Towing

I’ve been reading with interest about brake wear-and-tear on modern vehicles. I own a 2006 Ford Territory turbo with 181,000km and I tow a 19-foot boat most weekends during the summer and still have the original pads and discs. Some 32 years ago my father taught me how to drive a manual and to use the gears to govern speed on hills, and the same with an auto gearbox, and also allow room to slow down without using the brakes.

Perhaps drivers should revisit these skills.

My husband and I face a dilemma: we would like to buy a new Subaru Forester diesel and tow a small pop-top caravan, which has kerb weight of 1140kg and towball load of 85kg. The Forester has a towing capacity of 1800kg and ball load of 180kg, braked. Do you think it would be a struggle for the car? Packed up and kitted out for our holidays, it probably will be carting another 200kg-300kg.

We are considering buying a caravan and would like your advice on a suitable diesel or petrol-powered vehicle that has a towing capacity up of to 2 tonnes. We have a budget of about $30,000. I want something that will tow with ease, but must be economical. I understand that it will have to be a second-hand vehicle and will consider any model?

We turn the spotlight on the Mazda BT-50 XT 3.2 cab-chassis and answer the questions, including the most important -- would you buy one?This is Mazda's workhorse, the new generation BT-50 ute in a wide range of  variants, in this case, the bottom spec 4x4 manual XT cab/chassis.This one goes for $36,810 but if you don't need 4x4 capability, the 3.2 twobie goes for $28,740 but if you're happy with the 2.2-litre four plonker diesel twobie it's $25,570 in cab chassis.Heads on them like white mice - Ranger, Hilux, Triton, Colorado, D-Max, Amarok, Navara.This is the 3.2 litre, five-cylinder turbo diesel shared with Ford Ranger. It's good for 147kW/470Nm output and sips fuel from an 80-litre tank.Like a shot. A performance ute even - once you get out of first cog. Even with a load on board it's a good goer. But the springs are stiff and she bounces a fair but unladen as you'd expect from a leaf spring rear end.Not bad at 8.9-litres/100km for this one, less for the twobie 3.2 and less again for the 2.2 four cylinder but the six speed auto is up around the 10 mark.Not really.Five stars with all that brings in terms of primary and secondary safety kit - air bags, stability control and so on..OK for a ute, with big seats unless you're in the 'third' middle pew which isn't really a seat at all. Plenty of handy kit in a base model like Bluetooth phone and audio, power windows and mirrors, trip computer, cruise control, aircon, hill hold and downhill assist, rake only steering adjust and cloth seats. No satnav which should be mandatory in a working vehicle.We liked it apart from the notchy six speed manual transmission. Whacked a tonne in the aluminium tray and it went like a train. Has a full size steel spare as well as practical steel wheels. The auto is arguably a better proposition for mixed driving, fully captures the diesel's grunt and is better in the city.We'd probably go for the 2WD at a lot less money unless 4WD was absolutely necessary. There's eight grand difference but if you talk sternly to a dealer, we are told you'll probably get a sharper price.Maybe depending on the price. Great engine, big 3.3 tonne towing capacity, 1411kg payload,  200mm ground clearance and under body protection. Plenty to like.

My Jeep Unlimited Wrangler four-door diesel weighs 2585 kg and is rated to tow 2200 kg. The Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel weighs 2267 kg and can tow 3500 kg, the Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4-litre petrol weighs 1697 kg and can tow 2500 kg. None of this makes sense to me. How are the ratings determined and who sets the rules?

I am thinking of buying a new Subaru Forester 2.5 with the CVT transmission and I would like to know if the transmission is up to towing a small caravan around Australia. I currently own a 2005 auto and this has been fine towing my van, but I'm not sure about the CVT.

It's early days with our Mitsubishi Outlander Aspire, but we're already liking many things about the SUV -- including its new design, the efficiency and raft of equipment fit-out.We got hold of the top of the range new Mitsubishi Outlander Aspire that sells for about $51K with the optional $5500 Premium pack included in that price. But you can get one for as little as $28,990 for the base 2WD model.This one has everything including stuff normally fitted to vehicles costing twice as much. Driver assist goodies like adaptive cruise control which maintains a set distance from cars in front, hill start assist, reverse sensors, and forward collision mitigation which is an auto braking system.Of course, there's leather upholstery, power tailgate, auto headlights and wipers, Rockford Fosgate audio with a big sub-woofer, paddle shift for the six speed auto transmission, 7-inch touch screen and a whole lot more to make you happy.The Outlander is built on an integral ladder chassis with button select all-wheel drive and a terrific powertrain driving through a slick six speed auto.  It's the perfect set up as far as we are concerned.The engine is a 2.2-litre turbodiesel with 110kW/360Nm output. That's not startling in the greater scheme of things but it delivers full grunt at just 1500 revs  pretty much straight off idle.This is the new generation Outlander with a more rounded and capacious body, and we like the styling. But looks aren't everything. The Outlander Aspire is economical, has plenty of performance, is robust enough to go a fair way off road, has good towing capacity of 2.0 tonnes and is not a bad looker either, though we reckon it needs bigger bumpers. It gets going a treat and pulls strongly through a wide rev range. Equally important is the five star crash rating and fuel economy of an impressive 5.8 litres/100km.Mitsu' has fitted a selection of `eco' kit to the Outlander including a coaching system to help you minimise fuel use and engine friction reduction along with optimised ancillary functions such as the air conditioning and the 4WD system. There's a plug-in diesel hybrid Outlander just around the corner that really takes fuel economy to a new level. But this one is impressive in its own right.We like the chrome body hardware, the stylish and functional interior and the smart key ignition. And it's the right size for city and country use -- not too big despite offering seven seats.

