SUV

Honda rejects claims that it has abandoned the affordable end of the new-car market, suggesting that its smallest SUV now stands as the de-facto replacement for the Jazz light car discontinued in Australia back in 2021.Right now, the HR-V in base Vi X automatic petrol-powered grade is cheaper than the current-generation has ever been, dropping to $32,900 (all prices are drive-away).That’s $2000 below what it was when launched in Series II guise in September, 2024, which in turn was $1800 less than the pre-facelift version when that debuted as the all-new third-gen HR-V in early 2022 at a stiff $36,700.The Vi X is actually about $500 less expensive than what the Jazz equivalent was in its late-2000s heyday, when sales nudged 10,000 units annually.Back then, it started from around $21,000 ($33,400 adjusted for inflation in 2026) for the base GLi 1.3-litre auto, while the $23,555 Jazz VTi 1.5L auto cost about $37,500 in today’s money.According to Honda Australia Director Rob Thorp Australian consumers are now responding to the HR-V as a result of the lower pricing over the past 18 months.“The HR-V in particular plays an important role for us as an entry point into the brand,” he told CarsGuide.“And that in itself, for the last year or two, has been a hugely successful model for us, actually. And continues to sell well.”While steady this year, HR-V sales jumped 44 per cent in 2025 to (a still modest) 4817 units, running ahead of the small SUV segment’s 16 per cent growth year-on-year.In contrast, with the light-car class that the Jazz belonged to down by nearly 28 per cent last year, Thorp revealed that the numbers required to sustain the light hatchback would not add up, vindicating his company’s decision to drop it.“At times you have to make really hard business decisions,” he admitted.“Whilst the Jazz was a beloved brand name and was a volume vehicle for us, the reality was, economically, it was really hard. And we had to make a tough yet courageous decision to not continue with it“If you took the economics out of it, I agree. We would have loved to have kept it, but just unfortunately, it didn't work.”Making this worse, the current GR/GS-series Jazz that Australia misses out on would have switched to costlier Japanese-sourcing, since Thai production ceased with the discontinuation of the previous GK version at the beginning of this decade.That Honda has managed to cut the price of the HR-V Vi X by nearly $4000 since 2022 is all the more remarkable considering that it is also imported from Japan, rather than Thailand like its successful predecessor was from 2015.Plus, post-2024 facelift, the small SUV received more safety technology and improvements to the steering, suspension and refinement, making it a better and sharper proposition than before.

Chery has announced its latest sub-brand, and its got sights sets on the hugely popular Kei minicar segment in Japan.EMTA will launch in the second half of 2027 and feature a fully-electric lineup.A Kei car will come first, followed by a hatchback and SUV, with a larger model also in the works down the track.It is clear at this stage EMTA’s cars will specifically target the Japanese market, but the brand is considering overseas expansion. Kei cars have to meet strict rules, which restrict dimensions and power outputs.Chery has not shied away from adding a crowd of sub-brands in Australia. Omoda Jaecoo is already here, with Lepas, iCaur and Freelander scheduled to arrive over the next 12 months.A spokesperson for Chery Australia said there were no plans for any models under the EMTA name to launch in Australia.There have long been calls for Kei minicars to be introduced in Australia, with their cute proportions turning heads and the increasingly busy streets of capital cities requiring smaller vehicles. The news comes after Chinese rival BYD announced it is planning to launch its Racco Kei car in Japan in the middle of this year.The Kei car has been a strong segment in Japan for many decades, with it suiting the packed traffic conditions of city streets. There are several roadblocks in the way of these cars launching Down Under, but it mainly comes down to failing to meet Australian design standards and likely low safety scoring. Currently Chery exclusively offers SUVs across its lineup, so a Kei car would certainly provide some more variety. Chery Australia confirmed it was reviewing plans for its QQ hatch to launch Down Under as a small car option, with momentum gathering for a 2027 launch.

