Off road

How good is 4x4 in the 2020 GWM Ute cab-chassis 4x4 diesel?

When I have my foot on the brake and the accelerator in my 2024 Nissan Navara, a fault light comes up and it cuts out.

My 2016 Holden Colorado RG has recently started crunching gears when I downshift from third to second. But it only does this for the first five minutes then it’s fine? I’m assuming the gearbox oil gets hot and it’s okay. I’m thinking the synchros are worn but I don’t really know. Is the only way to find out, to pull the gearbox out and have a look?

Ford's Ranger Super Duty undercuts big American trucks as ultimate dual-cab for hardcore applications

Tesla in Australia has lifted the lid on its model plans, and its wish list, for our market, with the brand touching on everything from the long-rumoured Tesla Model 2 or cheaper EV products to the seven-seat Model Y.

Mahindra has confirmed that the long-awaited Thar will not be sold in Australia in its current form. The rugged, body-on-frame wagon was expected to arrive sometime this year in traditional three-door and extended-body five-door wagon guises.

BYD's premium Denza brand is about to hit Australia, and this is likely to be the first model to wear the Denza badge. The Fangchengbao 5, or Denza B5, is a plug-in hybrid off-road five-seat SUV and it's coming to take on the Toyota Prado, Land Rover Defender and more.

Kia Australia appears to have confirmed the future direction of its Tasman ute, conceding a plug-in hybrid powertrain was "on the radar" as the brand prepares to officially launch the diesel variant of its first-ever ute.Kia Australia chief Damien Meredith was quick to point out that no timelines were currently in place, and the focus was squarely on the launch of the diesel-powered Tasman, which has so far accrued close to 2000 orders."I think it's on the radar, but let's get the 2.2-litre diesel up and firing, and then we can talk about other engine options," he said.His comments follow similar suggestions from Kia Australia General Manager of Product Planning, Roland Rivero, who recently told CarsGuide the Kia Tasman platform had been future-proofed.“It’s a modular platform and it can accommodate numerous powertrains,” he told CarsGuide, when asked about the possibility of a plug-in hybrid.“Tasman will have a long life as most light commercial vehicles will, and we’ll do what we need to do from a market perspective.Plug-in hybrid petrol powertrains have emerged as the saviour of the ute segment, at least in terms of capability, as pressure on the continued sale of diesel engines mount.The Ford Ranger PHEV, for example, maintains its 3.5-tonne towing capacity, while the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha both promise off-road capability.Toyota, too, has confirmed it is working on a plug-in hybrid solution as the future of the HiLux."If we can get to a situation where a PHEV has the capability of doing 200-plus kilometres on BEV alone — so in other words, if I've got a HiLux I can just go around town, I can run that on BEV and be carbon-neutral pretty well, providing I'm using renewable energy to do it," Toyota Australia's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, told CarsGuide last year.“Now the issue is of course can it tow? Can it take a heavy load? Well, to be able to flick a switch and say, well, for those moments where I'm going out off-road or for those moments where I need to tow a heavy load, I've got the convenience of going to a normal hybrid engine and I can get 500 or 600 kilometres and it's convenient, then I see a role for PHEV in that space."Asked directly whether Toyota is working on a 200km-range PHEV, Mr Hanley told us: “Of course we are. And so that to us would represent two things. It's practical (and) it can do things that the customer wants it to do.”

Could Australia be next for this iconic Chinese off-roader?

BYD is on an absolute tear, revealing new models at break-neck speed. The latest vehicle is from its FangChengBao (FCB) range, which will be branded Denza in Australia.