Australian 4WD & SUV Buyer's Guide

Given the increasing dominance of SUVs, it seemed just a matter of time before the 4x4 family wagon faded away. However, Ford’s new Everest, the Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Challenger should revive the class. They’re all based on onetonner 4x4 ute

Australia’s premier motoring journalist, Joshua Dowling joins the Australian 4WD&SUV Buyers Guide roadtesting team this issue. Joshua is the National Motoring Editor of News Corp Australia and a World Car of the Year judge. Renowned for his consumer-

Our piggybank indicates a 4WD or SUV that we think represents good value for money against the others in its class. It may not necessarily be the cheapest but, taking into account factors such as standard equipment, safety, the way it drives, resale

The star rating for safety is from Australian ANCAP or European NCAP crash tests and the Green Vehicle Guide stars are as per the vehicle’s rating in the Green Vehicle Guide itself. Other star ratings, including the overall star rating, reflect how

• Prices are supplied by manufacturers and do not include on-road charges, which vary from state to state. Note that advertised prices must now include all on-road costs. • The best way to get a good deal on a new car is to do your research, test dri

The 2.0 TDi turbodiesel quattro opens the Q5 range at $62,600. The 2.0 TFSi turbopetrol quattro is $63,210. The 3.0 supercharged V6 TFSi petrol quattro is $76,100 and the 3.0 V6 TDi turbodiesel quattro is $77,200. Finally, the 3.0-litre twin-turbodie

BMW’s X3, introduced in early 2011, is now much closer in size to the X5 and unless you need seven seats, it’s a great value alternative. The X3 lineup opens with the xDrive 20i, priced at a very attractive $61,100. It runs BMW’s 2.0-litre direct-inj

The Ranger 4x4 lineup opens with the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel XL six-speed manual single cab-chassis at $38,790. The 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel XL manual cab-chassis is $41,290. XL Plus is $46,480. Double cab-chassis models start

Holden’s Colorado 7 is a seven-seater wagon built on the Colorado one-tonner chassis, so compared with an SUV it has design and engineering limitations. However, when it comes to off-road and towing, it’s a class above. The same vehicle, with a diffe

The Hyundai Santa Fe features seven seats in all models. The lineup opens with the front-wheel-drive 141kW 2.4-litre direct-injection four-cylinder petrol/six-speed manual Active at $38,490. The six-speed auto is $40,990. The 145kW 2.2-litre turbodie

D-Max 4x4 models start at $33,900 for the single-cab-chassis EX five-speed manual. Space cab-chassis base model is the SX, at $39,600. Crew cab-chassis SX is $42,100. The crew cab ute starts at $42,800 for the SX, the space cab ute LS-U is $44,000 an

All MU-X variants run a 130kW 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel with five-speed manual or automatic transmissions. The range opens with the rear-wheel-drive LS-M auto, at $40,500; the LS-U auto is $42,000. 4x4 models, all with a dual-range transfer

The Cherokee range starts at $33,500 for the front-wheel-drive (FWD) 2.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol Sport. At $39,000, the Longitude (called Latitude in northern hemisphere markets), swaps the four-cylinder for a 3.2-litre V6 petrol and adds four-wh

The Mercedes GLA SUV range starts at $48,300 for the 100kW 2.1-litre turbodiesel front-wheel-drive GLA200 CDI. Opt for the sportier performance and all-wheel-drive grip of the 155kW 2.0-litre turbopetrol GLA250 and the price rises to $58,600. The 265

The Skoda Yeti, like VW’s Tiguan, is built on the Golf V platform and uses all VW components. The Yeti range opens with the 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbopetrol/ six-speed manual/front-wheel-drive 77 (as in kilowatts) TSi Active, at $24,390. The seven

The Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.6-litre V6 petrol, offered with rear-wheel drive as a base model, is $44,500. The 3.6-litre V6 Laredo 4x4 is $48,500. The Blackhawk is $50,500, Limited is $58,000 and the Overland is $68,000. The Limited 5.7-litre V8 is $6

Kia’s Sorento is a significantly bigger wagon than its predecessor, comparable with Toyota’s Kluger and the Nissan Pathfinder, with vast interior space for seven. Petrol-powered models are front-wheel drive. The range opens with the 199kW 3.3-litre V

The 2.0-litre petrol CX-5 range opens with the Maxx front-wheel-drive/six-speed manual at $27,190. A six-speed auto adds $2000 and is standard on all other models. The 2.0 Maxx Sport (tested here) is $32,790. The 2.5-litre petrol all-wheel-drive Maxx

The CX-3 gives Mazda an offering in the hotly contested compact SUV segment. With a choice of two four-cylinder engines — 77kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbodiesel or 109kW/192Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol — the CX-3 is up against more than 20 conte

The Mercedes GL Class is an often overlooked and underrated luxury 4WD. It’s a well-designed, spacious seven-seater and unlike BMW’s X5 and Audi’s Q7, the GL is also equipped to go off-road. Think of it as Germany’s answer to the Range Rover. The 190

Rather than a new Mercedes-Benz, what we have here is a new Mercedes-Benz name. There’s little more than a simple badge swap involved in the transition from M Class to GLE. The basic virtues of the line-up — comfort, capable handling, formidable safe

Mercedes-Benz has finally joined the booming medium-sized luxury SUV segment. As one of the last in, it needs to be best dressed. That it certainly is. The GLC, so named because it is based on the Mercedes-Benz C Class sedan (it’s also made in the sa

Anthropologists know it refers to a nomadic people of Middle Eastern origin but Nissan hopes Qashqai (pronounced “kash-kai”) becomes the byword for compact SUVs in Australia. Like the successful Dualis it replaced, the five-seater crossover is design

The Triton 4x4 range, powered by a 133kW/430Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, opens with the GLX single cab chassis six-speed manual at $32,490. The GLX Club cab chassis is $35,290. Double cabs start with the GLX at $36,990; a five-speed

The 3.0-litre twin turbodiesel TDV6 Vogue is $179,800. The 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 Vogue is $189,910. The 4.4-litre V8 turbodiesel SDV8 Vogue is $200,610, the Vogue SE is $222,610 and the Autobiography is $240,310. The 5.0-litre supercharged

The base Forester 2.0iL, priced at $29,990, uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a six-speed manual. The 2.5-litre petrol Forester 2.5iL has a continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmission as standard, at $32,990. It’s also availabl

Subaru cut prices on its fifth-generation Outback by up to $10,000. The Outback has always been one of the best mid-sized SUVs on the market, so big discounts and more equipment on the new model have made it a compelling proposition, especially again