Family Reviews

Subaru has launched an Outback... as an EV. The Trailseeker combines the Subaru adventuring spirit with electric capability. Is it a combo that will work? Time will tell.

We’re not sure exactly what was going on in Hyundai’s marketing department at the end of the first decade of this century, but somebody was definitely having two bob each way.Up until 2010, the Tucson had been Hyundai’s mid-sized SUV entrant, but that badge disappeared the same year as the ix35 hit showrooms as the Tucson’s replacement. But after just five years on sale, the ix35 was itself replaced by none other than the Tucson.Confused? Us too, but to keep it simple, if you’re shopping for a Hyundai-made mid-sized SUV built between 2010 and 2015, the ix35 is the badge you need to look for.Meantime, leaving nomenclature out of it, the LM (as it was known internally) ix35 was a bread-and-butter kind of family SUV with familiar overall proportions and nothing too confronting mechanically.It could be had in three trim levels (Active, Elite and Highlander, in that order) and with a range of driveline options. There was a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 122kW, a 2.4-litre petrol with 130kW and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel with 135kW and lots more torque than the petrol variants.The 2.0 petrol was available with either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission and was front-drive only. The 2.4 petrol and the turbo-diesel were fitted exclusively with the six-speed automatic and were all-wheel drive, although they used on-demand AWD, and operated as front-drivers in most conditions.Conventional wisdom says late-model Hyundais are pretty stout things, even if they don’t offer much in the way of driving excitement. The ix35 makes sense if all you want is a roomy (for its size) box with which to move people and their belongings. But even then, there are some reliability problems to note, and driveability was never anything better than average.Overall, there are better, more entertaining choices in a second-hand SUV of this type.Again, it goes against the mood for this brand, but the ix35 did have some serious reliability issues that, even though they didn’t affect every example, should make you weigh things up carefully before making a purchasing decision.Something very wrong was going on in Hyundai’s engine department at this point in history. All three of the ix35’s engines suffered (to some extent) with some serious issues that saw Hyundai replacing entire engines under warranty in an attempt to stay in favour with its customers.The problems mainly centred around engines that consumed excess oil (to the point where some owners were caught out with empty sumps between services) and rattling engines that were signalling their death knock.The consensus is these problems were caused by poor manufacturing accuracy, leading to cylinder scoring, at which point the engines became noisy (particularly when cold) and started to burn oil. The fix was to either rebuild the engine with a new crankcase or, more commonly, replace the whole engine.Other issues reported over the years have been interior trim peeling (most notably steering wheel covers) and flaking paint caused by a bad batch of paint that affected other carmakers (including Toyota) and was traced to the top coat not adhering properly to the undercoat at the factory.This model Hyundai has had its share of recall notices over the years, some of them more serious than others, but a couple posing a definite safety risk. They include a recall to check the seat belt tensioning system, and a driver’s airbag that could have been assembled incorrectly and not deploy as it was designed to.Leaks were another ix35 recall theme, with oil leaks from the sump, fuel leaks and transmission fluid leaks all creating recall notices. There was also a recall to check some cars for a brake system that could allow brake fluid to contaminate the ABS module, leading to braking problems.You can check out the full details including what batches of cars were affected at: https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/If you’re buying a petrol ix35, the ones to avoid on the basis of the engine problems and oil burning were the ones from the first generation built between 2010 and 2013. If, however, you’re after a diesel version, the post-facelift cars (2013 to 2015) seem to be the problematic ones.Either way, you’d want to know the service history of any second-hand ix35 and be prepared to shell out for a pre-purchase inspection which would include a compression test and perhaps even a bore-scope examination of the engine.The number of ix35s still floating around with 250,000km on board, or even more, suggests the engine problems were a bit random and clearly didn’t affect every car.We’d still be a lot happier, though, with an example with less than 160,000km on its odometer, along with an up-to-date and complete service history as some proof of it having a chance at going the distance. A car with a factory replacement engine (and documentation to support this) would also be preferable to one with no history.The turbo-diesel ix35 was always the better one to actually drive thanks to its beefier power and torque delivery. The added safety of all-wheel drive only reinforces this view. The petrol versions do the job, but they can feel breathless and stretched a bit tight at freeway speeds when fully loaded.Right now, you’ll find sellers with early-built, high-mileage examples of the ix35 with an asking price of about $5000 or even less. But these are best left to speculators. Better value is to be found in the $8000 to $10,000 price range where you start to find diesel examples with much more moderate mileage showing. Don’t forget that service history.Hyundai is a big brand not just in Australia, but globally. So, spare parts are not hard to find. Neither is a workshop that can navigate what is, fundamentally, a pretty straightforward vehicle.There’s a huge online market for parts to suit cars like this one, but be wary of online sellers you haven’t used before. Don’t rule out parts recycling yards for spares like body panels and some mechanical parts.Despite the problems some owners experienced with this car, Hyundai managed to sell plenty of them here, with sales peaking at about 18,000 per year at one point. That gave it a huge chunk of the market in its segment, but those mechanical problems took their toll, leading to the badge being replaced by the revived Tucson model in 2015.Some owners were forced to walk away from their ix35s when the cost of repairs became more than the value of the car itself. But the sheer sales figures when things were looking good mean there are at least a couple of hundred ix35s for sale on the bigger online sites.

