Your questions answered: What’s the delay with safety scores?

A five-star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has become essential for many new car buyers.

But these crash test and safety scores are not keeping pace with new model arrivals, partly because of delays in converting test results into Australian ‘stars’.

When new models are sourced from emerging markets and/or car-makers are not prepared to help by supplying vehicles for local testing, the problem only gets worse.

Question:

Answer: ANCAP relies heavily on vehicles being supplied by manufacturers for crash testing. In many cases that means many models simply remain unrated, such as the very old MG 3 and even the high-profile new Subaru BRZ. Since ANCAP does not extrapolate ratings from China NCAP, and in other cases it bases ratings on models tested by Euro NCAP, there can be a very drawn-out process for technical submissions. ANCAP testing has also been severely impacted over the past two years by COVID. ANCAP has a limited testing budget and often falls back to the manufacturer providing the vehicle and testing costs so it also only tests a relative handful of the new models sold in Australia – relying upon NCAP testing especially to deliver ratings. If more Chinese brands were proactively in favour of ANCAP testing, you would likely see more of the cars tested. As it is, ANCAP would need to purchase the cars to test and foot the bill.

Question: I own a 2019 Mazda CX-9 and recently had the 30,000km service. The report was a little startling as it found my rear brake pads under 20 per cent left while the front was over 50 per cent. I spoke to the head of service at the dealership and they said they would try and approach this under warranty. This was subsequently declined by Mazda head office under the pretence of ‘driver style resulted in uneven wear’. This ‘driver style’ is my wife dropping my kids off at school and generally driving around the local suburbs. I find it perplexing that the back pads have worn more than the front ones. Is this something abnormal or expected with large cars? Am I in my rights to pursue this further on the grounds of a goodwill repair? – Anthony B

Answer: Heavier wear on rear brake pads is becoming more common, and a surprise to many people, because of the extra weight of SUVs and the electronic safety systems in modern cars (stability and traction control) which use the application of differential braking to keep the car straight and under control. So you can push hard on the accelerator or the brakes, or corner aggressively, and the car’s electronics will be pushing the appropriate brake – more often at the rear – to keep the car properly under control. It’s not something the driver will normally notice, unless they are watching for a blinking light in the dashboard.

Question:

Answer: The answer really depends on what you want the Prado to do. The most obvious alternatives that retain true off-road performance are the likes of Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X. If you do not need off-road ability, there are a host of seven-seat SUVs and people-movers that will deliver better on-road dynamics and refinement. The list is led by the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.

Question:

Answer: It’s almost certain the Boxster and Cayman will be replaced by an electric sportscar and the Mission R concept is claimed by many to point the way. But Porsche, like all car companies, is very reluctant to talk about future models. For the record, the next all-new Porsche is the replacement for the Macan (which should be offered in both EV and ICE versions), scheduled for 2024. Based on our sources, the next Boxster/Cayman generation will not be until at least 2025.

Question: Last year I purchased a new Mazda3 Touring hatch with 360-view monitor. I insured it with RACV for an agreed value of $36,000. My renewal insurance notice has arrived and the mileage I have done in the last 12 months, thanks to lockdown, is 2000km. The notice is suggesting an agreed value of $34,000 and I would like your advice on this. – Kathy H

Answer: It’s normal for car insurers to reduce the value of a policy because of depreciation. But with strong used car prices currently, you should consider a policy that is for replacement cost, not agreed value.

Question:

Answer: As Kia and Hyundai are sister companies and the Cerato and i30 are effectively the same car under the skin, our advice is to drive them both and choose the one you prefer to drive. The Cerato is likely to be firmer in the suspension for a sportier feel. Also look at the deals offered and remember that Kia has a longer warranty. Dual-clutch transmissions got a bad name in the early days, with problems at Volkswagen and Ford, but they are now regarded as no more worrying than a regular auto.

Question:

Answer: LPG is on the way out. Soonish, but not immediately. It was only the popularity of the LPG versions of the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon that gave it any real impetus in Australia. And now, like the production lines that built them, they are long gone…

Question:

Answer: We compared the Patrol Ti-L with LandCruiser 300 GR Sport previously, so for this off-road-focused comparo our thinking was to take the VX because it’s the first LandCruiser that has some luxury in it (GX and GXL are both pretty basic) and put it up against the Ti-L – since anyone looking at a LandCruiser will likely have the money for, and want the extras in, the flagship Patrol. We always try to minimise the price gap between comparo vehicles, since money is usually the biggest factor in cross-shopping new models. No doubt, if we’d chosen the Ti others would have accused us of not selecting the best Nissan had to offer. While you’ll spend more on the LandCruiser up front, it’s forecast to look after you better with resale: after five years and 80,000km RedBook predicts it’ll be worth $80,950 whereas for the same time/distance in the Patrol it’s expected to be worth $58,950. So, the LandCruiser theoretically loses you less money. The Patrol is still a very good off-roader and beats the LC300 in some areas, but it’s mostly outclassed by the new LandCruiser. Neither is perfect, but the LandCruiser is better overall.

Question:

Answer: No Jaguar has the bulletproof build qualities of, say, a Lexus. And the car you are proposing is eight years old – even if the mileage is not that high. But that’s not the point: a car is an emotional purchase, but do your research. Check with a dealer or Jaguar specialist on servicing intervals and costs, perhaps also known problems with the XF. Also ensure you get a pre-purchase inspection.

Question:

Answer: The Genesis GV70 is priced well and is a very good drive. The Lexus NX is the choice if you want better resale and the choice of a hybrid powertrain.

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