One of Volkswagen’s most important vehicles has welcomed what will almost certainly be its most important powertrain, with a plug-in hybrid variant here to capture all those people tired of having to black-market an organ every time they need to fill up.And it turns out that there are a lot of those people. Plug-in hybrid sales are up 119 per cent so far this year — and more than 500 per cent in April alone — and it’s into this PHEV feeding frenzy that Volkswagen launches its plug-in Tiguan, which is available in Elegance guise, or as a sportier and more powerful R-Line.In Elegance guise, the sticker price is $64,590 before on-road costs, while the R-Line ups the cost to $74,550. Both have sharp drive-away price deals at the moment that will see you on the road for less than the RRP.There's a solid inclusion list too, mirroring the non-hybrid range, as well as some driving kit, like adaptive damping, and a clever e-diff that smooths out understeer and dials up grip.Well, VW calls it an eHybrid, which is company parlance, but the end result is the same, with its powertrain combining a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a front-mounted electric motor and a 19.7kWh battery.Electric driving range is around 115km (WLTP), and both grades are set up for 40kW DC charging, or 11kW charging at home — the latter meaning you can essentially use a regular power point, or a much faster wallbox-style charger.Opt for the Elegance, and the total system power is 150kW and 350Nm, while the R-Line is tuned to deliver 200kW and 400Nm. Both feed their power through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and are front-drive only, with the electric motor positioned on the front axle.Power is only ever a small part of a new-car story. Producing grunt is often the easy part. Delivering it in a car that feels properly ready to receive it is seemingly much harder.Happily, the Tiguan is a definite bright spot on the soft and spongy horizon of new-car sales in Australia. It feels properly engineered from behind the wheel, with a ride that delivers true connection with the road surface below, even if it does definitely stray into too-hard (and even a bit jittery) territory over corrugated road surfaces. There's not a huge amount of body roll when cornering, and it feels sorted from behind the wheel.The way the electric power is delivered in this car is also a bonus. It is very noticeable that it is using exclusively electric power from low speeds. The torque is instantaneous and it propels you forward before the engine kicks in at about 20 kilometers an hour or so. The result is an SUV that feels more like a nippy little EV at city speeds, before turning into plug-in family transport elsewhere.There are only two quirks that irk me a little. One is the consistency of the brake pedal feel, which sometimes feels like there is plenty of pedal travel, and other times feels like there isn't much at all, which makes how much pressure to apply a little unpredictable at times. The other is the weight of the steering, which can go from very light as you brake into a corner, before quickly weighting up as you accelerate out. Neither are major problems, but can take a little getting used to.Inside, the interior lighting is customisable and has a nice, sporty touch in the R-Line, while the twin screen setup – including the gigantic centre screen – is premium in look and feel, too.Be warned though, the driver-distraction monitor doesn't just sound an alarm, but locks you out of the screen until it decides that you're paying attention again, so if you're doing something on the screen, it then freezes.But kudos to Volkswagen for concocting an iPhone wireless charging solution that actually holds your phone in place, with a little lift flap in the centre console that keeps things secure while charging, whether that's via the twin USB-C ports or via the twin wireless charging pads.Elsewhere, and apart from the plastic-feeling centre console edging, everything in the cabin is nicely wrapped, and it does give the sense of a car that just feels well sorted, both on the road and from the driver's seat.Space in the backseat is ample for my 175cm frame, and boot space is pretty family friendly – despite a slight space penalty to pay compared to non-hybrid models –with 490 litres with the rear seats in place, and 1486 litres with the second row stowed.

