Ute Advice

GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles) sells a limited selection of Chevrolet models in Australia - some converted to right-hand drive here in Australia, while the Corvette is imported in RHD configuration from the factory - and they have variable ownership terms, depending on the model.GMSV offers a three-year, 100,000km warranty, which would be significantly behind the pace for a mainstream manufacturer, but is unsurprising for a low-volume importer/converter, as GMSV’s main rival, Ram Trucks, offers a similar warranty promise.GMSV backs its products with three years of roadside assist to match the warranty period, but there is no capped-price servicing program.Instead, GMSV has offered indicative pricing for each of its three current models (two Silverado variants and the Corvette Stingray) over a three-year period, noting that it will vary between dealers. See the table below for expected average costs. Service pricing is comparatively high when compared to a mainstream automaker. Intervals occur in 12 monthly or 12,000km cycles for every current Chevrolet.In summary: Import and conversion outfits like GMSV don’t offer the most competitive ownership terms and high service pricing to support a limited range. Costs after the three-year mark are a mystery, leaving owners without a clear picture of what long-term ownership looks like. 4/10*taken as an average of indicative service costs from two dealersIf you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

Deciding on the best value car in Australia is not a straightforward task. Among other things, it depends on A: How an individual buyer values different elements, and: B: What properties and skill-sets are most important to a particular type of car.

Going “off-road” or “off-roading” are oft-repeated terms nowadays, but what exactly does off-road mean? 

Based on our experience, the best towing vehicle is either a full-size 4x4 ute or wagon with a turbo-diesel engine and automatic transmission.

In any given month in Australia, there's a good chance the HiLux ute will be our country's best-selling vehicle.

The Ford Ranger utility comes in seven grades: the XL, XLS, XLT, Sport, Wildtrak, Platinum and Raptor. The different Ranger body styles include Single Cab Chassis, Super Cab Chassis, Double Cab Chassis, Super Cab Pick-Up and Double Cab Pick-Up.The Ford Ranger specifications have changed for this new generation vehicle which arrived in 2022.Four engines are available in the Ranger line-up:  a 125kW/405Nm 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, single turbo-diesel; a 154kW/500Nm 2.0-litre, twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel, a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel motor and a 292kW/583Nm 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol engine. The twin-turbo petrol is found exclusively in the Ranger Raptor which has a braked towing capacity of 2500kg. All other Rangers have a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.A six-speed automatic transmission comes with the single-turbo four cylinder diesel engine, while 10-speed automatic transmissions are mated to the other engines. The Ranger comes in two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive.Combined average fuel economy for the dual cab Ranger starts at 7.2L/100km with the 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel 4x4, then increases to 7.6L/100km for the 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel 4x2 then steps up to to 8.4L/100km for the 3.0-litre turbo diesel 4x4.For the Ranger Raptor’s twin-turbo V6 Ford says you should see 11.5L/100km of diesel used after combination of open and urban roads.The fuel tank size is 80L for all Rangers, including the Raptor.The Raptor is the largest vehicle in the Ranger line-up and measures 1955mm tall, 1922 mm wide and 5381mm long.The rest of the dual cab Rangers are 5370mm long, 1918mm wide and 1884mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3270mm. All dual cab Ranger utes have a ground clearance of 234mm, while the Raptor has 272mm of ground clearance.Kerb weight ranges from 1789kg for the single cab chassis XL to 2431kg for the Raptor.Gross vehicle mass (GVM) for the Ranger extends from 3060kg for the single cab chassis in the XL grade to 3350kg for the dual cab Wildtrak. The GVM for the Raptor is 3130kg.The payload capacity ranges from 985kg in the Wildtrak to 1327kg in the single cab chassis XL with the 2.0-litre 'bi-turbo' engine.The Raptor has a 753kg payload capacity due to its off-road focused suspension set-up.The Raptor's suspension features performance Fox Racing 2.5-inch live valve shock absorbers and a Watts link and coil spring rear arrangement.The Raptor has a wading depth of 850mm.Wheel sizes range from 16-inch steel wheels on the XL grade, stepping up to 16-inch alloy wheels on the XLS, 17-inch alloys on the XLT and 18-inch alloy rims on the Sport and Wildtrak, while the Platinum has 20-inch wheels.The Raptor has 17-inch wheels with T285/70 R17 BF GoodrichK02 High Performance All Terrain tyres.The XL has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes, while the rest of the Ranger line-up has disc brakes front and back.Standard on the XL are halogen headlights, a 10.1-inch media display, digital instrument cluster, manual air conditioning and cloth seats.Stepping up to the XLS adds side steps, carpet floor and fog lights.The XLT grade has LED headlights, a proximity key, dual-zone climate control, sat nav and adaptive cruise control.The Sport adds leather upholstery, a powered driver's seat and wireless device charging. A 12-inch portrait multimedia screen is added on the Wildtrak and Platinum.The Raptor has the 12-inch portrait media display too, plus a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, and Ford Performance seats (with Raptor logo).All Rangers come with AEB with pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle detection. Lane keeping assistance with blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert are standard, too. There are six body colours available for the Ranger - 'Arctic White', 'Luxe Yellow', 'Sedona Orange', 'Absolute Black', 'Meteor Grey' and 'Aluminium Metallic'.   

