Family Cars

The ninth-generation Toyota HiLux is not really new in the true sense of the word, it's an update with substance. There are no real major mechanical upgrades to the HiLux so has Toyota done enough to warrant your attention?

Initially a 1.6-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid, Peugeot's 408 is now a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder mild 'plug-less' hybrid with $10K slashed off its price tag and fuel economy to frighten the mainstream medium SUV players it now competes with. We spent a week behind the wheel to see if the new package gives this niche player more market bite.

Audi has released the pricing and specifications for its ballistic RS5 performance sedan and wagon in Australia as it gears up to arrive in showrooms in the second half of this year. It will start from $179,900 (before on-road costs), which is roughly $10,000 more than the previous generation of the car sold in Australia. There is also a wagon variant of the RS5, costing an extra $3000.The RS5 shapes up as a rival to other European performance mid-size passenger cars in the segment, such as the hybrid Mercedes-AMG C63S and the petrol-powered BMW M4.Audi’s example is cheaper than the Mercedes and the BMW, which have price tags above the $185K mark. It is $70,000 more than the smaller RS3 and $70,000 less than the flagship V8-powered RS6, but unlike its siblings, the RS5 has been given electrified power. The RS5 uses a plug-in hybrid set-up, which pairs a 2.9-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder engine with a powerful single electric motor. This combines to produce a total of 470kW and 825Nm, which is less than C63S, but more than the M4.It is capable of completing the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.6 seconds, courtesy of its all-wheel drive system. One of the other key upgrades on the RS5 is the addition of an electric motor incorporated into the rear transaxle to distribute torque efficiently. The 26kWh battery has an electric-only driving range of up to 78km, but it can only be charged via an AC adapter, taking 2 hours and 30 minutes to fully charge. 2026 Audi RS5 pricing Australia 2026 Audi RS5 engine and efficiency 2026 Audi RS5 standard features Other standard features include: Bang and Olufsen premium sound systemRed brake callipersAcoustic glazed front windowsPrivacy glassFlat-bottom steering wheelHeated, ventilated front seats with massageHeated rear outer seatsPanoramic glass roofHead-up displayTri-zone climate control 2026 Audi RS5 safetyThe 2026 Audi RS5 has not been crash tested. Standard safety features: Auto emergency brakingPedestrian detectionAdaptive cruise controlLane departure warningLane change assistRear cross alert360-degree cameraSpeed sign recognition 2026 Audi RS5 warranty and servicing The Audi RS5 comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with an eight-year battery warranty. There is also a 12-year warranty bodywork corrosion perforation. The five-year warranty can be extended up to nine years when additional servicing and roadside assistance is purchased. A five-year servicing plan is available, with two-year extensions up to four years available after this.

Nissan has officially teased two new vehicles following the reveal of the new-generation X-Trail and Juke EV.These new vehicles are a new-generation Nissan Skyline sedan and Xterra body-on-frame Toyota Prado-smashing SUV. These models will be focused at the Japanese and North American markets, respectively. This therefore makes an Australian launch for both unclear.The Nissan Xterra has traditionally been an SUV version of Navara and Frontier utes.Despite the very brief teaser video, this new Xterra appears to be a different beast altogether. We only get a brief look at the grille which has ‘Nissan’ scripture and three slashes.Power will come from a V6 or V6 hybrid. The displacement, or exact power and torque figures have been detailed yet.Nissan has made a point of saying it’s reducing its model count and is strategically grouping model families together to reduce complexity and costs. This therefore opens the door for more variations of vehicles, meaning more body-on-frame vehicles based on the Xterra are likely.Similarly with the new-generation Skyline, it’s understood an Infiniti version will be offered in due course.According to the short teaser video, this new Skyline will have design touches that are inspired by the original model. This includes ‘Skyline’ badging on the rear three quarter panel, as well as quad circular tail-lights.It’s worth noting this new Skyline is unrelated to the GT-R and will likely remain a four-door sedan.The current-generation Skyline sedan hasn’t been offered locally as a Nissan model but it was as the plusher Infiniti Q50 from 2014 to 2020.Nissan has confirmed there is a new GT-R in the works but what form it will take and when it will launch is still up in the air.No further details on the new-gen Skyline have been confirmed yet, however it’s expected the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine from the current model will carry over.More information on both the new Skyline and Xterra, including when they will be fully revealed, will be announced in due course.

MY 2009 Mazda BT-50 3.0-litre turbo makes a whistle-like sound when accelerating in the lower gears. The noise is at its worst in the mornings but seems to go away when in fourth and fifth gear.

My 2019 Holden Trax is using about 500ml of water per week, but the oil is not milky.

How do I turn off the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) on the dash of my 2014 Jeep Compass?

Cupra has officially unveiled the updated range for its sweet-steering Formentor small SUV in Australia, ahead of the start of deliveries late next month. The range has been consolidated for 2026, with a new mild hybrid variant starting the range off from $53,990 (drive-away). This means it is $7000 cheaper to buy into the Formentor range (before on-road costs), but elsewhere there have been some substantial price increases, particularly for internal combustion examples.The cheapest petrol-powered Formentor now retails from $57,490 (before on-road costs), which is up from $51,990, but it will be available with a drive-away offer of $61,990. The Formentor takes on other small SUV rivals across different powertrain choices, such as the petrol powered BMW X2 and up-spec versions of the Mazda CX-30. Plug-in hybrid variants of the Formentor have also experienced a decent price jump, starting from $68,990 (before on-road costs), up from $64,990, although it also has a drive-away offer of $74,490. The updated petrol version of the Formentor still features a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, which produces 150kW, up from 140kW.The juiced up petrol version has seen a slight power increase of 17kW and now produced 245kW, while getting other performance upgrades like a torque vectoring rear differential for added handling boosts.To compensate for the extra cost, the PHEV set-up has seen a more substantial increase in power, now producing 200kW - an increase of 90kW. It has also been given DC fast charging capabilities, as well as a boosted electric-only range up to more than 100km, according to Cupra.On the inside, there is a 12.9-inch central touchscreen, along with synthetic suede upholstery and a power operated and massaging driver seat. Cupra has introduced an optional ‘Extreme’ package which costs $6500 on the plug-in hybrid and $7000 on the more powerful ICE variant. This unlocks features such as carbon fibre-backed bucket seats in a grey upholstery as well as performance Akebono brakes on the ICE and Brembo ones on the PHEV.These variants complete the Formentor range for 2026, following the announcement of the high-performance variant of the car, which was announced last month. 2026 Cupra Formentor pricing Australia  

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

I have a 2010 Mazda BT-50 with an automatic gearbox. When starting and driving from cold, it tends to slip in second gear and clunk into gear also. It also randomly drops out of gear sometimes. All the gears are a bit clunky going in, apart from fifth.