Four-wheel drive to the poorhouse

By JO-MARIE BROWN and CHRIS DANIELS

Sell the four-wheel-drive and pick up a zippy round-towner, says the Automobile Association after an analysis of the running cost of cars.

The association's car operating cost survey, adjusted for Wednesday's 5c petrol price rise, shows the cost of running any car with an engine bigger than 1600cc is rising faster than the cost for smaller cars.

Costs for anything over 1600cc have risen 11.1 per cent over the past year, against an 8.5 per cent rise for cars under 1600cc.

The survey also found the cost of running a car bigger than 2000cc is increasing far more rapidly than the cost for cars under 1300cc.

The association's general manager of technical services, Bob Lewis, singled out the popular four-wheel-drive vehicles for special mention.

"Four-wheel-drive vehicles have become trendy. People always say they've got a reason to have them, but now they've got to consider their costs.

"Why have a big unit if you really don't need it? It makes more sense to have a smaller vehicle. If you've got a little 1000cc car you're a real winner."

Mr Lewis said the argument that larger cars were safer was not necessarily valid when costs were taken into account.

"If you drive sensibly and safely, you shouldn't have any problems."

The survey assessed the total running costs of petrol-powered vehicles traveling the New Zealand average of 12,000km in 12 months.

Warrants of fitness, licensing fees, insurance, petrol, oil, tyres, repairs and maintenance were taken into account Mr Lewis said small cars came out better because of the competitive nature of the small car market over the past year.

"Smaller cars weren't selling earlier last year, so it became very competitive in the 1.3 to 1.6 range of vehicles," Mr Lewis said.

Cheap Japanese imports pushed the prices even lower.

Mr Lewis said he expected more petrol price rises, which would again hit the owners of large vehicles hardest.

Cars over 2000cc used an average 10.9 litres of fuel to travel 100km, while cars under 1300cc used 6.6 litres.

John Lindsay, who sells four-wheel-drives for Lifestyle Vehicles in Takanini, said buyers of bigger vehicles knew they would be more expensive to run.

"The bigger four-wheel-drive petrols are bought for a purpose, and they are going to be thirstier than your average car."

People bought the big vehicles because they wanted to carry more people, go off-road, or tow a boat. They were well aware that such vehicles used more petrol than a smaller car "It's just about the first thing they ask," said Mr Lindsay. "We make it quite clear that it will use more petrol."

"People aren't silly, they have done their homework. They have decided what they want."

Despite the extra running costs, Mr Lindsay said, many people were changing from small family sedans to larger cars.

The Ford motor company, a major maker of large four-wheel-drive vehicles, admitted this week that they contributed more to global warming, emitted more exhaust pollution and were a greater danger to other motorists than standard cars.