Looking at a single fuel consumption figure might give you part of the picture, but a set of average consumption figures covering different cars is a great basis on which to make a comparison.

If you’ve ever been around a group of caravanners, the term WDH will probably have cropped up. But what is a WDH and do you need one?WDH stands for Weight Distribution Hitch, but they’re also known as caravan ride levellers, a load distribution hitch, weight distribution bars, caravan levelling devices, and more, but they’re all more or less the same thing and operate on the same principles.So, how do weight distribution hitches work? Fundamentally, a WDH is used to make a tow-car and its load (trailer, caravan, whatever) more stable by improving the weight distribution of the whole combination.It does that by shifting some of the weight from the rear axle of the towing vehicle to the front axle, and some of the weight back on to the trailer’s axle(s).In the process, this means the car will steer better and have more grip at the front wheels for braking. The safety implications of that are obvious.Standard towing hitches for caravans do not have these features, so a WDH is something you need to specify when buying a van or purchase later.The actual mechanics of the WDH are pretty straightforward. Fundamentally, you’re reducing the effect of the towball downweight applied by the trailer.The WDH achieves this by providing a levering effect that raises the rear of the tow-car and lowers the front.It does that via couplings and sprung torsion bars that link the car to the trailer yet still allow articulation at the tow-ball.Most WDHs consist of a tow-ball tongue with the necessary attachment points, the torsion bars that run between the vehicle and trailer, adjustable chains to allow for different torsional loads, and a set of heavy-duty clamps that attach to the trailer’s A frame to accept the chains.The mistake a lot of users make is to assume that a WDH hitch will also act as a sway control or caravan sway bars as they’re also known.Certainly, by making the weight distribution of a towing combination better, a WDH makes every aspect of towing safer, but a specific cure for trailer sway they are not.Some WDHs incorporate a sway controller into their design, but not all, so make sure you know what you’re buying.There are no hard and fast rules about using a WDH or not, but there’s reasonable consensus out there that for caravan towing under about 2000kg or for a van less than five metres, there’s not really as much benefit from a WDH.The average camper trailer should not really need a WDH. Also, the rule of thumb goes, if the tow-car’s front suspension doesn’t rise by more than about 20mm with the trailer hooked up, and the rear suspension doesn’t fall by at least the same 20mm, you don’t really need a WDH.On a 4WD with heavy suspension, you might find very little deflection of the suspension. Even then, repacking the caravan to better distribute the weight is your first step, rather than rushing out and buying a WDH.Clearly, in a lot of cases, towing without weight distribution hitch is not the end of the world.Some carmakers don’t recommend WDHs either, and, in fact, some go as far as to void your warranty if you use one and damage results.Typically, some cars with air suspension aren’t recommended for a WDH, as the device messes up the car’s factory self-levelling function.Even with a good WDH towing is not always hassle free, and the WDH itself imposes some considerations. One of these is noise, and the levers under tension can produce all sort of nasty creaks and groans.A WDH is also not as good off-road where the greater articulation required at the towball generally rules them out.That said, when it comes to the off-road oriented pin-type DO35 hitch problems off-road can be avoided by ensuring the towball maximum weight of 350kg is not exceeded and that full articulation is maintained.The DO35 can be configured to work with at least two Hayman Reese WDHs.It’s for the same articulation reasons that most WDH manufacturers recommend that you disconnect the WDH when crossing spoon drains or deep gutters and driveways. This is probably the single greatest bug-bear of the whole WDH experience.You’ll often see online forums posing questions about Andersen weight distribution hitch problems, Alko hitch problems, McHitch problems and general questions about all brands including well-known gear such as Hayman Reese.In many cases, the root causes of these problems lie in incorrect use and fitment of the hitch rather than any design or manufacturing flaw, and it’s an absolute fact that correctly and safely using a WDH hitch requires some familiarisation.Which means, of course, that the best weight distribution hitch Australia wide is the one that suits your car and trailer and is the one you know how to use effectively and safely.All the different types and brands use the same basic engineering principles, but a quality brand is crucial in something with the potential to completely change a vehicle’s dynamics. Don’t be afraid to ask question when shopping for a WDH and don’t be surprised if you get a lot of different opinions on the value of such a thing.

