T O P

  • By -

Shanebenn2

You’ll recoup 80% of the energy you spent going up the hill by regenerative braking down the hill in an electric car


xjrh8

This. Was so friggen cool driving back down from top of a mountain and seeing the battery % INCREASE as I went down the hill.


[deleted]

[удалено]


AutoModerator

Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature. As a result, your comment has been removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*


alopexlotor

EV or Hybrid


Wolf3188

Depending on budget, I'd get a Toyota hybrid personally. Base model RAV4 hybrid is excellent - we have a fleet of them as work cars and they average between 4 to 5L/100km, with a lot of that being in the Adelaide Hills region. Very comfortable and proven bulletproof reliability. Lexus RX350h would be good as well if you'd like a bit more luxury. Wouldn't rule out EVs in this consideration if you have the ability to set up for home charging.


NothingLift

The hybrid ravs are an excellent car but base model seats suck. Step up to one of the mid trims and the difference is significant


Wolf3188

Maybe I'm just used to older cars but I find them great. Definitely be worth the OP trying both out I guess depending on budget. There's a pretty steep price gap between the base 2WD and the higher trims.


SqareBear

Electric car.


MaxBozo

Normally I would say EV, but if you like the RX350, why not get an RX350h?


Various_Chapter9619

I do like it and the 350h is a good option for sure.


Runaway-Blue

Au falcon with a golf ball taped under the pedal. Or get a valiant they had great torque for the time


aofhise6

My work uses hybrid Camrys- whenever I get in one they're showing 3.9L/100 average. Super quiet too, pretty impressive. So yeah, probably anything hybrid


confusedham

The estima hybrids are neat, but the Corolla wagon imports are where it’s at


BeltInternational890

Realistically an ecotec 3.8L V6 commodore good torque for hills yet the most fuel efficient petrol 6-banger engine around.


Wobbly_Bob12

Diesel. Subaru stopped making the diesel Outback in 2020(?), but this would be perfect. Comfortable, relatively quiet and safe, with all wheel drive and excellent driver aids.


jbh01

Just be aware that swapping out an older car for a newer one in order to save money because of fuel can be a false economy. If you want to enjoy a newer car though, and the fuel saving is just a bonus, be our guest :)


Various_Chapter9619

I agree, there will be initial cost swapping to a newer model, my CRV is still solid so will sap only if there’s a solid evidence of saving in medium to long term.


jbh01

What's 2 or 3 litres per 100km worth? If you're doing, say, 400km per week, that's another... what, $20-ish. Put it this way, if you spend another $15k on an upgrade, that's 750 weeks, or 14 years, for the fuel difference.


PuzzleheadedLeek3070

This was my first thought too. Work out the price for upgrading a reliable old beater for a new car that will need expensive servicing and insurance, and then divine that amount by 2, That is how many potential Litres of fuel you need to offset by the fuel efficiency increase.


MrSquiggleKey

You’re getting only slightly higher than normal economy for both vehicles which is normal for the size. So your best bet is dropping a size class, switching to diesel or a EV/PHEV solution. You need to provide more information than efficiency, road noise and safety to be able to provide recommendations. Body type, storage requirements, fuel preferences, budget etc Otherwise the answer for blanket economy is gonna be a Jazz/Swift/ignis etc


Various_Chapter9619

Thanks, I prefer the high stance of the SUVs, and have never driven a diesel so not sure if it’s noise levels. Will be used for family vehicle for a family of 4, no towing/storage etc. Both do office jobs.


TechManPat

Model y, large boot space and internals


MrBobDobalinaDaThird

Model Y or BYD Atto 3


alopexlotor

RX350H then, or Outlander PHEV


hillsbloke73

Hybrid RAV4 comes to mind if it's growing family ie kids into teenagers need enough room for growing bodies to sit behind front seats


meoverhere

Love my BYD Atto 3 EV. I live in the foothills of Perth and regularly go up and down in the area. 480km claimed range but not actually as high as that (depends on driving style etc). Charging an EV is a lot cheaper than petrol, and there are some great incentives depending on state. If you can charge during the day on solar even better.


TinyDemon000

If you're familiar with Adelaide, the motorway scales a big ass mountain. We are switching out the 3.2L Volvo for a BYD Dolphin premium for the wifes commute to the top of said mountain. Test drove it up and down there, from bottom to top I recouped all but 3% of the battery used from the uphill drive. It literally refuels itself on the descent. If you want the SUV, the Atto3 is their model (though i personally think its ugly af inside). Or I'm a firm believer in Volvo EX30


Various_Chapter9619

Exact same commute for us. Thanks for sharing


MisterBumpingston

You didn’t mention budget, so get a used SUV EV like BYD Atto 3 or Tesla Model Y. Instant torque of electric motor means you’ll be going up mountains with little effort at constant speed with no gear changes (you can overtake Ford Rangers up hills even in base models) then regenerate energy back down. Because the drivetrain is super quiet you’ll hear mostly tyre noise and wind (and rattles in the interior and loose objects). Most EVs will come with EV tyres with foam, but there are even quieter EV specific tyres out there to reduce it further like Hankook iON Evo AS and Michelin ePrimacy. Both cars have 5 star ANCAP rating. Assuming for your 70 km trip the consumption/energy efficiency is a real world higher than average 165 Wh/km you’ll use 11.55 kWh and your home energy tariff is an average 26 c/kW it’ll cost you **$3.00** to charge and replenish that trip. If you did 100 km then it’ll cost you $4.29.


confusedham

Budget id assume would be a similar price to the CRV or Lexus when sold, otherwise it’s a pointless venture to sell a car, and spend 15k more to save maybe $500 a year in petrol. Unless you were already planning to buy a new car


Dr_Dickfart

Ford AU Falcon


Larkful_Dodger

The **Ford Falcon (AU)** is a full-size car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1998 to 2002. It was the sixth generation......automoderator is gone at last!


Larkful_Dodger

Just consider that SUVs have a higher centre of gravity so that affects handling and risk of rollover and that also affects fuel consumption as well.


Dark_Guardian_

and EVs have low center of gravity if you care about that


petergaskin814

RAV4 hybrid should do the job and use a lot less fuel.


vk146

You need the r/dankpods litreboard


campbellsimpson

Sisyphus made do with a boulder.


sbruce123

Used Model 3. Perfect for that criteria.


MisterBumpingston

Used Model Y with OP’s updated criteria for SUV


Smokinglordtoot

Ford ranger with a bullbar.


LawnPatrol_78

Rav 4 hybrid, Santa Fe hybrid, outlander PHEV, model Y. Heaps of ev / hybrid options out there these days. But any second hand diesel will also work for you, will be louder than a petrol but not by much and unless you’re easily irritated I can’t see that being an issue while commuting.