Articles by Laura Berry

Mahindra has expanded its XUV 3XO range in Australia with the introduction of the limited run Black Anniversary edition to celebrate the small SUV being on sale locally for a year.The special edition joins the existing AX5L and AX7L variants and adds exclusive black styling while retaining the same equipment as the top-of-the-range AX7L.Limited to 300 units and with a driveaway price of $27,990 the Anniversary Edition now sits at the top of the 3XO line-up, priced from $27,990 drive-away. All variants of the 3XO are powered by the same 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 82kW/200Nm driving the front-wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.This combination consumes 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle.AX5L grade:16-inch alloy wheelsLED headlights and LED daytime running lights10.25-inch digital instrument cluster10.25-inch media touch screenWireless apple carplayWireless Android AutoDual-zone climate controlSix-speaker stereoSurround view cameraBlack cloth seatsPush-button start AX7L grade in addition to the AX5L’s features:17-inch alloy wheelsHarman Kardon seven-speaker stereoPanoramic glass roofLeatherette upholsteryLED front fog lampsCooled glove box Black Anniversary Edition grade in addition to the AX7L’s features:Gloss black 17-inch alloy wheels Black exterior finishMatte gray roofBody coloured grilleDark wheel centre capsBlack badgingAluminium scuff platesRear luggage trayOptional Stealth Black paint: $490 The Mahindra XUV 3X0 maintains the usual array of active safety equipment like auto emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, as well as traffic sign recognition, a 360-degree camera, and an array of six airbags.Mahindra covers the XUV 3XO with: a seven-year/150,000km warranty; seven years of roadside assistance; and six-years of capped price servicing which comes to a total of $1994.

This Sunday the federal government’s Fuel Excise discount will end and petrol and diesel prices will jump. So by how much will they increase and will we see a return to panic buying and the prospect of fuel rationing we witnessed earlier this year?We’ve known it's been coming for months, but I think for many of us we’d put the impending removal of the Fuel Excise discount at the back of our heads.However, on August 2, the Fuel Excise discount will be discontinued four months after it was implemented on April 1 this year.Let’s do a calculation, which is of course an estimation in this case.The federal government Fuel Excise is 52.5 cents on every litre and the discount given to consumers in April was half of this or 26.3 cents. This was combined with an extra 5.7 cents per litre funded by the states and territories for total of 32 cents off a litre.The discount was already halved on June 30.So you can expect petrol prices to increase by 16 cents. Currently the average price of 95 RON premium petrol in New South Wales as of July 29 is 211c/litre, while diesel is 235c/litre.So you’re looking at an average of 227c/litre for 95 RON and 251c/litre for diesel. That’s in theory.My prediction, and you can hold me to this, is prices will be higher and there are three reasons for this.First, historically the prices spiked way above this a few months ago before the Fuel Excise discount - in March 2026 the average price for 95 RON was 270c/litre.Second, not only is the war in the Middle East still ongoing with the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut, but the conflict is widening with Yemen’s Houthi disrupting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.And finally humans are doomed to repeat their silly behaviour of panic buying. Do you remember that? Blokes with their car and trailer loaded with jerry cans? This behaviour not only drives up prices and depletes reserves faster, but it's a dangerous practice, which could lead to a fire if the petrol isn’t stored safely.If this happens fuel rationing will likely be used to curb any panic buying and ensure vital logistics have the petrol and diesel needed to keep the country running.But of course it’ll happen again and we’re already seeing petrol prices increase dramatically. Just over the course of one week (Thursday July 23-Thursday July 30) the price of 95 RON has risen from an average of 200.5c/litre to 211.6c/litre.There is a glimmer of hope. On July 28 the Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King told ABC Radio National that the situation in the Middle East may cause the government to reconsider the removal of the fuel excise discount.“Well those future decisions will be made at the time, and I know that time is coming, you know, right at us,” Minister King said.“But as we all are aware, this conflict in the Middle East, and it appears to be sadly spreading, just continues to cause instability in that global energy market and those oil prices, and I think your package there before said how they'll continue to fluctuate.