Articles by Marcus Craft

Car buyers are increasingly sophisticated these days: they’re highly knowledgeable about the specific vehicle they want to buy, having done countless hours of research, online and in person, and having interrogated their family and friends, and even automotive journalists and car reviewers for their opinions.

The Sahara used to be top of the table in the LandCruiser line-up - but that's no longer the case.But that doesn't mean you sacrifice anything substantial when you opt for the Sahara over either of the two top higher-spec Cruisers.In fact, if you're looking for luxury and refinement, as well as real off-road ability, this loaded LandCruiser sets the bar very high.

Whether you like it or not, EVs are well and truly here, and they’re here to stay.

The latest-generation Land Rover Defender has attracted ample praise, won a trophy cabinet full of global awards - and it's sold very well.To commemorate 75 years since the original Landie, the Series I, was released, JLR is selling 75 of its 75th anniversary Defenders in Australia - 25 Defender 90s and 50 Defender 110s. Is this limited-edition Landie worth more than $150,000?

The standard turning circle of a car in Australia is 12m. That figure comes from averaging the turning circles of popular vehicle types spanning the Australian new car market.

The average dimensions of a car are 4.9 metres long, 1.94 metres wide and 1.8 metres high.

How much does it cost to get a tow bar installed?It can cost anywhere from $300 to more than $1000 to have a tow bar fitted to your vehicle. Tow bars themselves costs from $200 to beyond $1000.But equipment cost and fitment cost depend on your vehicle, its towing capacity, the type of towbar you choose, the wiring set-up required and more.The cheaper you go, the riskier it gets in terms of build quality and after-sales service but, having said that, there are tow bar prices, tow bar types and installation companies to suit every budget.In very basic terms, a towbar is a device attached to the chassis of a vehicle for the purposes of towing a trailer, caravan, camper-trailer, horse float etc – but not all at once, obviously.There are different types for different jobs and loads, from standard or light duty towbars (rated for loads up to 1200kg) through to heavy-duty kits that are engineered to take on up to 3500kg. Towbars are designated in three classes – Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4 – according to how much weight they can legally take on. Class 2 towbars (also called standard or light duty) can carry a load of up to 1200kg and they are the lightest towbar of all the classes. These are suitable for teardrop trailers and small box trailers, those kinds of loads.Class 3 towbars (also called medium duty) can legally cope with a load of up to 1600kg. These are suited to tow large box trailers, camper-trailers etc.Class 4 towbars (also called heavy duty) can legally handle loads of up to 3500kg. These are engineered to cope with big burdens, such as large caravans, horse floats, boats etc.Tow bar prices can be a bit of a toss-up.Depending on the type of towbar you opt for, it could cost you anywhere from $200 to $1000 and beyond. Those prices are for the products alone, they do not include fitment.The cheaper towbars are generally for light-duty purposes, and the more expensive examples are for heavy-duty towing, as sturdier materials are involved in the manufacture of these.Prices will vary depending on where the towbars are built, the quality of steel used in the manufacture of the towbar, the cost of the production processes involved, and how stringent the quality-control measures are during the manufacture of the towbar.As mentioned earlier, towbars are classified according to the weight they can legally cope with, but they’re also available in different designs to suit different tasks and stresses.For the purposes of brevity, though, let’s boil down the options to a fixed hitch (as in bolted or welded to the towbar frame); a removable tongue style; a Euro-style swan neck towbar; and, what you’ll see on many 4WDs and tow vehicles, a 50x50mm hitch receiver with hollow tongue fastened to the hitch receiver by using a hitch pin and R clip. Your towbar also needs a hitch, which connects the towbar to the trailer/caravan/camper-trailer/horse float. The hitch usually has a standard 50mm tow ball on a rigid ball mount. Popular in the 4WDing world are off-road couplings (also called articulating hitches), which can rotate up to 360 degrees.Depending on the type of vehicle and the type of towbar to be fitted, installation may be a DIY job – only if you’re very handy with the tools and are certain your work won’t affect the warranty of either the vehicle or towbar – or, better still, get a professional to install your towbar.The rear bumper, tail-lights and any other bits that may obstruct towbar installation and, if so, will have to be removed while work is being done. Also, the bumper, exhaust shield (underbody) and other components may have to be cut to make way for the towbar.The towbar will have to be positioned and bolted to the chassis, then the trailer wiring, including the harness, will have to be installed.Then it’s time to throw the bumper back on (well, don’t throw it – refit it, properly in place).Sorting out the wiring might just be the most difficult part of the process – well, it is for me – but companies, such as Hayman Reese, have tackled this issues by developing plug-in wiring solutions to minimise the fuss and streamline the process. Towing bar installation cost can range anywhere from $300 to more than $1000 to have a tow bar fitted to your vehicle. Towbar fitting cost will depend on the towbar’s load-rating and the type of vehicle it’s being fitted to. The complexity of the task – whether it will involve cutting the bumper and special wiring – will also impact the towbar fitting price.As with the price of the towbars and towbar kits, a tow bar installation price can vary depending on labour costs and how difficult the job actually is.It also depends where you reside in Australia but, don’t fret, because there are respected purveyors of towbars and towbar-fitting specialists everywhere including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Newcastle.

