Adventure

The MG U9 Explore Pro is the top-shelf variant in MG’s ute line-up. It has plenty of onboard features, as well as a variety of drive modes and – most importantly if you’re a keen off-roader – it has front and rear diff locks as standard. But, how does this MG ute perform off-road? 

The Porsche Cayenne S Electric is the middle member of the initial three-tier line-up that has launched in Australia in 2026. Priced from $193,000 for the SUV and $194,500 for the Coupe, the Cayenne S Electric is only just over $8000 more than its petrol alternative. For that money you get: 21-inch alloy wheels Matrix LED headlights Illuminated ‘Porsche’ lettering on the bootlid Panoramic glass roof Four-zone climate control Eight-way adjustable sports seats Bose surround sound audio system with 14 speakers This new electric version has the same basic silhouette of the previous Cayenne, but the details give it a distinctive look, this new model is longer and lower than the internal combustion versions. The details of the design also give it a sharper, more modern look too.  The same is true of the interior, with a modern design that keeps the Cayenne Electric contemporary, but also practical and loaded with all the technology modern buyers expect. The Cayenne S has a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain that makes 400kW (490kW on Overboost) and 1080Nm and has a 0-100km/h time of a very rapid 3.8 seconds. Range for the Cayenne S is rated at 571km, thanks to its 106kWh battery, which is the most of the range. As for safety, the Cayenne Electric is as well equipped as you should expect a car at this price to be. There are all the features that have become the norm, including speed limit warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assist, etc. But it’s not the fact that it has all the safety features that’s impressive, it’s the level of calibration, with very good integration.

The Chery Stockman dual-cab ute has the potential to truly rattle the cage of rivals such as the BYD Shark 6 and JAC Hunter PHEV and even more established players like the Toyota HiLux and Nissan Navara. A diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain is straight away an obvious point of difference for the Stockman range – with a petrol PHEV due here in 2027 – and that’s a big deal because, as CarsGuide news editor Dom Tripolone has noted in previous stories, no other ute-maker has delivered a diesel-hybrid set-up to market here, not even Toyota. With the Stockman due to go on sale here at the end of this year, anticipation is rapidly building, but Chery’s ute needs to excel in a few key areas – namely capability, real-world local tuning and price – in order for it to really make a mark in the Australian market. Read on. All early signs here are positive. The Stockman will have a 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine and an electric motor for total outputs of 350kW and 800Nm. Electric-only driving range will likely be between 80km and 100km. The diesel plug-in hybrid will be joined by a petrol plug-in version in 2027. This big ute – measuring 5450mm long (with a 3250mm wheelbase), 2010mm wide and 1890mm high – will have 247mm of ground clearance and be fitted with all-terrain tyres as standard. Suspension will be a double wishbone set-up at the front and leaf springs at the rear. Chery has previously stated that the Stockman would have a dual transfer case – with low- and high-range 4WD – and front, centre and rear diff locks, so, on paper, it’s well set up for off-roading and dirt-track touring. The Stockman’s tub is claimed to be 1560mm long, 1560mm wide and 500mm deep, so industry standard. Though Chery has not officially released any payload figures yet, towing capacities for this ute are claimed to be 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked), so industry standard. If the Stockman delivers on Chery’s capability promises then that’s a battle won. When it comes to an AWD or a 4WD marketed as a “purpose-built” 4WD, the proof really has to be in the off-road pudding. Car buyers are so sophisticated nowadays that carmakers are increasingly entering into collaborations with companies in order to develop vehicles that greatly benefit from substantial engineering away from the OEM. Chery has revealed it has enlisted the services of Melbourne-based vehicle engineering firm, Premcar, to manage the Stockman’s local ride and handling program in order to tweak the ute’s suspension and chassis to ultimately best suit Australian conditions. Premcar’s work on the Navara and Patrol Warriors, among many other vehicle projects, is renowned and has shown that the company can be entrusted with crucial conversion work, engineering upgrades and the fitment of adventure-ready accessories in order to add real value to a vehicle. Chery Australia Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris has previously told CarsGuide that Premcar staff were “doing assessment and validation across many different aspects of the vehicle and many different driving situations”. “So it's not just off-road, but it's also on-road performance, and they'll give feedback on ride and handling and how the infotainment system works, and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and how the ADAS (advanced driver assist systems) works.” True blue tuning across myriad road and track surfaces in different conditions is welcome, but a car company simply claiming that it has undertaken “local tuning” is not welcome. In Premcar we trust. The value-for-money space is one in which the Stockman can be solidly established especially if Chery manages to price the ute in such a way that holds plenty of appeal as an attractive purchase. Pricing has been tipped to be around the $57,900 mark (excluding on-road costs), which will pit it squarely against the likes of BYD Shark 6 and MGU9. If the Stockman proves value- and feature-packed, as well as comfortable and capable enough then sharp pricing will make it even more competitive in an increasingly pricey market. If Chery has created a ute that manages to avoid the flaws and niggles of some other Chinese off-roaders – such as counter-intuitive and complicated touchscreens, intrusive driver-assist tech, clunky off-road traction control systems, and an inability to truly excel in the tough stuff – then it’s on its way to getting a real foothold in the Aussie market. Add in sharp pricing, solid build quality, reliable all-round capability, and an agreeable on-road performance and the Stockman may be able to really crack the whip on its competition. Note: The Stockman is due to launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, when pricing and technical details for the diesel PHEV and petrol PHEV are expected to be announced.

