SUV Reviews

Have the changes to the 2021 Hyundai Kona gone far enough? Is the Highlander now worth saving up for? We reckon that's a qualified yes, thanks to palpably improved petrol engine economy, reduced noise and higher-quality interior trim, rounding out a small SUV that remains frisky and fun to drive. But prices are steep, cabin space is tight, the dash now seems dated and the ride's still too firm.

Nissan's Juke continues to offer a style-focused alternative to the small SUV crowd, but in one of Australia's most competitive and rapidly growing segments, is that enough to give it an advantage?

The Grande is the king the Kluger range with a list price starting at $68,900 for the front-wheel drive and topping out at $75,400 for the hybrid version.Coming standard on the GXL are LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, leather seats, the 8.0-inch media display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a proximity key with push button start, leather steering wheel and a JBL 11-speaker stereo, head-up display, three-zone climate control, moon roof, gesture tailgate and 20-inch alloys.There are two powertrains – a hybrid and a V6. The hybrid is all-wheel drive exclusively, while the V6 comes in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.The hybrid has two electric motors at the front and one at the rear which work together with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.The power output of the petrol engine is 142kW and the electric motors make 184kW. The engine torque is 242Nm. The front electric motors are able to produce 134Nm and 270Nm, while the rear can make 121Nm. All Klugers come standard with AEB with pedestrians and cyclist detection, there’s also blind-spot warning, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. There are also front and rear parking sensors.For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX locations in the second row. It’s disappointing to see, however, that the Kluger’s curtain airbags don’t cover the third-row occupants.

The GXL sits in the middle of the Kluger range with a list price starting at $58,850 for the front-wheel drive and topping out at $63,350 for the hybrid version.Coming standard on the GXL are LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, synthetic leather seats, the 8.0-inch media display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a proximity key with push button start, leather steering wheel and a six-speaker stereo. It also picks up three-zone climate control, roof rails, a power tailgate, sat nav, plus heated driver and front passenger seats.There are two powertrains – a hybrid and a V6. The hybrid is all-wheel drive exclusively, while the V6 comes in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.The hybrid has two electric motors at the front and one at the rear which work together with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.The power output of the petrol engine is 142kW and the electric motors make 184kW. The engine torque is 242Nm. The front electric motors are able to produce 134Nm and 270Nm, while the rear can make 121Nm. All Klugers come standard with AEB with pedestrians and cyclist detection, there’s also blind spot warning, lane keeping assistance, rear cross traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. There are also front and rear parking sensors.For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX locations in the second row. It’s disappointing to see, however, that the Kluger’s curtain airbags don’t cover the third-row occupants.

The GX is the entry-grade into the Kluger range with a list price starting at $47,650 for the front-wheel drive and topping out at $54,150 for the hybrid version.Coming standard on the GX are LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, fabric seats, the 8.0-inch media display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a proximity key with push button start, leather steering wheel and a six-speaker stereo, and air con for the front and second row – or if you have the hybrid you’ll get three-zone climate control.There are two powertrains – a hybrid and a V6. The hybrid is all-wheel drive exclusively, while the V6 comes in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.The hybrid has two electric motors at the front and one at the rear which work together with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.The power output of the petrol engine is 142kW and the electric motors make 184kW. The engine torque is 242Nm. The front electric motors are able to produce 134Nm and 270Nm, while the rear can make 121Nm. All Klugers come standard with AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection. There’s also blind-spot warning, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. There are also front and rear parking sensors.For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX locations in the second row. It’s disappointing to see, however, that the Kluger’s curtain airbags don’t cover the third-row occupants.

The Toyota Kluger has long been a common sight in Aussie driveways, but is this new-generation model worthy of that honour?

Small car, big city - seems like a perfect match right? It could be, as long as you don't bring your parents.

The Kona electric left an impression when it first arrived in Australia, but can it keep up in a rapidly evolving EV landscape?

The Nissan X-Trail Ti is due for a makeover, but even in this seven-year old body, it performs well enough to stay competitive in this category. What makes it a consistent performer? Read on.

The Skoda Scala is a spacious alternative to popular small hatchbacks like the Mazda3, Volkswagen Golf and Hyundai i30. Leveraging VW Group components, the up-spec Monte Carlo grade as tested is also a rival to premium offerings such as the Mercedes-Benz A180 and BMW 118i, thanks to sophisticated engineering technologies. But the sporty Czech five-door isn't cheap and suffers from a choppy ride.