Your questions answered: When is the new Toyota RAV4 due in Australia?

Interest is brewing for the new Toyota RAV4. While the current car is still a hot seller – it’s been topping the sales charts Down Under – there’s at least one reader keen to learn more about its replacement, which we’re expecting soon(ish).

Another reader wants to know about the Toyota bZ4X, the first EV from the brand much better known for its hybrids.

Speaking of which, there’s another buyer wondering whether a hybrid is right for them.

Plus we’re looking at plug-in hybrid SUVs and the Kia Tasman ute.

Got a question but don’t know where to find the information you need? Email us at editor@carsales.com.au

Question: I looked at a Toyota RAV4 this week and asked the question of when a new model will be released.

The dealer said they hadn't been told and generally if it’s released in Europe then Australia knows it will be coming soon.

You mentioned on your radio show this week it’s six to 12 months away. Do you think Toyota actually knows that but chooses not to say?

I don't want to buy a new car and have a new model released soon after! – Karen

Answer: Toyota would absolutely know when the new model is coming. There’s a lot of product planning and details that have to be locked in a year or more before it arrives in dealerships.

That said, most of that knowledge would be within head office. The dealers would not be given anything like that level of detail. Head office wants them to focus on selling what’s rolling off the boats now, not what’s about to replace it.

So the dealer was likely telling you the truth in saying they didn’t know.

Since your letter we’ve also had an inkling that the next RAV4 may not be far away.

Toyota released a teaser image that looks suspiciously like a next-gen RAV4 and suggested more details will be forthcoming on May 21.

Either way, our expectation is that the next RAV4 will be in dealerships sometime in the next 12 months.

Clearly it will be an improvement on the current car, but it’s also a fair bet to assume it will cost more (Toyota typically edges prices up with new models).

If you need a car sooner, the current RAV4 is still solid buying, but don’t ignore rivals such as the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V and Nissan X-TRAIL; each has an impressive hybrid variant on offer.

Question: We are planning to buy a new car and think that a pure hybrid (as distinct from a plug-in hybrid) will not work for us. We would appreciate you checking whether or not we have come to the correct conclusion.

We are a retired couple, living in Canberra. We drive only about 200km a week around Canberra, and never during peak periods.

We drive to Sydney about twice a year and Melbourne about three times a year.

We understand that the hybrid battery is typically charged during braking and while stopped at traffic lights.

Driving to Sydney/Melbourne involves hardly any braking and no stopping until we hit the city outer limits.

Driving around Canberra during off-peak periods involves very little braking and stopping.

Therefore, based on the types of driving we do, we can’t see that the premium cost of a hybrid (over an internal-combustion vehicle) compares well to the fuel savings at the pump.

Are we on the right track with this analysis or are there things that we are missing? – Michael

Answer: The biggest benefit with a hybrid is in stop-start traffic, because it has the ability to turn the kinetic (movement) energy of the car back into electricity for use later when accelerating. The same can be said to some extent with a plug-in hybrid and pure battery-electric vehicle, each of which also regenerates electricity when decelerating.

Hybrids can easily use less than 5 litres per 100km when driving around town, which is half what many regular cars will use.

And while a hybrid won’t offer the same fuel saving advantages at 110km/h as it does around the suburbs, they can still be impressively economical. They’ll almost always use less than a regular combustion engine car in the same driving scenario.

Keep in mind that hybrids will still get some regenerative braking on the Hume Highway, mainly when coming down hills.

And even your 200km weekly commute should realise decent fuel savings and help pay off the premium for buying a hybrid in the first place.

There’s another factor to consider, too: resale values.

Hybrids are performing very strongly on the used car market, so while they may cost a few thousand more to get into, there’s a good chance you’ll get most of that back when it comes time to sell it.

So, yes, the biggest benefit with a hybrid is around town, but I’m confident it’ll also save you plenty the way you plan to drive it.

If you were being brave you could also look at an EV. The Sydney trips would be fine to do in a single charge, but with the Melbourne one you’d have to do a 20 to 30-minute charge somewhere along the way. But there are plenty of fast-charging options on the Hume.

Question: I’ve heard about the Toyota bZ4X. Just wondering what this EV is like? I hear it’s a Toyota mid-size SUV. – Lyn

Answer: The bZ4X is Toyota’s first electric vehicle. It’s similar in size to a RAV4 but obviously does without an engine.

It’s available as a single-motor, front-drive model or a dual-motor all-wheel drive, the latter more expensive.

