This week on Chasing Cars: Lexus RZ450e unveiled, Haval H6 Hybrid reviewed and VW goes camping

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There really is just nothing like taking a holiday over the Easter long weekend is there?

If you aren’t captivated by the endless traffic jams, speed cameras, and parents throwing their twitchy P-plater kids into the deep end on the highway then are you really a true-blue Aussie?

I jest, of course. We live in a beautiful country that is well worth exploring and Volkswagen was only too keen to offer us the perfect ‘kampervan’ for such a trip – but more on that in a bit.

This week a whole range of new cars were unveiled, including luxury offerings such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, BMW 7 Series and Lexus RZ450e which are all bound for our shores.

Back at home, we reviewed the revitalised Volkswagen R range that continues to offer accessible and practical performance cars to the populace, and we gave our verdict on the new and heavily updated models.

Lexus RZ450e unveiled

Lexus unveiled the RZ450e midsize SUV this week, and in doing so, introduced its first dedicated electric vehicle to the world.

While it sits on the same platform as the Toyota BZ4X and Subaru Solterra, Lexus has given the RZ450e its own flavour with an exterior and interior similar to the NX midsize SUV.

There are some curious styling choices – which almost seem mandatory on new electric vehicles – including a yoke-style steering wheel and the ‘e-latch’ door handle system which is electronically controlled.

It’s unclear how far exactly the RZ450e will travel on its 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery, but Lexus estimates that a range figure of around 400km will be possible in AWD guise – but that figure is likely quite conservative. 

Haval H6 Hybrid reviewed

Ever since it was announced Chasing Cars has been quietly eager to test drive the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid as we believe it has a serious chance to encroach on the territory of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

We finally got an opportunity to verify our suspicions this week with journalist John Law coming away mighty impressed with the Chinese-built SUV which delivered fuel consumption of 5.7L/100km in our testing.

Priced at $44,990 driveaway in flagship Ultra guise, it’s also pretty good value with an array of equipment and the vehicle itself is incredibly practical with a 600-litre boot.

But there are some bumps that still need to be ironed out. Including the confusing infotainment system, uncomfortable seats and restless suspension that needs some more Australia-specific tuning to deal with our roads but it’s an impressive first effort from GWM.

For more details, you can read or watch our official review via the attached links.

Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan

If there is one brand that has really brought their A-game to the Covid-induced love affair with domestic travel it has to be Volkswagen, who launched their third factory-built campervan option this week known as the Crafter Kampervan.

Sitting above the Caddy California and Multivan California Beach in the range, the Crafter Kampervan is an Australian-exclusive vehicle that has had its internals designed and built by Jayco in Victoria.

Expected to cost upwards of $130,000 a pop, the Crafter Kampervan is sold exclusively in long-wheelbase form with 4Motion AWD fitted as standard and can even be had in an ‘All-Terrain’ grade which raises the ride height by 30mm and fits heavy-duty suspension and underbody protection.

Jayco has fitted a full kitchen and bathroom (complete with a shower and toilet) and enough room to sleep three people, who can go off the grid for quite some time thanks to the large fresh and wastewater tanks as well as the inclusion of solar panels on the roof.

All the cars and SUVs we reviewed this week:

Deputy editor Nathan Ponchard took part in a Volkswagen ‘R’ extravaganza this week and the first port of call was the Mk 8 Golf which has received some serious mechanical changes to its all-wheel-drive system but the new interior has some downsides. Read or watch our review.

Next up with the Volkswagen Tiguan R which is the first performance SUV to come to Australia from the brand and offers impressive handling despite its size – but it’s an expensive vehicle and not without fault. Read or watch our review.

Audi has introduced an ‘S’ variant of the E-tron large SUV to the Australian market which is the first locally-sold electric model with a performance flavour. For the most part, it meets the brief with beautiful ride quality and lovely handlings but its range is limited compared to some rivals.

Other car and SUV news we covered this week:

• Mercedes-Benz has confirmed it will bring the fully-electric EQS SUV large SUV to Australia in the first half of 2023. Offering the flexibility of seven seats and a dedicated off-road and towing mode the 

• BMW unveiled the new-generation ‘G70’ 7 Series sedan this week which will now be sold exclusively in long-wheelbase form and has gained a few modern features like 31.3-inch cinema screen in the back seats.

• As part of BMW’s ‘power of choice’ philosophy, the Bavarian brand will also offer the 7 Series in an all-electric version known as the i7, which has around 600km of range and some serious performance for a car this large.

• The Nissan Z coupe is just months away from making its global debut and now footage out of Japan has spotted a potential Nismo prototype undergoing testing at the track with some choice modifications.

• Subaru has given the beloved Outback wagon a facelift in the US which has modified the exterior somewhat but tragically removed the CD player, though the Australian specification could differ.

• After years of waiting Toyota has now confirmed to fans that the Supra will receive a manual transmission ‘soon’, it’s likely to be the six-speed taken from the BMW M140i.

• Mazda has been a huge success in Australia but less so in America where it remains a minor player but the Japanese brand has a plan and a method to ramp up its sales to 450,000 per year.

• One of Australia’s most expansive EV charger providers, Chargefox, has announced it will be ramping up the price of its 350kW charger by 50 percent to $0.60/kWh.