The Ford Everest has plenty of appeal as a comfortable and capable touring vehicle, and while the 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo powered variants already have solid followings, everyone wants to know if the new 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 Everest is worthy of the hype train it's onboard.We take the V6 Everest out bush to see how it fares on and off the tracks.

News of a 'special' or 'limited' edition vehicle should be received with a healthy degree of cynicism because the special vehicle may merely be wearing a sticker pack.But sometimes it's a bit more, or a lot more substantial than that.The Mitsubishi Triton Sport limited edition is a GLS-spec variant of the ute with some cosmetic changes - but not a lot else - applied to the vehicle.

What is the average height of a car?The average height of a car is 1.8 metres.That figure comes from averaging the height of popular vehicle types spanning the Australian new car market.The average height of a small/compact SUV is about 1550mm, the average height of a medium SUV is about 1750mm, the average height of a large SUV is about 1800mm, the average height of an upper large SUV is about 1850mm, the average height of a ute is about 1850mm, and the average height of a US pick-up is about 2000mm.The height of your car is a crucial factor in determining if you can safely house it undercover when you’re not driving it.Also, when you’re out and about, the heights of undercover car parks may vary and you really don’t want to scrape the roof of your car – or worse – as you drive into one of those car park infrastructures.One of the most important factors you must take into account when buying a car is whether it will fit in the allocated place in which you plan to park it or house it when it’s not being used – whether that be a resident-only car park, your driveway, an undercover garage, a car port etc. And, of course, a vehicle’s height is part of this concern.So, how tall are cars? Whether you’re buying a hatchback, a sedan, a wagon or a full-size US pick-up, you must know the dimensions of your potential purchase in order to ensure you’re able to safely house it at your home.Car heights differ depending on the vehicle type, for instance a Hyundai i30 (with a listed height “from 1415mm”, from CarsGuide) is not anywhere near as tall as a Ram 1500 pick-up (with a listed height “from 1917 mm”).Note: for the purposes of this yarn, we’re focussing on the height of commercially available mainstream passenger vehicles.So, what is the average car height? Read on.Car height within the same realm – hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, SUVs, utes, pick-ups etc – does not vary as greatly as something like length may.How much do vehicles differ? Not a whole lot, really.Unmodified models in the same section of the market will likely be within 150mm of each other in terms of height, from the ground to the top of the vehicle.But remember, for accessorised/modified new or second-hand vehicles, to take into account taller-than-standard aerials, as well as gear like roof racks, luggage platforms, roof-top tents and the like.Reckon I’m off the mark? Good for you. Feel free to push back in the comments section.A small urban car – perhaps well suited to a couple or a couple and their anxious Shih Tzu, Tarquin – will need less space for people and/or cargo than a gargantuan, bush-based, horse-trailer-towing US pick-up that regularly carries five people in the cab (and two dogs in the tub).So, it’s logical the city runabout vehicle will take up less physical space – and so offer less room – than something like an outback load-lugger.But generally speaking, cars within the same realm – hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, SUVs, utes, pick-ups – will have similar measurements.Of course there is – and which one you prefer boils down to your lifestyle and specific vehicular needs.The main advantage of having a lower/shorter car is its ease of parking in urban areas.For your reference, the maximum height of an undercover parking building is usually listed as 2.0m or so on signage at the entrance to the structure.If you’re in a small car, you’ll never suffer through those last-second white-knuckled doubts about whether your vehicle will actually fit into an undercover garage at the exact moment you’re about to drive into it.The main advantage of having a taller car (wagon, van, ute) is the fact that its extra height likely means it has more interior room and cargo