Off road

Ford has adjusted the prices of its Ranger and Everest models in Australia as it phases out the popular twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel engines, and introduces more V6 variants.The pair were two of the best-selling cars in Australia in 2025. The Ranger was the overall best seller last year, while the related Everest just pipped the Toyota Prado as Australia's favourite large SUV.It means that the single-turbo variants come in cheaper than the outgoing twin-turbo units.The 2.0-litre Sport grade has had a sizeable increase of $2200, now starting from $71,190. The V6 variants on the more premium Everest models have gone down in price. The Sport is now $1000 cheaper at $75,990, while the Tremor and Platinum are roughly $1500 cheaper, starting from $78,440 and $82,990, respectively. Ford has also introduced an Active variant, replacing the previous range-opening Ambiente, and it gets the V6 engine, starting from $66,990, before on-road costs. This makes it the cheapest V6 Everest available.  2026 Ford Everest pricing Australia The Ranger has also undergone an extensive price shuffle across most of its variants. Among the bigger increases for the ute is the single-cab cab-chassis 2.0-litre variant, which is now $2630 more expensive than it was. The 2.0-litre Black Edition pick-up is now $2500 more.Some V6 variants have also received a hike in price, such as the XLT double-cab now starting from $69,090. The double-cab cab-chassis 2.0-litre is now $770 cheaper, with a starting price of $49,230. All other high-end and plug-in hybrid variants of the Ranger have stayed the same. Comparing the pick-up variants of other major ute brands, the Ranger’s cheapest V6 model at $57,900 is only a few thousand more expensive than the four-cylinder base Nissan Navara.2026 Ford Ranger pricing Australia 

I’m having trouble with the gearbox in my 2013 Ford Territory (six-speed auto 2.7 diesel), but only when the gearbox is warm. When decelerating at any speed the car jerks quite badly but when I speed up it stops. In slow traffic the jerking becomes worse, however if I put into neutral slowing down the jerking stops.

The mechanics can’t find an issue because when they test drive the car is generally cold and works fine. There’s no issue changing gears up or down, it’s only when the gearbox gets hot the problem begins? Any thoughts?

The incoming new-generation Nissan Navara is mechanically identical to the Mitsubishi Triton, but carries a sizeable price jump in comparison.It adds another rival to a compact ute market, so how does the more expensive Navara shape up to its cheaper Triton sibling? Nissan said money and time has been invested into its ute’s suspension, receiving assistance from Australian specialists Premcar.The brand said this local tuning offers improvement to driving and handling with and without load. The Navara has three different suspension set-ups across the range, with lower grades tuned for carrying loads, while SUV-like suspension is fitted to higher grades. Nissan’s ute also has a locking rear differential as standard on all grades, unlike on the Triton. Here is a breakdown of the difference between the Navara and the Triton.Pricing Australia (before on-road costs) Noting the Triton’s current drive-away offering, it comes in substantially cheaper than the Navara across the range. DimensionsBoth have the same braked towing capacity of 3500kg. Things start to change when we look at payload, with the Triton offers superior carrying capacity across the range. When it comes to cargo bed size, the pair share the same-sized space.  Engine and efficiencyThe Navara and Triton are nearly mechanically identical and use the same engine and transmission, so there is no difference between the two. Standard featuresNext grade adds or replaces: Next grade adds or replaces: Next grade adds The Navara does have more standard equipment than the Triton in a comparison between the pair.As standard, the Navara gets a digital driver display, unlike on the Triton, while it also gets a bigger central touchscreen. There is digital DAB+ radio, LED lighing front and back, tailgate assist and a rear diff lock as standard on the Navara, while that is only available on higher grade Tritons. There are areas where the Triton matches the Navara, including all-terrain tires and basic cloth trimmed manually adjustable seats.On the top-spec grades, the Triton has bigger alloy wheels, but they both have leather seats. The Navara’s top grade has a towbar fitted, but the Triton does not.Safety The Nissan Navara adopts the same five-star ANCAP safety rating awarded to the Mitsubishi Triton in 2024. Both get all the safety gear you would expect, such as eight airbags, lane keep assist and auto-emergency. As standard, both cars get a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors. VerdictThe Mitsubishi Triton appears to be the value buy here as it gets most of the gear as on the Navara, but for a cheaper price. The Triton's special drive-away price makes it more compelling for now, but the price gap will close once that offer is removed.The Triton may be the budget pick, but the Navara’s benefits are not obvious from the spec sheet. Its Aussie-tuned suspension and rear-differential lock could give it the edge on the off-roading scene, while also aiding the on-road driving experience. 

