Your questions answered: Why would Toyota put a four-cylinder in the LandCruiser 70 Series?

This week, our carsales readership is reminiscing about the mighty V8 diesel while also asking why Toyota would look to replace it in the LandCruiser 70 Series with a four-cylinder engine.

We’ve also got people looking at Nissan and Hyundai hybrid SUVs, plus a range of questions on electric cars – including one reader trying to separate their dislike of Elon Musk from a desire to buy a Tesla EV.

Another is also wanting to get Holden to stump up for paint that is fast deteriorating.

Question:

Answer: The addition of a four-cylinder turbo-diesel to the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series line-up has certainly stirred debate. Rest assured you’ll still be able to buy the V8 if you want (or, at least, join a rather larger queue to hopefully one day buy one).

But the four-cylinder is indicative of changing times. Some of the biggest customers for the 70 Series include mining companies and government agencies and each of them is working overtime to reduce their CO2 emissions. Downsizing an engine and halving the number of cylinders is a good start.

Also, don’t forget that the four-cylinder (the same one used in the HiLux, Fortuner and Prado) outpunches the V8. Whereas the 4.5-litre V8 makes 151kW/430Nm, the 2.8-litre four-cylinder makes 150kW/500Nm. So we’d be expecting the four-pot to win in a drag race.

Question: I am looking for a new hybrid SUV for my small family (one young child). We live in Melbourne and will use it occasionally for around town (we mainly walk/cycle) and hope to get away for driving holidays into the country, and interstate drives. We want excellent safety features, and I’d like 4WD/AWD options for added safety and grip on roads when needed. While I like the idea of a full EV, we’re not ready for it until charging infrastructure improves outside cities. Our price point is $50K-60K.

We are a one-car family. Our 10-year-old Ford Focus was written off in a minor accident, and we are using my dad’s seven-year-old Land Rover Discovery until they want it back in October. I am enjoying the luxury!

Answer: You’ve pretty much nailed it. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid wait times are silly, some dealers are being greedy with used prices and history suggests you’ll likely get stung with higher prices when the car finally arrives.

On top of that, the X-TRAIL is a better car than the RAV4, in part because the current-generation model is fresher. And the e-POWER model is a cracker. It’s not quite as efficient as a RAV4 Hybrid, but it’s within firing distance.

And it more than makes up for it with a superior driving experience. That’s in part because the hybrid system is quite different to Toyota hybrids: the only thing driving the wheels are the electric motors, making it more EV-like to drive. The engine then acts purely as a generator to create electricity. Short story is it works well and drives beautifully.

As you point out, there are still wait times on an X-TRAIL e-POWER. But shop around dealers, because different ones will have different allocations.

Question:

Answer: Paint is always a tricky one with warranty claims. Leave bird poo or tree sap on a brand-new car, for example, and it can easily leave a blemish on the paint that will not be covered by warranty. Similarly, any car parked in harsh conditions regularly generally requires some preventative maintenance such as cleaning and waxing to ensure it maintains its gloss.

That said, it does sound odd that you’re getting extensive peeling. And Australian Consumer Law (ACL) ultimately trumps a warranty with issues such as this.

Your first step should be to contact a Holden service centre to make an appointment for someone to inspect it. Tell them you are aware the car is out of warranty, point out the paint issues experienced elsewhere and that you believe it may be covered (at least partially) by ACL.

With any luck you’ll get a decent hearing. Otherwise, it could involve an inspection by an independent paint specialist and contacting your state/territory consumer affairs department.

Let’s hope the first option yields some results!

Question:

Answer: We haven’t driven the Kona Hybrid yet so can only go off what we know from the specifications that have already been released. On paper it looks solid, with suburban and average claimed fuel economy of just 3.9L/100km. But, again, we’ll reserve judgement until we’ve had seat time.

As for which grade to buy, it all depends on how you value the various features that come as you step up through the range. All our intel suggests car-makers generally try to increase their margins the further up the range you go. All of which suggests the car-maker would be happier for you to spend more on the more expensive models.

Question:

Answer: The biggest barriers for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) are the regulatory ones. In various discussions we’ve had with people within the industry the best we can ascertain is that the authorities are trying to work out regulations for how the V2G wallboxes fit within the existing electricity grid. Apparently some authorities see them as similar to solar inverters while the industry is trying to get them classified as EV chargers.

Either way, Australian governments aren’t exactly known for their haste when it comes to understanding new technologies. Hopefully we’ll see more action soon.

Question: Three weeks ago, after a 15-month wait, I finally took delivery of my Hyundai Kona Elite. So far, I am immensely happy with it. But much to my embarrassment, I only recently noticed that my numberplate EV triangle was blue – whereas I had expected it to be red.

My EV is registered in Queensland. Googling today suggests that all EVs and hybrids now feature a blue triangle, along with the word ‘Electric’ or ‘Hybrid’. But I couldn’t find a statement re Qld. – Judith O

Answer: The tags or stickers on numberplates are all about alerting emergency services to a high-voltage battery pack in the case of damage or a crash. It means they can be prepared to deal with stray electrical cables and materials that could be flammable.

As is typical with our eight states and territories, there are often differences in the way each handles them (it’s crazy we don’t have a national authority making calls on things like this rather than letting eight sets of bureaucrats debate it independently).

As for Queensland, our research suggests it needs to be a blue triangle with white ‘EV’ lettering inside. More details on the state’s labelling requirements for EVs can be found on the Queensland Department of Transport’s website.

Question:

Answer: We’re not massive fans of Elon Musk either but he has pulled together an electric car company that’s currently manufacturing some of the best-value EVs on the market. On top of that, buying a Tesla will effectively double the number of places you can charge it, because you’ll have access to all the Tesla-specific charging locations. That’ll be an important consideration for your interstate trips, where you’ll need to do some planning ahead for charging locations.

Also with those interstate trips, for the purposes of planning knock about 20 per cent off the claimed driving range when working out how far you’ll get on a charge on a freeway (EVs typically use more electricity at 110km/h than they do trundling around the suburbs).

As for when to purchase, an updated Tesla Model 3 is expected soon (possibly within weeks) and it looks like it’ll bring some interesting tech. It’s impossible to say what the market will look like in future in terms of government incentives, but now certainly seems like a reasonable time to buy.

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

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