Finally, a diesel Mitsubishi ASX with an auto - but it's not the diesel we were expecting. Instead of the 1.8-litre diesel that we have already, it's the larger 2.2 from big brother the Outlander.Why? Because the 2.2-litre diesel was not available when the ASX was launched in 2010 and, well, because it's a better engine, says Mitsubishi (even though it doesn't have variable valve timing like the 1.8).Historically diesels are more expensive to produce than petrol engines and car makers generally defray some of the extra cost by offering them with more expensive, better equipped models. There's a school of thought that people are not interested in diesels, at least not in this section of the market where vehicles cost less and the extra cost is even more difficult to disguise. But tell that to Toyota that is enjoying unprecedented success with its first ever diesel RAV.Prices for ASX start from $25,990 for the entry, two-wheel drive, 2.0-litre petrol model with a manual transmission. Prices for the 1.8-litre, manual only diesel start from $34,990 - a big hike but bear in mind that it's in top spec, all-wheel drive Aspire form.Prices for the new 2.2-litre diesel with an auto kick off from $31,900 for the no frills model or $36,490 for the better equipped Aspire -  both of them with all-wheel drive. Accounting for just five per cent of ASX sales, you get the feeling the 1.8 is not long for this world . . .Standard equipment for the new 2.2 includes 16 inch alloys, cloth upholstery, climate airconditioning, cruise control, keyless entry, power windows and mirrors, leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, leather bound gearshift, chrome interior door handles, and 60/40-split fold and recline rear seats. Bluetooth phone and audio with voice control are also standard along with a reversing camera.The Aspire adds 17 inch alloys, leather, push button start, auto lights and wipers and interior mirror, heated front seats and a power adjust driver’s seat, fog lights, reverse parking sensors, 7 inch touchscreen with navigation and a panoramic sunroof.Both the engine and transmission are a lift straight from the Outlander. The 2.2-litre direct injection, common rail turbo diesel produces 110kW of power and 360Nm of torque, the latter from a low 1500 revs - compared with the 1.8's 110kW and 300Nm.In the Outlander, paired with an auto,  it delivers fuel consumption of 5.8 litres/100km. In the smaller ASX with the same six-speed auto it also delivers 5.8. In comparison, the 1.8-litre diesel with a six-speed manual is good for 5.7 litres/100km. The six-speed auto features INVECS-II Smart Logic designed to optimise gear changes to driving conditions.As good as it might be the new engine can't hold a candle to Kia/Hyundai's 2.2-litre diesel that boasts an impressive 145kW/421Nm, nor the smaller 2.0-litre version with 135kW/392Nm. Interestingly, although the hi-end Rockford-Fosgate audio system is offered as an option with the 1.8 - it's not available at all with the 2.2.ASX is basically the off road version of the Lancer hatch, as they both share the same platform. Weighing in at 1530kg, it seats five and comes in two and all-wheel drive form, with a choice of petrol or diesel engines and manual, CVT or automatic transmissions - with a tow rating of up to 1400kg for the diesel.The same platform also spawns Peugeot and Citroen versions of the same car, the 4008 and Aircross - all good looking wagons.Contrary to belief Mitsubishi's research shows that 67 per cent of buyers shopping for this size soft roader will seriously consider a diesel, an even greater figure if it's less than $40,000. Services costs for the diesel are capped at $315 for the first service and $470 for the next three services or 60,000km - $5 more than the 1.8.Gets a full five stars for safety in crash tests, with seven airbags and a full suite of electronic aids including electronic stability and traction control, hill start control, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake force distribution.The 2.2-litre engine is a revelation after the 1.8. It's smooth, packs plenty of punch and the auto anticipates gear changes quickly. In the more expensive Aspire you even get steering column mounted change paddles, although with this much torque on tap they're overkill.Point this thing at a hill, push down on the accelerator and the large reserves of torque become apparent as the wagon shoots up and over the rise with consummate ease. Although the standard model misses out on change paddles, the driver can still change gears manually via the shifter.There's little body roll from the compact wagon, but it feels at its most comfortable driven sedately. Dirt roads pose little problem either, with the facility to lock in four-wheel drive for maximum traction - but with just 180mm of ground clearance we wouldn't get any ideas about taking any further off road.

The United Nations line-up that is the Australian compact SUV segment is in for a shake-up. A shift in the balance of power towards Japan is imminent, with the arrival of Mitsubishi's ASX in turbodiesel auto guise. To the end of May this year, the ASX was running behind the Hyundai's ix35, Nissan's Dualis, Subaru's XV

You can see why dual cab utes are so popular. Not only can they cart the family around, but they can also double as a work or play vehicles when required. The Mazda BT-50 is a case in point. The styling might be polarising, but like it or not it's soon forgotten once you're behind the wheel. Range A range of 19