[Surferdude]

The RACQ, is Qld's motoring body and its bi monthly magazine, The Road Ahead" regularly comes up with some very good comparison tests. The magazine is also a good source of automotive and travel deals for members.

This test covers the Kona, a Mitsubishi ASX, Suzuki, and Nissan Quashqai. All small SUV's if not all sharing common features.

https://nofile.io/f/BYbJs3mAv9J/SMALL+SUV+SHOOTOUT.docx

[CraigB]

Thanks Trev
Would have been interesting to see the Mazda CX 3 included in the review, a family friend just bought one after testing all the others mentioned there.

[Surferdude]

Thanks Trev
Would have been interesting to see the Mazda CX 3 included in the review, a family friend just bought one after testing all the others mentioned there.

Well, seeing as my son traded his CX3 on his Kona, and loves it, maybe the Kona is a winner. 

[Dazzler]

Thanks for sharing Trev. Not a bad review, but when they get a higher grade vehicle in the mix they should compare the features based on the lower model, which would be easy to get off the companies website or a brochure.

They probably should have mentioned the Kona can be optioned with a turbo which then makes it outperform all the others by a good margin.   

[CraigB]

Thanks Trev
Would have been interesting to see the Mazda CX 3 included in the review, a family friend just bought one after testing all the others mentioned there.

Well, seeing as my son traded his CX3 on his Kona, and loves it, maybe the Kona is a winner. 

Need some facts so I can bag em out for buying the CX 3 as I recommended the Kona to them I know the Mazda has better fuel usage though I feel it's inferior in many other areas.

[Surferdude]

Thanks Trev
Would have been interesting to see the Mazda CX 3 included in the review, a family friend just bought one after testing all the others mentioned there.

Well, seeing as my son traded his CX3 on his Kona, and loves it, maybe the Kona is a winner. 

Need some facts so I can bag em out for buying the CX 3 as I recommended the Kona to them I know the Mazda has better fuel usage though I feel it's inferior in many other areas.

Somewhere on here is a report from my son.
But  as he's an engineer, the technical stuff is what grabs him and might not do so for your friends.
Doesn't the Mazda need 95 fuel?

[CraigB]

Thanks Trev
Would have been interesting to see the Mazda CX 3 included in the review, a family friend just bought one after testing all the others mentioned there.

Well, seeing as my son traded his CX3 on his Kona, and loves it, maybe the Kona is a winner. 

Need some facts so I can bag em out for buying the CX 3 as I recommended the Kona to them I know the Mazda has better fuel usage though I feel it's inferior in many other areas.

Somewhere on here is a report from my son.
But  as he's an engineer, the technical stuff is what grabs him and might not do so for your friends.
Doesn't the Mazda need 95 fuel?

Technical stuff is fine, Roy's a construction engineer and what he doesn't understand I'll tell him

Not sure about the 95 I know he wouldn't even think of using 91 anyway, shit stuff should be pulled of the market

The amount of fuel saving...6.1 in the Mazda to 8 in the Kona 2ltr even 98 would probably work out cheaper.

[Surferdude]

I'm interested in your comments about 91.
I've used it in every car I've ever had since it arrived. As has all my family. Absolutely no issues, regardless of the age of the vehicle or the distance / time owned. My son is the exception in his Mazda's which specified 95.
I also can't find any of my mates in the industry who have a problem with it.
Social media however, boasts a heap of people against it but few can quote specific reasons for that view.

[CraigB]

Trev if you pull the head off an engine after a few years on 91 you’ll see the difference in valve and piston condition with pitting and overall condition of plugs when compared to 98 which I’ve exclusively used in all my cars for the last 20 or more years.

The girlfriend always ran 91 in her excel and I could always hear the difference in engine harmonics after a few hundred k’s on the better fuel I’d put it it every few months, generally runs and idles quieter an smother.

I do the same in the folks Cruze which in hot weather you can even get some pinging, the old boy couldn’t really care though so I’ll just add a tankful for him when I think it needs it

[Surferdude]

Well, as I said, some ofthe cars in my experience were in the mix a long time.
However, I've never had to pull a head off a car I've owned or been responsible for, since my rallying days.
Based on that I guess I'll stay with 91.
One thing I took out of the PD launch in Sydney last year was that two of their technical people individually made the point that the PD and it's predecessors were absolutely fine on 91.
Their point was that, with Ifve year unlimited warranty, there is no way the company was going to risk problems by recommending the wrong fuel.
One guy also pointed out that Kia used the same philosophy with 7 years exposure.

[CraigB]

Don’t service still recommend a fuel system treatment every service to try and clean up deposits left by the poorer fuel quality though, I know that my mechanic always recommends to customers to run a tank of 98 every 3rd or 4th tank to clean up deposits, personally I prefer prevention rather than cure.

[Surferdude]

Don’t service still recommend a fuel system treatment every service to try and clean up deposits left by the poorer fuel quality though, I know that my mechanic always recommends to customers to run a tank of 98 every 3rd or 4th tank to clean up deposits, personally I prefer prevention rather than cure.

I occasionally run an efi treatment through, maybe a couple of times a year.
Had a talk to my local mechanic a while back about those fuel treatment s. He's not a fan even though he's a Repco Authorised Service Centre.
Some of the tyre stores I worked at after retirement used to do the fuel system treatment. But they privately acknowledged it was a money earner first and foremost.