The Volkswagen Tayron eHybrid might just be the hidden gem in VW’s SUV line-up, and it’s all because you get less of something, not more.Sounds weird, I know, but stay with me. It was once pretty easy to identify the difference between the Tiguan and the Tiguan Allspace. One had five seats, and the other mostly had seven. Simple.But this Tayron eHybrid changes that equation. It’s the plug-in hybrid replacement for the Allspace, joining the petrol-powered versions that have already launched in Australia.And like the just-launched Tiguan eHybrid, it’s exclusively a five-seat affair. But it’s also bigger, cheaper and I reckon better to drive than the Tiguan, if it doesn’t have the immediate nameplate recognition of its smaller sibling.Same five seats, same petrol-electric powertrain, just with more space for less money, even if its equipment list isn’t quite as generous as the one in the Tiguan.The Tayron eHybrid is the latest arrival in Volkswagen’s plug-in hybrid push, sharing its powertrain specifics with the Tiguan eHybrid. That means a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a front-mounted electric motor and a 19.7kWh (net) battery, and an all-electric driving range of around 115km on the WLTP cycle.Both grades are set up for 40kW DC charging, or 11kW charging at home — the latter meaning you can essentially use a regular power point, or a much faster wallbox charger.There are two trim levels, the Elegance and the sportier-feeling R-Line, with the latter also adding progressive steering to the driving aid list (both also get adaptive damping and an e-diff lock). There are also different power outputs for each — in Elegance guise, that means 150kW and 350Nm, while the R-Line improves the grunt on offer to 200kW and 400Nm.Each trim has its petrol engine and electric motor up front, meaning front-wheel drive, with the battery at the rear, and feed their power through a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.And all of that is largely identical to the Tiguan. But from there, things change.The Tayron PHEV might not sport the seven seats of internal combustion versions, but it’s still got the body size to fit them. It’s both longer and wider than its five-seat sibling, and it serves up wagon-like space in its boot, with a sizable 705 litres with the second row in place, and a massive 1915 litres with the row folded flat. That makes this a proper family transporter. There is oodles of room in the back seat, too, though there is a comically large tunnel running through the centre of the backseat that will definitely impact leg room for adults riding in the middle seat.The window seats offer an adult-friendly amount of room, though. I’m 175cm, and had no issue getting comfortable. There’s also a pull-down divider, twin USB ports and tri-zone automatic climate with twin rear vents.Both the Elegance and R-Line interior treatments are clean and modern, with solid material choices and a genuine feel of quality in the elements you interact with.In more good news, I think the cheapest version is the stronger buy. The extra power on offer in the $75,990 R-Line version actually feels unnecessary in the context of the Tayron. The performance in the $62,390 Elegance feels ample, especially with the added zip from the electric motor when taking off at city speeds. Right now both models are significantly cheaper, too, with a limited drive-away offer on both grades that will see you on the road for less than the RRP.Anyway, the Elegance is officially about one second slower to 100km/h than the R-Line, sure, but a) it doesn’t feel it, and b) who cares? This is spacious family transport, not a Nurburgring rocket.It can get a bit revvy when when you really plant your foot from a rolling speed, and it can feel too firm on properly jittery road surfaces. But it’s otherwise a competent and pretty comfortable drive, with a confident weight to the steering and a feeling of connection between drive and car, especially on winding roads, that’s sometimes missing from its competition.There are subtle differences in the way the Tayron and Tiguan drive. Both feel competent and buttoned down, but the Tayron feels a little more stable and better balanced, likely owing to the 110mm longer wheelbase.Like in the Tiguan, the EV power delivered when you take off really eases forward progression so much so that you really don't want for more power.In Elegance trim, your spend buys you 19-inch alloy wheels, an auto-opening boot, and LED lighting. Inside, there’s leather trim with seats that offer heating, cooling and ventilation, a digital driver display, a 12.9-inch central screen and wireless charging.Springing for the R-Line nabs you a sportier look, as well as 20-inch alloy wheels and VW’s clever Matrix LED headlights. There’s a bigger screen and some other niceties, too, but how much all of that matters is up to you.Unfortunately, Volkswagen won’t budge on its now-too-short-feeling five-year and unlimited-kilometre warranty, which grates in a world of seven-, eight- and 10-year warranties. Volkswagen insists its customers don’t want or need more, but I’d like to speak to some of these customers. The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000kms. Servicing is required annually, and a three-year prepaid package will set you back $1605, while a five-year package is $3391For mine, the Tayran is the VW sleeper, and the Elegance eHybrid is the pick of the plug-in bunch.

