How many RAV4 sales has Toyota lost by not having had more than a token diesel in the range, and a manual at that? You’d have to think that companies like Hyundai and Kia would be quite happy if Toyota never broadened its compact SUV’s diesel offerings. But now it has; the 2.2 litre unit we met in the last model is now available across all-wheel-drive versions and the six-speed manual has been swapped-out for a good six-speed automatic with Sport mode and the option of sequential shifting. Despite costing two grand more than the equivalent petrol, diesel power brings signifiant advantages to an already competent crossover. Although losing 22kW of power it gains a decent 110Nm of torque. CO2 emissions are down by 26g/km and fuel economy drops by two litres per 100km overall, to 6.5. But wait, there’s more; the engine is one of the smoother, quieter small diesels, betraying its configuration only briefly during cold starting. Overtaking times are short, especially with the Sport mode selected, and the engine always seems to be wanting to give more. Automotive News NZ tried the diesel in the top “it’s got everything” Limited model and the engine is as at-home there as in the base GX. We wonder why Limited buyers still have a strong preference for the petrol engine? Oh, and for those wondering about the effect of the widened diesel range on the sales piechart, so far just 12 per cent are diesel; the mid-spec GXL is most popular, followed by the GX and Limited. Twelve per cent? We’d have thought it would be way higher. It should be.

Likely Owners
Those who like to talk up the advantages of torque

Good features
The torque and the excellent engine that delivers it

Not so good
Interior colours, styling not for everyone

The post Toyota RAV4 Limited diesel appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

Good features
Competent, compact but roomy

Not so good
Lacks the elusive X factor

The post Toyota RAV4 GXL appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

A Jeep has to have 4WD, right? Wrong. That maxim flew right out the window when Jeep began to make softer urbane SUVs like the Compass and the Patriot. Now it’s the turn of the Grand Cherokee to lose all-paw traction, but fear not, it’s only the base Laredo model of the 2014 GC range that reverts to rear-wheel-drive.

Personally, I think this shift in focus is long overdue. Jeep’s own research shows that only 10 per cent of Gee-Cee owners take their vehicle off-road. So why does the premium SUV buyer continue to stump for something they never use? Even tasks such as towing the boat up a slippery ramp are easily handled by a rear-drive version with half-decent electronic traction control. The Laredo’s loss of heavy powertrain components like a couple of differentials and driveshafts is mostly to its owner’s gain.

For starters, steering is a lot more precise without the front tyres having to perform torque-transfer duty as well. Performance and efficiency are other wins as the powerful 3.6 V6 of the 4×2 Laredo has roughly 80kg less mass to haul around than the 4WD version. With the latter 4×4 Laredo costing another $4000, the savings that the 4×2 offers last long after the initial purchase. For it uses roughly 5 per cent less fuel than the all-wheel-drive version.

At $64,990, the 2014 Laredo 4×2 costs the same as the outgoing 2013 4×4 version, but you do get a number of new features in return. These include a new eight-speed automatic gearbox that is light years ahead of the five-speed auto of the older vehicle, new electronic architecture that enables and links together a greater number of desirable extras, and styling revisions that add finishing touches like LED daytime running lights to what was already a handsome vehicle.

Good features
Losing 4WD is one of the best things to happen to the Grand Cherokee.

Not so good
Foot-operated parking brake should have been binned as well.

The post Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (MY14) appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

You either like Jeep Wranglers or you don’t, and looking at the number always for sale on various New Zealand internet sites, many don’t. The trouble with the Unlimited is that it’s a stretched version of the two-door, the one that can trace its lineage directly back to the Second World War. Doing a stretch involves various compromises and most people wanting a four-door off-roadable Jeep would be better off with a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee. But heart often wins over head and Unlimited sells well because it has that association with the original Jeep, distinctive looks (it will be mistaken for nothing else, except maybe a Hummer), and hints of adventure and the great outdoors. It’s possible to remove the top, take off the doors and even fold the windscreen flat to make the most of said Outdoors, but few owners seem to bother and, anyway, it’s probably illegal to fang down the motorway with neither doors nor windscreen. It’s easier to like the Wrangler Unlimited after the 3.8 litre V6 and four-speed auto were dropped in 2012 for a spanking new Pentastar 3.6 litre V6 and a five-speed auto. The old combo sucked gas like crazy; the new one’s thirst is much better, but still hardly anything to write home about. The engine’s 209kW is 40 per cent up on the 3.8, but torque’s only about 10 per cent better, so mostly it’s usefully brisker on the highway as well as smoother and quieter. For those who envision off-roading in an Unlimited, beware of its huge turning circle and, better still, buy the more expensive Rubicon version with its more suitable gearing, front and rear diff locks, swaybar disconnect, and more.