Ram Australia was very keen, only a couple of years ago, to show us just how good its inline six-cylinder replacement for the Hemi V8 was. But now, having established the new engine's credentials, Ram has brought the V8 out of retirement. It now measures 6.4 litres and is seen only in the, bigger, 2500 version of the Ram pick-up. But has nostalgia talked Ram into a backward step?

The GWM Tank 500 might look like a big and bruising off-road-ready SUV, but it’s actually a time machine. How else to describe it? In a world in which the uptake of electrification is booming (so far this year, some 207,000 vehicles with a diesel engine have been sold, compared to 334,000 with some sort of electrification), GWM has fitted its Tank with an all-new and newly developed diesel engine, swimming strongly against the tide in the process. But GWM makes the very solid point that 207,000 is still a very big number, and in the segments this new 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine will compete (it is also fitted to the Cannon Alpha ute), the numbers are even stronger. In fact, the brand’s data shows that, in 2025, some 92 per cent of the large body-on-frame SUV segment was diesel, along with 86 per cent of the ute market. And yes, those numbers have been falling in 2026. But it’s still a big prize. "I know it'll drop, but in that core space there's still an incredible amount of diesel customer base out there. Based on either geography, or how they use it, or their budget, they still want to do it, they still want to drive diesel. And we believe we'll have a technical advantage over many of those brands that have owned that segment for a long time,” says GWM Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, John Kett. "We know that there are still customers there, and even though it's almost a sin to talk about, they're still buying.” All of which is why we find ourselves behind the wheel of this new and diesel-powered Tank. The new engine arrives in two Tank 500 variants, the Lux, currently $65,990 drive-away across the country, and the top-spec Vanta, which costs $71,990, also on the road. GWM says that, given the relatively small jump between the two, most people will end up springing for the flagship. The obvious big rival here is the Ford Everest, in which you can have the entry-level Active with the smaller engine on the road for around $60k at the moment. Everything else though – from Sport all the way to Platinum – will cost you from $70k to more than $90k on the road. It’s hard to accuse GWM of skimping on the features, either. Check our detailed price and features story for the details, but you get a heap of stuff across both grades, and especially in the Vanta. The biggest part of this story, though, is the engine, with the 3.0-litre, four-cylinder unit producing 170kW and an impressive 620Nm. That’s a lot of torque for a four-cylinder engine, too, and while the on-the-road performance doesn’t quite live up to the spec sheet promise, it never feels underpowered, either. To further extol the virtues of diesel donks in this segment, this new powertrain has had exactly the impact on the other critical capability benchmarks you might expect; towing is now 3.5-tonne braked for the first time, and the driving range (helped by the choice of one or two massive fuel tanks) is between 1098km and 1845kms. And with proper low range and twin diff locks, it will go about as far off road as you want to take it, too. Another unexpected perk is GWM’s ability to dodge AdBlue, with the additive simply not required here. Fuel use is a promised 7.1L/100km, which is impressive for a car this size, too. Behind the wheel, the first thing you notice is the level of refinement. I’m sure there’s an office block’s worth of sound deadening on board here, but it works, with this diesel feeling smoother and often quieter than some petrol and even hybrid powertrains I’ve driven recently. Yes, it makes its presence known when you really plant your foot, but if you’re used to diesels being loud, clattering, clanging things, you’ll be pleasantly surprised here. The Tank 500 has been fettled by GWM’s Aussie ride and handling ace, and there is definitely a refreshing sense of cohesion to the drive experience. It feels heavy in places, sure. And the steering can be soft in that way that makes you want to telegraph your inputs a bit, but the body control is strong, and the ride good at smoothing out country bumps and imperfections. In fact, on those sort of flowing, not-too-tight corners, you can pretty easily forget your steering a big bruiser at all. Sharp inputs are never your friend in a car like this, and if you get too aggressive with the steering wheel you can certainly feel yourself swaying, but it's an overall impressive effort, with car matching engine and vice versa. Off the tarmac, the Tank 500 proved ready and willing, too. I’m no Marcus Craft, but with low range engaged and one or both diff locks activated, the GWM walked up every muddy, slippery, rutted climb we threw it at, even wearing its road tyres. The only question mark that remains is towing. A published towing limit is one thing, but how a vehicle feels pulling big weight is another thing entirely. But for that, we’ll have to wait and see. The other boon in the 500 is space, with the three-tow Tank delivering one of the better third-row experiences I’ve had lately. I’m 175cm, and I found that by shifting the second row forward, I had enough room in both rows to get genuinely comfy. I know the third row is mostly reserved for kids, but this is one SUV in which you could definitely get adults back there in an emergency. There’s a piddly 98 litres of cargo space with all three rows in place, but that grows to 795 litres with the second row folded. Drop both rows, and you get a massive 1489 litres. I won’t bore you with the details here, but safe to say all those acronyms you expect to see are present and accounted for, and after covering a heap of kays, none of them felt overly annoying. Its five-star ANCAP rating, earned in 2024, only currently applies to the electrified versions, but GWM is confident it will apply here, too. It’s also covered by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, with seven years of roadside assistance and seven years of capped-price servicing. Speaking of which, service intervals are pegged at 12 months of 15,000kms, and the first seven years of ownership will cost $3760, or $540 per service.

