Articles by Matt Campbell

Is Suzuki Australia making a mistake by dumping the Baleno hatchback?

​You might think that when a brand offers a capped-price servicing plan, you, as the customer, will get a good deal when it comes to maintenance costs. Thankfully, that's now the case for Volvo Cars Australia.In short, Volvo had one of the most expensive service setups in the Australian market, capped pricing or no, but that's pleasingly changed - significantly so.The company now offers two levels of capped-price service plans, as buyers can opt for a three-year/45,000km or five-year/75,000km plan.See the table below to see how each of the different models stacks up. You'll find that they're consistently priced.As is the standard for the premium brands, Volvo offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Volkswagen offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, with the company's Australian arm labelling it the Service Pricing Guide.The Volkswagen Service Pricing Guide covers all new models sold by the brand, from the pint-sized Polo city car to the Crafter large van. According to Volkswagen, "when servicing your Volkswagen at an authorised service centre, you can have the confidence your Volkswagen is in the most capable of hands".The vast majority of Volkswagen vehicles - including the Golf, Tiguan and Amarok - have a service schedule that requires maintenance every 12 months or 15,000km. That's pretty good - lots of brands suggest servicing requirements in smaller increments.The Crafter large van requires servicing every 12 months or 20,000km - clearly the brand thinks people who own a big box on wheels will do more distance per annum, and that's absolutely correct. If you have heard that Volkswagens are expensive to own, that’s mostly true. The majority of models in the range are more expensive to maintain than competitor vehicles, although it's great that the German company offers a five-year capped-price plan, which is longer than a few of its biggest competitors.The capped price service costs are on the high side. But if you refer to our tables below, you’ll see VW also offers Volkswagen Care Plans for either three years or five years. Those Care Plans offer peace of mind to customers in being able to bundle their maintenance costs in to their finance package, and VW Australia stipulates that if you sign up for a five-year plan, you get a discounted rate and your first service (12 months and either 15,000km or 20,000km) free. That equates to savings of between $619 for a Passat, to as much as $2,302 for a California Beach/Multivan van!And in good resale value news, VW’s Care Plans are fully transferable if you decide to sell, too. Check out the table below for all the cost details.VW Australia’s warranty is five years/unlimited kilometres, but complementary roadside assist is only included for the first year.See the table below for the average cost per service for each of the models in the Volkswagen range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of the different variants listed. 

Toyota offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, which it labels Toyota Service Advantage.That name may ring a bell - Toyota has done a terrific job in marketing its capped-price servicing plan over the years - and on top of that, Toyotas have a great reputation in Australia when it comes to reliability and ownership.However, if you search Toyota's site for service prices (if you can find them), you may be confused by the fact there are two different prices quoted - the Toyota Service Advantage price, which is applicable to privately owned cars, and the Maximum Logbook Service price, which applies to government, fleet and rental car customers.Either way, you'll see that some Toyota models require maintenance more regularly than others. The table below offers a breakdown of which models needs servicing when, but with the majority requiring maintenance every six months or 10,000km (whichever occurs soonest), the brand is lagging behind many competitors.But as Toyota rolls out more of its new-generation vehicles, those intervals should gradually increase.Toyota became one of the last brands to join the fray in offering a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty plan (five years/160,000km for commercial vehicles). Further, the warranty can be extended to seven years if the schedueld service plan has been adhered to. However, the Japanese maker doesn't include any roadside assistance as part of the purchase price; you'll need to pay an additional annual fee for Toyota Roadside Assist.See the table below for the average cost per service for each of the models in the Toyota range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of them.

The Suzuki Jimny is a vehicle that Australian customers just can’t get enough of, with demand outstripping supply by a considerable margin.

The new-generation Ford Ranger 2023 line-up sees a longer wheelbase, which makes it less appealing for serious off-roaders, CarsGuide can reveal.

Suzuki offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, with the company’s Australian arm labelling it Suzuki Genuine Servicing.

Subaru offers a capped-price servicing plan for all of its current models, and it falls under the company’s ownership program known as the Subaru Capped Price Servicing Program.

The Australian arm of French brand Renault backs every one of its models with a capped-price servicing plan, which it calls Renault Capped Price Servicing.

The Haval H6 GT is the latest model from the Chinese SUV specialist brand - and it offers a heck of a lot of style for the money. Inspired by the likes of the Porsche Cayenne Coupe, BMW X4 and X6, Mercedes GLC Coupe and GLE Coupe, and more, the swoopy-roofed liftback model has a different appearance - but it looks very appealing on paper, and for the money.