Articles by Matt Campbell

The Nissan Navara range is wide, and the RX is the most affordable version in the mix. You can get it as a single cab, king cab or dual cab, and with the choice of a tray or a tub. How does it stack up as a budget-conscious choice for tradies? We put some weight in the tray and did a few hundred kays to find out.

The first ever Mercedes-Benz GLB small SUV has been revealed, taking the title of the most practical compact model in the brand’s range.

Toyota is likely to go hybrid only with the next-generation version of the iconic Land Cruiser SUV, with the so-called ‘300 Series’ model expected to adapt new drivetrains and technology when it arrives in the coming years.Officially there’s no word on when the new 300 Series Land Cruiser will arrive. You guessed it, will replace the current 200 Series model - but it’ll likely be a very different offering to the existing model, which runs the choice of a 4.5-litre turbo diesel V8 (200kW/650Nm) and a 4.6-litre petrol V8 (227kW/439Nm). Instead, it is expected Toyota will offer the choice of two downsized, hybrid-backed engines. Indeed, the company is set to embark on a rural roadshow to spruik the benefits of hybrids in the coming months. The aim being to discuss the extent to which hybridised models will impact customers in areas outside of the major cities.“I can’t comment today on what’s going to be in the next LandCruiser,” said Bernard Nadal, product planning and development manager at Toyota Australia - but he did indicate that the move towards smaller capacity engines is something that is widespread in the automotive space.“Very generally speaking, most brands are downsizing their V8s - whether its petrol or diesel in configuration, generally in the pursuit of greater efficiency and lower CO2 emissions. That’s the global trend,” Mr Nadal said.Mr Nadal indicated that turbocharged downsized engines are just part of the landscape, and that “Toyota is clearly a leader in hybrid technology”, and that leads us to believe the next-gem versions of the Land Cruiser and Prado may well package both elements together.Toyota Australia director of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, said that the company hasn’t spoken directly to customers about the future of the larger SUVs in its line-up, but that it needs to start communicating about what the technology means for consumers.“We haven’t done any research on LandCruiser or Prado - big SUV buyers - as such around hybrid. What we know is that if the performance is right, if it can do the functions that the consumer needs for that vehicle to do - whether it be commercially or privately - then people will adapt to hybrid,” said Mr Hanley.“We’re seeing that already. If you look at Camry, if you look at Corolla hybrid, if you look at RAV4 hybrid. On order intake, very early I know, but its at over sixty per cent hybrid.“So we do believe that based on the vehicles and offerings we have with hybrid variants right now, that if it’s priced right, performs right, is practical and it still serves to reduce our CO2 footprint and provide fuel efficiency, consumers will gravitate,” said Mr Hanley.“We are about to embark on what we’re calling a Hybrid Cavalcade. That’s not a tool to sell vehicles - it’s to start the conversation in regional Australia about hybrid technology.“We’ll go all around Australia - we’re going to every regional, rural Toyota dealer in Australia to see their customers so we can start the discussion about hybrid technology. What it represents, what it can do, where it’s going to go for Toyota Australia. We want to talk about electrification, we want to talk about reducing our CO2 footprint. We want to start the conversation.“Up until RAV4 we truly haven’t had a product that would necessarily be attractive to the agricultural area. But given our statement on electrification, our diversification of our range in the future, we know we’ve got to start that conversation. We want our customers - our existing customers and our potential customers - to be comfortable that hybrid can deliver on the things they require going forward.“We want to start the hybrid discussion in Australia - and that will start in the second half of this year,” said Mr Hanley.“It’s a really important step for Toyota. It represents, I think, very publicly, how important regional Australia is to the Toyota brand. We’ve never ruled them out, right. We have a commitment - well before any government legislation arrives.“That will mean a certain form of electrification across our range going forward,” said Mr Hanley. “Hybrid technology should not compromise capability.”Mr Nadal indicated that any such hybrid high-end SUV will meet the current standards of towing capability - pegged at 3.5 tonnes for the Land Cruiser 200 Series.Early indications suggest the new-generation Land Cruiser 300 Series will launch in 2021, and it could debut high-tech firsts such as see-through pillar technology to eliminated forward blind spots.

The recently launched Toyota HiAce commercial van is the first all-new model from the brand to be offered without a hybrid drivetrain in years.

The all-new Toyota Supra hasn't even arrived on sale yet, but there's already a market emerging for modifications and additional equipment.

Toyota’s diesel particulate filter (DPF) issues are over, according to the company.The brand had a well publicised issue with its DPF system, which was failing to work on its own accord and ended up causing engine failures, as well as diesel engines prominently blowing black smoke if the vehicle wouldn’t perform its burn-off duty as it should have.The problem - which resulted in a class action suit against Toyota Australia for failure to act - eventually lead to the brand introducing a manual burn-off switch as part of a running change to all new HiLuxes sold, and the retrofitment of the same system in the existing vehicles of owners.Now - according to Toyota Australia head of marketing and sales, Sean Hanley - the DPF issue is behind the brand.“Through all our learnings of previous-generation diesel technology, we believe that with the new vehicles and the manual burn-off switch, the communication with our customers - what DPF represents, how it works, what to look for, the support that we provide - we believe it is fixed,” he said.All models with the brand’s 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine - the HiLux, Fortuner, Prado and now the new-generation HiAce - come fitted with the DPF burn-off button. 

Toyota Australia already has the number-one selling ute in the market, but there's an appetite for an even bigger pick-up to be part of the mix here.

The world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine is on its way to the new-generation Mercedes-AMG A45 hatchback.

Toyota will leave it to the Europeans to fight for customers who want their mid-sized van to come with all-wheel-drive, with the company making it clear there are no plans for an AWD HiAce.

The Alfa Romeo 4C is something else. It's outside of the mould of the Italian brand's staple offerings, which consist of a hatchback, sedan and SUV. But the 4C is a purebred, unadulterated sports coupe. It's almost like a shrunken supercar, with a shrunken price tag, too.