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SUV stands for Sport Utility Vehicle, which is a versatile bodystyle that has evolved from what we used to call a four-wheel drive. These days, you can buy an SUV in all sorts of sizes, from small, to midsize, to large, with two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

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Honda ZR-V 2024 review: VTi LX long-term | Part 1
I don't want to sound like I'm ragging on Honda here, but it feels a little bit as though the other, other Japanese brand kind of lost its way for a while there.They didn't sour so much as they just kind of disappeared from view for a bit, facing accusations of making mostly dull vehicles that weren't selling in anywhere near the numbers they used to.You could blame the shift to a fixed-price sales model, I guess, but I suspect at least part of the problem was there wasn't much in its fleet that people were getting excited about.Anyway, I tell you all of this because, for me, one key turning point came with the launch of the Honda Civic Type R. Not just arguably the best front-wheel drive performance car ever built, but also a big slap across the face with a petrol-soaked rag to anyone who doubted Honda's ability to build a fun, engaging vehicle.What's all this got to do with the Honda ZR-V I've been piloting for the past month? Well, it's not a performance car, that's for sure. But on first-month impressions, it absolutely continues the brand's winning run.In fact, it's Honda's first all-new nameplate in decades, and it joins other new product in the HR-V and CR-V. It's pretty much a new Honda.For one, I think my VTi LX trim (the second-most expensive model) looks bloody spectacular, and it's not just the 'Premium Crystal Blue' paint job. The design is modern and premium, and the deep black of the grille pops against the paint, giving it a cracking front-on view.In fact, from all angles it looks pretty sharp, from the slightly swept-back roofline to the two-tone alloys which properly fill the arches to the tiny roof spoiler and sharp but not-too-sharp body creases.Inside, too, it's a happy place to spend time, soaked in black leather and high-def screens, and a thumping 12-speaker Bose sound system. So far, so good.But it's mostly in the way it drives. To be honest, I climb into most mid-size SUVs and expect to be lulled gently to (almost) sleep by bland dynamics and disinterested steering.A-to-B transporters, good for carrying people and stuff, but that don't so much ignite your senses as they do stifle them with a wet blanket.But not so the ZR-V, which has a liveliness to its direct steering, and a level of connection through its tyres, that I wasn't expecting.It's not fun to drive, per se (see earlier note about performance cars... ) but it's satisfying, if that makes sense? I've spent a ton of time in town, and plenty on longer journeys, and I'm really liking the way the Honda has been behaving itself so far.It's also, unfortunately, not cheap, listing at $48,500 drive-away, with only the hybrid model, at $54,900, above it. But you get a whole lot of stuff for that investment.Ours arrives with those leather seats and 18-inch alloy wheels, along with body-coloured bumpers and wheel arches, a drive-mode selector (which, to be honest, I'm yet to bother with).Heated seats in the front and in the rear, a heated steering wheel, as well as active safety functions like rear cross-traffic alert and a surround-view monitor.It also gets LED lighting, a powered tailgate a 10.2-inch driver display, and a 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto. All of which is a fair bit of stuff.Downsides? While it drives nicely, I don't love the powertrain. The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol produces 131kW and 240Nm, which is paired with a CVT auto, and while I'd describe the power as generous enough, especially in town, things can get noisy when you ask a lot of it, as when overtaking.Also, my tyre-pressure warning has come on, and won't turn off, no matter how many times I fill the tyres or recalibrate the system. I might be an idiot, though, so I will report back on the fix, whether it requires a trip to a service centre or just recalibrating my stupidity, next month.Acquired: February 2024Distance travelled this month: 1501kmOdometer: 7119kmAverage fuel consumption this month: 9.3L/100km
Mazda CX-60 2024 review: D50e GT Vision long-term | Part 3
6/10
This is it, the final instalment of our long-term test of the Mazda CX-60 D50e GT Vision. Yep, after three months and 2252km the Berry family is saying farewell to a family SUV which should be outstanding in every way… but isn’t. First, though, this month we’ve covered 917km with almost half of that spent on motorways heading up and down the coast, and the other half on suburban duties including the daily school runs and grocery shopping trips.Measuring diesel usage at the pump saw averaging 8.0L/100km which is close to the consumption from the previous two months but nowhere near the seemingly mythical 4.9L/100km Mazda’s specs sheet says we should see. Still, if this was a petrol-powered SUV and not diesel that figure would be close to 12L/100km.  So, what is it about the Mazda CX-60 D50e GT that we felt could have been outstanding but wasn’t? Well, the ride comfort needs improving. We found that on Sydney’s roads the CX-60’s suspension is too firm and jostling for a family SUV. Then there’s the rough and jerky feeling transmission which Mazda has admitted could be better.  Cabin technology also disappoints with a beautifully expansive media display that promises so much interaction only for it to be rendered almost useless.That's because while the car is in motion the display's menu can only be accessed using a rotary dial which is so awkward and distracting it almost reduced me to tears.  There’s more. The gear shifter which won’t shift until it's ready, the wireless phone charger that can’t keep hold of your phone and no climate control in the second row nor sunshades for the windows.Really, at $70,550 we’d expect more - more comfort, more features and more things to work better. Servicing is also not cheap at about $3200 over five years. It’s not all bad. The CX-60 D50e GT looks superb, and the interior design is excellent with a very impressive fit and finish. This SUV is also practical for a small family with good storage, room for people and a decent sized boot.The inline six-cylinder diesel engine also feels strong and offers good acceleration, but a discovery that's we've only made in the past month is that the braked towing capacity of our diesel D50e is 500kg less than the petrol variants at 2000kg.Yes, the six-cylinder diesel variant can't tow as much the six-cylinder petrol versions nor the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid CX-60.But there is the good fuel efficiency thanks to this being a diesel engine and also having a mild-hybrid system.This SUV is also loaded with advanced safety technology and scores an outstanding 93 per cent for child occupant protection.Should have been outstanding, but wasn't.Acquired: November 2023Distance travelled this month: 917kmOdometer: 9136kmAverage fuel consumption this month: 8L/100km (measured at the pump)
Nissan Qashqai 2024 review: e-Power
8.3/10
Everybody loves an underdog story and Nissan’s one is a beauty.For decades, the model we knew as the Pulsar struggled to crack the European small car market against the likes of the Ford Focus and the company was in serious strife. Worthy but derivative, it struggled to stand out.So, for its 2007 replacement, some bright sparks convinced Nissan to reimagine the hatch by butching it up, raising the ride height and changing the name to something exotically daft. And, voila, the original Qashqai was born.Initially sold in Australia as the Dualis, it quickly became a global smash hit, finally catapulting the brand from follower to leader, creating the small SUV segment as we know it today.If you love your Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, Toyota C-HR or VW T-Roc you have Nissan’s ingenuity to thank.Now it’s at it again with the Qashqai e-Power – an EV-first hybrid using a petrol engine to only charge its battery so an electric motor can drive the front wheels. More than a Prius, less than a Tesla, then.The next big thing or a dead end? Let’s find out.
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