Ask The Guide

The message is to warn you that a problem has been detected with the ESP. Take it to a dealer and have them check it for you

For starters it’s not a new car now, it’s four years old, so problems car arise with it. It’s possible you have a worn ignition switch, or it could be an electrical problem that’s behind your starting issue. Take it back to your dealer, or a mechanic to have it checked and fixed.

There was a recall in November 2017 to fix a problem with a gearshift cable retaining clip that could cause the cable to come in contact and be damaged by the prop shaft. The result was that you couldn’t change gears and could lose drive.

The dual-mass flywheel was introduced to reduce the vibrations in the driveline, so in that sense the mechanic was right, but unless you’re very sensitive you’re unlikely to be bothered by any vibrations that might result from changing to a single-mass flywheel. The advantage of switching to a single-mass flywheel is that the clutch is likely to last longer and be cheaper to replace when it does wear out.

The first point of contact after you’ve consulted the dealer is with Holden’s Customer Care (1800 4646 5336) to lodge a claim for a refund of the cost of repairs to your car.

There are a number of things it could be. Start by replacing the spark plugs and air cleaner, and clean the throttle body. You could add for fuel system cleaner to the petrol when you fill up, and you could give it a longish hard run to blow out any carbon build-up.

Under the strictest terms of what makes a good "car" the Kia doesn't really cut the mustard. However, Kia's Sorento is a nicely equipped SUV that can ferry a family in comfort for a competitive price point. So, if you're looking for a small sedan that is excellent at high-performance driving, look elsewhere.

The broad delineation between all wheel drive and 4x4 or four wheel drive is whether the car has a low-range function. Typically, 4x4 vehicles will have a low-range mode for serious off-road driving (especially in mud, sand or challenging terrain), while all wheel drive cars and SUVs like the Ford Everest do not offer this mode. Ford Escapes can be purchased in all wheel drive or front wheel drive, so double-check the Escape you're looking at buying is an all wheel drive not a front wheel drive. There are no rear wheel drive Ford Escape models.

Mazda’s second-generation KF CX-5 crossover is built around the world in Mazda facilities in Japan (Hiroshima and Hofu), Malaysia (Kulim), and China (Nanjing). As the latest CX-5 model only launched last year it is likely the next update won’t be coming out for at least five years.

Depending on what you want in a car, then the Subaru XV can certainly be a good car. If you're after a jaw-droppingly glamorous supercar that can do 0-100km/h in 2.0 secs and top out at 400km/h then you're in for bitter disappointment. If you're after a well-equipped, quirky premium small crossover SUV then the XV is going to be your jam. Highly practical, fairly cheap to run, easy to drive and not offensively priced the Subaru XV is a great suburban runabout or highway mile-eater.