Volkswagen News

Large SUVs are the big, spacious heroes of suburbia, favoured by families with more than a couple of kids and picked for their adventurous and sporty looks when probably a people mover would do.Of course, there are the large SUVs that aren’t just tough looking but incredibly capable off-road, too. Then there are those which are fully electric, and bring supercar acceleration to something that feels like the size of a small house.As part of our ongoing 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year awards, here are our top 10 large SUV model ranges from the sub-$100K category in alphabetical order and why they made the cut. Our top three, including the category winner, will be announced February 6.Chinese carmaker Chery brought its flagship Tiggo 9 seven-seater SUV to Australia in late 2025 and in one grade only - the Ultimate.CarsGuide reviewers found the Tiggo 9 to be outstanding value for money, but also standing out is its ‘Super Hybrid’ system which offers a large battery, fast charging and a long combined range with excellent fuel efficiency.Add to this a superbly comfortable ride and you can see why the Tiggo 9 has made our shortlist.  Hyundai’s Santa Fe quickly became an Aussie family favourite after it was launched here 25 years ago. Loved for being spacious and affordable, this large SUV became safer, better to drive and more refined over the years until we come to today’s fifth-generation model, which is the best yet.The Santa Fe is a three-row large SUV available in both petrol and petrol-hybrid powertrains. It has some fierce rivals in this large and affordable SUV segment, but CarsGuide reviewers loved the way it combines practicality and value for money with style and refinement that can withstand all the spills and rough treatment delivered by families.  So much kudos needs to go to Kia for launching its largest SUV ever - the EV9 - as an all-electric model only. A brave move that even made the EV9 unique in its segment as the first fully electric, seven-seat, upper-large SUV on the market.CarsGuide reviewers found the EV9 to be practical, superb to drive with outstanding levels of comfort and performance, and while it can be pricey there’s large fast charging batteries, with long ranges and vehicle-to-load power capability.Add to all this the futuristic chiselled looks and you have an SUV that’s bravely different, and beautifully fit for purpose.The Land Rover Defender is iconic. Famous for being the choice of transport for decades of hardcore adventurers to royalty and everyone in between, not many SUVs can combine prestige and off-road prowess like the Defender. The new Defender is a far more luxurious affair than the early Land Rover Series 1 from the 1940s that started the whole off-road SUV thing, but the blocky looks are still reminiscent of its agricultural ancestor.CarsGuide reviewers found the Defender to be comfortable and great to drive, with excellent practicality but fuel consumption can be high and towing capacity less than rivals.Available in a short- and long-wheelbase, with a choice of powerplants from supercharged V8s to hybrids the Defender is an exceptional go-anywhere luxury SUV.The Polestar 4 is a prestige electric coupe-style SUV that arrived in Australia in 2024, causing chins to wag due to its complete lack of rear window, and a digital review mirror.The rear window controversy was good publicity for the brand which arrived in Australia in 2022 with its Polestar 2 sedan but had seemingly gone off the boil with the arrival of a multitude of new Chinese electric SUVs.At 4.84m end to end, the Polestar 4 is about a finger’s length longer than the Tesla Model Y, but more expensive and would see its rivals as Audi’s Q6 e-tron Sportback and BMW iX3.  CarsGuide reviewers found the Polestar 4 to have an impressive driving range, excellent performance, great styling… but that lack of back window and the digital rear view mirror, not so great. The new-generation Skoda Kodiaq arrived in 2025, bigger and more refined than the previous version, even if the styling appeared to have barely changed. CarsGuide reviewers found this seven-seater to be practical with excellent cabin storage and packed with loads of standard features, making the Kodiaq excellent value.Superb to drive with great handling and a comfortable ride, the Kodiaq is the alternative to more mainstream rivals such as the Mitsubishi Outlander or Toyota Kluger.  Toyota’s seven-seat large SUV has also been on the shopping list of Aussie families since 2003 and while there’s more rivals to pick from than 20 years ago, the Kluger remains popular.CarsGuide reviewers found the Kluger to be spacious, practical, effortless to drive and with a fuel efficient hybrid powertrain, it is also outstanding value for money and comes with low servicing costs and Toyota’s reputation of reliability.Aussie Klugers are made in right-hand drive at Toyota’s Indiana plant in the United States.  Toyota’s LandCruiser 300 Series is a legend in its own time, acclaimed worldwide as one of the most capable large off-roaders, that’s comfortable, and with an exceptional reputation for reliability.With rivals such as the Nissan Patrol and Land Rover Defender, CarsGuide reviewers found the LandCruiser 300 Series to not only be great off-road, but also have good on-road manners, too. Reviewers noted, however, the high price tag and the need for better off-road tyres.The new-gen Toyota LandCruiser Prado arrived in late 2024 amid high expectations given the popularity of the previous modelsThe new Prado had a completely new retro cool look, but also a higher price tag. Still CarsGuide reviewers found the Prado very effective off-road and a big improvement over the previous gen with an increased towing capacity of 3500kg. But CarsGuide reviewers also found the Prado to be underpowered and not as good value for money as a Ford Everest or Isuzu MU-X.   Volkswagen's Touareg is a large, luxurious SUV that’s closely related to Audi’s Q7 but without the higher price.While all Touareg’s are five-seaters only, CarsGuide reviewers found it to be practical, full of sophisticated tech and refined in design and quality.A plug-in hybrid in the sporty R grade is available but CarsGuide reviewers found energy consumption to be high and EV driving range to be low.

