Articles by Owner Review

Heads-up/Teslogic magnetic phone point above steering wheel. Very interactive and easy to use.Huge boot space with extra tub, frunk, door and console storage and locked glovebox. Exhilirating drive. Precise and fun. Functionality is incredibly easy and sits on the road like a sports car.Under five dollars a day to recharge at home, driving 240km (30kWh x 16c/kWh= $4.80). I save $900 a month on lost money to pay for fuel. paid $60 to rotate tyres x3 in eight months.Haven't had any problems. Great car to drive and wasn't too bad either using fast chargers on longer trips. It's all a mindset and can't complain about the Tesla. 

Mostly good, but as mentioned previously, the omission of active crusie control while almost all the other safety suites are included - such as lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and radar-monitoring forward collision means that the omission of ACC was either a bean counter being cynical or that the technology was not available - I’m going to guess it was the former. Cargo space in the Equinox is brilliant - the seats fold perfectly flat and the access is simple. The rear compartment, however, does not come with a cover - meaning my scooter is always exposed to potentially being stolen, so I need to cover it with a blanket.The Equinox is a relatively fast and smooth vehicle. Noise suppression is excellent for the price and the car steers and breaks with confidence. The engine is slightly overpowered for the available traction to the front wheels, but a smooth driver will overcome this, even in the wet. Overall, I really enjoy how the Equinox moves.I recently drove a modern Honda SUV and when I got back into my older vehicle I was surprised how it holds it own in the company of much newer car. Clearly GM made this model as world car and it shows. This is a very decent car to drive - not perfect, but I never expected perfection. For most part it’s exceeded my expectations as far as refinement and comfort as well as handling and road manners.So far it’s been pretty good. I’ve only needed to do scheduled maintenance.Never had anything that remotely resembles unreliability. I woke to a puncture one morning. That is as close to the car letting me down as I have experienced. Of course, it was a nail in tire, so as far as the car goes in the reliability stakes it scores a perfect score.

Having owned a few VW Group products, both the safety tech and infotainment system have been quite familiar to myself. That being said, the tech is excellent even when compared to the newer (more problem-prone) MK4 Octavia range. I've rarely had any issues with the infotainment display, while the wired CarPlay connectivity never skips a beat. The 9.2" infotainment display is paired with a sharp 10.25" digital drivers display, both of which pretty quickly for a system that was updated many years ago. Only bug bear is CarPlay doesn't feed through GPS directions to the driver display, something available in the more recent generation.On this specific 2020 model, I have Travel Assist, Lane Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, Adaptive Cruise and Emergency Brake Assist, leading the car to travel semi-autonomously on those long slogs across town on the M1. It all works brilliantly, though it can be confused with roadwork zones and poor line markings.If I could rate the practicality of this car beyond a 10/10, I would - it's simply the most practical, brilliant interior of any vehicle I've ever had. There's all the space you come to except from a wagon (heaps of head and shoulder space across the rear bench, loads of leg room front and rear, a super practically shaped boot).Then there's everything to delight you, such as the two-sided boot liner that means you can hose out the floor after a beach day, or the numerous tie-down hooks and standard netting that keeps your groceries secure. We inspected quite a few SUVs, and yet none of them came close to the space we have in the Octavia.It's simply a brilliant machine and I wish more families took advantage of the space a wagon.Trading up from a Polo GTI, we were keen for another sporty vehicle with a load more practicality. On that front, the RS 245 delivers in spades - heaps of punch off the line, loads of torque in the middle bands for overtaking on highways, and very reasonable efficiency around town (currently averaging 8L/100km in our long-term average). Picking this car up second-hand, the standard 19" rims had already been swapped out for the 18" rims featured here and I believe the ride has improved as a result of this - something to consider if you picked one up.Only issues I've really had with the driving experience of this vehicle have been in regards to road noise (still coarse on most freeways or highways, even with Pilot Sport 4s on the car), and some typical DSG lag when crawling at low speed with the stop-start system flicked on (I usually have it off in traffic).Is this as cheap as a Camry Hybrid to run? Definitely not. It's an excellent quality vehicle and the servicing requirements match this. That being said, Skoda dealers have fixed-price servicing and you're often fairly aware of what you'd be looking at in advance.Fuel economy has been great (currently averaging 8L/100km), insurance is reasonable in the current environment and overall running costs are very reasonable overall.Only major issue I've had occur so far has was a ripped-off oil sump after hitting a particularly nasty pothole on the Mornington Peninsula. Aside from this, nothing has so far gone wrong or had any failures.