GWM’s V8 hybrid luxury off-roader will launch next month, according to reports.There is no news yet on the Tank 800’s potential Australia future, but its impending China launch means it might not be too far away from Aussie shores.It was previously thought the car would launch some time in 2026, but that time line now appears to have been moved up.It is expected the car will take the shape of a large SUV, offering a luxury rival to the Range Rover and an off-roading competitor to the Toyota LandCruiser. The headline news with this GWM off-roader is that it will be fitted with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo eight-cylinder plug-in hybrid set-up, producing a combined 735kW.There is also a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a plug-in hybrid, producing 283kW. These engines are said to fall in line with the emissions regulations in Australia, which have forced its potential Aussie rivals, such as the Toyota LandCruiser and the Nissan Patrol, to down-size their V8s to six-cylinder units.GWM's V8 plug-in hybrid outputs leave its rivals in the shade, with LandCruiser 300 Series' 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel six-cylinder making 227kW and 700Nm.The Nissan Patrol's 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel engine produces 317kW and 700Nm.This would leave the Tank 800 with a competitive advantage, being a V8 off-roader in Australia, but priced similarly to its rivals at around $100,000.Unlike the LandCruiser and Patrol, the Tank 800 will feature a more luxurious interior, with a likening to the Range Rover. We got our first look at GWM’s new V8 in April 2025 at the Shanghai motor show, with other cars likely to utilise the engine in the future. GWM has been growing its Tank range in Australia, with the Tank 300 and Tank 500 proving popular, and there are an increasing number of power set-ups launching. A plug-in hybrid Tank 300 will launch in the first quarter of 2026, while a V6 diesel Tank 500 also launching this year. 

The new Toyota LandCruiser FJ mini 4WD is the car Australia wants and needs but is denied… however, that could all change soon, according to new reports.Toyota’s little LandCruiser made its public debut at the 2025 Tokyo motor show, with rugged looks, built-in toughness and right-hand-drive production locked in.Toyota Australia’s then Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley told CarsGuide at the time it would not be available to Australia because the 2.7-litre petrol engine only adheres to Euro 5 emissions regulations.“The LandCruiser name in Australia would be very appealing, but the hardcore reality is we are facing in our country… variable regulations, new criteria, new vehicle efficiency standards,” said Hanley.“It’s not about NVES, it’s just about regulations.“We’re moving to Euro 6 emissions standards. That’s the reality,” he said. Now reports out of Japan point to the FJ LandCruiser scoring a diesel option before the end of the decade, which could make it viable for Australia.The overseas report point to it using the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with mild hybrid assistance as the current Toyota HiLux ute and Prado 4WD.That means it could gain 150kW and 500Nm of grunt, which is heaps for an off-roader similar in size to a RAV4. It is also a sizeable jump over the current version's 120kW and 246Nm 2.7-litre petrol motor.We won’t know the fate of the diesel FJ LandCruiser for sometime, as it's reportedly not being added to the line-up until 2029.At the Tokyo motor show last year Hanley said if the LandCruiser FJ’s engine was rated to Euro 6 standards, he would consider it for an Australian launch.“If it was Euro 6, I would reconsider it,” said Hanley.“If it does turn out to be a Euro 6 engine, and if it does turn out to be that way, which it could… then that’s something we could re-examine.”The emissions goal posts will have changed by the end of the decade, so there is still a chance that engine will not be available