“But the Government is very much aware of the pressure the increase in fuel prices does put on Australian families and we have taken action in the past and will continue to monitor how these prices do affect people and seek to deliver that kind of relief as best we can.”When asked directly if the government would extend the fuel excise discount Minister King hinted that it was possible.“We won't rule anything out, and we've done so much around fuel security to make sure there is fuel available for consumers with the fuel and fertiliser security facility, as well as developing the fuel security reserve as well.”Treasurer Jim Chalmers poured cold water on this and on Wednesday it was "never the government's intention" to make the scheme permanent."The fuel excise relief will end at midnight on Sunday," he said."It has played a really important role helping to take some of the sting out of the cost-of-living pressures."It was never the government's intention for that to be permanent."Australia’s current fuel reserves as of July 21 stand at 42 days for petrol, 38 days for diesel and 32 days for jet fuel, according to the federal government.In March this year at the start of the fuel crisis Australia had 37 days of petrol, 32 days of diesel  and 30 days of jet fuel.So we’re in a better place, but not by much and the situation is arguably worse.So what do we do? Don’t panic, for starters.We may find ourselves driving less if we own a petrol car and expediting our plans to buy an electric one - that's what we're thinking of doing in my family.We have two petrol cars that we own. One is our daily driver - a Skoda wagon - and the other is a classic 1950s Ford. We're not going to part with the Ford but we'll probably sell the Skoda soon and buy an electric SUV.The prices of EVs have come down enormously and are almost level with petrol cars with good options like the Geely EX5, MG S5 and BYD Atto 3.Plug-in hybrids are another alternative. The "super hybrids" like the Chery Tiggo 8 and BYD Sealion 6 offer huge driving ranges without using much petrol as long as you plug-in regularly to charge.Or we'll just do what most people will do and just put off buying our next car until we really have to but - depending on what happens after the fuel excise discount is lifted - that might come sooner than we expect.

Mercedes-Benz has given the first glimpse of the upcoming G-Class Cabriolet with its roof folded down, hinting the convertible luxury off-roader’s arrival is imminent.In December last year Mercedes-Benz announced that it would be bringing its G-Class Cabriolet back after the previous version had been discontinued in 2013. The images that were released officially at the time were of a camouflage Cabriolet model with the folding roof in place. Now Mercedes-Benz has released a series of teasers on its social media accounts showing the G-Class Cabriolet folding down its roof automatically.Although nothing is really left to the imagination Mercedes-Benz has persisted with using camouflage around the rear of the G-Class Cabriolet.It is clear the roof folds automatically and quickly, although not quite as compactly as some might have hoped. Rather than storing itself away neatly behind the rear seats, the folded roof sits as high as the top of the spare wheel cover mounted on the tailgate.Mercedes-Benz has not announced when the G-Class Cabriolet will make its global debut, but it is expected to arrive before the end of this year.CarsGuide has reached out to Mercedes-Benz’s local arm asking for confirmation of the Cabriolet’s arrival and the launch timing Down Under, but the company is yet to respond.The signs are positive for an Australian arrival with Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius saying at the 2025 Munich motor show that the new Cabriolet will be “sold in almost every market around the world”.Details are scarce, but the model in the teaser video appears to be the top-of-the-range twin-turbo V8-powered G63. Buyers of a Cabriolet version can expect to pay a premium over the current hard-top G63, which starts at $368,400 (before on-road costs). The cabriolet body style may only be available in the range-topping G63 specification and if it does come to Australia it will join the line-up, which starts with the diesel powered G 450d before stepping up to the fully electric G 580.Mercedes-Benz introduced a Cabriolet version of its short wheelbase two-door G-Class in 1979 with production running until 2013.  Mercedes-Benz says the reason for the two-door Cabriolet G-Class’s axing was due to low demand and increasing safety requirements.A four-door version was continued to be made but only available in the exotic Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet specification. This was also discontinued in 2018.

