7 seater

The Skoda Peaq has just been announced as Europe’s latest electric family SUV rival.The big seven-seat electric SUV is expected to land in Australia in 2027, where it would complement the mid-size Enyaq and compact Elroq electric SUVs in Skoda's expanding EV range in Australia. It would pose a challenge to other electric three-row SUVs, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 ($119,750, before on-road costs) and Kia EV9 ($97,000).There is no news on how much the Skoda Peaq will cost in Australia, but Skoda has confirmed it will have a starting price of below 50,000 euros in Europe (about $80,000). Cars from Europe usually carry a sizeable premium when put on sale in Australia, so expect it to sit above that $80,000 mark.The car will be available with a single rear electric motor, producing 150kW and 350Nm, while a dual motor all-wheel drive wheel layout boosts power up to 220kW and 545Nm. The Peaq will be fitted with either a 63kWh battery offering a driving range of 459km (WLTP), or a 91kWh unit offers 647km or 613km, depending on it being RWD or AWD. The car has both AC and DC charging capabilities, with a 10-80 per cent charge at 160kW, taking 27 minutes for the smaller battery, while the larger battery takes 28 minutes at 199kW. The car has a sleek overall presence, measuring at 4874mm long, which makes it shorter than the EV9 and Ioniq 9. It will also be the first Skoda model to feature flush door handles. On the inside, there is a 13.6-inch vertical central touchscreen using a Google Android software system, along with a digital driver display. There is also a 16-speaker audio system, pumping out 755W. The car has a large panoramic sunroof spanning most of the roof space.The Peaq will launch with a Sportline variant that gives the car a sharper look, along with optional two-tone paint.

Subaru is considering exporting its largest car from the USA, according to reports.The Ascent, which is the brand’s three-row SUV a size-up from the Forester and Outback, is also built on the same SGP platform as the rest of the brand’s offerings, but is yet to be offered outside of North America.According to Nikkei Asia, Subaru is now considering exporting the car to Japan as part of a wider automotive push to balance imports and exports to the US as manufacturers aim to avoid the ire of US regulators and potential further tariffs.Other brands, including Nissan with its US-built Murano, Toyota with its Tundra, Camry and Highlander (Kluger) and Honda with its Ridgeline ute and Pilot SUV, are considering similar plans.To make this so-called ‘reverse-importing’ process easier, Japanese regulators announced they would set up a simplified certification system for cars built in the US to make it faster for them to be able to be sold into the Japanese market.Subaru Australia has frequently expressed its interest in the Ascent, as it has not had a large three-row SUV since the Tribeca was discontinued in 2013, but the news does not necessarily mean the SUV will be built in right-hand drive to be made available in Australia.The models being ‘reverse-imported’ for ease-of-access to the Japanese market will be sold in left-hand drive, as regulations allow for left-hand drive vehicles to be sold alongside the domestically-built right-hand drive cars.Cars sold in left-hand drive in Australia are heavily regulated, and are generally only conditionally registrable.The new boss of Subaru Australia Scott Lawrence told CarsGuide there was “a really live conversation with the Subaru Corporation” on how a seven-seat SUV could come to life from the brand locally.He said the Ascent wasn’t the only option the company was looking at, but hinted that a badge-sharing arrangement with its Toyota partner was not “one of the priorities” when it came to a seven-seat offering.“I'll leave it there, but there are some really exciting Subaru plans in that space,” he said.What could come to Australia in the future is a next-generation Ascent, as the current model is due for a full overhaul following on from new-generation versions of the Outback and Forester. This could open the door for more global production and new audiences for Subaru.