Q: What is braked towing capacity, and what does braked towing capacity mean in the real world?A: Braked towing capacity is the upper limit that your vehicle can tow without breaching safety, mechanical, legal or insurance boundaries.As the name suggests, it relies on the towed load (trailer, caravan, boat-trailer) having its own brakes so that the combination is not reliant solely on the tow-vehicle’s brakes to slow or stop.This figure is the absolute upper limit of what a particular make and model can legally tow.Braked vs unbraked towing is an important distinction as the limits for either are very different. Unbraked towing capacity which – again as the name suggests – is how heavy a load you can tow on a trailer without its own brakes (therefore relying on the towing vehicle for all slowing and stopping duties). It’s nearly always a lot lower than the braked limit.It’s important to understand braked towing capacity and not exceed it, for a variety of reasons, starting with staying within the law.If you exceed the towing vehicle’s braked towing limit, you’ll be unroadworthy and you could be fined even if there’s no incident.This also has insurance ramifications, and your insurer might walk away from you in the case of a crash involving a car that was towing too heavy a load.You’ll also void your car’s warranty by exceeding this limit as well as placing stresses and strains on the vehicle it was never designed to cope with. Brakes, clutches, tyres, transmissions and engines can all suffer from too much load on them.The crucial measurement in any assessment of braked towing limit is the mass of the trailer and whatever is loaded on it. This mass is what the police will measure if they think you’re over the limit. You can measure this mass yourself with a public weighbridge.Many councils now have weighbridges at recycling stations and, for a small fee, you can weigh your trailer either empty or loaded. By weighing the trailer empty, you’ll then have a reference number for how much you can load on to it before it exceeds the car’s towing limit.The other option is to use a set of towball scales that measure the amount of weight you’re putting on the car’s towbar, and there are now wireless, Bluetooth trailer scales that are placed under the wheels and the total mass added up for you.There are also plenty of online caravan weight calculator pages where you input all your known data and the website works out if your car is big enough for the job or whether you’re overloaded in any department.Just be sure to search for something like 'vehicle towing capacity calculator Australia' to ensure you find one that’s relevant to our local laws and limits.Terms you’ll find handy to know for this are Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) which is the total mass of the trailer when carrying the maximum load that the manufacturer recommends for that trailer or caravan.This is measured with the trailer disconnected from the towing vehicle and resting on its jockey wheel. This figure is determined by the trailer’s manufacturer and should never be exceeded.The other term you need to know is Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) which is the mass of the trailer when it’s hitched to your tow vehicle (and some of the mass is distributed through the tow-ball into the tow-car).Both these numbers are calculated by the trailer maker and are non-negotiable. There’s also a big difference between the allowable gross trailer weight braked and unbraked. That’s true of the tow-car, too, manufacturers have very different limits on towing not braked and with brakes.The empty trailer’s mass is what’s known as its tare mass. The difference between this number and the ATM for your trailer is the trailer’s payload capacity.At the moment in most Australian states and territories, there’s no simple, legal method of increasing a car’s towing capacity or a trailer’s loaded capacity.The trailer manufacturer will have their own method of how to measure capacity, just as carmakers have their own formulas for calculating maximum towing capacity.The towing vehicle’s braked towing limit, then, is not something you need to measure or calculate yourself. The number has already been determined by the vehicle’s manufacturer based on engineering and is not negotiable.You’ll find this info in the owner’s handbook. Neither is there an aftermarket package that can lift your braked towing limit. If you need to tow heavier loads, you need a bigger, heavier car that can do so. What is towing capacity in the handbook is the only number the authorities will be concerned with.Trailer brakes themselves come in two main forms. The simplest is the mechanical brake which uses the weight of the trailer to actuate the brakes via a mechanical or hydraulic link.As the tow-vehicle slows, the trailer tries to maintain its speed (basic physics at work) and the mechanical linkages are brought into play by the resulting force.Electric brakes are more complex but a more refined, sophisticated and efficient solution. The tow car is fitted with a sensor that, when it detects the brake pedal is pushed, sends an electrical signal back to the trailer which then applies the trailer’s brakes. You can fine-tune the amount of braking the trailer contributes on the run, making this a better system.To help put all this into context, here’s a quick run down of the typical braked and unbraked towing limits of popular types of vehicle:Dual-cab ute (Toyota HiLux 4X4): 3500kg braked, 750kg unbraked.4X4 wagon (Nissan Patrol): 3500kg braked, 750kg unbraked.Large SUV (Hyundai Palisade): 2200kg braked, 750kg unbrakedMedium SUV (Mazda CX5): 1800kg braked, 750kg unbrakedBe aware, however, that even within specific model ranges, details such as whether a vehicle is two- or four-wheel drive, and whether it’s petrol or diesel powered can also have an effect on those mandatory limits.Electric and hybrid cars often have much lower towing limits, too. So check each car out individually before making any decisions.