Are there cracks starting to appear in Toyota’s seemingly impervious armour?Toyota has long dominated the Australian car industry. So much so that for the last several years, nearly one in every five new cars sold has been one of the Japanese brand’s options. But an unlikely contender has emerged to potentially halt that seemingly unstoppable sales success.China’s BYD was Toyota’s closest sales rival in April and has enjoyed sales growth of more than 110 per cent in the first fourth months of 2026. Toyota has been off to an unusually slow start, dropping more than 22 per cent of its sales over the same period.Despite the two brands starting 2026 in opposite sales trajectories, BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins isn’t focused on getting the better of Toyota.“ I think that's an issue for them,” he told CarsGuide. “All I focus on is what we can control. And at the end of the day, where you finish at the end of the month, the end of the year, the end of the quarter, it's just a result. It's just a fallout of what you've been able to do. Toyota might be in a situation where their orders are fine, but they can't get the stock for whatever reason, I don't know.”Not that Collins is aiming low, with a clear target of finishing within the top three selling brands for 2026, which would represent a major improvement over its seventh place on the charts in 2025. “Look, I think I said this at the start of the year and a few people looked at me like I was a bit crazy, saying that, I think we want to be in or around the top three ,” he said.“I genuinely think that's where we should be. Where we go from there, who knows? There's so many variables, who knows? But I think that starts to put us in a leadership bracket of brands. And we've just gotta keep getting better - that's it. Toyota has been so good for so long because they do so many things really well and we've got to do better.”The reality is Toyota remains comfortably ahead of all of its key rivals thanks to its enormous lead over the rest of the market. Despite its major sales drop to start the year, Toyota has still sold almost 60,000 new vehicles (59,675 to be precise) between January and April, with no other brand surpassing 28,000 sales. BYD has sold 25,243 new models so far this year, which puts it in fifth place year-to-date and less than 1000 units behind fourth-placed Ford. To underline just how steep BYD’s rise has been, in April 2025 the brand was not even amongst the top 10 selling companies, so it is on a very dramatic upward trajectory.Part of Collins’ plan is to grow sustainably but quickly, expanding its line-up to follow Toyota’s strategy of a broad array of popular models across multiple market segments.“We want to do all that, but do it quicker and better than anyone,” said Collins. “I'm not saying that arrogantly, I'm just saying that's the mindset that we need to have now. The mindset for us, for me, now is, ‘oh, we're not a challenger brand anymore.’ We're beyond that. We just need to be better.”To that end, BYD Australia negotiated with its head office for the use of one of BYD’s eight car carrier ships, the BYD Zhengzhou, to rush a delivery of 4800 new vehicles to Australia for delivery. This is one shipment of a planned 30,000 new vehicles scheduled to arrive before the end of the financial year and Collins said the “vast majority” were already sold. Beyond that, the brand has just expanded the Shark 6 ute range with a new flagship model, the Performance, and a new, fleet-friendly Cab Chassis option. In addition to that BYD has announced two new models and two facelifted models will be added before the end of 2026, as part of an on-going expansion that has also included the Atto 1 and Atto 2 electric vehicles as well as the Sealion 5 and Sealion 8 SUVs recently.