There has never been a better time to buy a four-wheel drive, with buyers spoiled for choice.The new Mitsubishi Pajero will land in dealerships this December, and go up against the old brigade led by the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X.But the world has changed since the previous-generation Pajero ceased production in 2021. There is a new breed of rough-and-tumble 4WDs from China such as Denza’s B5, GWM’s Tank 300 and 500 and likely incoming Geely Galaxy 700, which pack hi-tech features, hybrid grunt and wear enticing price tags.This Pajero is more aligned with the old guard, but a new hope is dawning with the promise of hybrid and plug-in hybrid propulsion in the near future.For now it packs a 150kW/480Nm 2.4-litre turbocharged diesel engine, which is an evolution of the twin-turbo unit found in the Triton.Mitsubishi has also ditched the six-speed auto from the Triton in favour of an eight-speed automatic transmission, which will improve performance and help lower fuel use by giving the vehicle more control over the rev range.It shares its underpinnings with the current Triton ute, but Mitsubishi has done a lot of work to make the Pajero a more refined and accomplished daily driver.The chassis is stiffer with greater use of high-quality steel, which increases its stability during cornering but also improves its durability and reliability to better handle the rough stuff.The rear suspension from the Triton has been replaced with a sophisticated five-link set-up with coil springs to smooth out bumps and lumps.And the track has been widened to make it more stable.We headed to Mitsubishi’s proving ground in Okazaki, Japan, to be one of the first people to get behind the wheel of the new Pajero. The giant Okazaki facility holds the company’s research and development centre, one of its vehicle proving grounds and car factory.Our short loop takes in several of the company’s test routes.The dynamic test mimics a twisting country road, the suspension test pairs together multiple broken and rough road surfaces and the high speed loop is a mind-bending road that has the vehicle pitched at 18-degrees as you whip through the big curve. Off-road testing will have to wait.The test, while short, showed some of the car's strengths and weaknesses.Mitsubishi’s switch to an eight-speed auto is a masterstroke. The new engine transmission combo elevates the drive experience with it smoother and more refined than the Triton.The wide ratios keep the engine humming in its sweet spot, with it doing it easily at 140km/h in eighth gear at about 2000rpm.It could do with a bit more torque, the Pajero not having the responsiveness and initial shove of its rivals back home. It isn’t a performance car but for its category it felt a tad sluggish and heavy.It is remarkably quiet at high speed, with minimal wind noise or tyre roar. There is a slight grumble of the engine permeating through the cabin, but nothing that would get in the way of comfortable conversation.This is paired with well balanced steering that provides decent feedback giving drivers a great idea of what is happening underneath them.It is surprisingly nimble for a circa 2500kg 4WD, with it handling quick changes of direction admirably. It held its own through the quick corners, exerting solid body control with less lean through the bends than expected of a car this big.This is the result of the wider track, upgraded suspension and the rally-bred Active Yaw Control (AYC) that helps manage the torque delivery to left and right wheels to increase stability when cornering.The Pajero’s suspension treads a fine balance — not too soft, not too firm.On the broken road surfaces it soaked up the bumps and imperfections with ease, but it didn’t encounter anything to mimic the pockmarked roads we encounter at home.First impressions matter, and the Pajero has made a lasting one, but we’ll reserve judgement until we’ve had a proper drive on public roads in Australia.This is the plushest Mitsubishi interior to date.It is festooned with premium materials and high-tech features. The cascading leather covered dash is a design highlight and the dual screens paired with proper buttons and dial controls show it's a 4WD for the modern age.The seats a comfy and easily adjustable and the second row seats sit up higher giving a good view out the forward and side windows.The third row is accessed by a one touch tumbling seat that provides a big space to load passengers through. All rows get air conditioning vents and USB-C ports.The boot is mini with all seven seats in use. The last row seats easily fold down with just the pull of a cord, but they don't fold completely flat.Prices kick off at $68,490, before on-road costs, for the entry-level GLS with five seats, or $69,990 with seven seats.The mid-tier Exceed jumps up to $79,990 and the range-topping GSR starts at $84,990. Both variants are only available with seven seats.Mitsubishi will also back the Pajero with its conditional 10-year/200,000km warranty, which requires owners to complete all their scheduled workshop visits at a Mitsubishi dealership or it reverts to a five year/100,000km guarantee.Mitsubishi offers up to 10 years' of capped-price servicing with scheduled workshop visits required every 15,000km or 12 months.

