Articles by Jack Quick

Nissan axed its entry-level vehicle in Australia earlier in 2026 and a new one is under study as its replacement. The Nissan Kicks has historically been an affordable, small SUV for North and South America, among other markets, though the second-generation has been launching in more international markets. “This is one where it’s under study,” said Nissan Australia Managing Director Steve Milette to CarsGuide. “I think as a company we understand that something of that size, a product entry of that size would be important for a brand. “It is a fast-growing segment in Australia, so we are studying options in that category.” In addition to being produced in Brazil and Mexico, the second-generation Nissan Kicks is now being made in both Japan and the UK. This means that right-hand drive production of the Nissan Kicks is already available. In Japan the Kicks is offered with a new, third-generation e-Power hybrid set-up, like the Qashqai. It’s available in single-motor front-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive forms. All versions have a 1.4-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that acts purely as a generator to top up the battery pack. In Australia, the Japanese carmaker has axed the Juke and Pathfinder SUVs and indefinitely delayed the new Leaf electric crossover. As a result, the smallest Nissan model in Australia is the UK-made Qashqai small SUV. It’s now only offered with an e-Power hybrid powertrain and starts at $45,850, before on-road costs. Despite being larger, the most affordable Nissan model currently in Australia is the entry-level X-Trail mid-size SUV. It starts from $38,305, before on-road costs. If the Nissan Kicks does come to Australia, it will likely become the brand’s new cheapest model. In Australia sales of small SUVs have been on the rise, especially amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. A total of 163,323 small SUVs have been sold until the end of September this year, which is up 5.6 per cent year-on-year. The top-sellers in the segment are the Chery Tiggo 4 (19,865 sales), Hyundai Kona (18,533 sales), GWM Haval Jolion (17,051 sales) and MG ZS (13,627 sales). It’s a far cry from the amount of Nissan Qashqai examples sold over the same period (1027 sales) and more than Nissan’s best-selling model locally, the X-Trail (10,086 sales). A key point of difference between the Qashqai and the top-selling small SUVs is the entry asking price. If Nissan can offer a new, entry-level model, like the Kicks, at an affordable price, this may see it become the brand’s best-selling vehicle locally.

Ford has confirmed a new ute for international markets that will be cheaper than the Ranger. “Next year, we will be launching our affordable mid-size pick-up for international markets,” said Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley at the company’s third quarter earnings event. “We expect the base material cost for this truck to be 20 per cent lower than today's Ranger. “Just as Maverick has done in the US, this truck is designed to bring new customers into the Ford truck lineup internationally at a cost structure that allows us to compete, in this case, with the Chinese.” At this stage Ford hasn’t given any indication of what this “affordable mid-size pick-up” will be yet but given it will launch next year, a reveal is expected to be imminent. It appears it won’t be a new version of the Maverick and also likely won’t be an international version of the forthcoming Fathom electric ute. Given it’s a mid-size pick-up, this likely means it will be a similar size to the current Ranger. Farley’s comment on this forthcoming ute being priced to compete with Chinese-made utes, floats the potential of it also being made in China. Ford already has joint-venture partnerships with Geely, Changan and JMC. The latter partnership has already spawned the Ford Bronco Basecamp and Transit City, which are both launching in Australia. Given Farley specifically said this forthcoming ute is for international markets, it means an Australian launch may be on the cards. We’ve reached out to Ford Australia and will update this story once we hear back. Locally the Thai-made Ranger and Ranger Super Duty, as well as the US-made and locally converted F-150 utes are the only Ford utes offered. There hasn't been a ute smaller than the Ranger since the car-based Falcon ute was discontinued in 2016.

