DEEPAL S07 TAKES TECH TO ANOTHER LEVEL

Deepal is a sub-brand of Changan Automobile which is the fourth largest Chinese brand behind BYD, Geely and SAIC. It is imported here through Inchcape who also bring in Subaru and Peugeot vehicles. The first model to come here is the S07, a mid-sized SUV that will compete against EVs including the Tesla Model Y, Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4X, Ioniq 5 and Kia EV5, all of which are more expensive. But wait, there are more, less established Chinese EV brands either here already or on their way wit similar vehicles… Read more

HONDA HR-V Vi X

When it arrived here in 1999 it was one of the first compact SUVs around and at once set the standard for what has since become one of the fastest growing segments of the automobile market. Unfortunately, with its bland styling and three-door body, that original HR-V never really took off and it was subsequently discontinued in 2003. It remained off the Australian market until 2015 when the much more attractive five-door second-generation model arrived. The third generation of the HR-V arrived here in 2022 with sleeker styling, advanced safety… Read more

NISSAN X-TRAIL N-TREK

Meets Nissan’s latest and greatest X-Trail crossover, the N-Trek edition. Originally conceived as a limited edition of 500 vehicles, X-Trail joins the Navara and Pathfinder N-Trek editions. Based on the ST-L grade, back then it came with larger 19-inch alloys, built-in navigation, premium Bose eight-speaker audio, smoked coloured bonnet protector, slim line front and rear weather shields, front and rear kick plates and carpet mats in the five-seat version — all standard equipment. Now it rides on 18s and has six-speaker unbranded audio. Satnav remains but the other nick-nacks have… Read more

KIA SELTOS SPORT

Seltos is one of four SUVs in the Kia range, smaller than the Sorento and Sportage but larger than the Stonic. It has been on sale here since late 2019 and competes against vehicles such as the MG ZS, Mitsubishi ASX and Hyundai Kona in the crowded small SUV market segment. Seltos received a major upgrade for 2023 with exterior and interior changes, safety improvements, new tech features, plus extra power and a new transmission for the top-spec model. The changes did come at a price with increases of at… Read more

KIA STONIC GT-LINE BLENDS STYLE WITH SUBSTANCE

Kia Stonic is the smallest of the Korean carmaker’s four conventional SUV range sitting below the Seltos, Sportage and Sorento. There are also three fully electric SUVs: EV5, EV6 and EV9. Stonic was released in 2017 and arrived in Australia in 2020. It was upgraded in May 2024 with a more powerful three-cylinder turbo engine, added safety and tech features and a price hike. Stonic is built on the same platform as the now discontinued Rio hatchback. It competes against vehicles such as its Hyundai Venue sibling as well as… Read more

GWM HAVAL JOLION

The growth in sales of Chinese vehicles continues to gain momentum. While the SAIC subsidiary, MG Motor, is leading the way with its big-selling SUVs the original breakthrough was made a decade ago with the Great Wall company targeting the tradie market with cheap workhorse utilities of questionable safety quality. That’s all changed and Great Wall, now re-branded as GWM and with improved quality, and an expanded range that now includes three SUVs sales have jumped to such an extent that in September 2024 GWM broke through into Australia’s top… Read more

VERSATILE MU-X IS A BIG SELLER FOR ISUZU UTE

Isuzu Ute MU-X is a large 4WD from a Japanese company that has a long history of producing hard working vehicles. Indeed, Isuzu has a history dating back for over 100 years in light commercial vehicles including a couple of decades when they sold here rebadged as Holdens. MU-X has been a major success in Australia, currently sitting in second place behind Ford Everest and almost double the sales of other ute-based rivals such as Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner. The major change that came with the MY2024 upgrade… Read more

MITSUBISHI ASX ES STREET

  Mitsubishi ASX is the smallest vehicle in the company’s four-model SUV range beneath the Eclipse Cross, Outlander and Pajero Sport.   ASX (the acronym stands for Active Sports Crossover, not Australian Stock Exchange) has been around since 2010 and competes against a host of rivals in the small SUV category including Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, Kia Seltos, Subaru XV, Toyota C-HR  and the class sales leading MG ZS.   Despite being largely unchanged throughout the decade ASX has been a star performer for Mitsubishi thanks to a combination of… Read more

GENESIS GV70 REVIEW

It’s still not a household name, at least not in motoring circles, but Genesis is the luxury sub-brand of Hyundai in the same way as Lexus is to Toyota. There are plenty of model choices: two sedans (G70 and G80), three SUVs (GV60, GV70 and GV80) with petrol, diesel and electric powertrains as well as two- and all-wheel drive in the SUVs. GV70, the mid-sized SUV, is this week’s test. It comes with the choice of 2.5- and 3.5-litre turbocharged petrol engines and fully-electric EV. The entry-level 2.5T comes with… Read more

TOYOTA FORTUNER FILLS A GAP

You don’t hear much about the Toyota Fortuner. Launched in 2015, Fortuner is the SUV equivalent of the Hilux utility. Like the Kluger it comes with seven seats, but it’s aimed at a quite different buyer. Depending on your perspective, it’s either the quiet achiever or the under-achiever, with about half the sales of Prado. For Toyota, its raison d’etre is or perhaps was to provide a diesel option to Kluger as well as an affordable alternative for those who can’t afford a Land Cruiser. But now that the US-engineered… Read more