Renault has updated the Arkana, introducing a mild-hybrid set up for its small SUV. With a lot of its rivals now sporting full hybrid systems, is this a case of 'too little, too late'?

Let’s skip to the good part. If you read my earlier dispatch on the Toyota bZ4X, you’ll know that, thanks to a big price cut, better driving range and more modern tech, it finally stacks up with the heavyweights of the electric SUV space, like the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7. Well, on paper at least. And now we are at last up to the exciting bit where I tell you if it stacks up in the real world, too. And... it does.Don’t get me wrong, this is a very different car to something like the Model Y, and I have no doubt it will appeal to a very different buyer. While the Tesla is all stripped back minimalism (sometimes annoyingly) and bleeding-edge tech, like Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the Toyota is the opposite. It feels, and there’s really no better way to say this, like an electric Toyota. It’s familiar, the cabin layout is easy to immediately understand, and even though the tech on offer is high by Toyota’s recent standards, there are no lessons required in how it all works. You just get in, select Drive, and go. That familiarity extends to the drive experience, too. While some EVs make a big song and dance about supercar levels of instant performance, the bZ4X does the opposite. It’s simple, steady motoring, and while the power and torque is ample, and it benefits massively from not having a modern and whiny continuously variable transmission (CVT), it feels sensible, and not overly exhilarating.The positioning of the electric motor in this two-wheel-drive version at the front tyres does result in some front-wheel slipping and scrabbling at times, but it’s further evidence of where Toyota positions this bZ4X – a sports car it ain’t.But there's still a sense of connection from behind the wheel that is always refreshing to find these days. Yes, it can be a bit jittery over bigger bumps, the ride can feel too firm in places, and it does feel heavy. It definitely lacks the kind of all-around polish and resolve of something like a RAV4 hybrid, for example, but there's still a lot to like about the way this car goes about its business.There’s something else it lacks in the RAV4 comparison, too, and that is boot space. Open the bZ4X’s boot and you'll find 452 litres of storage, which is down on the 500 litres-plus you'll find in something like a RAV4, despite the formers gargantuan dimensions. And because we can't really lower the seats because of the baby capsule, the usable space in the boot is important to us.Don’t get me wrong; it’s not tiny, it’s more that when we had our giant pram in there taking up most of the space with little room for anything else. The flipside, though, is that there's ample room in the backseat. That babyseat I mentioned has apparently been modelled on giants, and in some cars it can push the front passenger seat forwards, but that's not the case here.Two more quick quirks. Actually, the first one is almost a positive. The bZ4X has (mostly) one of the most unobtrusive safety systems I’ve encountered recently. No chimes, no alarms, no fighting the steering wheel. I’m sure they’re all there beavering away in the background, but I was blissfully unaware of them.Well, unaware of most of them. An almost deal-breaking feature is the backseat occupant alarm, which usually reacts when weight is sensed on the backseat, setting off an alarm so you don’t accidentally lock your bub or dog in the back. Sensible, important stuff.But the Toyota can’t distinguish between an empty baby capsule and one with my baby still in it, which means just about every time I lock the car the loud, multi-beep alarm would sound. I even removed the capsule for the final CarsGuide video (which you should definitely watch if you haven't already) with the bZ4X, and the alarm was still going off – it turned out to be a water bottle I’d left on the seat, which was enough to trigger the sensors.Quirk number two, and I grant you this is a bit of a weird one, is the fact the front doors catch on absolutely everything, and specifically I mean the thick plastic strip at the bottom, which has actually popped off a couple of times when I've gone to close the door over the course of my time with the car. Happily for me, and Toyota, it's easy to pop back in.Now, we get a lot of cars through the garage, obviously, and I don't recall it ever happening this much before, or at least at the frequency it happens with this. I think it's a combination of quite a big door and quite a low ride height that means gutters are really not your friend. Still, the good massively outweighs the bad with the bZ4X, which I do really like. And given the size of Toyota's national footprint, and the fact that its specs and range and all those kind of things now really stack up, the bZ4X has definitely elevated itself into the conversation with brands like BYD and Tesla in the electric SUV space.For mine, this very car is the pick of the range. There’s no substitute for range in the EV world, and given the two-wheel-drive variant also never feels like it's lacking for grunt, it’s the one I’d be shopping for. Acquired: June 2026Distance travelled this month: 590kmOdometer: 5257kmAverage energy consumption this month: 13.5kWh/100km

The new-generation Mazda CX-5 is here but with rivals like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4 offering hybrid power, is the CX-5 missing a trick?