Geely is the Chinese powerhouse behind Polestar, Volvo and Zeekr, but its own brand is on track to be bigger than them all.The Chinese brand launched in Australia at the start of 2025, but it hasn’t gone on a model explosion like BYD or Chery, instead it is slowly building out its line-up Down Under.First came the all-electric EX5 mid-size SUV and next the related Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid SUV we are testing here. Both are selling well.The Starray range is simple, with just two variants.First is the Starray Complete starting at $37,490 (before on-road costs) and next is the fully loaded Starray Inspire priced from $39,990. We are living with the latter for three months.That is a sharp price that undercuts the rival 2026 BYD Sealion 6, which starts at $42,990 and rises to $52,990, and is more on par with the Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid.The Starray is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol engine paired to an electric motor, which combine for 193kW.A hybrid transmission sends power to the front wheels, there is no all-wheel drive option.This is matched to a circa-18kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery that delivers a driving range of up to 83km.That driving range misses the mark against some of its rivals, but luckily Geely is rolling out an update to the Inspire grade this year that will feature a bigger battery capable of delivering a range of up to 136km.Geely claims its current setup uses just 2.4-litres of fuel per 100km, which is excellent but it also requires pricier premium unleaded petrol.You won't get near this figure unless you are very militant about charging the car so it always has a decent amount of energy to allow for electric-only driving for most trips. I've relied mostly on hybrid driving during my stint and I'm averaging double the claimed figure.The Starray can be driven in three modes: Pure (electric-only), Hybrid (petrol-electric) and Power (petrol-only).If driving in Power mode expect fuel use to be much more than the claimed figure. The battery can accept a max DC charge rate of 30kW and can suck up to 6.6kW of juice via an AC connection.It also has a vehicle-to-load function, which means it can power appliances and other items, but you’ll need to buy an adapter to plug into the car’s charging port.One of the Starray’s big selling points is it is packed full of equipment.Outside the Starray Inspire has LED head and tail-lights, auto-folding side mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, roof rails and 19-inch alloy wheels.Inside some of the highlights are a big 15.4-inch central display paired with a 10.2-inch digital driver’s screen. A 13.8-inch head-up display projects vital information such as travelling speed and prevailing speed limit onto the windscreen in front of the driver.It has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, in-built sat nav, digital radio, wireless device charging and USB-A and -C charging ports throughout.The Inspire grade ditches the basic six-speaker stereo for a 16-speaker stereo from Chinese tech company Meizu, which is owned by Geely.The Starray also runs Meizu’s Flyme operating system for its multimedia.Customers can expect power-adjustable front seats wrapped in synthetic leather and with heating and ventilation functions. The driver’s seat also has a memory function.A giant panoramic sunroof is exclusive to the Inspire grade as is the power tailgate.Boot space is decent at 428 litres and can be expanded to 528L by removing the floor.There is no spare tyre, with owners forced to make do with a fiddly tyre repair kit.Geely ticks all the safety boxes with a wide range of active driver aids and seven airbags covering both rows.The Starray was given a five-star safety score last year with good scores for adult and child occupant protection during crash tests.Paint colour is the only optional extra, with anything but white costing $600. Our test car is finished in a handsome metallic jungle green.Geely covers its cars with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, and the battery is covered for eight years/unlimited km.The Starray is covered by a five-year capped-price servicing program that requires workshop visits every 12 months or 15,000km. It’ll cost almost $2000 over that time, with buyers to be aware of the $691 fourth service price. Next instalment we’ll cover how practical the Starray is in the real world and report back on fuel use figures, EV-only driving range and how it works for a family of four.2026 Geely Starray EM-i InspireAcquired: March, 2026Distance travelled this month: 436kmOdometer: 2776kmAverage fuel this month: 4.8-litres per 100km

Chery has just updated its Omoda 9 large SUV in China and it could be headed to Australia next. Omoda Jaecoo Chief Commercial Officer Roy Munoz told CarsGuide earlier this year to expect more activity on the Omoda front in Australia in 2026.This new Omoda 9 will not be a part of that push though, with the Omoda 7 expected to launch first, in the second half of this year. The updated Omoda 9 just revealed in China has not been confirmed for Australia, but if it does make its way here, it will be some time in 2027. There have been some minor updates for the new model, with tweaks to the exterior design representing an improvement drag coefficient, and subsequent fuel economy. Inside the cabin, Omoda claims there is a better air quality filter.The updated Omoda 9 is available in China with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, producing 192kW or 1.5-litre turbo-petrol plug-in hybrid set-up, producing 265kW.  The Chinese version now has a 20kWh battery, with an all-electric driving range of 120km, according to lenient CLTC standards. A DC fast charge from 30 to 80 per cent takes around 17 minutes. It is unclear what the new Omoda 9’s set-up choices might look like Down Under, but the current PHEV-only model has a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and three electric motor set-up, producing 395kW. It is equipped with a much larger 34kWh battery pack granting it up to 169km of EV range.The Australian model is only available with all-wheel drive, but from 2027 all models in China are no longer optional with AWD. Chery Australia has been contacted for comment to establish whether this will be the same deal in Australia. The current model starts in Australia from $61,990 (before on-road costs), but this latest example in China will cost up to the equivalent of roughly $30,000. The Omoda 9 is the Chery sub-brand's only model on sale in Australia at the moment, and is the most expensive car in Chery Group’s domestic line-up.It will continue to be a rival to the BYD Sealion 6 as well as the closely-related Chery Tiggo 9.