Good features
Great for if the road turns bad; really, really bad

Not so good
Fairly unrefined

The post Jeep Wrangler Renegade Unlimited 3.6 appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

Gosh, has it been that long? The Volvo XC90 was first shown at the 2002 Detroit Motor Show and it’s still doing quite nicely in its second decade, with only one important facelift to keep it in shape. A second generation XC90 is said to be going into production late in 2014. For now the D5 R-Design is the sportiest of the diesel engined XC90s. Although its 0-100km/h run takes 10.5 seconds, the 420Nm of torque anywhere from 1900rpm to 2800rpm gives an ability to quickly get out of its own way, or out of the way of others, especially when the sports sequential-shift on the Aisin six speed adaptive autobox is called to action. Compared to the other XCs, and indeed many of its rivals, this wagon’s a big and heavy fellow. Fold the seats down and the cargo area looks like a ute’s, but with high quality carpet instead of a tray liner. At a shade under 4800mm long, it’s also ute sized and weighs as much. Meanwhile, the steering is heavy and the engine is noisier and harsher than some more-recent rivals. On the other hand, it’s a generous and engaging load carrier and a third row of seats lurks somewhere beneath the rear floor until needed. The XC90 imparts a feeling of driving a milled-from-a-giant-block-of-steel strength. Solidity and safety are hallmarks and not for nothing did the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety once award the XC90 a Top Safety Pick citation. It was the XC90 that had the industry’s first Roll Stability Control, pioneering a device that, in one form or other, is now standard in just about everything. It’s a tribute the stylists that the Scandinavian SUV still looks good. Inside, the fit, finish and ambience are superb.

Good features
XC90, dressed sportily, bears its age well

Not so good
The fact that it has age to bear well

The post Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

All Toyota Land Cruisers aren’t luxury vehicles with things like a fridge between the two front seats. Below the loaded 200 series wagons is a whole other range, the 70 Series, with few frills and designed to work hard. These are favourites of high-country farmers, the mining industry, contractors and anyone else needing a vehicle that won’t falter when the going gets tough. Recently, the range was rounded out with a double cab ute, providing an ability to seat five, yet still carry a decent load on its tray. Everything about the ute is heavy-duty including its motor, the 4461cc turbocharged V8 diesel. You’d think the V8 would provide a knockout punch, but “lesser” rivals can do much the same, or better. The engine puts out 151kW and 430Nm of torque at 1200rpm. However, Nissan’s top Navara has a V6 with 170kW and 550Nm at 1750rpm. Ford’s new five cylinder 3.2 litre produces 147kW and 470Nm from 1500rpm. However, the ’Cruiser’s V8 is an off-road gem, it works away at a bit above idle, lazily dealing with whatever the track throws up and dismisses loads as though they weren’t there. On road, at 100km/h the engine’s doing 2400rpm in fifth gear and feels like it could do with a sixth. Full or empty, ride and handling are good for a beam-axle vehicle with rear leaf springs.  All this brawn isn’t cheap. In LX trim, it costs nearly $27,000 more than a Hilux double cab Tdi, and you still have to buy a deck, as Toyota sells it only as a cab-chassis. A more basic version is $73,680.

Good features
Will work its heart out without complaint

Not so good
Really should have an automatic option

The post Toyota Land Cruiser 70 double cab LX appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

Little else on the road polarises opinion as much as a new Defender. One local website suggests the British off-road icon is so awful and so lacks safety features that it should be banned. Others regard it with near reverence and, as the firm’s own advertising used to say, the best 4×4 by far. Off-road, the Defender is indeed one of the best as it rolls off the showroom floor and some modifications will make it even better. On-road, it offers an ambience unlike any other vehicle – one that has a certain irresistible appeal to a certain kind of person. What do you call a company with three Defenders in the parking lot? An advertising agency. It offers more than its unique cachet; the view of the traffic ahead is unparalleled among SUVs; and depending on their size, the driver and front passenger will find a Defender very comfortable, although not so much if they have long legs. The wagon has been upgraded over the years, most recently in 2007, and now has a decent van engine of 2.2 litres, producing modest power and reasonable torque, but mated to a six-speed manual that forever needs changing, although it’s pleasant enough to use. Oh for an automatic, but Land Rover seemingly won’t have a bar of it. Its large turning circle and heavy steering can make the 110 a chore in town. A completely new dashboard with integrated air conditioning modernised the interior, but the aircon is only average. The main problem with the Defender is that it has been developed too far. It’s just too old a design for well into the second decade of the 21st century.