Skoda is a somewhat strange brand in Australia where it blossomed quite late after being brought into the Volkswagen family. The brand is seen as slightly left of centre in some regards, but utterly practical and sensible in terms of things like layout and packaging.The Skoda Kodiaq is the company’s mid-sized seven-seat SUV. It incorporates all-wheel drive which operates mostly as a front-wheel drive system.Engine choices consist of a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with 132kW, a 2.0 litre turbo-diesel with 140kW and a retuned version of that engine (with an extra turbocharger) with 176kW for the sportier variants. All Kodiaqs used a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission with a wet-clutch design.A facelift for 2018 brought a larger 9.2 inch touchscreen and a Sportline trim variant joined the range with its 20-inch alloy wheels and blacked out trim. The other notable addition was the 2022 Kodiaq RS which ditched the turbo-diesel engine for a 180kW turbo-petrol 2.0 litre.Within the Skoda company, this generation of the Kodiaq was known as the NS model.Built on the VW Tiguan’s platform, the Kodiaq is one of the smaller seven-seaters you can buy. In turn, that means the third row seats are exclusively for kids, and smaller ones at that, so it’s an occasional seven-seater for growing Aussie families. If you regularly move more than five bodies, there are better alternatives.What the Kodiaq does have, though, is a big chunk of personality. It’s practical in the way it's laid out and equipped and a bit more playful to look at than the Tiguan it shares so much with. If sporty driving fun is important to you, the Skoda scores a few more points over some of its peers.There will be people who will tell you their Skoda has been the most reliable car they’ve ever owned. And while it’s true build quality and materials are up to the VW family’s usual high standards, the Skoda, based as it is on the Volkswagen Tiguan mechanical platform, has had its share of reliability problems.Overall the picture is not bad and certainly not as terrible as those dark days of VW quality of a decade earlier.The turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine has a reputation for liking a drop of oil, but this is down to the design, not a fault with the engine. It uses low-friction piston rings (as do a lot of modern engine designs) and the small amount of oil consumed is more than offset by the fuel savings of the low-friction engine. Owners still need to keep an eye on the oil level, however.The demons of earlier dual-clutch transmissions seem to have been expelled by the time the Kodiaq NS turned up. Even so, you need to see a full service history to be sure and make certain during the test drive the transmission is not slow to select gears or that it doesn't shudder when you take off from a green light. These symptoms point to costly transmission woes.As a seven-seat family car, you also need to make sure the interior hasn’t been pummelled by years of carting kids, dogs and pushbikes around.The Kodiaq had been the subject of a handful or recalls, including one to check whether all the required nuts securing the rear seat had been fitted at the factory. Another was to ensure part of the engine’s plastic cover didn’t contact the turbocharger unit, which could have caused an under-bonnet fire.Possibly the most critical recall, though, was one involving the infamous Takata airbags that were fitted to some Kodiaq and needed to be replaced before they were needed in a crash. You can check out the details at https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/ to see if your car was affected. The alternative is to contact Skoda Australia’s customer service department for a VIN check.Not much changed mechanically over the years the NS model was on sale, so the Kodiaq to avoid now is the one lacking a full service history, with higher kilometres, or evidence of having been neglected or knocked about, rather than one with a particular build date.Experience with VW Group products has taught many people to be suspicious of cars with high mileage. Certainly, any second-hand Kodiaq with a big number on its odometer would force you to check the service history of that car very carefully.The vast majority of Kodiaqs from this series of cars have travelled less than 200,000km, so there’s no intel yet on how they’ll fare with even bigger distances on board.While the Kodiaq featured