Australia has a new budget-friendly electric SUV to choose from.The MG S6 all-electric SUV will start from $49,990 (drive-away) for the rear-wheel drive variant, while the all-wheel drive variant will cost an extra $7000. Its main competition will be the best-selling Model Y, and the BYD Sealion 7, GAC Aion V and Geely EX5.MG’s new EV is more than $10,000 cheaper than the Model Y, but the EX5 and Aion V beat it on price, starting in the low $40,000s bracket. The RWD variant of the S6 has a single electric motor, producing 180kW, while the AWD has 266kW, which is less power than the Model Y.A 0-100km/h sprint can be as fast as 5.1 seconds for the AWD, while the RWD takes 7.3 seconds. The car’s 77kWh battery provides up to 530km of driving range, with DC charging from 10 to 80 per cent taking 38 minutes. Its interior features a 12.8-inch central touchscreen and 10.25-inch digital driver display, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard. The S6 also gets a 50W wireless phone charger, with a head-up display an additional option.Seats are finished in a vegan synthetic leather, with the front ones heated and ventilated, with rear outer seats also heated. The car is available in dealerships from today. 2026 MG S6 pricing Australia 2026 MG S6 electric motor and efficiency2026 MG S6 standard featuresOther standard features include: Heated and ventilated front seatsHeated rear outer seatsAmbient lighting 2026 MG S6 safety The MG S6 has not been crash tested in Australia. Standard safety features: Auto emergency brakingLane departure warningAdaptive cruise control360-degree cameraBlind spot detection 2026 MG S6 dimensions2026 MG S6 warranty and servicing The MG S6 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. This warranty can be extended to a 10-year/250,000-kilometre warranty when the vehicle is serviced on time at an MG dealer. 