Hyundai has increased the pricing of many of its combustion-powered models in Australia as CO2 emissions regulations continue to crunch. Pricing for the pure combustion-powered Hyundai i30, Sonata, Venue, Kona, Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles increased by up to $500 as of October 1, 2026. “The price increases are due to global economic factors, manufacturing, logistics and local policy,” said a Hyundai Australia spokesperson. Many of the affected Hyundai models also feature electrified powertrains and with the price rise for the petrol versions, this narrows the price difference. Not every pure combustion-powered Hyundai model received a price rise. All versions of the Staria, Staria Load, as well as the new Palisade XRT Pro aren’t affected. Pricing for the affected Hyundai vehicles is now as follows: Going back to Hyundai Australia’s statement, there’s a clear link to what “local policy” is causing the price rise of the pure combustion-powered models. The Australian Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) has been in effect now for almost two years and the CO2 emissions targets are continuing to clamp down each year. In 2025 Hyundai Motor Company Australia (inclusive of Hyundai and Genesis) generated a fine amount of $4.2 million for going above its fleet CO2 emissions target. It was the fourth worst-performing brand, behind Mazda, Nissan and Subaru. With tougher CO2 emissions targets this year and even harder ones coming into effect in 2027, Hyundai may be at risk of accruing more fines, unless it can import more zero- to low-emissions vehicles (ZLEVs) or purchase credits from other carmakers.

The 2026 Polestar 5 Performance is the top-spec version of this new flagship electric grand tourer (GT) in Australia. It’s priced from $193,000, before on-road costs in Australia. While this isn’t a small amount, it’s around $65,000 less than the Porsche Taycan GTS, which offers comparable levels of performance. Power comes from a dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up with outlandish total system outputs of 650kW and 1015Nm. The 0-100km/h sprint is claimed to take just 3.2 seconds. The electric motors are fed by a sizeable 112kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which allows for up to 565km of WLTP-claimed range. Thanks to an 800V electrical architecture, peak DC fast-charging is available at rates up to 350kW, whereas AC charging is offered at rates up to 11kW. Standard equipment includes the following: Gold exterior and interior highlights 21-inch forged alloy wheels MagneRide adaptive dampers Matrix LED headlights Brembo brakes Panoramic glass sunroof 4+1 seating configuration 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster 14.5-inch touchscreen multimedia system Google Built-in and Google Gemini Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Head-up display 21-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system Digital rear-view mirror Microsuede headliner 'MicroTech' upholstery made from recycled materials 12-way power-adjustable front seats Heated front seats Heated rear seats Heated steering wheel Even though this is a lot of standard equipment, if you want genuine Nappa leather, you’ll need to fork out an additional $12,000. Like many luxury cars, there are a series of other cosmetic-related optional extras too which further inflate the price. The Polestar 5 hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP or EuroNCAP yet and is therefore unrated. However, a full suite of safety kit comes as standard across the line-up. This includes the following: Eight airbags Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) Blind-spot monitoring Rear cross-traffic alert Lane-keep assist Lane-change assist Adaptive cruise control Driver attention monitoring Intelligent speed-limit assist Front, side and rear parking sensors Surround-view camera The Polestar 5 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,00km. This is fairly standard for premium brands. Every Polestar 5 comes with five years of roadside assistance and logbook servicing is required every 24 months or 30,000km. At this stage Polestar hasn’t announced servicing pricing for the Polestar 5.