a maximum five-star safety package as standard, the one to buy now is not a specific trim level, but an example where the original purchaser ordered the Luxury Pack.The Luxury Pack added convenience stuff like ventilated, heated and memory front seats, matrix LED headlights, steering wheel paddles, tri-zone climate-control, as well as some important safety additions such as a 360-degree camera view, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. It’s worth the extra for that safety gear alone.Low to mid-teens is where the action starts here, but for that sort of money, you’ll probably be buying a relatively high-mileage example with at least 180,000 or 190,000km on board and perhaps even more.At the other end of the price scale, there’s lots of choice in late model Kodiaqs with little more than demonstrator mileage (sub-10,000km) showing. These are being offered for anything from low $50,000s to $60,000 and occasionally even more than that. That said, they’re basically brand-new cars at that point.Skoda dealerships are not as plentiful as Volkswagen showrooms, but the reality is that a VW dealer should be able to help with much of a Skoda’s servicing requirements. That goes for parts supply, too, and it’s also true to say an independent workshop specialising in late-model VWs should also cope easily with a Skoda.The exception to that will be in terms of body panels and trim pieces which are Skoda-specific. But the Kodiaq is a global model, so there’s plenty of online and overseas sources for such things.Like VW generally, the Skoda brand has a huge enthusiast following, so performance-oriented replacement parts are also readily available from a variety of vendors.Kodiaq sales represent a decent chunk of Skoda’s Australian sales. But as a fairly niche brand, that doesn’t mean Kodiaqs are everywhere. In fact, Skoda sells between 1000 and 2000 Kodiaqs a year in this country, making its stablemate the VW Tiguan, a much more common sight on roads and in the for-sale classifieds.

The Subaru Outback holds a special place in the hearts of adventurers everywhere. It’s long been regarded by its fans as a genuine mix of decent on-road manners, family-friendly practicality and sound off-road capability. Just right for light-duty off-roading.Now, Subaru claims, it has made the Outback even better and a new off-road-focussed variant called the all-wheel-drive Wilderness now sits near the top of the line-up.The Wilderness is equipped with a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol, four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine, 240mm of ground clearance, improved approach/departure angles and electronically controlled dampers.But is this new Outback all it’s cracked up to be? Read on.

Facing the competitive vortex created by more than a dozen new brands from China arriving in the local car market in the last couple of years, Hyundai has clearly embraced the adage ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join em.’That’s because its pure-electric Elexio mid-size SUV is made by Beijing Hyundai, a Chinese joint-venture company the South Korean giant operates with state-owned carmaker, BAIC.The single-motor, front-wheel drive, five-seater launched here in February this year in a single Elite grade to take on ‘Made in China’ rivals like the BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y.And now it’s been joined by an entry-grade version, simply called Elexio, that drops cost-of-entry from $61,990 to $58,990 (both before on-road costs) bringing it closer to similarly priced, sized and specified alternatives like the previously mentioned BYD Sealion 7 (from $54,990) and Tesla Model Y (from $58,900) as well as the Deepal S07 (from $53,990), KGM Torres EV ($58,000, drive-away), Mazda CX-6e (from $53,990), Renault Scenic E-Tech (from $55,990), Cupra Tavascan (from $60,990) and Zeekr 7X (from $57,900).The good news is, while saving three grand you’re not giving away much in terms of standard features. Big ticket items like dual-zone climate control, a six-way power driver’s seat, all LED exterior lighting, a giant 27-inch multimedia touchscreen (more on that later), Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, a head-up display, six-speaker audio, alloy rims and a full-fat safety suite are all included.  For an extra $3.0K the Elite adds heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power tailgate, 20-inch rims, leather-appointed seats, extra power adjustment for the driver’s seat and power adjust for the front passenger seat.   