Australian New Car Buyer

Joshua Dowling is the National Motoring Editor at drive.com.au and a World Car of the Year judge. Joshua is renowned for his consumer-first approach and you can also read his regular rants on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling. In this issue, he tests the BMW i

After almost three years of the new and used vehicle markets being distorted by supply and production constraints caused by the Covid pandemic, there are signs that things are beginning to return to normal, though there is still some way to go. Used

In our tests on the following pages and in the Showroom, we have used symbols to give you a quick indication of the strengths of each car, and star ratings to indicate in more detail how each car stacks up in its class. Here’s what the symbols and st

In Australian New Car Buyer, we include trade-in values for every model in our Showroom section. These are provided to us by Redbook, Australia’s leading authority on used car values. Each model we test includes three- and five-year retained values,

• Prices are manufacturers’ list prices and do not include options, on-road charges or insurance. These vary from state to state. Dealers are now required, when they advertise a price, to make it the drive-away price, including on-road charges. • Not

EDITOR Bill McKinnon DESIGNER Kate Atkinson CONTRIBUTORS John Carey, Joshua Dowling, Toby Hagon, Phil King, Byron Mathioudakis, Peter McKay, Dave Morley, Andrew Chesterton ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Martin White CHAIRMAN/CEO Prema Perera PUBLISHER Janice Wi

Alfa Romeo’s Giulia is aggressively priced and generously equipped. It deserves more attention against its German rivals. Start money is $72,950 for the Giulia Veloce. It gets a 206kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbopetrol engine, matched with an eight-speed au

Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio now kicks off at a hefty $80,950 in Veloce specification, following the deletion of the $64,950 base model and the $69,950 Sport. That’s a shame, but at least the Veloce gets the performance chipped version of the 2.0-litre turbo

The e-tron is Audi’s first EV and is priced from $138,323 for the 50 Quattro. As the name suggests, it drives all four wheels using two electric motors and a 71kWh battery. There’s also loads of gear, including smart key entry, powered tailgate, heat

Audi’s A4 sedan range opens with the front-wheel-drive 35TFSi S-Line ($64,900) running a 110kW 2.0-litre turbopetrol/seven-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic drivetrain. The variant that has usually been the pick of the A4s to drive, is the 183kW 2.0-litre t

Today’s Audi Q5 might seem barely changed since the original in 2009, but there’s exciting new stuff underneath its almost the same skin. Prices kick off from $68,350 for the 120kW/370Nm, 2.0-litre turbodiesel, front-wheel drive 35 TDi. You’llpay$72,

Audi’s second-generation Q7 is a huge improvement over the first. That model’s whale-like scale made it a daunting vehicle to drive in the city and its high weight meant it had the handling agility of a humpback. Audi’s engineers found ways to shed a

BMW’s first built from the ground-up electric SUV, the iX, fits between the X5 and X6, so it’s a big unit. Despite its proportions, this is a five-seater only. Out of the box, the BMW has the driving range to challenge Tesla and the luxury to rival P

BMW 3 Series prices were recently hiked by $7000-$13,500 as part of a 2022 facelift. Start money is now $78,900 for the 135kW/300Nm 2.0-litre turbopetrol 320i, with a standard eight-speed automatic. The 330i sedan is $93,400. The 330i Touring is $97,

BMW’s seventh-generation 5 Series range opens with the $102,400 520i, with a 135kW/290Nm 2.0-litre turbopetrol four, matched with an eight-speed automatic. The $122,400 530i, tested here, has a 185kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbopetrol four. Six cylinder pow

BMW’s first X5, launched in 2000, immediately became the benchmark against which all other SUVs have since been judged. This fourth generation opens with the 170kW/450Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel/eight-speed automatic/all-wheel drive xDrive

Chinese brand BYD’s compact Atto 3 SUV is priced from $44,381 before on-road costs, making it eligible for EV rebates in most parts of the country. It’s well equipped at that price, with smart key entry, digital instruments, 18-inch alloys, panoramic

The badge resembles an alien and some of the styling appears to be inspired by Lamborghini. Meet Cupra, the performance offshoot of Volkswagen-owned Spanish brand Seat. Like another VW-owned brand, Skoda, the Cupra range is underpinned by VW platform

Fact: Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid sports car has an electric motor that’s more powerful than the V12s of the brand’s earliest road cars. The compact axial-flux e-motor in the 296 GTB has an output higher than the 2.0-litre V12 of the famed 166 rac