In either guise it’s an expensive proposition, which is why it’s not selling well.

But check online and there are plenty of near-new examples – some of them demonstrators – advertised for closer to $50K, which is about $20K off the full retail price.

At that money it’s more appealing, but even then there are more convincing EVs around.

The claimed range is up to 436km (expect less in the real world) and it’s not exactly bulging with gear like a lot of rivals.

But you obviously get the back-up of the Toyota dealer network, which is worth something.

If you’re serious about the bZ4X make sure you also check out the Subaru Solterra. It’s the same car (the two were jointly developed) and comes out of the same factory, although Subaru only sells the all-wheel-drive variant.

And, again, look at near-new ones for significant discounts.

And don’t ignore the rivals, the most convincing of which is the Tesla Model Y.

If you want something less polarising a Kia EV5 is a good option.

Question: My son is looking to replace his older second car (a Peugeot 207) and is currently considering either the Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV Q4 (MY22) or the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan 195TSI R-Line.

He’s aware of the Tonale’s real-world electric-only range of around 50km and the need for overnight charging (around three hours). He’s also conscious of your past commentary that PHEVs aren’t always the best solution, but I can’t quite recall the reasoning.

I do remember you mentioning one Chinese brand that does PHEVs particularly well but he isn’t keen on Chinese-brand vehicles, even though many European models are assembled there.

Based on his usage – mostly around Canberra, with a few trips each year to Sydney (x3) and the NSW South Coast (x5) – he calculated the five-year cost over 50,000km as follows:

Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV (MY22)

Total: $116,325

Volkswagen Tiguan 195TSI R-Line (2025)

Total: $103,371

So far, the Tiguan looks about $13K cheaper overall. We’d love your view on this. Do you think either of these two models makes more sense given his usage? Is there another non-Chinese model you’d recommend in a similar size/price/performance range, which he might have overlooked?

Answer: Wow, he’s certainly put in plenty of effort doing the calculations!

I think you’d want to adjust your residual values, though.

Redbook suggests a Tiguan 195TSI will only retain 58 per cent of its value after five years and 50,000km.

And Redbook is suggesting the Tonale PHEV will hold on to 66 per cent of its value.

Of course, they’re estimates and there are many factors that can influence what a car is worth five years from now.

Our guess would be the higher forecast resale for the Alfa Romeo is due to consumer interest in PHEVs, which is steadily increasing.

And, obviously, you need to factor in registration and insurance, which would be at least $10K per car, likely more. You may also need another set of tyres during that 50,000km.

As for alternatives, it sounds like the preference is for something a tad luxurious (or, at least, European), in which case you could look at the Volvo XC60 PHEV. It’s getting on a bit in age but still stacks up well.

Also check out the Lexus NX450h+, the plug-in hybrid version of the brand’s mid-sized SUV. The PHEV system is one of the best of the established brands.

Speaking of which, my criticism around PHEVs has largely been around the high prices, short EV range, and reliance on petrol when you want decent performance.

That’s changing fast with some of the newer systems, which are increasingly prioritising electricity over petrol. In short, the electric motors are doing more of the driving with the engine able to add some higher-speed power and help recharge the batteries on longer trips.

And it’s the Chinese brands that are currently leading the way with that transition.

Question: I’m in the market for a new ute and see there’s a fair bit happening in the space.

I’ll be stepping out of a Mazda BT-50 (which was basically a Ford Ranger) and am wondering where to go next.

Not sure I’m ready for a lesser-known Chinese brand, but I’m happy to look at any of the majors provided the car is up to scratch.

I’ve also been reading about the Kia Tasman, but don’t quite know what to expect from a brand that’s not known for utes. – Trent

Answer: Things are heating up in the ute market, much of it involving electrified options, many from newcomer Chinese brands.

The Kia Tasman takes more of a traditional approach with a diesel engine and ladder frame architecture.

It’s due to hit dealerships in July and is aiming to take the fight to big players such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

Just because a brand isn’t known for a particular type of car doesn’t mean it can’t do a decent job.

We’ve seen that countless times across the car market and in the ute segment the original Volkswagen Amarok that arrived in 2011 was an impressive effort.

We’ve only briefly sampled the Tasman but came away impressed by its off-road prowess (we haven’t done much with it on-road so far).

It’s also got a terrific cabin and a decent smattering of equipment across the model range.

We’ll obviously bring you a lot more details closer to its arrival.

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