Family Cars

The new Volvo EX60 electric mid-size has been dubbed a ‘game changer’ by the Swedish carmaker.It needs to be too as it’s finally introducing an electric counterpart to its best-selling car of all time, the XC60.Speaking to CarsGuide, Volvo Vehicle Product Lead for the EX60 and EX60 Cross Country, Lorina Gewargis said it’s fun to be standing with the finished product and having delivered the promises the brand made years ago.“I would say we have packed this car with so much new technology that we haven’t done before and we did that in this timeframe,” said Gewargis.“I’m very confident that we have basically sold the kind of three main concerns that some consumers have when going to electric.“We have the range and the charging speed. Then obviously, price is a very important area as well. The price for the EX60 to be equivalent as current XC60 plug-in hybrid .”The EX60 is priced from $86,900 before on-road costs for the Ultra P6 RWD and $101,990 before on-road costs for the Ultra P10 AWD in Australia. These are equivalent with the XC60 PHEV.Volvo is readying a flagship P12 AWD version of the EX60, which offers the full 810km of WLTP-claimed range, as well as 400kW of peak DC fast-charging thanks to the 800V electrical architecture.This flagship EX60 P12 AWD trim will likely cost more than the P10 AWD trim and be closer to the BMW iX3 50 xDrive, which is currently priced from $109,900 before on-road costs and offers 805km of WLTP-claimed range.“We are designing it, engineering it and building it in Sweden. I think that’s the whole game-changer point,” added Volvo Technology and Programs Manager, Power Electronics, Adrian Thuresson.“Of course we have the HugeinCore, where we have fully centralised computing, where we improve this over time, continuously.“This is just the start of a really nice journey.”It’s worth noting that the EX60 is the first Volvo to have a landscape-oriented central touchscreen multimedia system.“We have a new world-first when it comes to restraints,” said Volvo Engineering Manager Front and Rear Structure Analysis, Dr Isabelle Stockman, noting the new multi-adaptive safety seat belt that’s making its debut in the EX60.“So with this … software-based car, we can analyse what’s going on outside of the car using the exterior sensors and also what’s going on inside of the car using the interior sensor.“Based on that information … we can then adapt to the situation with help of these … profiles now in the safety belt and together with the rest of the restraint systems.”Additionally, the Volvo EX60 has a clean, Scandinavian-inspired exterior design without regular door handles. Instead there is a tiny flap with a button at the bottom of the window. It’s a similar set-up to the front doors on the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Australia’s electric vehicle buying frenzy appears to have already subsided.That’s the view of one of Australia’s leading electric vehicle brands, BYD, which says its mix of models has already started to normalise despite the on-going fuel crisis. Sales of EVs jumped in March and April, as the price of petrol and diesel spiked amid conflict in the Middle East.In March EV sales were double what they were in March 2025, jumping to 14.6 per cent of the total market. That figure rose to 16.4 per cent of total sales in April, while searches on CarsGuide classifieds for EVs rose 230 per cent in March. Autotrader reported a 631 per cent jump in people searching for a new EV to buy in March.But the peak of this EV boom may already be behind us according to BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins, which is telling because the brand only offers EVs and plug-in hybrid (PHEVs).“I'll tell you what we've seen,” explained Collins. “What we saw was that in March there was a big uplift. Our mix went from 50/50 PHEV/EV to 70 per cent EV and 30 per cent PHEV. Definitely March, absolutely. April it started to come off, that mix came off, and the huge spike was coming off, and I would say now is pretty much back to normal.”However, he added that even though the sales split had returned to its previous levels, overall demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles remains high as fuel prices appear unlikely to drop dramatically any time in the near-future. And Collins believes that this is all part of a long-running shift towards EVs and PHEVs.“I think the baseline from where we were in January, February to now is higher. So I think it's been one of those events that has actually changed the momentum. But I don't think it's true that, we're riding on the sort of a . Some people are saying, ‘Yeah, we're riding the wave of this, petrol, fuel crisis thing.’ Yes, there was a short period where it went really strong, but even prior to that, the trajectory was pretty obvious.”BYD has certainly benefitted from the current situation, finishing second on the April sales charts. Its 7702 sales that month put it only behind Toyota for the month, as buyers flocked to its line-up of ‘new energy vehicles’ including the most-affordable EV on sale today, the pint-sized Atto 1.BYD’s biggest EV success story is the Sealion 7, with the mid-size SUV not only the second best-selling EV in the country, behind only the Tesla Model Y, but is also amongst the most popular models in its class - which includes the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Mitsubishi Outlander.As of the end of April sale, BYD was the fifth best-selling car brand in Australia, behind only Toyota, Mazda, Kia and Ford. The brand is aiming to have 30,000 new cars delivered by the end of the financial year, starting with a shipment of 4800 new vehicles aboard the BYD Zhengzhou, a company-owned car carrier due to arrive in Australia at the start of June.