The all-new Porsche Cayenne Electric range begins with this ‘entry-level’ model priced from $167,700 before on-road costs for the SUV body style and $173,500 for the Coupe. While that is a price premium over the existing petrol and hybrid models, it does come well specified. Standard equipment includes: 20-inch alloy wheels Matrix LED headlights Illuminated ‘Porsche’ lettering on the bootlid Panoramic glass roof Dual-zone climate control Eight-way adjustable sports seat 10-speaker sound system Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto This new electric version has the same basic silhouette of the previous Cayenne, but the details give it a distinctive look, this new model is longer and lower than the internal combustion versions. The details of the design also give it a sharper, more modern look too.  Inside, for all the hype around Porsche performance, one of the brand’s standout features, at least in my opinion, has always been interior design.  This new Cayenne looks really interesting inside, with curved screens for the digital instrument display and the multimedia system, as well as the option to add a third screen in-front of the passenger. The overall level of fit and finish, the detail and quality of the materials is exactly what you’d expect from a premium brand and an SUV at this price point. The Cayenne Electric is powered by a dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain that makes up to 325kW of power and 835Nm of torque. That’s enough for it to launch 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds.  The Cayenne is powered by a Porsche-built 106kWh battery that provides 542km of range. In terms of safety, the Cayenne Electric is equipped with all the features that have become expected, including speed limit warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assist and full airbag protection.

If at first you don't succeed... Porsche is trying again with turning a popular SUV electric. But after the disappointment of the Macan, will the brand have better luck with its bigger Cayenne. We test drive the new Porsche Cayenne Electric on-road, off-road, through sand dunes and even down an airstrip to put it to the ultimate test.

Nissan is preparing to shake-up the 4WD segment with a new affordable ute-based off-roader. Nissan has already confirmed the Xterra, which Nissan America boss Christian Meunier labelled “badass” on social media. It is also expected to cost the equivalent of $56,000 in Aussie dollars when it launches in the US next year.  Nissan hasn’t revealed the 4WD, which will be based on the US-market Frontier ute, but digital artists AutoYa and from TopElectricSUV have taken recent teaser images and given us a full width view of the tough-looking off-roader. The renders show a bold, aggressive front end with massive air intakes in the grille, coloured LED lights across the bonnet and underbody protection. Wide, muscular haunches and a boxy silhouette follow the trend set by the Toyota Prado, Denza B5 and new Mitsubishi Pajero. The Xterra will be built on a ladder frame underpinning, which is best suited to rough-and-tumble four-wheel drives. You’ll find that tough chassis underneath the Prado, Pajero and Everest 4WDs and nearly all dual-cab utes such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux. It’ll likely use V6 petrol or V6 hybrid power. This will be different from the brand’s 'e-Power' hybrid technology found in the Qashqai and X-Trail SUVs, which use the engine purely as a generator to charge the battery while electric motors drive the wheels. Nissan has promised the Xterra will be a no-nonsense 4WD. “The Xterra represents the DNA of Nissan: affordable, durable and high quality,” Meunier told Automotive News. “We don’t want to over-engineer it and make it overly complicated or expensive. “We’re going to give our Nissan customers everything they need, nothing they don’t,” he said. Bad news? The Xterra will be built in the US for the North American market, with no known plans to bring it to Australia. But another ladder frame ute-based Nissan 4WD has emerged as a possible starter in Australia. The Terrano 4WD is based on the Chinese-built and developed Frontier Pro ute, the latter is expected to be called Navara Pro when it arrives in Australia, and could be Nissan’s local answer to Pajero and Prado. The Navara Pro will use plug-in hybrid grunt, pairing a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with an electric motor with total system outputs of 300kW and 800Nm. It can offer up to 135km of electric range, according to the lenient CLTC test cycle. Nissan has confirmed the new Terrano is “intended for selected global markets”, but hasn’t revealed if Australia is one.

