SUV

Cadillac has arrived in Australia, with this Lyriq the first in a fleet of new electric vehicles built in right-hand drive in the USA and shipped to our shores. It's big, lux and definitely has premium intentions, but it also goes up against the best of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in the battle for our well-heeled dollars.

Hyundai Australia may still be waiting for a ute, but it just got the next best thing - a rugged, Toyota LandCruiser-rivaling SUV.Unveiled overnight at the 2025 New York International Auto Show, the Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro is the most off-road capable model the South Korean brand has ever offered in Australia. Due to launch locally in early 2026 as a fully-fledged member of the new Palisade line-up (rather than an option pack like the Santa Fe XRT), this new model features a raft of off-road-focused enhancements.There’s a unique grille, with a unique lower bumper that incorporates twin, chassis-mounted tow hooks, as well as creating more ground clearance for an improved approach angle of 20.5-degrees. New side skirts and a similar treatment to the rear bumper improve the departure and breakover angles to 22.4 and 18.3 degrees, respectively. Underneath there is a new XRT Pro-exclusive rear electronic limited-slip differential for better off-road capability as well as downhill brake control and new terrain modes for mud, sand and snow. There’s also real-time pitch and roll, compass and elevation displays and a new camera at the front to provide a clear view of the road ahead when you’re off-road and can’t see over the bonnet.However, aside from a ride height increase, to give the Palisade XRT Pro 213mm of ground clearance, the suspension is unchanged from the rest of the Palisade range. This is also partly helped by the new all-terrain tyres that wrap around the 18-inch off-road styled alloy wheels.Under the bonnet the XRT Pro is exclusively available with a 214kW/252Nm 3.5-litre V6 naturally aspirated petrol engine. This is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and Hyundai’s all-wheel-drive system.Speaking at the New York reveal, Olabisi Boyle, Senior Vice President of Product Planning and Mobility Strategy for Hyundai Motor North America, explained the reasoning that went into developing the XRT Pro."The 2026 Palisade XRT Pro is for people doing it all - raising families, chasing goals, showing up every day,” Boyle said.“We built this SUV by putting people first - thinking about real lives, real needs. It’s got space for your crew, capability when the road gets rough, and the kind of comfort, style, and efficiency that proves luxury doesn’t have to come with a luxury price.“We wanted to deliver a vehicle where affordability can meet lifestyle - no matter where off-road you want to go."Hyundai Australia has confirmed other versions of the new Palisade will go on sale in late 2025, starting with the new 192kW hybrid powertrain variant. The XRT Pro will follow soon after, in early 2026, with pricing and final specifications expected to be announced closer to them going on sale.

Why this big American V8 is copping a last-second price-rise.

MG will continue to sell the previous-generation ZST in Australia alongside the freshly launched second-gen version of the ZS small SUV.The plan is to ensure MG still captures buyers at the most affordable end of the new car market as some of its newer generation models have increased in price.The new ZS range landed in November 2024 in hybrid guise and has since expanded to include naturally aspirated (NA) petrol and turbo-petrol grades. Pricing ranges from $26,990 drive-away for the Excite up to $40,217 drive-away for the Hybrid+ Essence.At the moment, the ZST Vibe is available for just $23,888, drive-away, which makes it the most affordable SUV available in Australia right now.However, this is only temporary and the keen pricing will end by April 30.The ZST’s limited drive-away price undercuts a number of affordable small SUV rivals, including the recently launched Chery Tiggo 4 Pro which at $23,990, drive-away, was the cheapest SUV on the market from launch.It also beats the Suzuki Ignis which is $24,490, drive-away, the Kia Stonic from $25,660, before on-road costs, and the Hyundai Venue from $22,750, before on-road costs, but that’s for the manual.Given on-road costs can add up to $3000 to the cost of a car, the MG is the cheapest.Those rivals are also a size smaller than the ZST and compete in the light SUV segment. Direct small SUV competitors that can’t match the MG ZST price include the GWM Haval Jolion (from $26,990, drive-away), the Chery Omoda 5 (from $27,990, drive-away) and the recently discontinued Mitsubishi ASX (from $26,240, drive-away).This isn’t the first time MG Motor Australia has offered two versions of the same model at the same time.When the first-gen ZS facelift launched back in 2020, it was dubbed the ZST to differentiate it from the original ZS, which remained on sale all the way up until the arrival of the second-gen car late last year.Back then the ZS was the cheap and cheerful option for those that didn’t want to stretch to the ZST.When asked by CarsGuide how long the ZST would remain on sale alongside the new ZS, MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao said, “This is up to the market.”Ciao added the company adopted the same strategy as the ZS to ZST plan from a few years back, based on the principle that “people need a good, affordable priced car”.He said due to the cost of living crisis and lack of significant movement on interest rates, it was important to ensure MG still offered its buyers affordable options.The MG ZST Vibe is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine delivering 84kW/150Nm, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) driving the front wheels.It comes standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, six-speaker audio, 10.1-inch multimedia touchscreen with built-in sat-nav and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, manually-adjustable synthetic leather front seats, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and an extensive list of standard safety features.