Geely Australia CEO Alex Gu confirmed the brand is working on bringing a three-row SUV to our market in 2027.“This model, we’ll bring next year,” said Gu, when asked if something like the brand's M9 six-seat hybrid SUV was on the cards.“We’re already in the process, it will be a little bit different from M9. The M9 is a six-seater, but we’ll have a more traditional seven-seater.”Gu hinted the M9 (or something like it) will maintain its plug-in hybrid set-up, which it is sold with in China.“I have noticed other Chinese brands right now rely on ICE [internal combustion engine] but we know that the Australian market is an emissions-sensitive market, so Geely doesn’t have any plans to do ICE, but I’m sure you’ve also heard about our plans to do i-HEV," said Gu.“So actually, we benchmarked Toyota for this,” he said. “It’s very friendly for emissions. It around 2.22L/100km, so this is very good.”Gu was confident this incoming plugless hybrid system, which Geely debuted at the Beijing Motor Show, had low enough emissions that it could be kept for the long-term, even as Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) begin to make it difficult for existing plugless systems by 2028.The M9 could form part of a slowly-but-surely new model roll-out for Geely in Australia, as it takes its time observing the strategy of rivals, according to Gu.The three-row SUV, which is sold under Geely’s Galaxy marque in China and was displayed at this year’s Melbourne Motor Show, measures over five meters long with an enormous 3030mm wheelbase.It rides on Geely’s latest space-maximising GEA Evo platform, and pairs a 1.5-litre petrol turbo four-cylinder engine (163kW/255Nm) with an electric motor in the front transaxle for the FWD models (180kW/350Nm), adding dual electric motors on the rear axle in AWD models (170kW/280Nm x2).There is no mechanical connection between the engine and rear axle for the all-wheel drive system, with the maximum system output for FWD models being 300kW/605Nm and the maximum output of the AWD models being 640/1165Nm.The M9 for the Chinese market is offered with two battery packs, either an 18.4kWh or 41.46kWh pack, which are good for 85km and 185km electric only driving range respectively.Combined driving range, also to WLTC testing, is 1140km for the small battery or 1255km for the long range battery. All batteries are sourced from CATL and use an Lithium-Ferro-Phostphate (LFP) chemistry.DC charging speed allows a 30 - 80 per cent charge in 20 minutes for the standard range, or 15 minutes for the long range battery. Even when the battery is at the reserve level, the M9 consumes 5.7L/100km to WLTC testing, and all versions come equipped with 6kW vehicle-to-load.Expect high-end features like every Chinese car, with the M9 having a 15.4-inch multimedia screen, a 12.66-inch digital instrument cluster, with a 32-inch head-up display and 30-inch roof-mounted entertainment screen for rear passengers on high-grade cars.It even offers 328 litres of boot space, even with the third row up, or 1025 litres with the third row down.As for price, the base M9 for the Chinese market starts from around the equivalent of A$40,000, with the top-spec AWD car topping-out around $55,000. With Chinese cars usually attracting a 15 - 20 per cent premium by the time they land in Australia, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see pricing from $50,000 - $75,000, putting it in direct competition with the Hyundai Palisade (plugless hybrid-only - $76,500 - $89,900) and BYD Sealion 8 ($56,990 - $70,990).A plugless hybrid version, which is effectively a scaled-down version of the plug-in system on the Chinese-market car, would be even more affordable again, without the need for the large CATL-sourced battery. Watch this space.

What are all the seven-seater cars on the market that don’t look long or bulky?

For many families a three-row, seven-seat SUV is the ideal transport solution. Add an efficient plug-in hybrid powertrain, sharp price and high standard specification and the equation just gets better. But as much as the BYD Sealion 8 has going for it, there are some areas we think could be improved. Check out our family-focused review to see if it ticks all your new car boxes.

The third-generation Mitsubishi Outlander mid-size SUV was popular in Australia for good reason, with it offering buyers the choice of five or seven seats, and plug-in hybrid, petrol or diesel powertrains. As a result, it can also make for a good used car.

Subaru is seeking to re-enter the three-row SUV segment in Australia in the near future, after more than a dozen years away from the scene.

The Sealion 8 Premium is the flagship variant in BYD's seven-seat plug-in-hybrid SUV line-up.

Volkswagen has a new large SUV in the Tayron. Replacing the Tiguan Allspace and taking on some of the duties left by the departing Touareg, it’s now the brand’s key seven-seat family offering. Does it carve out its own identity?

The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid has arrived to join a new age of long-range fuel-efficient beasts that might make you change your mind about getting an EV now.