The infotainment screen has a lot of different driving options, from the lane-keeping assist function, active cruise adjustment and MG Pilot. FM and digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The car will not drive unless the driver seat belt is fastened. The driver is able to adjust most driving functions to suit their driving needs through the infotainment touchscreen, which needs to be a bit more reactive.The cars interior is minimalist as most of the controls has to be accessed through the touchscreen. There are a control buttons for the radio volume, air-conditioning on/off only, front and rear window demister. and home screen reset. The front seats are comfortable in this model. In the Essence, the drivers seat has electric adjustment, which in our case is very handy. There are two cup holders and ample storage. The rear seat has 60/40 split rear and the cargo has ample area for storage but no spare wheel.Driving the MG Essence puts a smile on your face. With rear-wheel drive, 150kW and 250Nm, the MG is very responsive from the start, and to have to change lanes there is always enough response.One pedal driving is a great option as it saves the wear and tear on the brakes and can add charge back to the main battery.The running costs of the MG compared to our last car is like chalk and cheese. I charge the MG on average once a month from home. I run the battery 80% to 20%. The charging takes about 20 hours from a normal domestic power outlet. I get approximately 250km between charging at a cost of approximately $10.The servicing is every two years at approximately $1200 over a four-year period.Insurance for the MG was a bit of a challenge to start with as when I bought the car in September not all insurance companies had this model on their books, but it finished ok.I have had quite a few new cars over my driving years. Comparing the MG EV to the ICE-powered cars is probably not fair as there is a lot less to have problems with on EVs as they are more electronic than mechanical. But I have been driving this car now for five months and the only complaint I have is the infotainment touchscreen is a bit slow to react.

Tech is great with a big screen and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Plenty of safe driving features including a reversing camera and sensors seemingly everywhere on the car. The anti-collision warning system can be quite jarring if you are not expecting it and sometimes it can incorrectly inform you of an imminent car crash (in fact, reacting to cars turning out of your lane). Navigating through screen menus to the climate control system is a bit of an annoyance. Given not all the buttons are available on the centre console you have to navigate from Apple CarPlay into the Ford SYNC system to adjust certain settings.For everyday life the Ranger is a great addition with plenty of space available to throw a surfboard on the roof or in the tray, as well as off-road capability that allows it to hold its own on the farm. The Ford Ranger has stood up to any task I have thrown at it so far. With a length over 5.0 metres it can be difficult fitting into city parking spots and it often tests my reverse parallel parking skills. Getting into shopping centres, even with roof racks, proves to be simple and easy with a max height under 1.9m. No matter the situation you can trust that when you put your foot down the Ranger is going to take you exactly where you need to go, with great handling and a seemingly low centre of gravity you feel stuck to the ground. Driving the Ranger is almost always smooth even when off-roading (trying to find the best surf spots). With a great suspension system you barely feel any bumps in the road.Even when towing, the handling is top tier and I have yet to run into any issues. Running costs is where the sting comes for the Ranger. An average fuel fill costs me $150 which I'll run through every two to three weeks. Not cheap, especially with the cost of diesel remaining quite high thanks to the ongoing economic conditions. But this has just had to become a part of my budgeting the last few years.  Insurance also comes at a bit of a premium, however I would attribute that to my younger age. Insurance costs are higher than for a normal car.Finally, servicing. This is the only running cost I haven't seen increase considerably since changing cars with the average service running me for a couple of hundred dollars.There has never been a situation where I haven't had the upmost trust in my Ranger to respond as needed, from snow, to mud, to sand and asphalt. Have never had an issue.  In my three years of owning this car I have not had any large repair costs. With regular use I have only had slight issues with a rattle here and there which were cheap and easy to rectify. Overall, the reliability has been great and I've been very impressed with it. 