space, meaning it has greater capacity to carry people- and/or cargo in relative comfort than a smaller vehicle.In Australia we use the metric system of measurement. In this feature, we’re referring to a car height in millimetres, which is a standard specification measurement in the vehicular world.So, if you’re looking for the average height of a car in metres, feet or centimetres, then – tough luck – you’ll just have to work it out in your head.For reference, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) defines selected vehicle types on their footprint (defined as length x width , rounded).This is a more considered way of calculating how much space a vehicle occupies, rather than merely thinking about only its height, or length, or width.First up, micro, light or small cars* – we’re talking about vehicles such as Kia Picanto, Suzuki Ignis, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Kona and the like.(* Micro: “Hatch, sedan or wagon with a footprint < 6300mm”; Light: “Hatch, sedan or wagon with a footprint range 6301-7500mm”; or Small: “Hatch, sedan or wagon with a footprint range 7501-8300mm”, according to FCAI.)For reference, the VW Polo is listed as “from 1442mm” high, according to our dimension experts here at carsguide.com.au – and we reckon the average height of a micro, light or small car falls somewhere between 1438mm (2022 VW Polo) and 1720mm (the Suzuki Jimny).The average small/compact SUV (with a length (mm) x width (mm) less than 8100mm), is about 1535mm (Mazda CX-3) to 1640mm high (Mitsubishi ASX).Let’s jump to medium SUVs – (with a FCAI-defined footprint of 8101mm-8800mm) – which includes vehicles such as Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail, Volkswagen Tiguan etc.These vehicles are referred to as “medium” or “mid-size” and may have five or seven seats.The average height of a medium SUV falls somewhere between 1700mm and 1800mm.Large SUVs can carry up to seven people; upper large SUVs are able to carry up to eight passengers.The average height of a large SUV (with an FCAI-listed footprint of between 8801mm and 9800mm) such as Toyota Prado, Land Rover Discovery and their ilk, falls somewhere between 1717mm (VW Touareg, as listed by CarsGuide) and 1842mm (Ford Everest, as noted by CarsGuide).Upper large SUVs have an FCAI-defined footprint bigger than 9801mm. Think Audi Q7 (1781mm high), BMW X7 (1835mm high) through to Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series (1950mm high), etc.Utes are classified as light trucks, which are “Vehicles designed principally for commercial but may include designs intended for non-commercial applications”.They’re available as two-wheel drive (4x2) or four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicles, and as a cab chassis or with a tub at the rear.These vehicles can legally carry up to five people in the cabin, depending on the body type, and have a FCAI-defined footprint of between 9001mm and 9501mm.The average height of a ute available in Australia falls somewhere between 1750mm (Toyota HiLux, as listed by CarsGuide) and 1970mm (Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series WorkMate single-cab cab-chassis, as listed by CarsGuide).Pick-ups are just like utes, but hardcore utes that have have taken a lot of steroids – we’re talking about the likes of the Ram 1500, the Ram 2500, the Chevrolet Silverado, the Ford F-150 etc. The average height of these vehicles is about 1920mm, with pick-ups ranging from 1963mm high (Chevrolet Silverado, as listed by CarsGuide) to 2037mm high (Ram 3500, as listed by CarsGuide).What are the tallest and lowest vehicles available in Australia?The shortest commercially available new vehicle in Australia we reckon has to be something in the realm of the VW Polo, which has a listed height as “from 1442mm”.There are plenty of tall heavy-duty work vans and utes available in Australia, but probably the tallest mainstream vehicle in Australia is the Toyota LandCruiser 78 Series Troop Carrier at a listed 2115mm high.If you’re reading this yarn on the CarsGuide website – and not on some dodgy website that has “curated” (read: stolen) our content and is pretending it’s their own – then look up at the menu bar at the top of the page and tap ‘Pricing and Specs’. That will take you, yes, to the ‘Pricing and Specs’ section. Also, feel free to visit the appropriate carmaker’s website and download any specification sheets that are relevant to your particular choice of vehicle. Make sure you look at the correct make-model-variant details.