The Suzuki Fronx has been on sale in Australia for almost 18 months and it hasn’t necessarily flown off the shelf. Until the end of September a total of 1186 examples of this Chery Tiggo 4, Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic and Mahindra XUV3XO-rivalling light SUV were sold. For reference, Suzuki sold almost five times as many Jimnys over the same period. However, Suzuki is still offering the Fronx in a single, range-topping trim for an appealing $29,990, drive-away. At this price point, the uber-popular Chery Tiggo 4, as well as versions of the GWM Haval Jolion are essentially lineball. The Indian-built Suzuki Fronx was hit with a one-star (from a possible five) ANCAP safety rating late in 2025, just months after it launched. The Australian independent vehicle crash-testing authority noted the Fronx performed poorly in adult and child occupant protection during testing. Additionally, the rear passenger seatbelt retractor failed during one of its tests, sparking a recall and Suzuki warning to not use the rear seats. This has thankfully been rectified and a modified component has been introduced at the production facility. While the Fronx’s physical crash-test safety performance isn’t high, it does have the standard fare of safety features. These include: Six airbags Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) Blind-spot monitoring Rear cross-traffic alert Lane-keep assist Adaptive cruise control Traffic sign recognition Surround-view camera Rear parking sensors Notably lacking is a driver attention monitoring system and intelligent speed limit assist. Both are usually culprits of annoying chimes in other vehicles. Annoyingly, Suzuki markets this car as the Fronx Hybrid, which isn’t technically correct as it's a 12V mild-hybrid, not a Toyota-style series-parallel hybrid. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine is augmented with a tiny electric motor for total system outputs of 75kW and 136Nm. There’s not enough oomph for electric-only driving and this renders the mild-hybrid bits as glorified engine idle stop-start. With the petrol engine there’s only just enough performance to keep up with urban traffic. Once out on the open road the transmission is always kicking back a gear to keep up pace. On the flipside, claimed fuel consumption is fantastic. It’s 4.9L/100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle, with its 37-litre fuel tank allowing for a theoretical total range of 755km. During my testing I saw an average of 5.7L/100km, which is higher than the claim, but considerably less than more powerful rivals. Proper series-parallel hybrids, like the Toyota Yaris Cross, use less though. Despite the lack of grunt, there’s a quaint charm to the Fronx, like many Suzukis. It’s humble and honest. Around town the car feels nimble thanks to its circa-1000kg kerb weight. It’s a joy to chuck around in the bends, though the steering does have a vague feeling off-centre. A bugbear with the mild-hybrid powertrain is the regenerative braking can engage with a shunt when easing off the accelerator. Then when coming to a complete stop the regen disengages at around 25km/h, requiring an alteration in brake pedal pressure. You get used to it but it takes a while to get your head around. The ride and comfort in such a small car defies its exterior dimensions. It’s settled even at higher speeds, though a considerable amount of road and tyre noise enters the cabin. In terms of equipment Suzuki has chucked everything it can at the Fronx to make it stand out from the crowd, including: 16-inch alloy wheels LED headlights 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Six-speaker sound system Head-up display Wireless charger Paddle shifters Electric park brake Climate control Keyless entry and push-button start Black and brown leather-accented upholstery Heated front seats Despite the generous list of included features, there’s no escaping how plasticky the interior is. It cheapens the feel, though having numerous physical buttons is a godsend. Space in the second row is decent for a light SUV, though there aren’t many amenities. There are two USB ports, as well as a cavity for storage. No air vents or fold-down armrest. With the rear seats upright there’s 304 litres of boot space, which isn’t outstanding, but this expands out to 1009 litres with the rear seats folded. Frustratingly there is no spare wheel due to the high-voltage battery components. There’s only a tyre repair kit. The Fronx is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is mediocre now, especially among mainstream brands. There’s also five years' of roadside assistance provided you service at Suzuki dealers when required. The first five services are capped-price and total $2005, or $401 on average per service. That's pretty pricey for a light SUV; almost double what you’d pay to service a Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid. Though the Toyota is more to buy initially.

Toyota launched the Performance Hybrid version of its LandCruiser 300 Series in Australia earlier this year and it’s claimed to only be making up a small portion of overall sales. So far diesel versions of the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series are claimed to be outselling the petrol-electric Performance Hybrid trims almost seven-to-one. Toyota says the amount of LandCruiser 300 Series Performance Hybrid sales is what it expected. “Yeah, it’s going well,” said Toyota Australia Vice President national sales, marketing and franchise operations John Pappas to CarsGuide. “The Performance Hybrid is sitting where we thought it would be, which is roughly at around 15 per cent of our sales of the overall LandCruiser .” Toyota sold a total of 9787 LandCruiser wagons through the first nine months of this year, which is up 10.1 per cent year-on-year. A small portion of these sales include the LandCruiser 70 Series wagon and troop carrier. Toyota doesn’t split out sales and instead only reports it as LandCruiser wagon and LandCruiser pick-up/cab-chassis. Part of the LandCruiser wagon’s recent sales success is due to the runout of the Y62-generation Nissan Patrol. The new Y63 Patrol is due to launch in early 2027. This improvement in LandCruiser wagon sales defies Toyota’s overall sales so far in 2026. It sold a total of 152,944 vehicles until the end of September, which is down 15.9 per cent year-on-year. Toyota is still on track to be the best-selling carmaker in Australia in 2026. This will make it the 31st consecutive year. As it stands, both the diesel and Performance Hybrid versions of the LandCruiser 300 Series are above the threshold for ‘Type 2’ vehicles under the Australian Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES). The threshold for ‘Type 2’ vehicles in 2026 is 180g/km and the LC300 diesel and Performance Hybrid are claimed to emit 235g/km and 220g/km, respectively. This theoretically means each LC300 imported into Australia attracts an NVES fine of $2750 and $2000, respectively this year. Toyota may not need to pay this fine if it can import other vehicles under the CO2 thresholds, or purchase credits from other carmakers. Toyota has previously warned that price rises may occur, especially on models that are high-emitting. “Due to the challenging NVES targets for commercial vehicles from 2027 onwards, we cannot rule out price increases,” said Pappas. The LandCruiser 300 Series Performance Hybrid is dubbed the most powerful LandCruiser sold to date in Australia. It has a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine with an electric motor for total system outputs of 341kW and 790Nm. This is 114kW and 90Nm more than the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel. Only two versions of the LC300 Performance Hybrid are offered in Australia - Sahara ZX and GR Sport. They’re priced from $156,740 and $156,990, before on-road costs, respectively. This is roughly $9000 more than the equivalent diesel-powered version. While the LC300 Performance Hybrid can still tow 3500kg, it only offers five seats and is claimed to consume more fuel than the diesel.

