Towing

WE HAVE bought an off-road camper trailer and I am considering buying a more suitable towing vehicle. I would prefer not to buy a large 4X4 because the trailer does not get a lot of use and I do not intend to get into any serious four-wheel driving. I like the looks of the Mazda Tribute because the published fuel economy seems to be good, but I have also read comments on the Mazda website that say consumption is high. What can you tell me about the Tribute and can you suggest some other mid-size 4x4 alternative?

MY husband has a Commodore as a company car and it is due to be replaced. We would like a change from Commodores and are seriously considering the new Toyota Aurion, but we are concerned about its ability to tow our caravan, which weighs 1000kg. Do you think an automatic, front-wheel-drive car like the Aurion, is a suitable choice to tow the van?

I AM 77 years old, have a new caravan and hope soon to become a grey nomad. I bought a 2003 Nissan Patrol 3.0-litre turbo diesel but have been having nightmares about busted cylinders somewhere on the Birdsville Track. Is there a date of manufacture when Nissan overcame this problem, or am I still in the firing line?

Step into the cabin of Toyota's latest LandCruiser and it's like opening the door to a time machine: the latest 70 series is a serious workhorse and its maker doesn't apologise for its utilitarian design.There's plenty of 1980s-looking plastic, old-fashioned dials and controls and painted metal, and although there are some comforts (a CD player with MP3 capability and air conditioning), there aren't air bags or anti-lock brakes.The wagon's big appeal is its toughness and go-anywhere ability. It also showcases Toyota's spanking new turbo diesel V8. It's a real gem with plenty of grunt and, thankfully, doesn't have the penalty of excessively high fuel thirst.Its mechanicals are from the “tried and trusted school of engineering” rigid live axles, manual hubs to engage the front wheels, manual mirrors, high-rise snorkel for deep creek crossings and leaf springs for the rear suspension — terrific for loads but body jarring when unladen. In short, it feels bullet-proof.The new old-looking Cruiser was launched in Australia in March and so far has won widespread acclaim from testers. That has flowed on to strong customer interest, with Hobart dealer CoOp Motors reporting about 20 outstanding orders, which won't be filled until August because of demand. Most of those orders are from farmers and tradies for the ute-chassis version, although this latest Cruiser comes in three variants with a choice of two specification grades (Workmate and GLX).The cab-chassis and stretched 11-seat Troop Carrier carry over but Toyota has added a five-seat wagon to fill the gap left by the discontinued entry-level 100 series wagon; it's ideal for farming families or logging contractors who need to get a crew of three or four to bush sites.The difference between the no-nonsense Workmate and the plusher GLX is the latter gets cloth instead of vinyl trim, more chrome, front door armrests, bigger wheel flares, power-operated radio aerial, alloy wheels, carpet, power windows, fog lamps and central locking.The built-like-a-block styling (Toyota says it expresses strength) looks unchanged but everything is new from the A-pillar forward. The Cruiser's footprint is wider than before to improve handling and ride.Prices start at $53,990 for the Workmate cab-chassis and wagon, which is up 2.8 per cent on the old six-cylinder models. Troopy prices start at $59,990, while the dearest model is the GLX version of the Troop Carrier at $61,490.If you want air conditioning it's $2640 more for all models; dif locks, worth considering, add $2735. If you don't need the rear seats in the Troopy Workmate, the price drops by $1100 and you can choose not to have the secondary fuel tank on the Workmate to save again.The new 4.5-litre clean-burning, common-rail V8 diesel with turbocharging and intercooler is used across the range. It has 430Nm of torque available from 1200rpm to 3200rpm, making it wonderfully flexible. Power is a modest 151kW at 3400rpm. This engine, with even more grunt, will be used in the coming 200 series Cruiser. On the road You'd think a big boxy, diesel-powered off-roader with big-tread tyres would be a pig of a thing on the highway but it's far from it, although the 'Cruiser would be even better if it had an overdrive sixth gear instead of the five-speed manual box for more relaxed cruising.As it is, it pulls 2200rpm at 110km/h, with bucketloads of torque in reserve when needed. Expect some understeer and body roll, which come with the design. The recirculating ball and nut steering is well weighted and makes the wagon easy to drive, although there is occasional kickback through the wheel at crawling speeds when it comes to tackling the rough stuff.Point it up steep hills and it takes it all in its stride without a whimper, its ability limited by the tyre's tread pattern. Steep downhill runs can be a bit tricky if you don't have dif locks engaged.The cabin is surprisingly comfortable but the sometimes odd, scattergun approach to the layout of controls takes time to get familiar with, and the audio system sounds awful.The big surprise was fuel consumption. You'd expect a big, heavy wagon to cost an arm and a leg (perhaps both legs) to keep on the road but Toyota claims an average of 11.5 to 11.9L/100km, depending on the model. That gives it a theoretical range of about 1500km on dual tanks. I couldn't match that but certainly a fuel return of under 13L/100km is easily achievable for normal city and highway use. Off-road, however, is another story. 

