Ask the expert with Paul Gover

Q: I am hoping to get your insight on a concerning issue with my 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross GXL. The car has done 2000 kilometres since I purchased it at the end of last year. I was driving last Sunday when the car suddenly slammed its auto brakes on for no reason. The road was clear in front of me, and there was no one behind me either, thankfully. There were cars on the other side of the road, but nothing that should have caused the car to suddenly brake. No sooner than my car slammed on the auto brakes and beeped than it resumed regular driving. It so was quick, I wasn’t even able to read the warning message on the dash.
This is clearly dangerous. Although it’s the first time for auto-braking, the car has been displaying and sounding other warnings irregularly over the past few weeks. It’s typically when I am turning a corner. I took my car to the local Toyota dealer for investigation and detailed the issue. They told me there were no fault codes stored and their technicians were unable to replicate the issue, so there was nothing to be done. They just reduced the sensitivity of the auto-braking system. Is this standard with Corolla Crosses and to be expected?
Matt Burgess
A: What you report is not remotely unusual in 2026. All makes, all models. I’m currently driving a Mazda MX-5, of all things, and it does it every time I approach a roundabout near my house. I’ve also had cars brake for zero reason, or for things like trees and garbage bins. I would, however, suggest you regularly clean all the sensors in the nose and also the windscreen. Why? Because something as minor as grime on the surfaces can trigger a false alarm. Remember, despite what the world says about technology AI, nothing beats a well trained and attentive driver with a Mk1 human brain.

Q: My wife is looking at getting a mid-size hybrid, to travel to school and back for work. We have had hatchbacks in the past but open to any recommendations.
Mark Jones
A: Test drive Toyota Yaris Cross to calibrate your thinking. Then Hyundai Tucson hybrid or equivalent Kia for the smart value pick from a good brand.

Q: So, the LDV T60 Max. Would you recommend this car, it is for an employee for work purposes?
Geoff Coomes
A: Honestly? No. Lousy quality reputation. Google LDV rusty cars in Australia. Go for GWM or BYD as a Chinese value pick.

Q: I saw a couple of news items saying that they have security issues that Toyota are working on a fix for. One of the articles I saw said that they are not backdating any fix that they come up with. Do you know if this is true? I’d expect a car that is less than 17 months old to be covered by any required updates. If we knew these problems existed and wouldn’t be addressed we wouldn’t have bought a Toyota RAV4 in the first place. Any advice on how to approach this would be greatly appreciated.
Paul Murphy
A: The security dramas are related to the LandCruiser, which is a huge target for professional car-theft gangs. It’s the vehicle which has had a security update by Toyota Australia, and it’s a hardware change so cannot be migrated to older versions. So almost certainly nothing for you to worry about with your RAV4. Keep calm and carry on.

Q I purchased a Mercedes-AMG 43R GLC coupe and the problem is the battery. If I leave it stationary and don’t drive it,  I get notification on the Mercedes App that the battery is low. At the first service I was told they had to charge the battery and told me the battery would need replacing. Then I was told that I should be trickle charging the battery when car is sitting, but we live in an apartment and have no facility for this. They then went on to say that I would have to pay for a new battery because it is not covered under warranty, even though this problem started when vehicle was only nine months old. I have front and rear cameras installed on vehicle they assured me this is not draining the battery.
Gary Nevill
A: The best solution is to drive your car regularly for more than 20 kilometres, to ensure it gets a proper top-up. Stop-start driving over short distances is not good for any car and it gets worse if you leave it parked for any length of time.  If you have dash cams then it is essential that are automatically turned completely off when the car is stopped and locked, otherwise there is a tiny ‘parasitic drain’ which can kill the battery if the car is parked for days at a time. Don’t take anyone’s word for their operation, demand it is done.

Q:  I am I am 74 years old, looking at purchasing a new vehicle, and was looking at a Lexus NX350h AWD Sports Luxury or a Volvo XC40 which I quite liked.
However, I just heard that Volvo is now Chinese owned – which is a bit disappointing.  I currently drive a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC and love it, but the price is getting a little high.  I would appreciate your thoughts on these cars.
Robyn Rosta

A: China is taking over the car world but there is no concern with Geely’s ownership of Volvo, as the Swedish DNA is still fully intact. The NX is a nice car, typically Lexus so not as engaging as your current Benz. The Volvo is a hidden gem and the XC40 is the right pick for me. But, and it’s a big one, make sure you’re comfortable with the ‘driver assistance’ systems with some proper test driving as a lot of people find them annoying and distracting.

Paul Gover is one of Australia’s most respected motoring journalists, with more than four decades of experience road testing and writing about cars for leading publications including News Corp, and a reputation for straight-talking advice that cuts through the marketing spin.