The GAC Aion UT is the first GAC I’ve ever driven, so I went into this review not really knowing what to expect. Sort of like walking through a room in the dark, in a house that isn’t yours.It was full of discovery but without all the falling over and toe stubbing. First, what is the Aion UT? It's a fully electric small hatch that almost crosses into SUV territory with its slightly elevated ride height.At 4270mm long it’s a similar length to the BYD Dolphin, but shorter than an MG4 Urban, but it does match the MG's price at $31,990 before on-road costs. That’s for the entry grade Premium Aion UT tested here. The price is impressive. It’s an electric car for the same money as a petrol car of a similar size, like a Honda HR-V.The Premium grade has an almost identical features list to the top grade luxury, from powered and heated front seats to a 14.6-inch touchscreen. All it misses out on really, is ventilated seats, wireless phone charging and a power tailgate. The Aion UT is not just an affordable small car, it’s more practical than many larger vehicles thanks to clever storage andplenty of cabin space. The UT’s 2750mm wheelbase is on the longer side for cars this small and that’s a good thing for occupant space and excellent rear legroom is the result. Rear headroom is more than adequate too, thanks to a tall and flat roofline.Storage is outstanding with a deep centre console bin and an area underneath for bags. There’s even a hatch under the dash that opens to reveal a netted pocket. There are door pockets, cupholders and a phone tray up front that doubles as a wireless charger if you stump up the extra $4000 for the Luxury grade.The 321-litre boot isn’t enormous but it's large for a car this size with enough space for a week’s worth of shopping for my family of four or a couple of smaller luggage bags.The main practicality downside is the lack of physical buttons in the cabin for functions such as climate control and media. There are none at all apart from on the steering wheel and the window switches.Instead, all controls are accessed through the central touchscreen and not only is that more awkward to use but it's a safety concern. A driver could easily be distracted just trying to turn the cabin temperature down.We lived with the Aion UT for a week doing what families do: from school runs and weekend sports to grocery shopping and family visits. This is a front-wheel-drive electric car with a 60kWh battery and 150kW/210Nm motor. That battery size is good for 430km of driving range (WLTP) according to GAC and after 250km in one week there was 170km left, making that claim accurate. Our average energy consumption was 15.6kWh/100km according to the trip computer, which is less than the official 16.4kWh/100km.In the city and urban areas where we live the UT shines with brisk acceleration, its quiet and smooth nature, good visibility and small size. On motorways, as we found during a trip to a regional area, the UT feels slightly vulnerable among the trucks and the stability was tested in the windy, rainy weather. There were times I wished we were in something larger and higher up.The driving position is let down by the steering wheel's lack of reach adjustment. I got around this by adjusting my seat, although it's not ideal.Also not ideal is a persistent driver alert system that reminds you to slow down and avoid distraction. It activates far too easily and interferes with concentration while driving. It’s not just the driver being hassled either. My front passenger was told on one occasion not to put her feet on the dashboard even though they weren’t - she had her legs crossed and this seemed to trigger the system.Finally the styling of the Aion UT isn’t appealing to me. GAC boasts that the little electric car was penned at its Milan design centre, but Chinese rivals like Zeekr and BYD have much more interesting and beautiful creations.