The Ford Escape makes a serious pitch for the performance buyer, with a 183kW/387Nm 2.0-litre turbopetrol standard across the range and 0-100km/h in under six seconds. No rival offers anywhere near that amount of performance; in fact most are decided

After a stalled start more than a decade ago, Chinese car giant Great Wall Motors is beginning to find traction in Australia. The company is now called GWM Haval, with utility vehicles wearing GWM badges and SUVs wearing both GWM and Haval logos. The

Chinese car brands are rocketing up the sales charts in Australia buoyed by their attractive design and sharp drive-away prices. One of the most common questions we get asked is “Are they any good?” The answer is not straightforward because not all C

Honda’s CR-V lost its way for a while but is now back in serious contention with the fifth generation since 1997. Priced from $35,300 drive-away for the Vi front-drive auto, the latest version has expanded its repertoire with seven-seat availability

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 mid-size electric SUV is available in two variants. Ioniq 5 Dynamiq 2WD, as the name implies, has a 160kW/350Nm electric motor that drives the rear wheels. It’s priced at $69,900. Ioniq 5 Techniq AWD, tested here and priced at $77,5

Meet the Hyundai i20 N, the South Korean car maker’s first pint-sized hot hatch. It’s the smaller sibling to the Hyundai i30 N, which is a Volkswagen Golf GTI rival. Priced at $34,990 plus on-road costs, the Hyundai is significantly cheaper than a To

You don’t mess around with a winning formula, so Hyundai’s third-generation i30 offers more of the same: a strong value-for-money proposition, excellent quality and reliability backed up by a generous warranty. Its styling has been updated for 2021,

The i30N received a significant update in mid 2021, designed to sharpen its performance credentials and, at the same time, make it more appealing to a wider audience. An eight-speed dual clutch automatic option is now offered in the base model, at $4

Hyundai’s Venue, a small SUV, starts at $21,740 (plus on road costs) for the six-speed manual; a six-speed automatic adds $2020. Powered by a 90kW 1.6-litre petrol four, driving the front wheels, Venue’s standard equipment list includes 15-inch alloy

There are seven Kona models, starting with the base Kona, priced from $26,900. Active is priced from $28,500, Elite from $31,900 and Highlander from $38,300. These are powered by a 110kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, matched to a CVT auto an

Kona Electric is Hyundai’s first EV. Prices start at $54,500 for the Elite. Highlander is $58,000. These Standard Range models use a 100kW/395Nm electric motor that drives the front wheels, powered by a 39.2kWh battery. Maximum claimed range is 305 k

Hyundai’s Santa Fe range opens with the 200kW 3.5-litre V6 petrol/eight-speed automatic/front-wheel-drive Wagon, at $46,050. Active is $50,250, Elite is $56,500 and Highlander is $63,050. The 148kW 2.2-litre turbodiesel/eight-speed automatic/all-whee

Hyundai’s Palisade is a monster-sized, US sourced, luxury SUV that’s still a bargain compared with German brand seven or eight seater wagons, even though Hyundai hiked the entry price by $10,000 as part of a mid-2022 update. Prices now kick off at $6

Jaguar aimed ambitiously high with its I-Pace mid-size luxury SUV. “The target was to create the best electric vehicle on the planet,” says Jaguar technical design director, Wolfgang Ziebart. I-Pace matches the now discontinued Tesla Model X for perf

Although they look slightly different, as far as the hardware you can’t see is concerned, including the EV drivetrains, Kia’s EV6 is the same car as Hyundai’s Ioniq5. Kia prices start at $72,590 for the 168 kW single motor/rear-wheel EV6 Air. GT Line

The Kia Niro is a mid size SUV with electrified drivetrains, comparable in size to Kia’s petrol-powered Seltos and Hyundai’s Kona. Prices open at $44,380 for the hybrid S, with a 1.6-litre petrol four/six-speed dual clutch automatic and electric moto

Kia’s Cerato hatch range opens with the 112kW/192Nm 2.0-litre petrol S, with a six-speed auto, priced at $25,990. Sport is $28,090 and Sport+ is $31,140. The 150kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbo/seven-speed dual clutch automatic GT i $35,790. Cerato sedan is

Kia’s top selling Picanto starts at $15,990 with a 62kW 1.25-litre four cylinder/five-speed manual. GT Line, with extra equipment and sporty bling, is $17,440. The auto adds $1600 to S and X-Line. Picanto GT, with a 74kW 1.0-litre turbo triple/five-s

