Towing

My wife and I are looking to upgrade our 2008 Subaru Liberty wagon. It has been faultless and is great to drive, but we need something with a bit more towing capacity. The new Subaru Outback diesel was our first choice, but we discovered that it is limited to 80 km/h when towing, presumably due to the CVT. This is a deal breaker. Then we considered the Mazda CX-5 diesel, but my wife said it was too boring! This got me thinking about the new Land Rover Discovery Sport. It looks great and suits our needs, but is considerably more expensive. Yes, it may be a prestige vehicle, but does that justify the price difference over the Mazda? Does it actually do anything significantly better?

I'm looking at selling/trading a current Mazda 3 and upgrading to a bigger SUV model. I'm looking at the 2011-2013 Ford Territory diesel. It needs to have good fuel economy, be a smooth freeway driver, and be able to do occasional towing with a 500 kg camper trailer for holidays. My budget is $20,000-$22,000. Is the Territory a good option, or are there better SUV's that suit these circumstances?

Mark Oastler road tests and reviews the 2016 Renault Trafic short wheelbase twin turbo van, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Is the 2016 Hyundai Genesis able to be fitted with a tow bar, and does it have a strongly enough constructed body to pull a Caravan?

Last week's cover story comparing the three best utes on the market caused a bit of stir -- and not just among the hordes of Toyota HiLux evangelists who queried our call on deciding in favour of the new Ford Ranger. A number of readers contacted us to highlight just how little you can carry onboard most utes when

There are no deals on the just released, all-new version of the market-leading Toyota HiLux ute but big discounts have emerged on rivals fighting over the scraps. Here are the best deals — down your tools and go and kick some tyres.Ford RangerDiscounts on the Ranger are extremely rare, so we had to double check this one wasn't a misprint. The workhorse XLS grade 4WD four-door ute may lack the bling of the XLT and Wildtrak but it has the same strong 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel engine and all the other Ranger attributes (including 230V power adaptor). The price of $45,490 drive-away after a $500 bonus is super-sharp. The RRP is $48,090 plus on-roads, so this is a discount of nearly $5000. Auto adds $2200.Nissan Navara RX 2WDNissan has a headline price of $36,835 drive-away for the base model four-door ute but there are a few caveats. This price is for the 2WD, not the 4WD, the 1 per cent finance deal must be repaid over just three years — then there's the massive balloon payment of $19,795, more than half the purchase price. Best to arrange your own finance and haggle harder on the price.Mazda BT-50Need a workshop runabout? The Mazda BT-50 single cab with 2.2-litre turbo diesel and factory dropside tray can be had for $26,990 drive-away, or $1500 less than the Ford Ranger equivalent.Mitusbishi TritonThe new Triton was well priced at launch earlier this year but buyers have avoided it in droves, due to either its ungainly looks or its mainly carry-over chassis. So Mitsubishi has made the price even more compelling. The GLX 4WD four-door is $36,990 drive-away, including alloy wheels, reversing camera and five-year warranty (which the Colorado lacks). But the best buy is the $39,990 drive-away GLS with Super Select (4WD can be used on sealed roads), larger alloy wheels, rear-view camera in the central display screen, sports bar, hard tonneau cover ... the list goes on. If Mitsubishi fitted the new Pajero Sport nose to the Triton it would have a winner on its hands.Holden ColoradoThe Colorado — one of the first cars to suffer from General Motors cutbacks during its development in the global financial crisis — has been in permanent discount mode since it went on sale a couple of years ago. It is not rated as highly as newer utes. But the basic LS 4WD four-door (pictured, LS-X) at $35,990 drive-away (after a $1000 bonus) is sharp buying if you're on a budget. At that price, the equivalent Isuzu D-Max ute can't get close.Ford Falcon XR6 UteWant to buy one of the last homegrown utes? The XR6 ute limboes to a new low: $31,940 drive-away after a $500 discount. That's with six-speed automatic transmission, 18-inch alloy wheels, alloy sports bar and eight-inch colour touchscreen. This is about $5000 off the full RRP for the XR6 ute and about $10,000 less than the Commodore SV6 ute.

We are getting a new Toyota Landcruiser this coming December. We will be using it to tow our 23-foot caravan. Do we need to run the car in before using it to tow?

I have a motorhome and I'm looking to flat tow a vehicle, hooked up to a Ready Brute A-frame. I would prefer an auto as my wife will use it as an everyday drive when at home. There are not many vehicles that can be flat towed and most of the car dealers I have asked haven't a clue. One didn't even know what flat towing meant. What's your view?

Tesla's Model X may be the fastest SUV on the planet, but its towing credentials might also surprise you.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the Holden Colorado with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.