Mini utes are the next big car trend, but could these small SUV-based utilities be a hit in Australia or prove a very big miss?Just like fashion trends our taste in cars goes in cycles, with often the same style coming back just with a bit of a twist. We’ve been through the people-mover phase a few times, the station wagon a couple of times and now it’s utes. Again.Australia has been a ute-loving nation for a hundred years, from the first early 1930s Holden and Ford utilities to the Commodore and Falcon utes of the 80s, 90s and 00s, and on to the raised off-road utes such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux and then the full-sized American pick-ups such as the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado.Now we are back to small car-based utes again it seems. The twist is it’s not cars such as the Commodore or Falcon, but small and mid-sized SUVs such as Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape. The thing is - will Aussies fall over themselves to get into a baby ute one or walk the other way?If the United States is anything to go by, these little utes could be a big hit here.In the US the Ford Escape-based Maverick baby ute launched in 2021 and has sold out every year since. The company’s next little ute will be the Ranchero - a mini electric ute.Meanwhile Toyota’s own little ute, which is based on the Corolla Cross has been spotted testing, and a larger RAV4-based ute has been mooted, too.BYD is even further ahead and will debut its mini hybrid ute - the Mako - by the end of this year.Finally Ram has the Rampage planned for a US launch where it will sit under the RAM 1500.Ford stopped at bringing the Maverick to Australia years ago. I asked Ford Australia in 2021 if there was a possibility the Maverick would be brought here and was told they weren’t sure “if it measured up”, which I took as them not believing it would meet the expectations of Aussie ute buyers in terms of load carrying and towing capacity.But I think Ford might have had that wrong. Yes, utes such as the Ranger are popular because of their one-tonne load carrying ability, off road credentials and their 3500kg braked towing capacity, but neither a Commodore ute or Falcon ute could meet all those requirements.So perhaps we are ready for these new small utes again? Or has the do-anything, go-anywhere Ranger and HiLux spoilt us too much?If any of the baby utes had a chance it’d be the Maverick. If good looks sell cars, then the Maverick would sell out here, as it does in the US.  The Maverick is 5072mm long, which isn’t tiny but smaller than the Ranger that stretches 5370mm in dual-cab SR5 form.The tray in the Maverick is 1380mm x 1235mm, while a Ranger’s is 1547mm x 1584mm.The Maverick comes in hybrid and petrol variants. The hybrid uses a 2.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor and makes 142kW. The petrol variant uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and makes up to 198kW. Braked towing capacity is 907kg or 1800kg with an option towing package fitted to the all-wheel drive variant.As a comparison the VF Commodore ute has a 1600kg braked towing capacity.The Maverick would work in Australia - absolutely.But Ford is probably very unlikely to bring it here. Instead BYD will launch its hybrid ute, which will be a success and so will other Chinese brands such as Chery and Geely.Another indicator the Australian car market is ready for a change it's the sales of off-road utes, which have been in free fall since the start of 2026.The war in Iran and the fuel price spike has definitely contributed to the decline of in ute sales, and the enormous increase in EV sales may suggest buyers are migrating out of their utes into electric cars. So it's likely the new baby ute trend will be electric and hybrid powered. Would Australia get behind that?Well if the utes look good, then they’ll sell. Otherwise it doesn’t matter how great they are - just look at the Kia Tasman…

In a collaboration between carmaker BYD and fast food outlet KFC, drivers in China can order takeaway though an embedded app in their vehicle.The initiative between BYD and KFC sees the central media display in a BYD vehicle turn into a large menu for the restaurant, similar to a self ordering touchscreen you'd find in-store.The app locates the closest KFC store, sends the order through and navigates the driver to pick up the food.A journalist writing for Chinese motoring publication Auto Home road-tested the app and highlighted the voice interaction as a strength, but that pulling over and putting the vehicle into “Park” to access the full menu was required for safety reasons.   The embedded ordering app is not the first time BYD and KFC have collaborated. In April this year the businesses announced KFC would offer a BYD vehicle charging service at its restaurant locations.Apart from the tasty opportunity for humans to fill up themselves, the chargers are a draw, too. They are the fastest BYD has ever built, delivering up to 1500kW that can provide up to 2km of range a second. The ultra fast chargers are only compatible with second-generation BYD Blade batteries.In April there were already 5000 KFC outlets hosting BYD's chargers and by December the expectation is for there to be 20,000 locations in operation.The numbers are mind boggling and only highlight the sheer scale of commercialisation in China.As for the tech coming to Australia - there’s no word on that. For now, Aussies will have to order their takeaway the old fashioned way and do it through an app on their phone.    