Pricing for the incoming BYD Shark 6 cab-chassis ute has been revealed on the website RedBook.It will start from $55,900, before on-road costs, which is $2000 cheaper than the pick-up version of the popular ute already in Australia. BYD Australia when contacted for comment said that the company was not in a position to share an official launch date for the new variant. The cab-chassis Shark 6 does not have a direct rival in Australia with the Ford Ranger PHEV being a pick-up-exclusive variant. GWM is preparing a budget PHEV ute in China, which has good prospects for an Australian launch some time this year, but it looks like that will be a pick-up-only variant as well. BYD’s newest ute Down Under was first revealed in late November when it appeared in Department of Infrastructure filings confirming sale approval. These latest details reveal the car will miss out on some of the Shark 6 pick-up’s gear, such as a head-up display along with heated and ventilated front seats.It will still have a digital driver display and central touchscreen display, but the leather-wrapped steering wheel has been replaced by a synthetic one. It can also now be confirmed that the ute will have the same power set-up as found on the pick-up variant. A 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and dual electric motors, producing 321kW and 650Nm. The ute has a 29.6kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, with an electric-only driving range of 100km, according to generous NEDC testing.The cab-chassis increases the payload to 900kg, but capacity will decrease with any tub or trailer installed. braked towing capacity remains at 2500kg.This news comes as BYD prepares to update the pick-up variant of the ute later in 2026. It is expected to be fitted with front and rear differential locks and a two-speed transfer-case, which would likely come with a price bump. 

Could the Shark 6 be about to take a bigger chunk out of the dual-cab market?The brand has come as close as it ever has to admitting there’s a driveline upgrade in the works for the Shark 6 dual-cab that would make the vehicle a more serious off-road contender.That would make it more attractive to recreational four-wheel-drive users as well as open up new fleet possibilities.BYD Australia’s Chief Operation Office Stephen Collins told Carsguide that "some improvements" to the Shark 6 were in the works.“I can’t tell you the specifics,” he said, but confirmed the changes would probably come sometime “…later in the year”.Mr Collins called the changes an "upgrade" leading to speculation the Shark 6 might grow front and rear differential locks and a two-speed transfer-case, which would vastly improve its off-road performance, the factor that is seen as the Shark 6’s weakest link right now.Chief Product Officer for BYD Australia Sajid Hasan backed up that theory, explaining that the Shark 6’s existing architecture had already been engineered for greater off-road ability.“It’s a possibility, because it’s (the Shark 6) based on a platform that already uses low-range (in the transfer-case (which the current Shark 6 sold here does not) and diff locks. So it’s mechanically possible,” he told Carsguide.The Shark 6 has been a runaway success for BYD, selling 1108 units in January this year, and helping BYD in the chase for its long-term goal of being a top-five brand in Australia.“At the end of 20204, we were 16th, and at the end of 2025, we were eighth. We just want to keep improving,” Mr Collin said. “The next phase is to get into the top five and that’s a priority.”Part of that process will be a push into the fleet market which BYD had, until now, not fully exploited, Mr Collins said.“One of the key opportunities (for BYD) is fleets,” he said. “It’s a stable market and customers want fit for purpose vehicles, and are interested in the whole of life cost.”“For us, so far, this has only been 10 per cent of our volume, but we see this as a really important part of our business going forward.”“We’re not in the top 20 fleet brands (in Australia) yet. But we’re working hard to improve that performance.”

