SUV

Lexus has axed its cheapest and first electric vehicle (EV) in Australia, the UX300e crossover. “The UX 300e will no longer be available in Australia due to production restrictions on selected parts,” said a Lexus Australia spokesperson.

Connectivity is easy and appropriate for the age of the car. Apple CarPlay works well, once the pixel gremlins were worked out. The sound system is adequate (no car is acoustically perfect) and the digital radio is excellent. Auto headlights and safety systems work very well and although I get annoyed by warning beeps, they have saved me some grief. Although the rear seats can be restrictive with long-legged front passengers in place, the head space is good for 180cm+ people. The cargo area is adequate, and when the seats are down very good. The car can carry a double bass easily - an essential criteria for me. Roadholding and traction are very good with little body roll and reasonable ride, considering the use of 19-inch run-flat tyres. Power is good. Not in a 'hot hatch' way, but more than adequate for most uses. Zero to 100km/h in around 7.0sec and great power in overtaking makes it a good all-around quickish and safe car. Generally I have been pleased with the overall costs of the car. Any servicing from official Merc dealers is expensive and I have sourced an experienced Mercedes service mechanic at a local garage. He charges a reasonable rate for a first class service. Otherwise, little different from my friends with Korean or Japanese cars. I have had no significant issuers with the car. In its first year, it had a number of small recalls for computer issues. There was an oil leak at the turbo, which needed a new O-ring and the driver's seat needed repair to the fabric at 60,000km.

Australia has been waiting 15 years for a proper model update for the Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Is it worth the wait?

The GWM Tank 500 should stand out for being one of the first hardcore off-roaders with a hyrbid system... but we're only a month into a long term test and the Berry family has found there are also a few not-so great reasons the vehicle stands out

Ford Australia has axed so many of its cars over the past two years that it almost has nothing left on sale. It’s just lucky that one of the few cars left that it does sell — the Ranger ute —  does so in enormous numbers. So what’s missing from Ford’s line-up? A lot. Here are the cars we think Ford really needs in Australia right now.Ford lacks a rival, to not just to hardcore four-wheel drives like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol, but to more domesticated Aussie family favourites such as the Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.Yes, the Ford Everest seats seven and can go off-road with the best of them, but a more plush and comfortable suburban cruiser would fit nicely in the line-up.Now this might hurt a little bit and I apologise in advance, but in South Africa you can buy a Ford Territory. I know, what the Ford!?So, the South African Ford Territory is made in China and sold in other countries but it’s made in right-hand drive, which means there’s no reason why we can’t have it here.This new Territory isn’t as big as the Santa Fe at 4.63m long so it’s not really a large SUV but still, what a shame.What Australia really needs is a Ford Explorer, as in the petrol-powered version form the United States, not the UK electric version. The US Explorer is a a five-metre long seven seater, while the UK version is 4.4m and smaller than an Escape.Nope, bigger is better in this case and while the Explorer is currently only made in left hand drive, there is a chance a right hand drive might get the green light for the next-gen model.Ford axing the Escape is the car company equivalent to throwing away your only pair of pants just because you don’t like the colour of them.OK, that’s a terrible analogy but the point is mid-sized SUVs are the bread and butter of car brands and they sell all year long in large numbers and they’re kind of an essential item to car manufacturers. Ford axed the Escape because it didn’t sell enough of them. But it could easily bring back the Escape because it’s sold in the right-hand drive in the UK.Ford should seriously consider it, the mid-sized SUV segment is increasing in size at 19.6 per cent market share and Ford’s not able to join in the spoils. Toyota has the RAV4, Kia has the Sportage, Nissan has the X-Trail and Ford has nothing. No pants to wear at all.If there’s something Australians love almost as much as mid-sized SUVs it’s a small SUV. We’re talking the likes of the Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona and the MG ZS. And Ford did have the Puma, but axed it in 2024 just four years after it arrived.The Puma was a high-quality feeling and premium looking SUV, but it was overpriced compared to its rivals and so sales struggled. People want premium looking at budget prices apparently.The Puma is sold in the UK as a hybrid and a fully-electric vehicle, so bringing it to Australia wouldn’t require anything other than a trip on a boat from Romania where they’re made.So there you are, Ford has pretty much all the cars it needs in right-hand drive to take the fight to rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla Cross, the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.Will we see the Territory again? Will Aussies be OK with a Chinese made Territory? Given the the shift in attitudes and growing maturity towards Chinese brands and their rapid take-up there's no reason they wouldn't be.Sure bringing back the Territory nameplate, plus the Puma and Escape could be a risk for Ford, but would it be as big a risk as having all your eggs in the Ranger basket as it does now?

Lexus might not be the obvious brand to launch a potent hot hatch/SUV, but that's precisely what it's done with the LBX Morizo RR. 

This compact but mighty new electric car is headed to Australia and some big name players will be looking over their shoulders.

MG has finally confirmed pricing for its first large SUV, the QS seven-seater.

BYD’s range of off-road SUVs under its FangChengBao brand is expanding, with yet another camouflaged model spotted testing in China.

Hyundai is about to move to a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty in Australia, up from its existing five-year/unlimited kilometre item.