Toyota has too many models? The company’s new global boss seems to think so, and he is sharpening his axe in his hunt to save money. Why is this happening? Which models doesn’t Toyota need?Toyota is the world’s biggest car manufacturer and has been for the past six years running. In 2025 Toyota sold 11.2 million vehicles across its three brands - Toyota, Lexus and Daihatsu.That global dominance is replicated in Australia where Toyota has been the biggest selling car brand for 23 consecutive years.So, you’d think it was doing everything right. And why on Earth would you change anything?Toyota’s Kenta Kon became the new global CEO of the company on June 17, and has hit the ground running as he looks for what could be done better, while he hasn’t mentioned any models by name he’s made it clear there will be cuts.In an interview with Automotive News, Kon said he was touring facilities looking for inefficiencies. It’s enough to send a chill down even the most hard working employee’s spine.“We’ve become increasingly able to identify things that don’t seem quite right, areas where operations have become somewhat inefficient, or where the amount of work that doesn’t directly add value has increased,” Kon told Automotive News.“We’re now at the stage where we can really start addressing them – making corrections and implementing improvements.“If you go to a development division, you see issues such as an increasing number of different specifications and variants being created, which in turn is driving up costs.”Carmakers, as many companies do, often go through a streamlining process where they prune back on activities deemed superfluous in a bid to save money.This cutting back is already happening. The fully electric Lexus LF ZC was axed before it even went into production, just before Kon succeeded Koji Sato as President and CEO. Before the promotion Kon was Toyota’s Chief Financial Officer.Mr Sato is a “self confessed” car guy - a mechanical engineer by trade and a performance car enthusiast. Mr Kon calls himself a “numbers guy”.According to Toyota’s Financial Year 2026 summary, the company sold 2.5 per cent more cars and sales revenue was up by 5.5 per cent, but the operating profit fell by 7.3 per cent.Add to this the billions lost from the bottom line caused by tariffs imposed by the United States, a massive loss in sales in China (a 31 per cent drop in May this year alone), a conflict in the Middle East putting pressure on fuel prices and the sudden huge popularity in Chinese electric vehicles, and even the biggest car girl or guy can see the need to cut back on spending.The axing of the LF ZC is interesting and it happened just as Kon was moving into his new office. This was to be an electric successor to the IS sedan, but perhaps being a sedan was the reason it was axed. SUVs being where the money is these days and all that.In a time when sales are being stolen from right under mainstream brand’s noses by affordable, high-tech and good looking vehicles made by Chinese manufacturers, surely EVs aren’t the models Toyota should be axing?But then Toyota’s EVs haven’t really taken the world by storm. One of the brand’s worst selling cars is the C-HR SUV and the electric version, which recently arrived has done nothing to help sales anywhere globally for Toyota.Toyota’s other electric SUVs, such as the bZ4X, haven’t been major hits either. Toyota’s focus doesn’t appear to be EVs for now. Instead, hybrids are bringing in the money for Toyota.The axing of the LF ZC was also only just one model, but it's a good indication of how Toyota is now in a phase of conservative growth and not willing to take risks.That's not to say the brand won’t make EVs, of course it will, but rather than sedans like the LF ZC they’ll be electric SUVs.Currently Toyota has 23 models in its Australian range. The worst performers are the Yaris, C-HR and GR86, all with less than 1000 sales so far this year.Which models will Toyota axe next? Most likely the C-HR first. This SUV, while great to drive, isn’t selling well here and around the world - even the fully electric version.What about the bZ4X? That’s actually selling well in Australia and globally even if it had a bumpy start with recalls and a battery that didn’t offer enough driving range in the first iteration. Toyota has sold 1526 of them this year. That’s more than the 1340 combined sales of closely priced Volkswagen ID. 4 and its ID. 5 coupe twins.But when you compare that to its Zeekr 7X rival, with 3664 sales for the same period, then you