As we Australians take our fun more and more seriously, the idea of towing a caravan or boat behind our vehicles is an increasingly common one.This is (partly) what’s been driving the move to dual-cab utes as our big-selling cars of choice, as well as the increasing towing abilities of those cars.In the case of every new car and commercial vehicle for sale in Australia, the government dictates that it is rated for a maximum towing limit.That’s to ensure the vehicle remains safe to drive with a load attached, as well as hopefully ensuring the towed load won’t do any damage to the tow-vehicle.In the real world, it’s a lot more complicated than that, but it remains that towing more than your car is rated for is a sure way to wind up in legal trouble and, if the worst happens, an insurance swamp as well.So what is towing capacity in the first place? Towing ratings generally come in two forms: The unbraked trailer and the braked trailer.In the case of the former (and as the name suggests) the trailer does not have brakes of its own. For that reason, it relies on the brakes of the towing vehicle and, therefore, must be kept as light as possible.The braked-trailer limit, meanwhile, applies to trailers with their own electric or mechanical brakes that can contribute to the combination’s total braking force. With its own brakes, such a trailer can afford to be heavier.Either way, though, it’s illegal to haul a trailer and load of greater mass than the legal limit for a particular make and model.And get used to these terms: GVM, the total mass of the vehicle and everything in it (including the tow ball weight) and; GCM the total mass of the vehicle and trailer combination and everything in it/on it.Clearly, how much can I tow, is a very complex question. And, the info won’t be found on a compliance plate on the vehicle, either, you’ll need to look in the owner’s handbook for the details.But what if you need to tow more than that legal limit?Well, you could simply go out and buy a bigger, heavier vehicle with a higher towing rating. But what if you’ve already tipped plenty of time and money into making your current vehicle otherwise perfect for your tasks and lifestyle? Surely, an upgrade of that vehicle to tow a bigger load makes some sense.And that’s where the aftermarket comes in. As caravans, boats and worksite equipment gets bigger and heavier, more and more owners are turning to a towing upgrade to achieve their ends.The first thing to know is that the increasingly popular GVM upgrade is not the same as a towing limit upgrade. In fact, a GVM upgrade concerns only the payload of the vehicle and, if you then use that extra payload while the GCM remains the same, you might, ironically, have a reduced towing limit.So, does a GVM increase impact towing capacity at all? Not in a legal, upper limit sense, but such an upgrade is a way to increase towing performance and safety, if not actual capacity.Add a GVM upgrade to your, say, Ford Ranger, and it’ll still be legal to tow the same 3500kg, but it will do it more easily and more safely.GVM upgrades vary from vehicle to vehicle but often include components such as stiffer springs, revised bushes, stronger hitches, better dampers and wheel alignment adjustments.But even then, you might find you need bigger brakes, different tyres and even revised axles or wheel bearings to make the jump to a higher GVM.It all depends on the vehicle in question and there’s no one-size-fits-all GVM upgrade, so you need to have a specialist tackle your vehicle on a one-on-one basis with regard to how it’ll be