Proving a car’s looks are always subjective, I read the Elexio’s design as 1990s concept car. There’s something about those slim horizontal headlights with four cube-like LED units across each that says retro-futurism circa 1993.Other than that the car doesn’t stray far from the typical mid-size SUV template although a broad grey band running up the D-pillar and across the roof above the tailgate adds some visual pizzazz to the rear end.The interior is clean and functional but kinda boring, at least for me. The gigantic screen, filling around half the dash dominates things visually, but the otherwise predominantly grey colour palette feels flat.There’s plenty to like in terms of practicality, though, with lots of head, leg and shoulder room for me (at 183cm) front and rear and plenty of storage including generous door bins, a centre oddments box, glove box and a flying buttress style front centre console that creates additional space underneath it. There are multiple USB-C ports and a 12V socket.Also worth calling out is a simple device attached to the centre console cupholder unit. A frame with cup-sized detents in the centre either sits over the two cupholders on the left or flips over the storage tray to its right to create another pair of cupholders. Genius.The boot is a useful 506 litres with the 60/40 split-folding rear seat upright, expanding to 1540 litres with it lowered. No spare wheel, though, just an inflator repair kit, which isn’t good enough in Aussie conditions.The Elexio is powered by a single electric motor sending 160kW/310Nm to the front wheels. Decent outputs, although in a car weighing around 2.1 tonnes acceleration isn’t eye-widening. But this SUV has ample oomph in the city and suburbs as well as for easy highway cruising and overtaking. Ride comfort is more than acceptable, which is a stand-out in the EV era where newcomers often miss the mark on compliance and chassis dynamics. And even the steering passes muster with decent road feel and accuracy.But… then there’s ‘the screen’, confirming bigger isn’t always better.IMAX-like in width, it’s markedly offset to the left with key readouts like speed, battery level, time and climate settings located towards the right-hand end. There’s also a slender head-up display in front of the driver repeating key functions.But if, for example,  you need to adjust the air con on the move you have to take your eyes well and truly off the road and fiddle with on-screen controls. At which point the driver distraction warning slaps you over the wrist with an audible ‘bing’ and visual alert. Grrrr. Physical dials for at least the climate control would be a more user-friendly, safer set-up. An audio volume knob (other than the steering wheel scroll wheel) would be welcome, too.  And speaking of bings and bongs, safety is an Elexio strong suit with a maximum five-star ANCAP rating and nine airbags as well as every monitor, assist and warning known to human kind. But the lane-keeping assist and overspeed warning are overly intrusive, although amazingly, if you decide to switch these features (including the driver fatigue monitor) off, they stay off. No default reset on start-up. Hallelujah!Just to keep the whinging going for a minute, I’m not a fan of the flush-fitting exterior door handles. They pop out at an angle and are awkward to use. And I banged my left knee more than once on the chunky gear selector unit on the right-hand side of the steering column when exiting the car. Annoying and painful.    Claimed range from the 88.1kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery is 562km (WLTP), with a 150kW DC fast-charge time from 10-80 per cent of 38 minutes. The Elexio also has 10kW AC charging capacity and V2L (vehicle-to-load) capability onboard, the latter accessed via a three-pin connector in the boot.Hyundai’s official combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle energy use figure is 18.2kWh/100km and over a week of city, suburban and freeway running we saw a real-world average of only 15.1kWh/100km, which is as unusual as it is impressive.  Warranty is a competitive seven years, unlimited kilometres and service intervals are two years or 30,000km. Hyundai’s service plans will see you paying $779 at the two-year mark, and another $1118 at four years, which puts your average annual cost at a category competitive $475.