begin to see that EVs are currently really just a side hustle for mainstream brands that make nearly all their income from traditional models.Does it annoy Toyota that it’s not the go-to for EVs when it has been for ICE cars for decades? I’d say it does, a lot. Even if Toyota would tell you it doesn’t and say that it's all about having models for every body - the multipathway powertrain approach is the marketing phrase it uses.Toyota may even feel that it exerts such a colossal influence over people’s purchasing habits that customers will continue to buy what the brand’s range offers. The company may just think that “until we make and sell it, people won’t buy it”.Yes, it’ll lose a relatively tiny amount of sales to BYD, Zeekr and other Chinese rivals but it’ll stay its course and bring in electric versions of its successful models.In the meantime, for Toyota you can probably forget design studies like the LF ZC or wild reborn models such as the Celica or MR2. The Toyota 86 as we know it is also on borrowed time.Yep, if you thought Toyota was boring now… you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The rise in popularity of Chinese cars has been so rapid it’s left traditional car companies scrambling to keep up in technology and sales.So now it is a case of, if you can’t beat them join them, with the old big carmakers searching for a Chinese partner in a bid for survival.Here’s who some big established brands are teaming up with to weather the electrical storm.The luxury sportscar maker is already part-owned by Chinese behemoth Geely, which has 17 per cent stake in the company, but there appear to be troubling times ahead and a buy out by Geely could be on the cards.Audi lives a completely double life. There’s the brand with the four-ringed badge, which operates in every country except China, and there's the brand with AUDI logo that is only found in China.AUDI models are completely different to the models sold outside China and are developed in a joint venture with MG's owner, SAICIt’s hard not to be envious of AUDI models, which are fully electric and futuristic looking. How much longer will it be before these highly desirable vehicles are exported to the world?BMW and Great Wall Motors (GWM) formed a joint venture in 2019 and the current Mini Aceman and Mini Cooper are one of the results. You knew Mini is owned by BMW right?The current Aceman and Cooper use a platform developed by BMW and GWM and are manufactured in Zhangjiagang and sold to the world.Ford’s global boss Jim Farley talks of the Chinese car brands being an ‘existential threat’, calling brands such as BYD “the best in the business”, and also admits the need to form partnerships. Farley has even suggested Ford forms joint ventures to build Chinese cars within the United States.Ford’s track record of partnerships with Chinese carmakers isn’t terrific. It recently broke up with Jiangling, which had been making versions of the Bronco SUV that were planned to be sold in Australia.Now the hunt is on for a new partner with Ford rumoured to be talking to Geely, BYD and Xiaomi.The embattled off-road brand, Jeep, may be rescued thanks to a partnership between parent company Stellantis and Chinese car maker Dongfeng.The agreement will see two new Jeep models with Dongfeng platforms built in China and exported globally.Land Rover and Chery have been building cars together in China for a decade now, but recently the relationship went to the next level.Land Rover has given Chery permission to revive the Freelander name. The twist is Freelander won’t be a model but a range of models.The extra twist is Chery Freelanders won’t just be built and sold in China, they’ll also be exported globally.How does Land Rover benefit? Well there’s probably a lot of money changing hands, but more valuable than that would be the use of Chery’s plug-in hybrid and EV know-how and hardware in exchange.Mazda has been criticised for its lack of electric vehicles, but its joint venture with Changam appears to be turning that around quickly, with the agreement resulting in the stunning Mazda 6e and CX-6e EVs.Both fully electric, the 6e and CX-6e, are made in China and use Changan engineering and drivetrains. Mazda’s designers were behind the styling.Mercedes-Benz’s joint venture with Geely is a successful one and the Smart brand of EVs is the result of this relationship. Smart sees Geely handle the engineering and production, while Mercedes-Benz looks after design.Mercedes-Benz is also working on a new Phoenix EV platform to underpin