KGM has detailed updates for its Torres and Actyon SUVs in South Korea.The 2027 KGM Torres with the regular 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine now comes with an eight-speed Aisin-sourced torque-converter automatic transmission, instead of a six-speed Aisin unit.The all-wheel drive petrol version now also receives off-road terrain modes in addition to the existing drive modes.The Torres is still also offered with hybrid and electric powertrain options.There are revised front and rear fascias, as well as new exterior paint colours and interior colourways.Inside, the Torres looks much more like the Actyon now. It receives a two-spoke, hexagonal steering wheel, as well as an updated screen set-up for the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen multimedia system.A number of key criticisms have also been addressed.There’s now wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a bigger gear selector, a physical switchgear cluster for the dual-zone climate control, as well as dual wireless chargers.It’s worth noting that the KGM Actyon also picks up the aforementioned updates, as well as the eight-speed automatic transmission.We’ve reached out to KGM Australia to see when we can expect these updated Torres and Actyon models will arrive Down Under. We’ll update this story once we hear back.KGM, which was previously known as SsangYong, launched the Torres in Australia in 2024 and was followed by the related and slightly larger Actyon in 2025.The South Korean carmaker has since launched hybrid and electric versions of the Torres, as well as a hybrid version of the Actyon.In the first four months of 2026 KGM has sold a total of 74 Torres examples and 80 Actyon examples. This is down considerably over top-selling rivals like the Toyota RAV4 (7571 sales), Hyundai Tucson (6842 sales) and Kia Sportage (5743 sales).

Stellantis, owner of Jeep, and Jaguar Land Rover have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to “explore opportunities to collaborate on product development in the United States”.Antonio Filosa, CEO of Stellantis said: “By working with partners to explore synergies in areas such as product and technology development, we can create meaningful benefits for both sides while remaining focused on delivering the products and experiences our customers love.” Meanwhile PB Balaji, CEO of JLR said: “As we continue to evolve JLR for the future, collaboration will play an important role in unlocking new opportunities. Working with Stellantis allows us to explore complementary capabilities in product and technology development that support our long‑term growth plans for the US market.”The tie-up comes as both companies face a tough tariff environment in the US, with Stellantis being embattled there in previous years with its previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, focusing largely on the European operation. JLR, meanwhile, could gain a foothold in the lucrative US market, where it does not currently have a manufacturing footprint.The partnership marks a major change in strategy for embattled Stellantis, which posted a A$37 billion dollar loss in 2025. Its house of 14 brands includes diverse marques from Jeep to Peugeot and Maserati. Under Tavares the US operation suffered, particularly Jeep. The brand pivoted to a more premium position, which didn’t resonate with buyers. Locally, it even resulted in the Grand Cherokee being pulled from sale as Jeep chose to focus on its more competitive offerings.JLR recently ended production of Jaguar models as it gears up for a major re-boot of its luxury passenger car brand, with the company still managing to post good results for 2025 off the back of record sales of the popular Defender and surging global sales of its new Range Rover Sport.The brand even claims that it has taken over 32,000 expressions of interest globally for its upcoming Jaguar Type 01 GT car.A bruising cyberattack, which shut down the brand’s factories in late 2025, has had an impact on the JLR’s bottom line. New tariffs in the US have caused the UK based company to post a 99 per cent profit slump in the first months of 2026.Both companies, which have been rivals in the past, have also turned to their Chinese joint-ventures for more global resilience.Stellantis has made clear its plan to lean on more partnerships, particularly with its Leapmotor joint-venture, and more recently, a new tie-up with Dongfeng to build more Peugeot models in China.Jaguar Land Rover has re-booted the Freelander marque as part of its joint-venture with Chery. The first model, the Freelander 8, pairs the design motifs from the previous Freelander small SUVs with an 800-volt architecture from Chery, plotted to be offered in both range extender hybrid and fully electric forms.Unlike previous Freelanders though, the new Chery-based model is an over-five-meter long three-row SUV. The tie-up has global aspirations and will exist independently of both Land Rover and Chery, and has been confirmed for an Australian launch.