I AM looking at buying a late-model dual-cab ute for multiple purposes, including towing a caravan and running the kids around. I can't find reviews and road tests in any publication. What do you think of the Ssangyong Musso Sports? For the price it appears to have everything I need. Any known problems?

Caravan company Geist says it is experiencing an increase in demand for family products. Geist spokesman, Wayne Moller says retirees still make up the majority of the market, but there is a shift to more family-orientated products, especially in NSW.“When we first started four years ago, we didn't have a family van, now four out of our nine products are family vans,” he says.Tourism Research Australia says large groups of travellers, including family groups, and friends and relatives travelling together, account for about 48 per cent of nights in caravan or camping accommodation, spending $2.3 billion on their trips. And it seems nostalgia has a lot to do with it.Moller says younger parents, who themselves experienced camping as children, now want to experience it with their own offspring.“Although retirees still make up three-quarters of our market, I think over the next five years we'll see a lot more younger people coming through the market who have experienced it as a child,” he says. “We're starting to shift our focus towards those people.”He says more and more people are now looking for upmarket, fully self-contained caravans, with toilets and showers and kit-chens and televisions.And while it may sound like an expensive investment, with the more affordable camper trailers starting from $8000, and vans ranging from $20,000 to $100,000, in the long run you might be better off.Joseph Calabrese and his wife Angela, were shopping at the Caravan, Camping 4WD and Holiday Supershow at Rosehill Gardens this week for a camper trailer to take on holidays.Calabrese says they used to take their two children, Daniela, 11, Mark, 9, camping in a tent, but over the past five years, have opted for a more civilised setting with a cabin.“We were paying $2000 a week to hire a cabin. That's money blown,” he says. “A camper trailer is a great investment, you can go away for two weeks, to two or three different caravan sites.”The Kellyville family is searching for a camper trailer around the $23,000 mark, which they believe is a good investment for something you can practically live in.“It's got a stove, a fridge, a queen-size bed for the adults and a double bed for the kids, and there's a large kitchen table,” Calabrese says.He believes the trailer will be great for Christmas holidays, when they go to caravan sites with extended family.Jayco spokesman Andrew Ryan says 30 to 40per cent of the company's products are aimed at families. Equipment such as bunk beds, flat-screen TVs, stereos, bigger couches, awnings and annexes are all features that families tend to look for when buying a van.“We're also noticing a trend with 30-year-olds with no kids, wanting to travel with friends,” says Ryan.The other option for families who don't have the right car to make a big trip with a camper trailer or caravan but who have the cash, is to buy a Winnebago motor home.The company has introduced a budget range which has become popular with family buyers, spokesman Max Mayo says, although “budget” still refers to a price tag of about $90,000.“I think people are discovering Australia more,” he says. “I think there's a general trend to not consider overseas, perhaps the terrorism aspects, 9-11, the Iraq War ... these changed people's views.“The option of staying in a motel or hotel is also becoming expensive for a lot of people.”Mayo says a lot more families, particularly those with young children up to the age of five, are choosing to take a trip around Australia before the children reach school age.And if the budget allows, perhaps you can spend up even bigger. At the caravan and camping show, the most expensive vehicle on display is the $639,000 Swagman, one children young and old are sure to love.And when it comes time to sell or upgrade on the caravan or motor home, industry insiders say the vehicles tend to have a very good resale value.The NSW Caravan, Camping, 4WD and Holiday Supershow is on until Sunday, 10am-6pm, at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, James Ruse Drive, Rosehill.

