Wagon

On the cusp of five years since the Holden brand disappeared from the Australian new car landscape, a sixth-generation version of what would have been a key part of the Aussie icon’s 2026 line-up has been unveiled in Europe.The Holden Astra, a localised version of its then Opel Astra corporate GM cousin, was in local showrooms when the Lion Brand was finally shuttered in 2021.Now a sleek, all-new Opel Astra has gone on sale in Europe with pure-electric, hybrid and diesel options offered.Designed, developed and built at Opel's headquarters in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the newcomer is available as a five-door hatch and Sports Tourer wagon, claimed to boast upgraded tech, improved comfort and a more distinctive appearance, all with pricing unchanged.Opel said the design of the new car’s nose has been influenced by its Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo concept shown at last year’s IAA Mobility show in Munich, as have new 17- and 18-inch alloy rim designs finished in ‘Kontur White’ and ‘Klover Green’.A premium visual touch is an illuminated Opel Blitz (German for lightning) emblem as a centrepiece of the brand’s signature single-module front-end design while ‘Intelli-Lux HD’ headlights are claimed to comprise 50,000 LED elements.Interior highlights include a sweeping media and driver information screen display and ‘Intelli-Seats’ featuring a centre recess to reduce pressure on the tailbone. Powertrain options include the 115kW Astra Electric with a 58kWh battery delivering a claimed range of up to 454km (WLTP) and V2L functionality. A 107kW petrol-electric hybrid variant and a 96kW 1.5-litre diesel are also available. Pricing for the Opel Astra Electric hatch starts at €37,990 (~$63,900) with the hybrid at €32,990 (~$55,500).A shining star for current owner, Stellantis, Opel became profitable soon after its acquisition by the PSA Group (now Stellantis) in 2017, turning around close to two decades of losses under General Motors. Who knows what might have been if the Holden journey had continued?

BYD has opened the door for a hybrid wagon renaissance in Australia, with a launch in the UK for its long-range hybrid Seal Touring.

America wants to see a station wagon comeback, but it won't be as easy as it sounds.

Remember the humble family station wagon? Audi has just launched a plug-in hybrid version of its A5 Avant in Australia. It has introduced it in the liftback body style too with up to 100km of electric range.

A popular large SUV has received a serious buff to its adventuring capabilities.

Kia’s new modular van is confirmed for Australia, with the PV5 electric passenger and commercial van to land in mid-2026.Designed on a new dedicated electric platform that will see other models follow, the 2026 Kia PV5 can be configured in many ways across passenger and commercial purposes, with features like a removable front passenger seat, stain-resistant interior materials and a walk-through configuration between the driver and cargo section on some versions.The PV5 sits between small and medium vans in terms of its size, bigger than a Volkswagen Caddy but smaller than a Toyota HiAce or Ford Transit Custom.Due in Australia in Q2 or Q3, 2026, the PV5 will be shown at Mobility Live in Sydney on October 15th and 16th this year.Kia Australia is yet to commence local suspension tuning and will confirm Australian specifications and pricing for the PV5 “in due course”.Kia in its global communications confirmed the PV5 will boast a range up to 416km and feature 30-minute 10-80 per cent fast-charging capability, with ‘up to 16 variants’ able to be configured for multiple purposes.Global specs show the PV5 being 4695mm long, 1895mm wide and 1923mm tall with an antenna, plus a 2995mm wheelbase.Outputs come in at 120kW and 250Nm, with battery sizes either 43.3 kWh, 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh. Passenger, Cargo and Chassis Cab body styles mean the PV5 can be anything from a personal transport, courier get-around, or even mobile base for a business.Kia worked with businesses like DHL Korea, Korea Post, healthcare provider GeoYoung and Milwaukee power tools to implement features and capabilities that would make the PV5 useful across a range of applications.It can also be used for leisure as a transport shuttle or camping van, and the PV5 has vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability to help in numerous situations.As well as the Electric-Global Modular Platform for Service (E-GMP.S) platform it rides on reducing production and development costs, Kia looked at further ways to reduce costs and make the PV5 more durable, including LED headlamps integrated into the front bumper, as well as panels like wheel arches or bumpers being divided into sections for easy replacement.

Having owned a few VW Group products, both the safety tech and infotainment system have been quite familiar to myself. That being said, the tech is excellent even when compared to the newer (more problem-prone) MK4 Octavia range. I've rarely had any issues with the infotainment display, while the wired CarPlay connectivity never skips a beat. The 9.2" infotainment display is paired with a sharp 10.25" digital drivers display, both of which pretty quickly for a system that was updated many years ago. Only bug bear is CarPlay doesn't feed through GPS directions to the driver display, something available in the more recent generation.On this specific 2020 model, I have Travel Assist, Lane Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, Adaptive Cruise and Emergency Brake Assist, leading the car to travel semi-autonomously on those long slogs across town on the M1. It all works brilliantly, though it can be confused with roadwork zones and poor line markings.If I could rate the practicality of this car beyond a 10/10, I would - it's simply the most practical, brilliant interior of any vehicle I've ever had. There's all the space you come to except from a wagon (heaps of head and shoulder space across the rear bench, loads of leg room front and rear, a super practically shaped boot).Then there's everything to delight you, such as the two-sided boot liner that means you can hose out the floor after a beach day, or the numerous tie-down hooks and standard netting that keeps your groceries secure. We inspected quite a few SUVs, and yet none of them came close to the space we have in the Octavia.It's simply a brilliant machine and I wish more families took advantage of the space a wagon.Trading up from a Polo GTI, we were keen for another sporty vehicle with a load more practicality. On that front, the RS 245 delivers in spades - heaps of punch off the line, loads of torque in the middle bands for overtaking on highways, and very reasonable efficiency around town (currently averaging 8L/100km in our long-term average). Picking this car up second-hand, the standard 19" rims had already been swapped out for the 18" rims featured here and I believe the ride has improved as a result of this - something to consider if you picked one up.Only issues I've really had with the driving experience of this vehicle have been in regards to road noise (still coarse on most freeways or highways, even with Pilot Sport 4s on the car), and some typical DSG lag when crawling at low speed with the stop-start system flicked on (I usually have it off in traffic).Is this as cheap as a Camry Hybrid to run? Definitely not. It's an excellent quality vehicle and the servicing requirements match this. That being said, Skoda dealers have fixed-price servicing and you're often fairly aware of what you'd be looking at in advance.Fuel economy has been great (currently averaging 8L/100km), insurance is reasonable in the current environment and overall running costs are very reasonable overall.Only major issue I've had occur so far has was a ripped-off oil sump after hitting a particularly nasty pothole on the Mornington Peninsula. Aside from this, nothing has so far gone wrong or had any failures.

The entire world might still be completely in love with SUVs and utes, but the traditional passenger car is far from over, be it sedans, wagons, coupes or convertibles. Here is a list of 2025's more-promising newcomers, and all without a hint of crossover or truck between them!

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).

Audi's refreshed range gets price-tags ahead of full details later this year.