Ask The Guide

The Honda Ridgeline towing capacity depends on the layout of its driveline. Front-wheel-drive models can tow a braked trailer of 1600kg, while the all-wheel-drive Ridgeline can legally tow (in the US where it’s sold) 2270kg.

To maximise the Toyota Highlander’s towing capacity, you need to option the 3.5-litre V6 engine and specify the optional towing package. At that point, you can use the Highlander to tow a braked trailer of 2270kg. Interestingly, even the Hybrid version of the Highlander is rated to tow 1600kg, something that not all manufacturers will allow in their hybrid models. The anomaly with the Highlander, though, is that the two highest-spec models trim-wise aren’t offered with a factory tow-bar option as this would interfere with the automatic tailgate triggering sensors that live just under the rear of the car…right where the tow-bar would be bolted.

In the North American market, the Honda Pilot towing capacity is 1600kg in the case of the two-wheel-drive version. If you buy the more expensive all-wheel-drive model, the towing capacity increases to 2270kg.

The MY2020 Toyota Tacoma towing capacity is listed by the manufacturer as 6400kg. That’s been made possible by Toyota fitting V6 versions of the Tacoma with an engine, transmission and power-steering coolers as well as a larger, 130-amp alternator.

The Ford F450 towing capacity is often quoted as 14.1 tonnes. But this is a little misleading, as that is only allowable when the vehicle is fitted with a fifth-wheel or gooseneck towing arrangement. In the case of a conventional tow-bar arrangement, the F450 is limited to a braked trailer of 9.6 tonnes, still plenty for most jobs.

Although it hasn’t been imported to Australia, the latest towing specifications on the MY2021 Ford F650 towing capacity make for amazing reading. Depending on what engine and chassis configuration you’re dealing with (and there are many permutations) the F650’s towing limit for a braked load starts at 10 tonnes and goes all the way to a massive 17 tonnes.

In Australian-specification versions of the big American, the Dodge Ram towing capacity starts at 4500kg for the Ram 1500. From there it goes up to a staggering 6942kg (braked) for the Ram 2500 before dropping back slightly to 6171kg for the Ram 3500. That’s because the latter vehicle itself is heavier to start with. In fact, some versions of the Ram 3500 require a truck-driver’s license to operate them in Australia.

Although never imported to Australia by Nissan, enough Stageas have been privately imported for us to have a decent grip on what goes wrong with them. By far the most serious Nissan Stagea problems start with turbocharger failure. On M35 versions of the car with the 2.5-litre V6 turbocharged engine, the oil feed line to the turbocharger is very narrow at about 1mm. In some cases (more usually with cars that have not been serviced correctly) this oil feed can block, causing the turbocharger to run without oil and destroying it. Some owners have worked out a modification to the oil line, and this seems to do the job. Check to see whether this modification has been carried out.

Other than that, it pays to remember that the Stagea is a relatively heavy and complex car in all-wheel-drive form. So make sure that the suspension and driveline is in good condition as repairs can be very expensive. Tyre and brake wear can also be high in these vehicles.

Mitsubishi FTO problems seem to be mainly concerned with the engine’s tappets which can get noisy over time. These are small components in the valve-train that determine the amount of valve clearance (or lash). If the lash becomes too great, the engine will start to sound noisy with a persistent ticking noise that will be worse on start-up.

The problem will surface earlier on cars that have a poor service record as skipped oil changes will accelerate wear in their components. It’s not an especially simple job to adjust the tappets, and many workshops advise to have them replaced rather than adjusted.

We’ve also heard of a few automatic gearbox problems, and these can range from faulty sensors requiring replacement, right up to complete gearbox failure. Again, the car’s service record will be a good indicator of its changes of survival into the future.

Beyond that, the same caveats apply to all performance cars of a certain age: Poor crash damage repairs and electrical glitches that are more annoying than anything else.

While it’s tempting to think of the early-90s Rover MG RV8 as a re-hash of the old MGB, in reality, just five per cent or so of parts were interchangeable with the original Brit roadster. But even though it was a stronger car, it was heavier and the 3.9-litre River V8 was not without its problems. So what are the main MG RV8 problems?

For a start, it was a relatively powerful, relatively heavy car for such a small package, so the suspension and brake components copped a hard time. As such, they can wear quickly and that will have a huge effect on how the car drives. That wasn’t helped one bit by the fact that about three-quarters of production found its way to Japan with notorious Tokyo traffic to deal with.

The V8 engine was fundamentally okay, but watch out for corroded radiators and cylinder heads if the correct coolant has not been used throughout the car’s life. A service record is crucial in this case. The design might have bene modernised but the folding roof was straight out of the 60s, meaning it was prone to leaking. Make sure the carpets are dry and the car doesn’t smell musty. Check, too, for rust in every panel. Even the windscreen frame can rust.

Overall, the RV8 is a specialist car for a specialist buyer. It won’t be as reliable or durable as a modern hatchback. It has its own appeal, but unless you know what you’re doing, it’s difficult to recommend as a sound buy.