These days the 70 is something of a dinosaur, but it has a loyal following among buyers who prefer simplicity to sophistication.Toyota makes rare changes to the hard-working 70 Series, which is one of the most enduring models on the motoring landscape.This year, change was forced by new emission rules.It prompted other changes, most importantly a new V8 turbo-diesel engine. It also got an MP3-compatible CD sound system and better power steering.Toyota says the job of re-engineering the front end to be compatible with airbags was too big and expensive to justify considering the limited market for the 70 Series, which dates to the 1970s.Toyota Australia reportedly fought hard with head office to have the 70 updated -- Australia is one of the few countries that persists with it. The arguments were obviously effective because Toyota has shoehorned a new 4.5-litre V8 common-rail turbo-diesel into the front of the 70 Series to bring it into line with the latest emission rules.As the V8 is wider than the outgoing six, it meant a rework of the front end and a new look.The new engine is Euro 4 compliant, has double overhead camshafts, four valves a cylinder, and a variable nozzle turbocharger with an air-to-air intercooler. It puts out 151kW at 3400 revs and has a remarkably flat torque curve that peaks with 430Nm at 1200 revs and holds it until 3200 revs.That's almost 24 per cent more power and a touch more than 13 per cent more torque than the outgoing turbo-diesel six. Even better, Toyota says fuel consumption is better.A five-speed manual overdrive gearbox processes the extra grunt, sending it through a two-speed transfer box to either the rear wheels or, when selected, all four. Front hubs are manually set, there is a limited-slip rear diff as standard, and optional front and rear diff locks can be added for better off-road traction.The power steering has more assistance at low speed. The interior looks much as it always has, but there's been some work done to make it more habitable.Toyota has expanded the range to eight models and a new four-door wagon replaces the entry-level, live-axle 100 Series.In addition to the new wagon there are the familiar 70 Series cab-chassis and two-door Troop Carrier body styles, with Workmate, GX and GXL specification levels.On the road, the 70 Series drives like it belongs in four-wheel-drive country. It gets the job done and feels safe and secure, but its on-road manners are dulled by its bias towards the bush.The ride is comfortable enough over smooth surfaces. Off road, it is in its element, there's plenty of wheel articulation and, with low-ratio four-wheel drive and optional diff locks if needed, there are few places it couldn't go.After mechanical reliability, towing is the most valued attribute of the 70 Series, according to Toyota research, which finds that more than 70 per cent of owners will make use of its 3500kg towing capacity at least once a month.To drive a piece of history you will pay $53,490, which gets you aboard an entry-level Workmate cab-chassis, but for the range-topping Troop Carrier GXL you will have to stump up $61,490.

