high-tech, but they nail the efficiency brief. In most instances they can reduce fuel use by around half. That the hybrid system is also responsive and refined adds to its appeal. Yes, there is a price premium for the hybrid, but given circa-$2-a-litre fuel prices it’s a premium you should pay back at the bowser within a couple of years. That said, there’s one big challenge with the RAV4 Hybrid – getting hold of one. There are some big waiting lists thanks to well-publicised global supply chain issues. The Mazda should be easier to get hold of and is still a classy car, albeit a thirstier one.

Question:

Answer: Any time you’re shifting around 2.5 tonnes of metal you’ll need a bit of energy to get the job done. That holds true for the Toyota LandCruiser, too. And while Toyota has made improvements with the V6-powered 300 Series compared with the V8-powered 200 Series it replaces, you can also expect to use more than the claimed average fuel use of 8.9L/100km. The Patrol is going to use a lot more again, though, thanks to its lusty 5.6-litre V8. You’ll definitely be spending more on fuel, with the car likely to use something like 15-16L/100km in a varied trip around the country. But consider how much less you’re spending on the car. The Y62 Patrol is tens of thousands of dollars less than an equivalent 300 Series LandCruiser. That’ll buy a lot of premium unleaded… It’s also worth considering the fuel tank capacities. The 300 Series has a 110-litre tank that should take you 900km between fills, give or take. The Patrol gets a 140-litre tank that should take you a similar distance, albeit with a bigger fuel bill at the next servo.

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