Cupra Formentor VZe hybrid 2023 review
Kia Niro Hybrid GT-Line 2022 review
Honda CR-V VTi X 2022 review
Toyota Camry SX hybrid 2022 review
Hyundai Palisade Highlander AWD 2023 review
Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid 2022 review
Haval H6 GT Ultra 2022 review
This week on Chasing Cars: Cupra Formentor reviewed, Dodge goes electric and Polestar 6 unveiled
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 992: $500K price for Stuttgart’s most focussed road-legal sports car
Nissan Z 2023: hot new-generation sports coupe makes Australian road debut in Tasmania
Toyota GR86 Australian release date and specs confirmed for September launch
Mercedes-Benz EQA350 price CONFIRMED for Australia, $18K more than EQA250
Mazda 3 receives power and fuel economy upgrade in the US
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept previews an electric muscle car for the future
Ford Ranger Lightning: all-electric Ranger is likely to happen during T6.2 platform cycle
2022 dual-cab megatest: which ute is best?
2022 Chasing Cars Car of the Year: what is the best car of 2022?
2022 midsize SUV megatest: which family SUV is best?
Jaguar F-Pace SVR vs Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio 2022 comparison
Toyota Corolla vs Hyundai i30 2022 hatchback comparison
Lexus IS 300 vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Sport 2021 comparison
Mazda CX-30 vs Audi Q3 vs BMW X1: SUV comparison
Lexus LX vs Infiniti QX80 2019 comparison review
What does turbocharging do? Turbo vs supercharged vs naturally aspirated explained
What cars are still available with a manual in Australia?
Torsion beam vs independent rear suspension: is there a big difference?
Should I buy a used car or a new car in 2022?
Every V8-powered car and SUV still on sale
Ute towing capacity 2022: how much weight can your new ute tow?
SUV towing capacity 2022: how much can my SUV tow?
Can electric cars be charged wirelessly?
Welcome back to your weekly wrap up of car news and reviews, where we find all the best stories of the week and condense them down into one easy read
When dealing with an industry layered so thick in marketing and, at times, deceptive jargon we relish the chance to catch up with the big bosses and have a straight conversation.
This week, Chasing Cars shared our full and exclusive interview with the global CEO of Cupra, Wayne Griffiths, and spoke about their foray into the Australian market.
Alongside this, we covered a big week of news with rumours on everything from the new Subaru Impreza arriving soon and Lexus CT transforming into an electric small SUV – as well as the arrival of a host of new electric SUVs from Mercedes-Benz.
We’ve also published a suite of reviews on everything from the Kia Niro hybrid to a head-to-head between two full-electric SUVs – but our highlight of the week is the virtually unknown but very cool Cupra Formentor which deserves a very special mention.
We’ve had a drive on the track and now we’ve had a go on less than ideal roads and all in all, we’re still very impressed with the Cupra Formentor.
Reviewed here in plug-in hybrid VZe guise, the Formentor is technically a midsize SUV but in the flesh, it’s more of a raised wagon – and all the better for it we reckon.
During our testing we saw an electric-only driving range of 49km and its suspension is well-suited to Aussie roads, proving itself quite a fine commuter.
And when you finally lean on it properly (as you should) the Formentor VZe has some seriously engaging handling that makes it feel like more of a sports car than an SUV – it’s just a shame that stock is so limited for this model at the moment.
If you want to find out more go read or watch our review and after that, if you still want more Formentor content, you won’t have to wait long as Chasing Cars will soon be taking on a Formentor VZx as a long-termer.
How do you sell electric cars to a fan base which is well known for despising the very thought of adopting the technology? It’s a question with an answer that could make or break the future of Dodge.
The demise of combustion-engined vehicles appears all but inevitable and Dodge doesn’t want to be left behind, prompting it to make the brave decision this week to announce it would retire the Charger and Challenger models as we know them next year.
With its present-day given a definitive death date, Dodge unveiled its future the very next day with the Charger Daytona SRT concept. Featuring a very Challenger-like design with some clever aerodynamics on the front of the car, the concept simply looks the part.
Dodge also rattled off some interesting features hidden behind some simply nauseatingly cheesy marketing that we did our very best to translate into English.
This includes an ‘E-rupt’ transmission that simulated the experience of a petrol car, as does the ‘Fratzonic chambered exhaust’ which blasts out an engine noise of sorts, Dodge claims, at up to 126dB – a figure akin the highest volumes ever documented by stadium rock bands.
While Dodge did not disclose any performance figures for the concept, it claims the 800-volt ‘Banshee’ electric propulsion system makes the new electric coupe “faster than a Hellcat in all key performance measures”.
The Polestar 2 liftback has been a real hit and the Polestar 3 SUV isn’t far away so with its core products accounted for, the Swedish automotive brand is going back to its performance roots with the Polestar 6 convertible.
It won’t be built until 2026 but Aussies can place an order now if they’ve got a spare USD$25,000 (est. A$35,700) sitting around, with Polestar stating that the total estimated price will be around $286,000.
We’ve only seen the concept of this convertible so far but we’re impressed, though it remains to be seen what the final product will look like.
The platform it sits on is capable of 650kW of power and 900Nm of torque, which should provide some pretty ferocious acceleration times that will take the fight to the Tesla Roadster.
The Kia Niro hybrid is, in my option, a severely underrated small SUV, that packs enough space inside to fit the family and due to an influx of stock, you can actually get your hands on one right now, as I discussed in my review of the GT-Line grade this week.
The Toyota Camry is bloody brilliant in our eyes and this week our infatuation with this once incredibly dull sedan was renewed once again when we reviewed the SX hybrid, which we think represents a far better option than an SUV for many family duties.
Honda’s CR-V is getting on in years now and while it does have a number of advantages going for it (mainly price) but the rate of pace among its competition mean it’s slowly being left behind, as the affordable VTi X grade made clear in our review this week.
We put the Volvo XC40 and Lexus UX300e head to head to compare which of these electric SUVs is the best to buy.
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 992: $500K price for Stuttgart’s most focussed road-legal sports car
Nissan Z 2023: hot new-generation sports coupe makes Australian road debut in Tasmania
Toyota GR86 Australian release date and specs confirmed for September launch
Mercedes-Benz EQA350 price CONFIRMED for Australia, $18K more than EQA250
Mazda 3 receives power and fuel economy upgrade in the US
Chasing Cars reviews are 100% independent.
Because we are powered by Budget Direct Insurance, we don’t receive advertising or sales revenue from car manufacturers.
We’re truly independent – giving you Australia’s best car reviews.
Cupra Formentor VZe hybrid 2023 review
Kia Niro Hybrid GT-Line 2022 review
Honda CR-V VTi X 2022 review
Toyota Camry SX hybrid 2022 review
Hyundai Palisade Highlander AWD 2023 review
Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid 2022 review
Haval H6 GT Ultra 2022 review
Hyundai Ioniq 6 2023 review: prototype drive
Ford Ranger Raptor 2023 review: prototype test
Hyundai i20 N 2022 long term review
GWM Ute Cannon-X long-term review
Mazda 3 G25 Evolve SP 2022 long term review
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