It’s time to say goodbye to my Leapmotor C10 REEV, which has been my family transport for the past three months or so.And if you’re thinking about putting one of these on your shortlist, then read on, because I’m going to tell you what I liked, and what I didn’t about life with the Leapmotor.And this is one you don’t want to miss. Because the things I like about this car, I really like. But the things I don't? Well, those I really, really hate.So, let’s take a closer look, shall we?So, the things I like. Let’s kick off with the design. I'm surprised not everyone agrees with me on this, but I like the way this C10 looks. And that’s because I see it as a bit like a haircut.This is, basically the automotive equivalent of a bloke asking for a short back and sides. You’re not going to walk out of the hairdresser turning heads. But equally, you’re not going to look back at photos of yourself 10 years from now and think ‘a top bun with an urban mullet – what the hell I was thinking?’.This is simple, straightforward car design that is clean and likely to age well.And that’s true in the cabin, too, where the C10 offers a simple, screen-forward design language that doesn’t inspire but doesn’t offend.Some cars you just know are going to look like real fashion choices within a few years, but I don’t think that’s the case here. What do I like number two? The space. There’s a lot of it. The C10 maximises its dimensions in the back seat and in the boot, which has been incredibly valuable given we now have a 18-month old for whom we always have to pack heavy, whether we're going to the shops or for a weekend away.The back seat is the real superpower of the C10 REEV, which uses its 4.7m in length and 1.9m in width to maximise space for the rear riders.I’m 175cm, and I had heaps of knee and headroom, but the real test for us is always our baby’s massive child seat. In some cars, the room is too tight so the front of the child seat pushes into the back of the passenger seat. But that’s not the case in this, with the front seat rider able to get comfy with room to spare.The boot is decent, too, with 546 litres on offer with the rear seats in place and 1375L with them folded flat. I wish there was a better dedicated charger storage area, though. There is some space under the boot floor, but the charger doesn't sit flush, so it pushes the floor up. What do I like number three? The powertrain is clever, even if it doesn’t deliver the fuel savings I was hoping for.This is a REEV, or Range Extender Electric Vehicle. And this one pairs a rear-mounted electric motor with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that acts as a mobile power generator for the C10’s 28.4kWh lithium iron phosphate battery.In simple terms, it drives like an EV, but when charge is low the engine kicks in to provide power to the battery, with a bunch of drive modes that control when and how the battery is recharged.Okay, so onto the bad stuff. And by far the single biggest annoyance is the fact it all feels needlessly complicated and frustratingly slow.That begins with the credit-card-style key, which may well be the worst system I've ever encountered. To unlock and start the car, you need to hold it against the driver's wing mirror. And you need to do the same everytime you get out to turn the car off and lock it.Now, I want you to imagine getting out of the car, grabbing a baby from the back seat, groceries from the boot, and then having to carry both back to the driver's door mirror where you then fumble for the key card to turn off the car. It’s ferociously annoying. And, because there’s no push-button start, you need to rest the keycard on the wireless phone charger to select a gear, too.Yes, there’s a phone app and a passcode system that means you can circumvent the card. But I found the app’s proximity lock and unlock to be woefully hit-and-miss and the passcode entry system is slow and clunky. And because it can take ages for the screen to wake up, you can find yourself sitting there for ages waiting to be able to enter the code to start the car.That system is emblematic of my Leapmotor C10 REEV experience. Everything is complicated. Everything lives within the screen menus and everything is slower than it should be.Number two on my don’t like list. It’s not as efficient as expected. I’ve tried charging lots, driving gently, and I cover lots of long-distances and I can’t get the fuel use to be as good as a regular hybrid SUV. There are four driving modes available – 'EV+', 'EV-normal', 'Fuel mode', 'Power+' – all of which control when the petrol engine should kick in.Over my final 670km with the car, I averaged around 6.9L/100km. That's not horrific for a car this size – especially given it sips the cheapest E10 fuel – but it's also not as good as you might find in something like a RAV4 Hybrid, which you would also never need to plug in.If you plug it in every night and use that EV mode as much as possible, that number will plummet. But that felt like a lot of work, especially given the 28.4kWh battery will only give you around 100km or so of pure-EV driving.The final item on my don’t-like list? It just doesn’t feel polished enough to compete in Australia. I know that sounds harsh, but I like the smaller Leapmotor B10, so I know the brand can do it. The C10 REEV, for me, just isn’t it.The truth is the C10 found a way to annoy me in some way on just about every trip, whether it was how long it took for the reversing camera screen to wake up, or the proximity unlocking deciding when to work and when not to, or the phantom honking of the horn when it incorrectly thought there was still a baby in our baby seat.In a time filled with affordable newcomer brands in Australia, there are just a few too many quirks aboard the C10 REEV for me.