Cashed-up customers can more easily absorb sharp pump price rises and it shows.Mercedes-Benz is not too worried about oil prices as it introduces its biggest model, the GL four-wheel-drive wagon.It is the largest model in the German brand's range — bigger than the Range Rover Vogue and the huge Toyota LandCruiser.The Merc wagon is primarily a five-seater, but a third row of two seats can be ordered for $2900 to turn it into a luxurious people mover.At $103,900 for the entry-level diesel and $146,900 for the V8, few GLs are going to run far off the beaten track.Even so, they can easily conquer some tough off-road obstacles thanks to standard air suspension that rises on demand to give a maximum ground clearance of 307mm.That means brave drivers can plough through water up to 600mm deep.The GL's transfer case also lowers the gear ratio for low-speed work and mechanical differential locks for the rear and centre differential and electronic aids help driver go up and down steep hills.The GL runs a constant 4WD system on and off-road, hooked up to a standard seven-speed automatic transmission controlled with steering-wheel shift buttons.A 3.0-litre turbo-diesel powers the 320 CDI base model and has 165kW and 510Nm.It returns an official fuel economy figure of 9.7 litres for 100km of mixed city and highway driving and propels the GL from 0-100km/h in 9.5 seconds. The more expensive GL500 runs a 5.5-litre V8 with 285kW and 530Nm.The official fuel consumption figure is higher at 13.9 litres for 100km, but the V8 means the GL500 can sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds — incredible given its size and weight.The GL has a single body chassis, unlike workhorses such as the LandCruiser, which are based on a separate ladder frame. It is 2370kg with the diesel engine and an extra 5kg for the V8 and has a towing capacity of 3500kg if whatever you are towing has its own braking system, or 750kg if it doesn't.Standard safety gear for both GL models includes front and side airbags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags for the middle row and window airbags for all three seats.They also have electronic stability control, traction control and anti-skid brakes.The GL's third row of seats can fold into the floor at the touch of a button. Folding down the second and third row of seats offers 2300 litres of load space, which is 2128mm long.Standard gear for the GL320 includes Mercedes Artico synthetic leather-look seats with electric adjustment, 18-inch alloy wheels, air-suspension, eight-speaker CD sound, wood grain, roof rails, cruise control, front armrests, luggage nets, parking sensors, rain sensing wipers, climate control airconditioning and tyre pressure indicator.Stepping up to the V8 GL500 adds 19-inch alloy wheels, rear climate control unit, bi-xenon headlights, premium display with DVD player and satellite navigation, Harmon Kardon Logic7 sound system, sunroof, premium woodgrain, leather trim for the seats and dashboard.Optional extras for both models include a TV tuner, rear DVD screens, voice recognition control, keyless entry and a reversing camera.VEHICLES like the GL Mercedes are anti-heroes for many road users. They're big, heavy and block forward vision for other motorists.The chances of most of these wagons going far off-road are only a little better than their owners joining a work-for-the-dole scheme.Their owners love them because they carry seven, are comfortable, look better than people movers, tow well and can go off-road.Despite the GL's impressive off-road capability, it only has a space-saver spare tyre.Having to fit the skinny rim after a puncture would ruin any country adventure, especially if the driver was far from a Mercedes dealer or tyre dealer stocking GL tyres.Mercedes says it is working on a system to carry a full-size spare on the rear hatch.Mercedes isn't alone here, the new BMW X5 seven-seater will use run-flat tyres with no spare at all. The five-seater will have a space-saver.Our test car was a GL500, which was impressive.There were some glitches with the GL, including the space-saver spare and the way it handled rough country roads and parking spaces, but the huge machine will please a lot of its owners.It's a comfortable, spacious vehicle.The V8 model is pricey, but you get a lot of metal for the money. Its thirst wasn't as bad as we thought and the V8 ran at 11 litres/100km on the highway, rising to about 13 to 14 litres/100km around the city.These figures aren't good when compared with a normal family car, but when your consider the GL's size, weight, brutal aerodynamics and slingshot performance, they start to look a lot better. The V8 engine is a cracker and has a lot of torque and a nice sporty note. We are big fans of the seven-speed automatic, which changes quickly and smoothly.Running up to Canberra and back to buy a rally car gave us a good chance to test the on-road ability of the GL. It's excellent when cruising on smooth roads. It glides over the tarmac, is quiet, the seats are comfortable and the sound system is brilliant.The rough highway roads just across the New South Wales border revealed the GL is not so good on the bumpy stuff.It feels loose, just like many other large 4WDs and you notice the big body wobble as it tries to cope with the broken surfaces.Around town, the GL is happy, though there is some traditional 4WD body roll. Flicking the adaptive suspension damping to Sport helps a little, but doesn't solve the problem.The cargo area is cavernous when you fold down the two rear rows of seats and there is sufficient headroom and legroom for all three rows.It's hard to park mainly because of its bulk. The parking sensors (with lights and buzzers) help, but it should come standard with a rear-view parking camera.For what it is, the GL is an impressive vehicle. But if you don't need to tow, go off-road or require all seven seats, we would still pick the better-handling and more efficient E-Class wagon.A huge, luxurious people mover that can (but probably won't) go off-road. Not as sensible as an E-Class wagon, but good for what it is. 