its next generation cars.The famous French brand Peugeot will also benefit along with Jeep from its parent company Stellantis's recent agreement with Dongfeng.Two Peugeots will be underpinned by Dongfeng platforms, and the Concept 6 and Concept 7 Peugeots displayed at the Beijing motor show have given us a glimpse of what’s to come.Geely arguably saved Volvo from demise when it bought the Swedish company off Ford in 2010. Now Geely owns about 78 per cent of Volvo, and while that still gives the Chinese parent company control, it allows Volvo to self-rule and operate out of Sweden.Volvo has flourished thanks to the injection of funds and the autonomy, with the vehicles benefitting from Swedish design and Geely advanced EV know-how.Many Volvo models including the EX40 are now made in China and sold to the world.Volkswagen and XPeng signed an agreement in 2023 to produce vehicles in China and in March this year. The first model co-developed by the two companies - the ID. UNYX 08 has entered production.Volkswagen benefits from the XPeng’s EV architecture and is said to be considering exporting co-developed vehicles direct from China in the future.

Time’s up! Our three-month long-term test of the Volkswagen ID.5 Pro is over and I have so many thoughts about this electric car. It does some things way better than its rivals but misses the mark slightly in other areas.This is the stuff you learn over a longer period of time as an owner would discover, too.The Volkswagen ID.5 is one of the best mid-sized electric SUVs I’ve driven. The emphasis is on the word "driven", however.Sure Volkswagen might not be the first brand you think of when it comes to EVs, especially given the enormous variety offered by Chinese brands, but the company’s cars are nearly always excellent to drive and the ID.5 is no different.Some EVs are just quick at accelerating but the rest of the driving experience feels half baked, from the ride and handling to the steering and driving position.The ID.5 isn’t all that quick when it comes to accelerating (0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds) compared to some EVs, but all the components that make a superb driving car are there.The steering is accurate and well weighted, the suspension setup offers both a comfortable ride and sporting handling, the seating position makes you feel part of the car, and, being rear-wheel drive, the ID.5 Pro benefits from better traction, good balance and a sporty feel.The next best ID.5 Pro takeaway is the 543km driving range which is equal to many petrol SUVs. For city dwellers like our family who only do between 60 and 150km a week, it was enough to last a couple of weeks between charges.This month, for example, we only travelled 238km. But keep in mind we have two cars in our family - the one we own and the car I’m testing. If we were a one-car family, then you might find the ID.5 needs to be charged weekly.Batteries are very different to petrol tanks and charge can be used up faster, depending on the type of driving. Motorways tend to deplete the charge, whereas lower-speed city driving with lots of braking will conserve the charge. The ID.5 does well on this front. Official energy consumption is 16.3kWh/100km, but we averaged 18.8kWh over three months. Still, many electric SUVs hover above 20kWh and I’m sure with more conservative driving the ID.5 would easily hover around the official consumption figure.And my final best bit of the ID.5 is the design. I wasn’t sold on the styling at first and I still think this car looks inflatable and odd, but it’s such a refreshing change from all the SUVs that seem to look the same. With this unique design the ID.5 oozes premium car quality inside and out. The ID.5’s biggest drawback is the lack of cabin practicality, and not just in terms of outright space. It feels like VW didn't prioritise storage solutions, which isn't great for a medium sized SUV that'll be considered by families.Seriously, I have driven two smaller electric SUVs recently with far more space and cleverer interior packaging than the ID.5. This lack of clever storage is unusual for a Volkswagen which is a brand that prides itself on its utility.Electric cars don’t have drive shafts and transmission tunnels eating into cabin space so there really is no excuse.The boot’s usability is reduced due to the sloping coupe roofline and there’s no front boot here, either. The mechanically identical ID.4 has a more practical boot. With 549 litres on offer, the boot is large enough for shopping, just don't