Does the 2021 Subaru Forester have a timing chain or timing belt? And if it’s the latter, is it a dry or wet belt?

I'm after a medium sized car that handles both freeways and rough roads. I travel just under 200km to work and back home on a daily basis and want something that is fuel efficient and can go on gravel as l recently moved out semi-rural. I looked at the GWM Tank 300 but have read it's a guzzler. Not sure on the Outback or the Outlander, etc.

What switch controls the light for the speedometer in a 2008 Subaru Forester?

My 2018 Haval H9 Ultra has been off the road for 12 months and I have just got it running again. There are two warnings coming up which I cannot find in the owner’s book. The first is 'inadequate clamping force' and the second is 'electronic parking brake system fault'.

I have just had the car put over the pits and it passed everything, but when I got it home, I forgot to run it and the battery went flat. I charged it up and since then, these warnings have appeared.

Many premium European carmakers have launched new mid-size electric SUVs, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but now it’s Volvo’s turn and it could be the pick of the bunch.The Volvo EX60 is an electric counterpart to the XC60, which has been the brand’s best-selling car for more than 15 years.This means the EX60 has a lot to live up to, however there is growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs), especially amid the fuel crisis.To get a feel of this new Volvo electric SUV, we got a spin on the outskirts of Barcelona ahead of its Australian arrival late in 2026.At launch there are going to be two versions of the EX60 – the Ultra P6 RWD, priced from $86,990 before on-roads and the Ultra P10 AWD, priced from $101,990.This entry price notably undercuts the BMW iX3, which starts at $109,900 before on-road costs. However, the German carmaker is launching with the top-spec 50 xDrive trim with 805km of WLTP-claimed range first, whereas Volvo is launching with mid-spec versions of the EX60 with smaller batteries and less range initially.It’s understood that the range-topping P12 AWD trim, as well as a more affordable, entry-level grade will arrive in 2027.The price tag is even more appealing when you consider the amount of standard kit you get. Australian-spec EX60s all receive 21-inch alloy wheels, matrix LED headlights, a power tailgate, 11.4-inch digital instrument cluster, 15-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 28-speaker Bower & Wilkins sound system, three-zone climate control and synthetic leather.Opting for the Ultra P10 AWD brings adaptive suspension rather than a passive set-up with frequency selective dampers, as well as Nappa leather upholstery.One of the biggest drawcards with this new Volvo electric SUV is the driving range. The entry-level P6 gets an 83kWh lithium-ion battery with 610km of WLTP-claimed range, whereas the P10 trim gets a 95kWh lithium-ion battery with 660km of WLTP-claimed range.That’s arguably enough to quell range anxiety for many, but the aforementioned P12 gets an even larger 117kWh lithium-ion battery with 810km of WLTP-claimed range which is slightly more than the iX3 50 xDrive and on par with many combustion-powered cars.Better yet is the charging. All EX60s have an 800V electrical architecture, meaning fast charging. The P6 trim has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 320kW, while the P10 can do up to 370kW and the forthcoming P12 up to 400kW.With the P6 and P10, this means a 10-to-80 per cent charge in 16 minutes – a game changer for long-distance road trips.AC charging is offered at rates up to 22kW which is currently the benchmark.Power in the P6 comes from a single, rear-mounted electric motor producing 275kW and 480Nm, whereas the P10 gets an additional electric motor on the front axle bringing total system outputs to 375kW and 710Nm.In practice, neither version of the EX60 feels slow or sluggish. There’s an instantaneous zip off the line, plus plenty of rolling acceleration available for quick overtakes.Adding to this, the EX60 feels nimble and dynamic which defies its circa-2.2-tonne heft. A lot of this comes down to the steering which is incredibly direct and only requires small movements to change direction.I’m also a big fan of the small steering wheel which is rather Peugeot-like and has plenty of physical buttons and toggles.Although the versions we drove in Spain were equipped with massive 22-inch alloy wheels, the ride is plush, comfortable and compliant. My only gripe is that the adaptive suspension in the softest setting can get a little too floaty over harsher imperfections or speed bumps.We’ll have to reserve full judgement of the suspension until we can drive the EX60 on Australian soil later this year.Now to the more polarising elements of the EX60. The exterior design is undoubtedly clean and aerodynamically optimised, hence the big range figures. However, the exterior door handles are far from conventional.You get into the EX60 by pushing a button on a small flap located just under the window. It’s a similar set-up to the front door handles on the Ford Mustang Mach-E.I’m sure you’d get used to it but initially the operation feels fiddly. I’d much prefer regular door handles and incur the slight range drop as this is something that didn’t need reinventing.Then there’s the interior. The landscape central touchscreen is a major departure for Volvo, but it’s easy to navigate around the native interface thanks to contextual shortcut buttons close to the driver.You need to adjust virtually everything using the touchscreen and for the most part this is easy thanks to key menus and shortcuts. However, adjusting certain things, like the steering feel for example, requires you to dig into sub-menus. It also doesn’t take long for the driver attention monitor to ding at you for glancing away from the road…Looking elsewhere around the cabin, it’s open and light. The glovebox is located at the front of the centre tunnel, plus the cupholders shoot out from the centre armrest. I would like some more covered storage up front, though.Speaking of storage, there’s massive front and rear boots. The latter even features a trick split load floor that allows you to reveal just a portion of the underfloor section.As expected with a Volvo, safety is a major focus. It’s expected the full safety suite will be standard, however exact Australian specifications will be confirmed closer to launch.The same can be said for the ownership package. To date all Volvos are covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty which is standard for premium brands but mediocre when compared to mainstream marques.

