Diesel

The past year may have been relatively quiet on the ute new-model front, but that hasn't stopped their popularity hitting fresh heights.

Volkswagen is exploring a range of locally developed possibilities for the new Amarok, saying the current W-Series ute family have "only scratched the surface" of what's possible in Australia.

Australians, it seems, love old new cars.

The Q5 35 TDI limited edition has arrived on our shores just as fuel prices hit new highs and so Audi's timing couldn't be more perfect. Because this entry-level Q5 is the most fuel-efficient diesel SUV in the Australian market, with an official combined fuel consumption of 4.8L/100km, Audi reckons. Too good to be true? There's only one way to find out...

The members of the class action against Toyota Australia over its defective diesel particulate filter (DPF) are to be awarded payouts to cover the vehicle's drop in value.The Federal Court judgment from May 16 found in favour of the original applicant an

To borrow a phrase from a particular Will Ferrell movie: “Look at all the room for activities!”This was my immediate thought on picking up the Tucson a few months back, and it’s in the practicality department where the Hyundai mid-size SUV really stands out, especially when juggling an 18-month old.Officially, the dimensions are: 4640mm long, 1865mm wide, 1665mm tall, with a 2755mm wheelbase.Boot space ranges from 539 litres with the rear seats up, expanding to 1860L with the seats folded.But how does this compare against the two segment-leading models?Well, the Toyota RAV4, in the comparably-priced Edge eFour Hybrid guise, measures 4615mm long, 1865mm wide, 1690mm tall and has a 2690mm wheelbase.This means a 542L boot capacity, but thanks to a clever two-level boot floor system, can expand to 580L.Fold the rear seats and that blows out to 1690L.The Mazda CX-5 meanwhile, in top-spec Akera trim, measures in at 4550mm long, 1840mm wide, 1680mm tall and has a 2700mm wheelbase.Boot space is clocked at just 442L, expanding to 1342L for the Mazda.But these numbers are academic, and don’t mean much when using a car, so how’s the Tucson stack up to real-world use?As the longest car of the bunch, with the longest wheelbase, the Hyundai Tucson has superior interior space compared to its rivals.Sure, the RAV4 has a larger boot (with the seats in place), but the Tucson has a much roomier second row.In fact, with a baby seat in place, an adult can still comfortably fit into the front passenger seat, with room to spare in both positions.A clever little feature in the Tucson is having seat controls on the side of the front passenger seat back that is easily accessible by the driver, which means if your partner is loading up the baby and needs some extra room, you don’t have to get out of the car and walk all the way around to adjust the seat position.And in my time so far with the car, I’ve never been wanting for more room.I’m talking baby, partner, parent, nappy bag, snack bag and various pot-luck dishes comfortably in the cabin with room to spare.In the second-row, practicality is this is helped immensely by a flat floor, even for passengers in the middle seat.But it’s not just the room inside the Tucson that impresses, because there’s also clever storage solutions that help up the practicality factor.The doors will take on a large bottle, while the wireless smartphone charger and storage tray found just below the climate controls are big enough to accommodate the largest of phones and fattest of wallets.It also helps that the Tucson does away with the traditional shifter for a button-operated shift-by-wire system that, while a small change, helps open up the centre console and make things feel less cluttered.There are also two generous cupholders in the centre console, as well as an under-armrest storage cubby to tuck things out of sight.So far, I’ve not had to use the latter because things like keys, bottles, phones and wallets all already have a place in the Tucson’s cabin.The rear seats also follow this theme of plentiful cubby holes.Aside from the generous head-, shoulder- and legroom already on offer, the doors will easily accommodate a large bottle, there’s a fold-down armrest with more cupholders and there’s backseat map pockets.This means baby paraphernalia like milk bottles, dummies, books and toys all have a place to go, rather than on the cabin floor.And if the in-cabin storage wasn’t enough, there’s always the boot.The Tucson’s rear end is positively cavernous, and can easily swallow a full-size baby stroller with room for even Aldi groceries packed in a few reused fruit boxes.And for those trips to the shops that require bags, there are two bag hooks to ensure apples, pears and artisan cheese wheels don’t spill out on the way home.Truth be told, with a car seat in place, we’ve not folded down the seats to make use of the extra storage space, but we’ve not needed to. Everything we want to fit in the boot has gone straight in.I’ve got a few trips to Ikea planned in the coming months, but I don’t see any problems with flat-packed furniture and keeping the baby seat in place.Overall, the 2022 Hyundai Tucson handles family hauling with aplomb, easily able to accommodate the day-to-day needs of a small household without breaking a sweat.Acquired: March 2022Distance travelled this month: 707kmOdometer: 4085kmAverage fuel consumption for June: 8.1L/100 (measured at the pump)

Hindsight is wonderful. No-one would ever make the wrong decision if they could sneak ahead into the future and see what the impact would really be, and then adjust accordingly.

Kia is poised to announce more details about its long-awaited rival to the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max soon, and possibly before the end of this year.

Perhaps it's the luxury that comes with being one of the biggest brands in the world - and by far the best-selling car company in Australia - but Toyota has a bit of a habit of dragging its heels when it comes to updating its most popular models.Look no f

It's bad news for the Toyota GR HiLux, with the Japanese giant's UK exectuives essentially ruling out a hi-po Ford Ranger Raptor rival - at least for this generation - citing a lack of demand for more performance from its ute customers.