try to fit anything too tall in there.Yes, there are door pockets and cup holders, but that’s about it. A family needs trays, large covered areas, hidey holes and deep wells for all of the bits and pieces that follow them.Add to this a cabin without physical buttons, but with touch-sensitive haptic controls instead for everything from volume to temperature control, and the car loses points for functionality.The ID.5 would suit people without children or those whose children have flown the nest. But for busy parents the ID.5 doesn’t offer the kind of help needed in terms of space and practicality. If only there was a fully electric version of the Volkswagen Tiguan! This would be perfect. That said, the ID.5 really is lovely to drive and for those looking at buying an electric car that is as good to pilot as the best combustion cars, this is it. This electric SUV is also appealing thanks to its unique design that differentiates it from the same-same design of so many modern EVs. Acquired: March 2026Distance travelled this month: 238kmOdometer: 2633kmAverage energy consumption this month: 18.1kWh/100km

Ford’s utes are about to undergo one of the biggest changes ever with the brand’s boss turning to Formula 1 for help in competing with Chinese rivals. Ford’s global boss Jim Farley believes the key to his company's success lies in Formula 1 know-how, according to an interview with British motoring publication Autocar.“One of the biggest gifts that Formula 1 ever gave Ford was our skunkworks team in California. Almost every one of them either comes from Formula 1 or is a huge F1 fan," Farely told Autocar. Ford made a return to F1 in 2026 with a technical collaboration with Red Bull racing. The partnerships sees Ford co-develop hybrid powertrains for both the primary Red Bull and junior Racing Bulls teams.  That gives Ford access to the experience and know-how of the pinnacle of motorsport, and this has led to the formation of Ford's top-secret skunkworks - Universal EV.Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Universal EV has developed an electric vehicle platform that can be fitted into a range of vehicles from pick-ups to sedans, hatches and vans.While Ford hasn't confirmed all of the vehicles that will use the Universal EV platform, yet, it has released a teaser video of its design and engineering teams working on sketches of its upcoming small pick-up that’s expected to revive the Ranchero name.The missing piece of the puzzle, according to Farley, is aerodynamics which will allow smaller batteries to be used. And this is where he wants more F1 input into the skunkworks program. But, it's not proving easy."It turns out that finding people who love motorsport who want to 'build a buffet in Vegas' – a $30,000 EV that's nice-looking and fun to drive - is hard," he told Autocar."A lot of people want to stay in F1 and the challenge is picking people from motorsport who can actually design a breakthrough product. But when people see what we did with this skunkworks, they will say: 'Wow, that's cooler engineering than a hypercar. They will be shocked."The reference to a $30,000 EV by Farley hints at the small pick-up which Ford says it hopes to sell for the same price.The pick-up will be a smaller sibling to the F-150 Lightning Ford and will likely use the Universal EV platform, with a possible 2027 launch.Whether it makes it to Australia is another question. That might only be possible if the vehicle is produced in right-hand drive for markets such as the United Kingdom.We might not see the Ranchero arrive in Australia anytime soon but the Universal EV platform will likely underpin other Ford models to be sold locally.This is not the first time Farley has pivoted Ford's direction in the hope of surviving the threat posed by the popularity of affordable and high-tech Chinese vehicles.In 2024, Farley declared to British publication Car Magazine that Ford was ”getting out of the boring car business and into the iconic-vehicle business”.Although in the same year he also told the Guardian, “We have to start to get back in love with smaller vehicles. It’s super important for our society and for EV adoption.”In 2025 Farley announced that he wanted Ford to be "the Porsche of off-road”, referencing the brand's involvement with off-road racing and applying that skill and engineering to its adventurous vehicles.Currently Ford has a limited number of models in its Australian range, with the Mustang sports car, Ranger ute and Everest SUV bringing in the lion's share of sales.