SUV

The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro has been awarded a full five-star ANCAP safety rating, with the Chinese SUV scoring high enough in the crash body's four core ratings to receive the top star rating across all of its variants.It's a much-needed return to form for Chi

The 2024 Polestar 4 will land in Australia next year priced from $81,500, giving the all-electric Swedish brand an SUV answer to the Tesla Model Y.While the Tesla starts at $65,400, making the Polestar around $15k more expensive, an argument could be moun

Nissan's Euro-tinged Juke small SUV has tumbled down the sales charts, but are buyers missing out on an underappreciated gem?

Even when it builds a family-friendly SUV, Porsche still pushes the performance boundary. The Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe is the German brand’s take on the same extreme SUV class as the Lamborghini Urus (the two even share mechanical DNA). 

The Honda CR-V hit our shores in 1997 and it's been a popular mid-sized SUV for families ever since, but the recently launched 2024 sixth-generation version sees some much-needed updates to its technology, design and practicality. Will those changes keep it competitive in an increasingly competitive market?

There are a lot of options for people looking for an off-road capable SUV with a spacious cabin in Australia, but there are not many with a hybrid powertrain. That's changed with the delayed arrival of GWM's tank 300 Hybrid. It is priced to compete and claims to have genuine off-road chops, but is it a genuine competitor for the established 4x4 SUV set?

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne has something for everyone - from the outrageously fast Turbo GT Coupe to this, more frugal, E-Hybrid.This pairs a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 engine with an electric motor for a combination of performance and efficiency. There’s a new electric motor and battery for 2024, with the motor now making 130kW/460Nm, a significant 30kW/60Nm improvement over the previous model, which contributes towards a combined system output of 346kW/650Nm The Cayenne E-Hybrid has a new and improved 25.9kWh battery which allows for a theoretical 86km of driving on electric power alone. It also helps contribute to a claimed fuel economy rating of just 1.9L/100km; although, like all plug-in hybrids, achieving that figure in the real world is challenging in our experience.Porsche has also added a new on-board AC charger that increases capacity from 7.2kW to 11kW, so with a high-voltage charger the battery can be replenished in just over two hours.The Cayenne E-Hybrid is priced from $154,600 and comes equipped with LED Matrix beam headlights as well as 14-way electronically adjustable front seats, a head-up display, partial leather interior (in black), a new 12.6-inch digital instrument display and a 150W, 10-speaker sound system.There’s a redesigned exterior and interior, which toughens up the looks on the outside and creates a more stylish and practical inside. The Cayenne is by far the most family-friendly Porsche you can buy, with enough room in the back for two adults or older teenagers to sit comfortably, or enough room for three younger children. Safety equipment for the E-Hybrid includes front, side, curtain and driver’s knee airbags, plus autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and a surround view parking system.Combine the hybrid powertrain and practical and spacious cabin with the strong safety credentials and style and it makes for one of the most sensible models the brand offers. Whether that’s still enough to sway buyers from making the leap to an all-electric alternative remains to be seen.

Australians may have to wait up to another year before they can get their hands on the promising new Fronx, as supply and specification questions hang over its head.Additionally, far from rivalling the best-selling MG ZS at the bottom end of the small SUV segment as some reports have previously speculated, a source close to the company says that the high-riding compact crossover will now be “expensive”, suggesting that it might kick off closer to – or even breach – the $30,000 threshold when sales commence later in 2024.As an indirect replacement for the popular Baleno light car in the sub-$20,000 field, it had been anticipated that the Fronx would launch in Australia sometime in the first half of next year, as a more-affordable alternative to the Toyota Yaris Cross, GWM Haval Jolion and Mazda CX-3.Asked for a timing update for Fronx at the launch of the long-awaited Jimny XL in Sydney last week, Suzuki Australia General Manager, Michael Pachota, revealed to CarsGuide that access to Australian-bound models have been pushed back, due to strong international demand pushing the release date back.“We've confirmed it for Australia in terms of the green light for export to this country,” he said.“But at the moment it's doing so well from a global perspective in terms of the markets it's already been introduced in. So, there's a question as to exactly when production will start for us and I think we just have to wait a little bit longer to understand exactly what that time frame is.”Unveiled back in January this year and built in conjunction with subsidiary Maruti in India, the Fronx measures in at a tad under four metres long, 1.8m wide and 1.55m tall, and sits on the old Baleno’s 2520mm wheelbase.The latter highlights the “Heartect” architecture underneath that also underpins the Ignis light SUV/crossover as well as the current Swift supermini. Note, however, that the Fronx’s ground clearance jumps from the Baleno’s 120mm to a handier 190mm in its Indian home market.Unsurprisingly, the newcomer’s petrol engine choices should be familiar to drivers of all those Suzuki models and others, and includes the Japanese brand’s acclaimed 74kW/148Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo unit dubbed Boosterjet, powering the front wheels via either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.A 66kW/113Nm 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated version is also available as an entry-level powertrain proposition, but for the time being is limited by a five-speed automated manual option known as AGS in Suzuki speak, which would not be suitable for Australian consumer tastes.Plus, South Africa scores a Fronx fitted with a 77kW/138Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine related to the one found in the Jimny. And just like the iconic off-roader, this one offers either a four-speed auto or five-speed manual opener.Finally, mild-hybrid versions are also produced for some markets, though whether they make it to Australia remains to be seen. And, speaking of advanced tech, so far there seems to be no autonomous emergency braking (AEB) in the mix, though this may change by the end of 2024.This, along with the lack of an appropriate 1.2-litre auto entry-level Fronx, may be behind the delays as well as higher-than-expected pricing that our source suggests.Pachota promised more information will be revealed in the near future.“We'll be announcing (details about Fronx) sometime early next year," he added.Finally, as a portmanteau of 'Frontier next', will Australians embrace the name Fronx?While we understand that some dealers have been pushing for a less controversial name, including Baleno X or Baleno Crossover to build upon the consumer recognition of a long-lived badge (the original Baleno was released in the mid-1990s), Pachota rebuffed such notions, believing instead that it sets the small SUV apart in a crowded class."Incorrect. We love it, we love it,” he reiterated. “Anything against the grain we're all for."Should Suzuki Australia stick with the global Fronx nomenclature or go with Baleno X? Let us know in the comments below.

The new-generation version of Mini’s largest model, the Countryman SUV, will arrive in Australia early in 2024 with a new look, fresh tech and more room - yep, it’s even bigger.

The Ranger Wildtrak has been one of Ford's most popular model grades across its entire line-up for some time. Given that success, it makes complete sense that Ford has added a Wildtrak version of the related Everest SUV to its range. But what does it add to the Everest formula that wasn't already there?