MG’s latest SUV shows just how much Australia’s car market has changed in the past five years, and it is only a good thing for buyers.The new S6 is an electric mid-size SUV that goes head-to-head with some of the heaviest hitters in the country, including the BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y.Just five years ago there were literally no affordable electric vehicles in this category, now the S6 is just the latest arrival in a long line of cut-price, zero-emission vehicles with a family bent.This influx of models has driven lower prices and more choice, two things putting buyers in the driver’s seat.MG’s S6 line-up consists of just two variants. Both are the Essence grade — MG speak for fully-loaded — with buyers simply choosing between a single rear motor or dual motor set-up.Prices kick off at $49,990, drive-away, for the rear-wheel drive version and step-up to $56,990 for the all-wheel drive version we are testing.This is a decent chunk cheaper than its two big-selling rivals, with single-motor versions of the Model Y starting at $58,900 (before on-road costs) and the Sealion 7 kicking off at $54,990, drive-away. It is pretty much the same price as the entry-level Toyota RAV4 hybrid.The S6 only has two optional extras, $700 for metallic paint and Grey Ivory with Nordic Ashwood faux wood interior trim for $500.You get plenty of standard kit for that low outlay, with 20-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting front and back and roof rails as standard.Step inside and front seat passengers are greeted by power-adjustable seats wrapped in synthetic leather and synthetic suede trim. There is a heating and ventilation function. The rear window seats are heated, too.This is joined by a chunky, flat-bottomed and leather-wrapped steering wheel with heating function.An average-sized 12.8-inch central multimedia screen is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and has in-built sat nav and there is a solid 11-speaker stereo.A slim 10.25-inch digital driver display keeps it simple with vital information and not much else. This is supplemented by a head-up display that projects vital information such as travelling, speed, prevailing speed limit and safety warnings onto the windscreen in front of the driver.MG ticks all the safety tech boxes with plenty of active driver aids and solid crash test scores.At its heart the S6 uses a 77kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) battery that delivers a claimed WLTP driving range of up to 530km in the single motor variant and 485km in dual motor examples.That’s par for the course for mid-size electric SUV, where 500km is the ballpark most aim for.The S6 uses 400-volt electrical architecture, which means it forgoes top-end charging speed. It maxes out at 144kW when connected to a compatible DC charger, which puts it in the same ballpark as the BYD Sealion 7 and Kia EV5 but behind the Tesla Model Y and more premium EVs such as the Zeekr 7X.MG reckons it can top it up from 10 to 80 per cent in 38 minutes.Single motor variants pump out 180kW and 350Nm to the rear wheels, with dual motor examples upping the ante to 266kW and 540Nm combined with all-paw grip.That’s plenty of grunt for a family-focused SUV, but less than other more performance leaning dual motor rivals.The interior is massive, with plenty of room for small and big kids. I had two child seats fitted in the back row, one forward and one rear facing, with plenty of room left for front seat passenger adjustment.The panoramic sunroof is pleasant in winter, and a proper shade will make it bearable in summer. The windows are large, which helps smaller kids in the back see out and helps reduce car sickness. The back pew also has its own air conditioning vents and USB-C charging ports.There are plenty of storage options throughout for knick-knacks, phones and bottles.The boot is a decent size at 581 litres, but the lack of any spare tyre is the chink in every EV’s armour. A fiddly tyre repair kit is a bad result for drivers.Unlike some other rivals, the S6 actually has a few buttons and dials in the centre console for basic controls. The steering wheel mounted buttons are clear and well placed, showing balance is returning to car cabins after years of touchscreen domination.The safety tech is overbearing, and the speed sign recognition routinely picks up the wrong signs. I often had a 35km/h speed warning going off when there is no such speed limit in NSW.MG’s electric vehicles are, in my opinion, the better cars to drive in its range. The S6 is no different. Despite its dual-motor power it isn’t particularly fast, and that’s okay. Moderate pace suits a sensible family car better, and it has the added benefit of not being an excessive drain on the battery.It has no problem bounding up steep hills or overtaking at motorway speeds.The S6 isn’t the biggest mid-size SUV but it feels large on the road and in underground car parks, luckily an array of sensors and cameras help in tight situations.It feels heavy, and at circa-2000kg, it is hefty. You experience it more acutely at low speeds, where it can feel lumpy and bumpy, especially over our pockmarked roads. This is accentuated by firm, heavy steering that makes driving feel harder than it should. A mega turning circle doesn’t help the experience, either.On the motorway it is a quality cruiser, eating up the kays with ease and in comfort. It has good insulation that keeps the world at bay and adaptive cruise control works well.Sadly, the safety tech is intrusive, loud and a constant distraction.The MG driving range is solid, and judging by our test you can expect to land in the ballpark of the company’s claim.A 10-year/250,000km conditional warranty is the biggest ace up this MG's sleeve. You’ll need to attend a MG dealer every logbook service to keep that warranty period, otherwise it reverts to a seven year/unlimited km guarantee.Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 25,000km, and will cost you $1376 and $1987 for a five- or seven-year plan for the AWD grade, with the RWD version being slightly cheaper.