A month ago we said goodbye to our Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid long-term test car and hello to our current one, the Volkswagen ID.5 SUV.Alongside its ID.4 sibling, the ID.5 is Volkswagen’s first electric SUV and it's the first time I’ve driven one, so I entered this long-term test the same way you walk into a supermarket while on holiday - a bit lost, even if everything looks the same.The ID.5 is a mid-sized electric SUV and the Volkswagen rival to the Toyota bZ4x, Tesla Model Y, Geely EX5 and the mechanically related Skoda Enyaq.The ID.5 is the not-so identical twin to the ID.4, the difference being the ID.5 has a swoopier, coupe-like profile while the ID.4 has a boxier shape.Both the ID.5 and ID.4 are offered in two grades, the Pro and the sporty, top-of-the-range GTX.The ID. 5 Pro is the car we are testing and it lists for $62,990 before on-road costs.The standard features list includes heated and massaging front seats, three-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, proximity unlocking and LED headlights.The ID.5 has a 77kWh battery and a range of up to 543km. There’s one motor and it makes 210kW and 543Nm.What’s interesting is that Volkswagen created completely new models for its first electric SUVs rather than just making an electric variant of its combustion powered Tiguan mid-sized SUV.Frankly, I think an electric Tiguan would have been a better idea and I’ll tell you why later.My first impression is that the ID.5 isn’t really an SUV but just a large-ish, round-ish car. Some people told me they loved the way it looked, but I have trouble seeing its beauty. Although I admit it is uniquely designed compared to many SUVs.I immediately appreciate the quality feel of every touch point, from the door handles through to the seats and steering wheel. The ID.5 doesn’t look like any Volkswagen that went before it, but the materials and craftsmanship are very much on-brand even if the styling is new.I was concerned the ID.5 might not be big enough for my family. It doesn't seem particularly spacious or practical for a family of five.Getting our child into the car and buckled up has been hard on my back, largely because of the coupe-like roofline. Higher-riding SUVs with taller door openings make this job easy, but the ID.5’s shape doesn’t help. Halfway through putting my daughter into her car seat in the pouring rain at night, I wished Volkswagen had just made a Tiguan EV. At least the ID.4 has a boxier shape.However, the space back there for head and legroom is actually very good. Our forward-facing child seat fits well with room for our daughter’s legs without the front passenger having to squash themselves against the dashboard.Storage is good with big door pockets but the adaptable cup holder area is a waste of space (literally) and the wireless phone charger lives in a pokey little cave down there, too.The boot is big at 549 litres but, again, the sloping roofline means tall objects won't fit under that hatch. Again, I miss the practicality of the Tiguan with its draws and utility. At this point I feel like VW has forgotten its ethos of maintaining practicality.Finally, while the volume and climate control functions are physical they're haptic buttons which sometimes work and sometimes don’t. It’s already making me go a bit bananas.The best thing about the ID.5 so far is energy efficiency. Also, the way the ID.5 drives, too. It’s smooth, comfortable, planted and quick. And we’ve spent more than a thousand kilometres behind the wheel - 1142km to be exact.But really if there's one thing that impresses me the most, it’s the SUV's efficiency. Some EVs I've lived with have given me such range anxiety. They've stayed home in the driveway while we’ve taken our own combustion car instead if we are traveling far and the availability of chargers is scarce.But the ID.5 uses its charge quite frugally. Officially, the combined energy use is 16.3kWh/100km but we’ve done even better at 15.8kWh. In the coming months I’ll attempt to calculate exactly how far we can get on a full charge because I might be able to beat the 543km range.I know I’m going to regret saying that…The headlights perform an unsettling movement when the car detects the key within range. It’s a sort of shifty side-eye action that is a bit too life-like for me.The other thing is the ID.5's accelerator pedal has a 'play button’ icon embossed on it and there’s a pause button on the brake pedal. I don’t like this nor do I like the person who thought it was cute, whoever they are. Acquired: March 2026Distance travelled this month: 1142kmOdometer: 1848kmAverage energy consumption this month: 15.8kWh/100km