What tech!? Excellent. Smooth power delivery from the 12HT with automatic (Australian-delivered Saharas were all autos). It's basically unbogable, at least I have never been stuck even towing my camper trailer through soft sand. I have been places with the trailer that a 200 Series towing similar weight could not get to. I think it comes down to vehicle weight vs traction, really. The trailer actually has inertia once moving too, which is one aspect a lot of people don't understand. They think they will get stuck with a trailer, so they put all their gear in the vehicle and it becomes far toe heavy. Engineering dynamics 101! Oil changes and tyres. Like most four-wheel-drives, you can get through tyres depening on where you go. I tore up a Cooper on some rocks hidden in grass last trip, so you must always carry extra wheels two spares at least. The oil changes can be expensive at around $130.00 every 5000km. But overall I have not replaced much else on this vehicle in 20 years. I think the alternator comes to mind, although I did rebuild the engine when I first bought the vehicle (385,000km), but nothing major at all since. I had to replace the viscous fan hub as its thermostat was seized and a radiator recently. Not too bad for 23 years of service. Unbelievable.

The multimedia technology is great, once you get an understanding how to use it. Younger generation would have no problems. I'm not tech savvy, so it took a little longer to figure out. The car as a whole is very practical, easy to drive, smooth and tidy interior, which makes easy access to all car necessities. Smooth, quick, quiet easy to drive. Bought only few days ago, so $40 on fuel. Reliable. Gets me and my children to A and B.

The car has good technical features, such as navigation/GPS screen, multimedia capabilities, alarms and showing odometer readings in digits on the screen. Practically the interior of the car is not bad, but rear seats are small and tight. The rear cargo can be too tight sometimes and difficult to be used for large objects. The car drives really well, with an engine of 1.2-litre four-cylinder, and the sport option drives very well and fast. The car is very fuel efficient, but the service and insurance costs are slightly higher than other cars in this range. The car is reliable. since I have purchased it had no running issues. Starts well and drives well.

Solid Bluetooth system, which allows you to play music and take hands free calls. Display also notifies you of any safety issues such as oil, braking, engine temp. Seats five people comfortably with okay storage in the boot. Rear cargo is small but decent for its size. Drives smoothly with, tiptronic coming in handy for hilly areas to make it more efficient to brake less and wear them out. Drives very well in mountainous areas like Mt Ruapehu so is fantastic for ski trips, hikes etc. 60ish litre tank, around 143 to fill the tank currently, and yearly service. Recently had to replace the media system, which was over $1K, and front brakes which were around 700. Very reliable. Hasn’t broken down in the time I’ve had it and drives really well on open roads, as well as in the city due to its fairly compact size.

I assume the car orignially came with a very limited multimedia system, so an aftermarket Bluetooth module with rear view camera was installed. That works really well.Scores well for safety features, the 4x4 system features all kinds of settings and warning lights in case you're doing the wrong thing. The car's height provides the driver with a really good overview of the suroundings. The car is super practical and very spacious. It comes with seven seats including the two standard rows that easily fold up or down. There are two extra seats in the boot that can be folded to the sides when not used or completely removed to create extra cargo space. A disavantage is that the front seats only adjust forward and backward. That's a bit limited. Very smooth driving machine with easy steering and it sticks to the road due to its weight. The car is very high (1.9m) and the wind can sometimes have an impact while driving. Other than that, great visibility from the driver's seat and although it's quite big it's easy to manoeuvre. Although these cars go forever, they need to be maintained properly and some repairs can be costly. Parts are widely available, which makes it really easy to get it serviced pretty much anywhere. My Prado has a 4.0-litre petrol engine, which is very thirsty. Ir runs about 13.5L/100km which is not very efficient. What I do love is the fact the car has a dual-tank system which allows you to fill up up to 180 litres at a time. These cars are known to be very reliable. Mine has over 200K on the odometer and is still going very strong. Most similar advertised cars have driven 350,000km+. They are built to last and perform well under hard circumstances - crossing Australia or when taking the car off-road to remote places.