Audi have launched the performance grade for the Q6 SUV line - the SQ6 e-tron. Is this the taste-test for what to expect from their high-performance RS that Audi has teased for the future? Only time will tell.

Mahindra will unveil its all-new XUV3XO compact SUV at the Melbourne Motor Show this weekend, along with a seven-seat version of its Scorpio four-wheel drive.At approximately 3990mm long, 1821mm wide and 1647mm tall, the XUV3XO is considerably smaller than its larger sibling, the Haval H6- and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro-rivalling XUV700.The XUV3XO will instead act as a rival to the Hyundai Venue and Kia Stonic, with pricing expected to start around $25,000, before on-road costs, where both of its competitors also reside.In return, expect three potential powertrain options consisting of two engines and three differing outputs, as is the case on its home market India.That includes two 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine configurations capable of 82kW/200Nm or 96kW/260Nm, as well as a class-leading 1.5-litre turbo-diesel that delivers 85kW/300Nm.Both petrol and diesel variants are offered with the choice of an automatic or manual transmission, with a two-wheel-drive setup coming standard.Exterior features are likely to include single-tone and dual-tone paint, alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, rain-sensing wipers, a small rear spoiler and roof rails.Inside, the XUV3XO is likely to carry synthetic leather upholstery, twin 10.25-inch displays for the central multimedia display and digital driver’s display, keyless entry and push-button start.Safety features include six airbags, a surround-view camera, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning.Mahindra hasn’t yet confirmed when it will launch the XUV3XO, though it is likely to arrive at some point in the second half of the year.No additional upgrades have been made to the Scorpio aside from the additional option of a seven-seat configuration, which bumps the price to $46,990, drive-away, for the Z8L, up $5000 from the six-seat Z8.Despite the price rise it still matches the GWM Tank 300, which is only available in five-seat configurations, on entry price. Additionally, it is $1410 less than the cheapest seven-seat Isuzu MU-X variant – the LS-M – which comes in two-wheel drive guise as standard.

Available in two grades from launch, the intriguing Cupra Tavascan comes in base Endurance and a sporty VZ flagship.

Chery is stopping at three brands… for now. But China’s answer to Jeep and its genuine luxury brand remain on the agenda for Australian expansion eventually.

Isuzu's MU-X range has undergone a much-anticipated update and it includes the introduction of a new variant: the new top-of-the-range X-Terrain.The X-Terrain is a seven-seat 4WD wagon and - as part of this new MU-X range - it has an updated chassis, a tweaked suspension set-up, some new safety tech and a recalibrated rough terrain mode (Isuzu's boosted off-road traction control system).

Chery may only have arrived in Australia a few years ago but the Chinese automotive giant has revealed major expansion plans.