Australian 4WD & SUV Buyer's Guide September Issue#32 2018

The Australian Consumer Law says that if your new 4WD, SUV or ute has a major problem you can choose a replacement vehicle or your money back. Quite a few ute owners are probably making that choice right now, because, as our contributor Joshua Dowling revealed in News Corp publications recently, Toyota’s Hilux, Holden’s Colorado, the Nissan Navara, Ford Ranger and Mazda BT50 all have serious problems, acknowledged by the makers in service bulletins to dealers, but not disclosed to customers. Utes may look tough on the outside, but it seems that, underneath, they are becoming much more fragile. I hope you enjoy the magazine and that it helps you choose the 4WD, SUV or ute that works best for you. Feel free to get in touch at bill.mck10@gmail.com…

JOSHUA DOWLING Joshua Dowling is the National Motoring Editor of News Corp Australia and a World Car of the Year judge. Joshua is renowned for his consumer-first approach and you can also find his roadtests and news stories at news.com.au or read his regular rants on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling. In this issue, he tests the Ford Ranger Raptor. JOHN CAREY John is a previous editor of Overlander, a contributor to Wheels magazine where he is a Car of the Year judge, and publications in the USA and UK. He lives in Bergamo, Italy. In this issue, John tests the Mercedes X350d and Jaguar I-Pace. BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS Byron is a complete car tragic. He claims that a dream as a toddler of driving an Austin A35 sealed his fate. Byron writes for…

Our piggybank indicates a 4WD or SUV that we think represents good value for money against the others in its class. It may not necessarily be the cheapest, but taking into account factors such as standard equipment, safety, the way it drives, resale values and quality, it shapes up as a good deal. A capital S indicates a vehicle that scores five stars out of five for occupant protection in ANCAP crash tests. Go to www.ancap.com. au. for more information If you’re after a safe, practical wagon to carry the kids, look for this symbol. We’ve limited its use to vehicles that have an ANCAP score of at least four stars out of five and have six airbags plus stability control as standard or as affordable options. We’ve also taken…

OK, let’s deal with the name first. The Cullinan is named after the world’s largest uncut diamond, discovered in 1905 in South Africa. It was cut into two stones, The Great Star of Africa and The Lesser Star of Africa, and both were given to King Edward VII. They are now part of the Crown Jewels, stored in the Tower of London. So there you go. Cullinan is Rolls-Royce’s first SUV. It’s a monster, weighing in at 2660kg, with an overall length of 5.34 metres, a Titanic-like 13.2 metres turning circle and a 3.3 metres wheelbase. The Rolls-Royce pantheon grille, in stainless steel, sits regally in a front end that Rolls says has “the prominent brow of a Saxon Warrior”. The Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet emblem rides above it. At…

The Dodge RAM 2500 and 3500, tested on page 43, have now been joined by the most affordable model in the range, the RAM 1500, which is priced from $79,950, putting it close to top-spec one-tonners such as the Mercedes X350d and Ford Ranger Raptor. Like other right hand drive RAMs, the conversion is done by American Special Vehicles at HSV’s Clayton factory in Melbourne. More than 1000 RAMs have been sold so far in Australia, and the conversion is basically as good as a factory right hand drive production model would be. Two cabin lengths are available, Quad Cab and Crew Cab, the latter with more than a metre of rear seat legroom. Overall length is 5.8 metres for both variants, and the 1500 is also more than two…

The fourth generation of the world’s best-selling luxury SUV arrives late in 2018, and it’s a bigger wagon than its predecessors with, surprisingly, greater offroad capability, too. X5’s wheelbase has grown by 42mm to 2975mm, while overall length has increased by 36mm to 4922mm, so unlike its predecessor it should be able to carry a couple of kids comfortably in its optional third row of seats. This model is also wider and taller, so it’s become a very big beast. Boot capacity in five-seater mode is 645 litres, expandable to 1860 litres with the 40/20/40 back seats folded forward. Four turbochargedengines will initially be offered, with an eight-speed automatic as standard. Straight six 3.0-litre turbodiesels include a 195kW/620Nm variant in the base X5 30d, while the M50d’s four turbochargers up…