Good features
Ambience on wheels, a weapon off-road

Not so good
Developed beyond its potential

The post Land Rover Defender 110 appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

Years ago, Mitsubishi’s Pajero played a major part in making the 4WD popular as a family wagon, rather than a farm and industry workhorse for carrying on over rough and slithery tracks. Early Pajeros were praised for good ride and handling; having a reasonably priced 4WD no longer had to be an agricultural experience. Today, the Pajero is still one of the best-handling and best-riding of the “proper” 4WDs – or SUVs as they’re now generally known. These are the ones with low-range gearing, providing the ability to competently tackle rough and unfriendly terrain. The wagon may not have much ground clearance, especially compared to some of those on air suspension that can be raised as required, but it’s still a competent performer in the right kind of off-road conditions, so there’s still very much a point to it having the extra gearing. Pajero was recently facelifted, probably for the last time before a new model appears. It included an upgraded bumper, grille and fog lamps; Mitsubishi’s new-ish brake override system; a reversing camera; an auto dimming view mirror with monitor for the camera; and red and white dash illumination, replacing the blue that is now so last year. The trouble with the Pajero is that it’s become a bit tired. That’s no fault of the vehicle itself; blame the march of technology. It’s falling a bit behind in such areas as NVH, ride and handling. The 3.2 litre 150kW and 448Nm engine is a bit too noisy, rough and power-strapped for today’s market. On the other hand, despite its current price, the Pajero offers good value in its segment.

Good features
Capable all rounder

Not so good
Showing its age

The post Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed 3.2 appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

Subaru fills a crossover niche with the XV, a wagon for people who may think the Forester is too “out there” as an SUV. But it’s grazing in a crowded front lawn with such top rivals as the Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5. Fortunately, the all-wheel-drive XV acquits itself well, feeling more like a downsized 4WD than an upsized wagon. Some crossovers in the XV’s general class are probably going to look rather silly in a few years, as styling tends move on, with their “torn from the pages of a sketchbook” styling. Based on a stretched version of the new Impreza platform, the XV plays it fairly safe, but is far from being dreary. It might easily be mistaken for a European design. The interior is nicely styled, too, especially for an entry model to the range, and there’s decent room for rear-seaters and for luggage and cargo. In the quest for fuel economy, the boxer engine stops and starts at the lights or whenever else progress pauses for a short time. One of several useful eco-oriented readouts in a prominent dash mounted display communicates fuel consumption in litres per 100km and a busy little bar graph beneath it tells how much the engine’s burning at any given moment. On offer are a manual gearbox or a Lineartronic CVT transmission – the version tried by Automotive News – that helps provide slightly better economy than the manual. The six-stage CVT can be worked via steering wheel shift paddles. Performance is reasonably brisk and ride and handling are generally pleasing; it’s a wagon that might even suit an enthusiast driver.

Not so good
Some disappointing cabin trim

The post Subaru XV 2.0i automatic appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

Two statistics, both the number “four”, point to the fact that Suzuki’s third generation Grand Vitara is nearing the end of its lifespan. The first four is its ANCAP safety rating, still okay but maybe not a strong selling point when many of its newer rivals have a fifth star. The other four is the number of speeds in the automatic transmission. These days, a five speed is normal with six speeds making inroads. But don’t write off the conservatively styled Grand Vitara, currently available in six versions including a diesel and a two-wheel-drive. On and off the road, the four speed auto is fine; its main drawback is not being as fuel efficient as the newer rivals. As for the four-star rating, ANCAP notes that, although the more stars the better, four- and five-star ratings “offer the highest level of occupant protection”. Apart from  the 2WD, all Grand Vitaras have both 4WD and low-range gearing. It’s not there for show, because the Grand Vitara has a proper chassis integrated into the body, and it’s meant to be able to soak up off-road punishment. The trouble is that, at 200mm, ground clearance isn’t up to seriously rutted tracks and the tyres are very much street oriented. Not to worry, few people buy Grand Vitaras to go serious off-roading or, in fact, to do any off-roading. This is why the next one is expected to appear without low-range gearing, and aimed at the “soft” market. Grand Vitara rides and handles well, for what it is. Brake Override has been added to mitigate those “oops” moments when the accelerator and brake pedals are pressed at the same time. Sensors work with the computer to safely slow the vehicle.

Good features
Genuine off-road ability

Not so good
Starting to show its age

The post Suzuki Grand Vitara LTD appeared first on Automotive News NZ.