loaded and how you plan to use it. The pros have a range of kits ready to suit popular fitments.The other thing to know is that you won’t be making 1000kg jumps in a GVM upgrade. Between about 300kg and 600kg is the gain you’ll make, but that’s a big enough difference for some to make the investment.But what about GCM upgrades? This is where it all gets a bit murky, because some specialists will tell you that since there’s no standardised test for a GCM upgrade, it can’t be done with any degree of certification.Other mobs will tell you they have GCM kits to upgrade a limited number of vehicles (typically the Toyota Land Cruiser and Prado stablemates) and that these can legally upgrade towing capacity.Because there’s no hard-and-fast government stance on this subject, the best we can do is give you what seems to be the current status quo on the matter:NSW, SA and Victoria will recognise a revised GCM if the vehicle has been independently inspected by a consulting engineer and usually the state’s own authorities.Tasmania allows a revised GCM if the kit has been previously certified by the manufacturer and professionally installed.Queensland no longer recognises a revised GCM above the GCM nominated by the vehicle’s manufacturer. That said, Queensland is said to be looking into this situation.WA, ACT and NT, meanwhile, do not allow a revised GCM above the manufacturer’s GCM if the vehicle is modified anytime after it’s been registered.Having said that, at least one major local suspension manufacturer we contacted insisted that “There is currently no process via a government body that will allow an increase of a vehicle’s GCM in Australia”.If you could legally increase your GCM, you’d theoretically also increase your towing capacity, again, provided you don’t gobble up the extra capacity by loading more into the tow-vehicle.But remember, that’s theoretically, not – as far as the law is concerned – practically.In the case of GVM upgrades, brand-new vehicles that undergo the upgrade prior to registration can be certified as safe and legal by the upgrade supplier.If you’re converting an existing car, you may – depending on state or territory – need to have an independent engineer sign off on the deal. The good conversion companies can usually put you in touch with these engineers.But don’t be put off by that requirement, as suspension upgrades for towing have been carried out for decades, so it’s familiar stuff for the right engineer.Again, a GVM won’t legally increase your towing capacity, but it can make a vehicle much better and safer at towing that same loads as an unmodified one.And GCM upgrades? You might want to make life simple for yourself and simply buy a bigger, heavier vehicle with a higher towing limit as standard. Many dual-cab ute, SUV and car owners are switching to a light truck for this reason.Even if you do just wish to improve your vehicle’s towing ability and safety (without a towing-limit increase) with a GVM upgrade, there can be traps. It’s far better to go to a specialist who has engineered a GVM solution rather than try to mix and match bits and pieces using guesswork.Air-bag helper-springs, for example, can be used quite effectively on some vehicles, but others (typically some dual-cab utes with leaf rear springs) can suffer catastrophic chassis failure through the use of air-bags.The same goes for changing spring rates. By mis-matching the front and rear suspension of a vehicle, you can easily wind up with a vehicle that is less capable and less safe as a tow-vehicle. This is not a project for the DIYer.