Mitsubishi’s new Toyota Prado rival is getting closer to its reveal.In the meantime Japanese publication Best Car Web has shown off new digital renders of what the forthcoming 2026 Mitsubishi Pajero will look like in production guise.They show a blocky and bluff large SUV, which appears to be off-road-capable and also draws some inspiration from the latest Nissan Patrol Y63, especially at the rear.At the front there is a large grille with headlights that cascade down the fascia, plus the bonnet has bulges helping to indicate its toughness.Around the side it’s fairly slab-sided, with one design flourish being the character lines on the C-pillar.The rear is virtually vertical and features tail-lights that have a similar design motif to the headlights. Notably the renders don’t show a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, indicating that Mitsubishi isn’t planning on offering this.While Best Car Web has published these new digital renders of the Pajero, a camouflaged prototype has already been spied numerous times on Australian roads.Mitsubishi has also included a camouflaged prototype in an official teaser video, confirming the new “cross-country” SUV will be revealed this year.As previously reported, it’s understood this new SUV will be called just the Pajero, dropping the Sport suffix altogether.This could see the iconic and original Pajero nameplate being revived for the first time since it was retired in 2021.There is still a lot of speculation surrounding what this new SUV is based on. The Pajero has historically been its own vehicle, however the Pajero Sport (formerly known as the Challenger) has always been based on the Triton ute.Previous reports have stipulated the new Pajero will be based on the current Triton ute, which launched locally in 2024. This means a body-on-frame is likely.Historically, the Pajero was built on a ladder-frame chassis, but later versions from the 2000s onward were built on a monocoque platform, like the current Land Rover Defender.If this new-generation Pajero is based on the Triton, this likely means it will share a version of its 2.4-litre bi-turbo-diesel engine. It produces 150kW and 470Nm in the Australian-specification Triton.It’ll likely also receive Mitsubishi’s latest version of its Super-Select four-wheel drive system which allows for full-time four-wheel drive on sealed surfaces.Locally the Triton is only offered with a six-speed automatic transmission, however the outgoing Pajero Sport was offered with an eight-speed automatic transmission.It’s unclear if Mitsubishi will offer this new-generation Pajero with a similar eight-speed automatic transmission.This new Mitsubishi large SUV can’t come soon enough as the Japanese carmaker axed a considerable portion of its line-up, including the Pajero Sport, earlier this year due to them not meeting new Australian Design Rule (ADR) standards which stipulated specific requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems.As a result Mitsubishi’s largest SUV is currently the mid-sized Outlander, which is also its best-seller by far. Certain trims can be had in seven-seat form.

Toyota’s 70 Series LandCruisers are much loved for many reasons and one of those is the fact they don’t change much. Sure, it now has LED headlights and a new multimedia system, but otherwise not a lot has been altered. It's not pretty and it offers few concessions to occupant comfort or safety. But the 70 stands out as being unapologetically what it is: a boxy truck-like live-axle 4WD.

Ford and Geely could be about to team-up and use the Blue Oval’s European factory, according to a report in Reuters.The brands are reportedly in talks for Geely to use Ford factory space in Europe to produce vehicles to be sold on the continent, which would allow Geely to skirt tariffs placed on Chinese built cars. The pair discussed a potential framework for shared vehicle technologies, which included automated driving functionality.The talks are said to be at an advanced stage and have been going on for months.Delegations from both companies have traveled to their counterparts’ respective headquarters over the past few weeks. Innovation in car automation and seamless technology from Chinese brands has long been admired by CEO Jim Farley.Farley said back in 2024 that Chinese automakers presented an “existential threat” to the Western automotive industry.He has praised the Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan, which he admitted at the time he had been driving for months.Earlier this week, it was reported the Blue Oval was about to begin building electric cars with Xiaomi in the United States.It is now believed the joint-venture will not happen after both companies ruled out the move publicly. This differs from Ford’s response to these Geely rumours with the Blue Oval telling Reuters: “We have discussions with lots of companies all the time on a variety of topics. Sometimes they materialise, sometimes they don't."Geely did not comment on the potential of the partnership. Such a move would offer some benefits for Geely, with the company likely able to avoid the EV tariffs imposed by the European Union on Chinese car importers.Ford currently has manufacturing plants in Germany, Romania and Spain, which would allow Geely to tap into factories already built in the region. Other Chinese automakers have already made the jump to European manufacturing, including Leapmotor building cars in Stellantis’ Spain plant. Ford could also gain valuable EV technologies from Geely, with the brand already having several electric-only models on sale.This could be particularly important for Ford, as emissions standards continue to tighten around the world, especially in Australia. Australia’s tough New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) will see brands incur fines on vehicles that do not meet emissions standards. Selling electric vehicles accumulates credits for manufacturers, which can then be sold to other brands Down Under or mitigate against a its high-emissions vehicles. Geely technologies could assist Ford in gaining the electrified vehicle architecture for models, such as between Renault and Geely on models like the incoming Filante hybrid SUV.Ford Australia told CarsGuide earlier this year the brand is more focused on consumer demand rather than emissions limitations.Nearly all of Ford's models sold in Australia employ internal combustion engines, with models like the Ranger ute and Everest SUV being some of the most popular in the country.