Articles by David Morley

The third-generation Toyota Kluger was an extremely popular large SUV during its time in showrooms thanks to its space and safety. And these days, it's a great used-car buy.

The Iveco Daily 50C van is the biggest, toughest variant of the European designed van that can be driven on a car license. With a separate body on a ladder chassis and truck-derived mechanicals, it represents a hardcore workhorse.The Daily 50C seats three and features a cargo barrier between the cabin and cargo area. Two wheelbases are available, as well as three overall lengths and two roof heights. Payloads vary from 1752 to 1942kg and the van can tow 3.5 tonnes. The option of dual rear wheels mean the 50C can be specified for an even higher Gross Vehicle Mass at which point you need an endorsed license to stay legal.Suspension is by torsion bars at the front and leaf springs at the rear, but there's also the choice of air suspension at the rear and a selectable locking rear differential. Power comes from a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.Standard equipment includes climate-control air-conditioning, a tilt and reach-adjustable steering column, wireless phone charging, wireless connectivity and cruise control. But the seats are cloth, the floor coverings are vinyl and the wheels are steel as testament to the van's truck heritage.The cargo area is bare steel, but well thought out and includes 10 tie-down points in the floor, three LED lights and dual rear doors that open wide. A single side door is standard but a second side door can be added.Safety has been given a big shot in the arm with this upgrade, but still really only brings the Iveco into line with the bulk of the competition. But you do now get autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert and assistance. There are four airbags including side-curtain bags.Iveco's warranty is a long one at six years/250,000km and service intervals are especially impressive at two years or 50,000km.

The Iveco Daily 42S van is the new entry-level variant of the European designed van. With a separate body of a ladder chassis and truck-derived mechanicals, it represents a hardcore workhorse than can still be driven on a standard car license in Australia.The Daily 42S seats three and features a cargo barrier between the cabin and cargo area. Two wheelbases are available, as well as two overall lengths, and payloads varying from 1741 to 1872kg. Single rear wheels mean the 42S can accommodate a standard pallet between the wheel arches.Suspension is by torsion bars at the front and leaf springs at the rear, and power comes from a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.Standard equipment includes climate-control air-conditioning, a tilt and reach-adjustable steering column, wireless phone charging, wireless connectivity and cruise control. But the seats are cloth, the floor coverings are vinyl and the wheels are steel as testament to the van's truck heritage.The cargo area is bare steel, but well thought out and includes 10 tie-down points in the floor, three LED lights and dual rear doors that open wide. A single side door is standard but a second side door can be added.Safety has been given a big shot in the arm with this upgrade, but still really only brings the Iveco into line with the bulk of the competition. But you do now get autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert and assistance. There are four airbags including side-curtain bags.Iveco's warranty is a long one at six years/250,000km and service intervals are especially impressive at two years or 50,000km.

While our love affair with dual-cab utes isn't about to hit the skids any time soon, many who use such vehicles to their fullest are also discovering the charm of light trucks and vans. With tougher engineering, these vehicles make sense for operators who routinely skirt the borders of payload legality in a dual-cab. They're not for everyone, but vans like the Iveco Daily are a real alternative.

Why this big commercial brand has electric vehicles, but won't need them any time soon in Australia.

The two-variant Sealion 5 range is topped by the Premium version which costs $37,990 plus on-road costs. For that, you get the basic Sealion 5's plug-in hybrid driveline, a mid-sized SUV layout, seats for five and some extra gear such as a panoramic sunroof, improved stereo, powered front seats and a powered tailgate.You also get a larger EV battery which takes the potential EV range to a claimed 100km and can be charged on a household socket in less than six hours.The rest of the driveline is the same as the Essential model, including the single electric motor driving the front wheels through a one-speed transmission and a 1.5-litre petrol engine whose main job is the charge the battery-pack. Power is a handy 165kW and torque is 300Nm.Safety gear runs to seven airbags including a front-centre airbag, and the full range of driver aids including autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, rear-cross traffic alert and active cruise-control. There's also an on-board tyre pressure monitoring system. The Sealion 5 has not yet been crash tested by ANCAP.The Sealion 5 carries BYD's six-year/150,000km warranty with an eight-year/160,000km on the EV battery.

At $34,990 plus on-road costs, the Essential trim level is the first step in the BYD Sealion 5 range. The vehicle is a mid-sized SUV with seating for five and features a plug-in hybrid driveline.Powering the vehicle is a 1.5-litre non-turbocharged engine which basically keeps the 12.9 kWh battery charged, although the petrol engine can also drive the wheel if maximum performance is required. A single-speed transmission is fitted and the Sealion 5 is front-wheel-drive. Peak power is 165kW and torque is 300Nm.The Sealion 5 can be charged on a household socket in under four hours, but there's no provision for using a commercial fast-charger.Standard equipment includes a central info-screen and separate driver-display unit, full wireless connectivity, digital radio, alloy wheels and dual-zone climate-control. The front seats are cushy and comfy, although the rear cushion feels a bit flat. There is, however, plenty of room in the rear seat, even for adults.Safety gear runs to seven airbags including a front-centre airbag, and the full range of driver aids including autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, rear-cross traffic alert and active cruise-control. There's also an on-board tyre pressure monitoring system. The Sealion 5 has not yet been crash tested by ANCAP.The Sealion 5 carries BYD's six-year/150,000km warranty with an eight-year/160,000km on the EV battery.

The Sealion 8 Premium is the flagship variant in BYD's seven-seat plug-in-hybrid SUV line-up.

BYD's Sealion 8 is a full-sized family SUV with seating for seven and a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Could the Shark 6 be about to take a bigger chunk out of the dual-cab market?The brand has come as close as it ever has to admitting there’s a driveline upgrade in the works for the Shark 6 dual-cab that would make the vehicle a more serious off-road contender.That would make it more attractive to recreational four-wheel-drive users as well as open up new fleet possibilities.BYD Australia’s Chief Operation Office Stephen Collins told Carsguide that "some improvements" to the Shark 6 were in the works.“I can’t tell you the specifics,” he said, but confirmed the changes would probably come sometime “…later in the year”.Mr Collins called the changes an "upgrade" leading to speculation the Shark 6 might grow front and rear differential locks and a two-speed transfer-case, which would vastly improve its off-road performance, the factor that is seen as the Shark 6’s weakest link right now.Chief Product Officer for BYD Australia Sajid Hasan backed up that theory, explaining that the Shark 6’s existing architecture had already been engineered for greater off-road ability.“It’s a possibility, because it’s (the Shark 6) based on a platform that already uses low-range (in the transfer-case (which the current Shark 6 sold here does not) and diff locks. So it’s mechanically possible,” he told Carsguide.The Shark 6 has been a runaway success for BYD, selling 1108 units in January this year, and helping BYD in the chase for its long-term goal of being a top-five brand in Australia.“At the end of 20204, we were 16th, and at the end of 2025, we were eighth. We just want to keep improving,” Mr Collin said. “The next phase is to get into the top five and that’s a priority.”Part of that process will be a push into the fleet market which BYD had, until now, not fully exploited, Mr Collins said.“One of the key opportunities (for BYD) is fleets,” he said. “It’s a stable market and customers want fit for purpose vehicles, and are interested in the whole of life cost.”“For us, so far, this has only been 10 per cent of our volume, but we see this as a really important part of our business going forward.”“We’re not in the top 20 fleet brands (in Australia) yet. But we’re working hard to improve that performance.”