BYD’s big rival to the Toyota Prado is another step closer to Australia with the hybrid SUV hitting showrooms in the United Kingdom before the end of this year.A large, rugged, seven-seater SUV is one of the final pieces in BYD’s Australian plan and with the arrival of the Ti7 (or Titanium 7 as it’s also known) in fellow right-hand drive market the UK this year, plus BYD has trademarked the Ti7 name in Australia, we won’t be waiting too long it seems.UK models often give an accurate insight into what we can expect here ahead of their arrival and the Ti7 that’ll soon be on the streets of Britain shouldn't be much different to the one that will be here on the streets of Brisbane.What will definitely stay the same are the vehicle's dimensions. The UK spec vehicle is 5146mm long, 1995mm wide and 1865mm tall. Two electric motors - one positioned on the front axle and the other at the rear - provide all-wheel drive and are supported by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine.Quicker than any Toyota Prado ever the Ti7 can sprint from 0-100mm/h in a staggering 4.8 seconds.A 35.6kWh battery offers up to 127km of pure electric driving range. While the only variant arriving in the UK is expected to be a plug-in hybrid, a fully electric version of the Ti7 with flash charging is sold in China.Australia is likely to get the PHEV version, given the popularity of similar models such as the large BYD Sealion 8 SUV.The Sealion 8 is a large seven seat SUV with a very smiler PHEV powertrain and so it’ll be interesting to see if the Ti7 will arrive wearing a BYD badge or a Denza one.Denza models in Australia are sourced form its Denza premium range and Fangchengbao adventure brand in China.The Ti7 falls under the Fangchengbao brand in China, as do the B5 and B8 sold by Denza in Australia, but reports state BYD will claim the new rugged looking SUV for its own.A BYD spokesperson explained to UK outlet Autocar this was because the Ti7 doesn' share the B5 and B8's rugged ladder frame underpinnings. This means the Ti7 won't be suited to off-roading and will be a road focused family SUV with tough looks.Following this logic it's likely the Ti7 will wear a BYD badge in Australia, too.CarsGuide reached out to BYD Australia for confirmation of the model’s arrival and when we’ll see it here, but the brand has yet to respond.