I AM considering updating to a 2004 Nissan Maxima Ti, but have some concerns about its ability to tow my 1200kg campervan.

Liberty GT/GT Spec BMotoring journalists spend a good portion of their time on launches sifting through the marketing hype to find the hard facts. When Subaru claimed their SI-Drive gave the Liberty owner 'three engines in one', an eyebrow was raised in skepticism rather than surprise.But all that was needed to prove Subaru’s point with SI-Drive was a steep hill.Of the three SI-Drive modes, it is the 'Intelligent' (economy) mode that makes the biggest impact. Subaru claim the Intelligent setting reduces engine output to that of a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated car, regardless of the actual engine under the bonnet.The first steep hill in a turbo GT model was met with the appropriate minimal enthusiasm from the engine, slowly pulling up the incline before reluctantly kicking up a gear - and sipping a little more fuel.A similar incline in the default setting of Sport (the setting on which the Liberty’s fuel figures are based) brings a completely different response from the engine; the hill disappears behind familiar dollops of mid-range turbo torque.The frugal Intelligent setting is excellent on downhill and long highway stints, still providing enough power to accelerate around slower traffic, but drinks slightly more than Sport mode on the hills and feels frustratingly limited when the going gets tough.The best result from the SI-Drive was to leave it in Sport until a long flat highway stretch, then remembering to return to Sport through the bends.On the other end of the scale, the Sports Sharp mode picks up the throttle and gear changes in the automatic models with noticeable speed.The shifts are further hastened by a new blip function that briefly raises the rpm on the upshift, resulting in a smoother gear change and minimal shift shock.Shifting itself in the autos is a more involving prospect thanks to the excellent wheel-mounted paddles, easily allowing the driver to select gears even when in full Auto mode when the twists tighten.The manuals are still the pick for sports enthusiasts, particularly the GT spec B with its excellent new suspension, sublime symmetrical all-wheel-drive and newfound flat torque churning through the STi gearbox.SI-Drive is also available on the manuals, leveling its fuel consumption to a claimed 10.9L/100km; the same consumption as the auto, and only fractionally higher than most of the tiny turbocharged hot hatches on today’s market despite four doors, a boot and all that extra booty...Outback 3.0RAs a crossover car, the Outback has been a raging success for Subaru.The Outback has caught up to the Liberty a little in the looks department, with the revised corporate grille producing a more integrated and modern look that still stands apart from the Liberty wagon, but shared its sloped-roofed, understated style.Now riding on 17-inch alloys, the turn in is sharp and the wheels and suspension communicative, though it does not share the Liberty’s neutrality under pressure.On the twisted roads around Healesville in Victoria, a place well known to Subaru from its Rally of Melbourne days, the top-shelf Outback kept pace with the Liberty nat-atmo cars, but suffered more bodyroll on the tight bends.Not surprising, considering its higher clearance for off-road and towing ability (and it still drinks the same as Liberty at a respectable 11.1L/100km).Buyers would be hard-pressed to find a more capable all-wheel-drive with this much standard kit and five-star safety for the asking price.Samantha Stevens is a reviewer on the CARSguide test team. Her work appears here and in the Sunday Telegraph CARSguide. A version of this review, as well as other news, reviews and analysis appears in the Sunday Telegraph.