7 seater

Just bought a 2019 Isuzu MU-X and its economy is at 14 litres per 100km after driving it from Melbourne to Wagga on the motorway at 110 km/h. What could be the problem?

I have a 2010 rear wheel drive auto Ford Territory. What do I need to do to it increase the towing capacity from 2300kg to 2700kg?

The all-new 2024 Toyota LandCruiser Prado will forgo its diesel engine - at least in some markets - and instead arrive packing petrol-hybrid power, according to reports that quote "company insiders" from the USA.The engine in question is the four-cylinder

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Volkswagen Australia has bumped up prices for most of its models coming into 2023, with some new car prices increasing by as much as $1500.

Australians purchased more new cars in 2022 than they did in 2021, despite lingering covid impacts, soaring interest rates and global financial warnings.None of that dampened our enthusiasm for new vehicles, though, with 1,081,429 vehicles sold across the

The all-conquering Kia Carnival is the people mover to beat, but can these potential and current rivals be the ones to give it a shake?

The question is: five-years on, do buyers now get to experience a wider array of models from the makes that actually used to make cars here, now that there is no manufacturing or jobs to defend?

Buying a new car in 2022 was not an easy task thanks to extended wait times, stock shortages and dealers seemingly less willing to budge on the sticker price, but that didn’t stop huge interest in reviews.

Although some families might need a larger SUV like the Santa Fe, after one month with the Active's shorter equipment list, I am starting to miss some modern conveniences offered by a similarly-priced, but higher-spec, mid-size SUV model.Do the niceties in an SUV in a class below make a worthwhile trade-off for the extra practicality?Well, some of those day-to-day features in the Tucson Highlander really did make it an easier to use vehicle.For starters, front seats in the Tucson were electronically adjustable, while the seats in the Santa Fe are manually operated.Don't get me wrong, I don't need seat electrics to get comfortable in a car, but the electronic adjustment means you can save two desired seating positions – one for you and the other for your partner.In the last month, I reckon I've had to squeeze myself into my wife's very tight driving position more than a few times, just to reach the seat slider and push it back to a point where my knees weren't on the dashboard.Electronic seat adjustment in the Tucson also meant that when you park the car and opened the door, the driver's seat would automatically slide back a bit to make egress easier, and it was just a nice premium touch that's sorely missed now we are in a Santa Fe Active.And on the topic of electronics, let's talk tailgates.A power-operated tailgate is one of those things you feel like you don't need to until you actually have one.It used to be so easy to just hit a button on the key fob to pop the boot, throw in what you need, hit the button and go.In the Santa Fe, you have to lift and slam the boot lid every time, which again, isn't too much of a problem for me, but for my heavily pregnant partner, it can get a bit tricky to juggle everything needed to open/close the rear hatch.Another feature we miss in the higher-spec Tucson include heated and cooled front seats, which were so helpful during Melbourne's unpredictable seasonal changes.And on the safety front, the Tucson was kitted out with a great surround-view monitor, which made parking, even in tight spots, a breeze, whereas the Santa Fe has only a reversing camera and front parking sensors.However, an area where the Santa Fe stands above the Tucson is the multimedia system.Sure, the screen is a little smaller at 8.0 inches, but it allows for wireless Android Auto, which means phone integration and maps are a cinch.From phone calls, to messages, even emails and calendar reminders, Android Auto on an in-car multimedia screen makes it so easy to keep up with the hustle and bustle of daily family life. So, it's great to see it work so seamlessly and smoothly in the Santa Fe Active.And well, the question has to be asked: Do we actually use the extra space in the Santa Fe?Unfortunately, the answer is no – or at least not yet. With another baby joining the family ranks in the next month or so, I can see us getting much more use out of the Santa Fe's larger dimensions very soon.A second car seat will need to be installed, our existing seat converted back to a rear facing and the extra boot capacity will be taken up with a full-size pram and bassinet – so I'm sure we're going to be very glad of the extra practicality!Acquired: October 2022Distance travelled this month: 486kmOdometer: 7230kmAverage fuel consumption for month: 8.1L/100km