It’s 2026, and this year will mark a decade since Ford ended manufacturing in Australia, with Holden and Toyota also ending local production a year later. So, who’s making the cars we love now? And by who, we mean which countries?Here are the top five countries that made our favourite cars in 2025.Australia’s love of European cars is ongoing but that appears to be coming off the boil slightly with 2025 sales of cars built in Germany dropping to 54,905, down by 2639 units on the year before.Doing the heavy lifting are models such as the Volkswagen Tiguan and Golf, along with the Mercedes-Benz GLC and GLA SUVs which are made in Germany for Australia.It’s unlikely Aussies will stop treating themselves to cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen anytime soon, if ever. But as you will see the gap between prestige-niche (prest-niche?) and mainstream models could grow increasingly larger as Chinese offerings head further upmarket while keeping prices low.Hyundai and Kia are the big two Korean carmakers, with KGM (formerly SsangYong) struggling but still hanging on. Between the three they made 149,966 of the cars bought by Aussies in 2025. That’s down from 157,760 in 2024.Australians love models such as the Hyundai Kona and Santa Fe and Kia Sportage which are all made in Korea for our market. The drop in the number of Korean-made cars we bought could be attributed to the biggest mover in the top five manufacturers. Enter China.Number three today, number two tomorrow? Possibly sooner. The popularity of Chinese-made cars accelerated dramatically from 2024 to 2025, the overall number going from 176,159 to 221,699. Yes, an increase of 45,540 cars (+26 per cent), almost the total amount of German-made cars sold in 2025. Impressive.Chinese-made models such as the BYD Shark 6 ute, GWM Haval Jolion and MG ZS SUV have been snapped up by Aussies in their tens of thousands.As with any race, the battle between third and second place is often more riveting than what’s going on in first and China is breathing down the neck of Thailand right now.It might surprise you (or not at all) to know that Thailand came in second place for 2025. But only just, with 249,958 cars made for Aussies, which is down from 272,139 in 2024.What cars does Thailand make? Pretty much every ute on sale in Australia and utes are hugely popular here.Yep, from the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 to the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Toyota HiLux. Thailand is a ute powerhouse.Japan is our winner for 2025 as the country which makes more cars that we buy than any other nation. Japan made 358,981 of the cars Aussies bought and that’s up from 241,296 in 2024. Carrying the heavy end of this big number is Toyota with firm Aussie favourites such as the RAV4, Corolla, Camry, Corolla Cross, Land Cruiser and Prado.By now you know the Toyota HiLux is made in Thailand, but did you know the Kluger is built in the United States for Australia? You do now.

Volkswagen's new Chinese flagship large SUV has been revealed.

The Australian new car market is going through one of its biggest changes to date.A wave of budget-focused Chinese brands has washed over the market in the past two years, eating away into the sales of many established carmakers.The emergence of new technologies such as hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles will change the cars we drive forever.Despite that, some things have stayed the same. Diesel-powered utes and 4WDs are the dominant force in Aussie motoring, but new models are snapping at their heels.Here are the best selling 100 vehicles in Australia during the past year.

We’ve been calling for it and it’s finally here!

As we prepare to close the curtain on 2025, the Australian new car market looks a very different place than it did at this time last year.

Some of Australia's favourite models will see their safety ratings lapse in 2026.

Volkswagen Group has become the top-selling EV brand in Europe, overtaking Tesla, through the first 10 months of 2025, according to an article in AutoNews.

A fresh all-electric hatchback is fast approaching.

A landmark car ban in Europe could be overturned, according to reports.