The 2026 Polestar 5 Dual motor is the entry-level version of this flagship electric grand tourer (GT) in Australia. It’s priced from $171,000, before on-road costs. This is around $10,000 less than the entry-level Porsche Taycan, which is notably rear-wheel drive only. Power comes from a dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up with healthy total system outputs of 550kW and 812Nm. It’s enough to send this car from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds. The electric motors are fed by a sizeable 112kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which allows for a WLTP-claimed range of up to 670km. Thanks to its 800V electrical architecture, peak DC fast-charging is available at rates up to 350kW, whereas AC charging is only offered at rates up to 11kW. Standard equipment includes the following: 4+1 seating configuration Matrix LED headlights Brembo brakes Panoramic glass sunroof 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster 14.5-inch touchscreen multimedia system Google Built-in and Google Gemini Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Head-up display 10-speaker sound system Digital rear-view mirror 'MicroTech' upholstery made from recycled materials 12-way power-adjustable front seats Heated front seats Heated rear seats Heated steering wheel Even though this is a lot of standard equipment, if you want genuine Nappa leather, you’ll need to fork out an additional $12,000. Like many luxury cars, there are a series of other cosmetic optional extras that further inflate the price. The Polestar 5 hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP or EuroNCAP yet and is therefore unrated. However, a full suite of safety kit comes as standard across the line-up. This includes the following: Eight airbags Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) Blind-spot monitoring Rear cross-traffic alert Lane-keep assist Lane-change assist Adaptive cruise control Driver attention monitoring Intelligent speed-limit assist Front, side and rear parking sensors Surround-view camera The Polestar 5 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,00km. This is fairly standard for premium brands. Every Polestar 5 comes with five years of roadside assistance and logbook servicing is required every 24 months or 30,000km. At this stage Polestar hasn’t announced servicing pricing for the Polestar 5.

Lepas is yet another brand from Chery that's launching in Australia and its first model is an electric mid-size SUV. Does it have what it takes to stand out from the crowd?

Toyota is gearing up to soon reveal a new-generation version of its Corolla and it has detailed some more information about the powertrains it will have.

Nissan will commence deliveries of the new Y63-generation Patrol in the first quarter of 2027 and many Australians have already put in orders. Speaking with CarsGuide, Nissan Australia Managing Director Steve Milette said 2500 people have registered their interest for the new Y63 Patrol. It’s claimed these have so far converted into “over 500 firm orders”. “This is probably higher than we would have thought. It just shows how powerful the product is,” said Milette. Milette added that 70 per cent of the orders are skewing toward the two higher grades - the Pro-4X and Ti-L Reserve. When the Y63 Patrol launches in Australia in the first quarter of 2027, it will be just around two and half years after it was first revealed. Australia is the first right-hand drive market the Y63 Patrol is launching in. It’s around two years after it launched in left-hand drive markets as the Armada. Six grades of the Y63 Patrol are being offered in Australia. They’re priced as follows: Power in the Y63 Patrol comes from a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that produces 317kW and 700Nm. This is 19kW and 140Nm more than the Y62’s 5.6-litre naturally aspirated V8. The V6 engine is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission with drive sent through a full-time four-wheel drive system. There’s a low-range transfer case, an electronic-locking rear differential, as well as eight drive modes. Braked towing capacity is 3700kg across the line-up, as well as trailer blind-spot warning.