Arguably the year’s most anticipated new model has finally broken cover, and initial reports are promising. After being poured over by the global press and driven briefly under strictly controlled conditions in Japan, the general consensus is that the latest-generation, NU-series Mitsubishi Pajero will be a formidable 4x4 wagon contender when sales commence in December. This is what it has going for it and what concerns still need to be addressed. Strong points include design presence, an unexpectedly refined interior, thoughtful packaging, a competent yet refined on- and off-road chassis tuned with Australian preferences in mind, and competitive pricing. Only the lack of a hybrid powertrain option could hold the new Pajero back, though company executives have indicated one is coming in time. Still, a conditional 10-year warranty, should give popular rival 4x4 wagons like the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X something new to worry about. But it is the choice of an old name that Mitsubishi has resuscitated for its large SUV that might create confusion. Particularly when the advertising tag line screams: “All-New Pajero: The Legend is Returning.” That’s because the 2026 Pajero is not a modernisation of the previous, third/fourth-generation, NM-NX-series 4WD from 2000 to 2021 that the badge and promotion clearly imply. Instead, it is a successor to the smaller, cheaper and less-sophisticated Pajero Sport (now defunct), which was derived from generations of previous Triton utes. That started off as the Challenger initially, in the late 1990s, until the name changed in 2015. As such, expectations of the NU Pajero need to be tempered. Mitsubishi used to offer 4x4 wagon buyers real choice. Despite being smaller and less expensive, the previous Pajero was considered a strong alternative to the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol. This was so even as the latter two grew into the Upper Large SUV category four-wheel drive (4WD) as they changed. Meanwhile, it was the simpler Challenger and Pajero Sport’s job to chase the Prado, as well as the 2000s-era Nissan Pathfinder, Everest, MU-X and the Holden Colorado 7/Trailblazer. It’s true that, although based off the current Triton, the NU Pajero is considerably bigger than the Pajero Sport was, and larger even than the old Pajero. But people expecting an alternative to the full-sized LandCruiser 300-Series and Y63 Patrol giants, which are bigger again, will find the Mitsubishi is not in the same official size category. That point alone should have had the company thinking twice about using the Pajero nameplate. The previous Pajero was a revolution when the NM series debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show. That’s because it was designed and engineered to be at the forefront of large off-road-capable SUV technologies, and did it with such aplomb that it cemented the Mitsubishi’s reputation along the way. Among many progressive features was an advanced monocoque body with an integrated ladder-frame chassis, eschewing the old-fashioned body-on-frame construction for a lighter, more-rigid and roomier solution. The upshot provided the old Pajero with far more car-like on-road dynamics, control and safety than the previous (1981 original and 1991 second-gen) iterations, while still being able to deliver exceptional off-road capability and robustness. This happened years before Land Rover, then under BMW ownership, managed something similar in the full-sized 4WD wagon space with the L322 Range Rover of 2002. Mitsubishi got there first, and it was a revelation LandCruiser and Patrol has never matched. Cash-strapped Mitsubishi reportedly didn’t have the funds to develop another monocoque, truly full-sized Pajero, so upsized and improved the body-on-frame Triton ute and its Pajero Sport SUV offshoot to fill that role. It makes economic sense, because the competition has long done something similar, but it is still a retrograde step from the old Pajero. Already comfortably better than the previous Pajero Sport, whether the NU Pajero will have the same elevated bandwidth of dynamic capabilities when we drive it in Australia remains to be seen. The final old Pajero used a 147kW/441Nm 3.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine dubbed DiD, giving it sufficient low-down torque capabilities as well as adequate on-road performance. On paper, the NU Pajero’s 150kW/480Nm 2.4L turbo-diesel’s outputs exceed the old version. Around 62kW per tonne versus 59.5kW per tonne in the power-to-weight ratio stakes. But how will that translate in actual Australian conditions, especially against the V6 turbo-diesel alternatives as found in the latest LandCruiser and Patrol? And that's not even taking in the electrified big 4x4s from China like the Denza B8 PHEV. With diesel prices still spiking this year, the electrification of the NU Pajero cannot come soon enough. Especially as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) that limits carbon dioxide tailpipe emissions becomes stricter over time. Like we said, the 2026 Pajero falls into line with its popular rivals in being an affordable entry point into 4x4 wagon motoring without having to pay LandCruiser and Patrol prices in order to do so. In all likelihood, a ground-up monocoque-bodied Pajero replacement would have cost a lot more to buy, so Mitsubishi’s decision ultimately does make sense.

Sometimes when driving my 2024 KGM Rexton feels like it shifts itself into low 4WD for no reason. Pulling over and putting into Park will reset it. Any ideas as to what is happening?