2007 Cost Of Ownership Survey
May 29, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
RACV tested the Honda Accord Euro, Mazda 6 and the Toyota Camry. Despite being the most interesting (and good looking) car in the lot, the Accord Euro costs $5,000 more than the other two and suffers as a result.
The Toyota Camry wins this category ($193.05) to make it 2 for Toyota. The Mazda 6 comes in second at $197.85, while those opting for the handsome Honda Accord Euro will be paying $218.07 a week.
Here is the surprise! Holden’s billion dollar baby, the VE Commodore is the most expensive large car to own! The RACV tested the Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore, Mitsubishi 380 and the recently arrived Toyota Aurion.
Australia’s two favourite cars (Falcon/Commodore) came out last, while Mitsubishi’s struggling 380 again shined as the cheapest large car to own. Results are as follows:
- Mitsubishi 380 – $200.44
- Toyota Aurion – $217.60
- Ford Falcon – $229.13
- Holden Commodore – $233.40
But its not exactly fare to compare the 380 to the other 3 as the Mitsu costs nearly $5,000 less, however the Toyota Aurion is only $500-1,000 cheaper than the Commodore & Falcon respectively. Either way, another victory for the struggling Adelaide manufacturer.
ACTUALLY DRIVE – i do have a message to submit and i would appreciate a return offer.
Regarding the medium SUV comparison… why wasn’t the Kluger used instead of the Prado. I recognise the Prado is not not exactly a ‘medium’ hauler nor ‘large’ but agianst the Nissan Pathfinder and the Captiva or even the Ford Territory, it is not exactly within thier league either with it’s ‘FULL’ of road abilities. A far more appropriate choice would have been the Kluger in this instance so i beg the question…. why the Prado (with greater off-road abilities then the comparo)then the Kluger (of which is more comparable) ??
The 380 is great, would never go back to Holdens. I think they should have included more cars in categories like Light. Where was the colt for example? It has the most economical 1.5litre petrol engine in Aus.
The RACV uses the highest volume selling vehicles in their survey and as a result the Kluger missed ot this year.
In your comparison of diesal and hybrid running costs i was quite suprised to see the standard honda civic cheaper to run. I s this a general trend?
I was thinking of buying a mazda 6 sports in the diesel version assuming i would save some money instead of the standard model.
If it is going to cost so much i may be better off sticking to a large family sedan which is what i have had all my life.
I am confused!!
i agree with dingo …
why was the Toyota Prado used in the med SUV catagory ????? the Klugar would have been the natural choice to put up against the other rivales…
Drive .. can you give us a answer why the Prado was used insted of the Toyota Klugar ????
Hi
Very interesting information! Thanks!
Bye
I would also like to add that the major reason for the korean brands seemingly being less affected by the world recession is because their currency is rapidly depreciating. Thus if they sell the same number of cars in America for example, this will instantly convert into higher profits for them because of the exchange rate.
On the other hand the Japanese yen has skyrocketed (see: www . x-rates.com/d/USD/JPY/graph120.html for example) and thus the drop of sales in USA is amplified.