Kia’s fourth-generation Carnival people mover starts at $47,480 for the 216kW 3.5-litre V6 petrol/eight-speed automatic S model. Si grade is $52,980, SLi is $57,780 and Platinum is $65,580. The 148kW 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel is available i

Kia’s compact Seltos SUV opens at $27,290 for the 110kW 2.0 litre petrol/continuously variable auto/front-wheel drive Seltos S. Seltos Sport is $30,290 and Sport+ is $33,790. All-wheel drive models start at $37,290 drive away for the 130kW 1.6-litre

Kia’s fourth generation Sorento seven-seater SUV kicks off at $47,650 for the 200kW 3.5-litre V6 petrol/eight-speed automatic/front wheel drive S model. Sport is $50,270, Sport Plus is $54,850 and GT Line is $62,070. A 148kW 2.2-litre four cylinder t

The base Discovery Sport P250 R-Dynamic, with a 184kW 2.0-litre turbopetrol/nine-speed automatic/all-wheel drivetrain, costs $80,790. That’s a circa $18,000 hike from the entry point to this model in 2020, so the Land Rover has now lost its once cons

MAZDA’S fourth-generation MX-5 was updated in late 2021 with anti-roll suspension technology --that it didn’t really need --and the deletion of the base 1.5-litre models. That’s a shame because although the 1.5 was obviously not the most powerful eng

Now in its fourth iteration since 2004, the Japanese-built Mazda 3 hatch and sedan series is nowadays a wholly more upmarket proposition, trespassing on the Volkswagen Golf’s turf. Pricing starts from $27,040 for the 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre Pure six-sp

This is the third generation of Mazda’s popular small car. The Mazda2 hatch is offered with a 1.5-litre/four-cylinder naturally aspirated, direct-injection petrol engine across three spec levels: Pure, Evolve and GT. Pricing starts at $21,390 for the

The CX-3 is Mazda’s ageing offering in the hotly contested compact SUV segment. Powered by a 110kW/195Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, the CX-3 is up against more than 20 contenders including Honda’s HRV, Nissan’s Qashqai and the Kia S

Mazda’s mid-size 6 is available as a sedan and wagon. Prices start at $35,120 for the 140kW/250Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol/six-speed automatic Sport sedan. The Touring is $39,520. GT SP, with a 170kW/420Nm 2.5-litre engine, is $47,320 and the t

Evolution is the name of the game for one of Australia’s most popular SUVs. Starting from $32,390, the front-wheel drive Mazda CX-5 Maxx vies with Subaru’s Forester and Toyota’s RAV4 for safety honours in this class, with autonomous emergency braking

Mazda’s CX-8 SUV slots between the mid-size CX-5 five-seater and family-sized CX-9 seven-seater. There are four model grades: base Sport front-wheel drive from $40,190, Touring from $47,190, GT from $56,590 and the Asaki from $59,990. Standard fare i

Mazda’s CX-9 range starts at $46,250 for the 170kW 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbopetrol/six-speed automatic/front-wheel-drive Sport. CX9 Touring, with the same drivetrain, is $53,850, GT is $63,350 and Azami is $66,550. All-wheel-drive adds $4000 to e

Some car makers want to make a big statement with their new EVs, so they go for styling that’s different to your olde worlde internal combustion engine (ICE) car or SUV. The nerdmobile – Nissan’s Leaf being a prime example – and the futuristic techno

Mercedes’ GLB sits in one of those in-between slots on the SUV size scale. It’s a mid-size wagon, but also one of the smaller seven seaters on the market. It goes up against Land Rover’s Discovery Sport, Mazda’s CX8, VW’s Tiguan Allspace and the Skod

Mercedes-Benz fourth generation GLE range opens with the 300d at $114,204. It’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder, with a healthy 180kW of power and 500Nm of torque. The GLE 450 at $128,372 is powered by a 3.0-litre turbopetrol in-lin

The shape of things to come from Mercedes-Benz has a familiar form. The German car maker’s first pure EV, the EQC 400 is, surprise, surprise, a family sized SUV, priced from $122,724, or $139,723 for the more luxurious Sport model. While SUVs are hug

The W213 Mercedes E-Class is an exceptionally sophisticated, complicated piece of rolling digital technology. Great. But as a car, is it any good? We’re in the base-model 145kW 2.0-litre turbopetrol E200, priced at $102,206. The 155kW E300e plug-in h

The mid-size MG ZS EV starts at $43,990 for the Excite variant. This makes it the cheapest EV in Australia at present, undercutting the new BYD Atto3, which starts at $44,381. However, it’s worth noting that the ZS EV is not far off double the cost o