This week on Chasing Cars: new-gen CR-V unveiled, Ioniq 6 detailed and X-Trail priced in Australia

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This week editor Tom Baker has been in Korea covering the launch of the Ioniq 6 electric sedan and the future of the Hyundai brand.

Hyundai has unleashed a whole series of new vehicles this week including a fully-electric N car that previews next year’s Ioniq 5 N, and an uber-cool hydrogen-powered RWD coupe called the N Vision 74 — plus much more which you can read all about on our website or watch on our YouTube channel.

Elsewhere in the news, we saw BMW courting controversy by rolling out a subscription plan for select features and Nissan announced a range of Australian prices for its new line-up of SUVs.

Our line-up of reviews this week spans from cars costing $30,000 to over $300,000 with a range of sports cars, high-performance luxury and affordable yet charming SUVs, so check it out below.

New Honda CR-V unveiled

Honda has this week unveiled the sixth-generation CR-V midsize SUV which has grown larger and features a redesigned interior that focuses on maximising the sense of quality.

Buyers in the US can choose between a 140kW/242Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged engine with either front- or all-wheel drive or a fuel-efficient hybrid option, which makes use of a 2.0-litre engine and two electric motors and sends 152kW/334Nm to the front wheels only.

Depending on the grade, buyers will receive a 7.0-inch or 9.0-inch touchscreen in the centre and many buyers will be happy to hear that physical buttons have been embraced, not phased out.

Hill descent control makes a debut on the CR-V for the first time and the safety suite has been bolstered with the addition of upgraded airbags and a traffic jam assistance function.

No information is currently available for the Australian market, though the sixth-generation CR-V is expected to make it to our shores next year.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 detailed

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is expected to come to Australia early in the first half of 2023 with local pricing to start at around $70,000 before on-road costs and top out at $80,000.

A driving range of up to 610km (WLTP) is expected with energy consumption to be as low as 14kWh on some models. Australia is expected to receive a larger 77.4kWh battery paired with a single-motor 169kW/350Nm RWD option and a dual-motor 239kW/605Nm AWD setup.

A full-fat ‘N’ model is expected to arrive at a later date, and the release of the RN22e concept this morning gives us a good idea of what to expect. 

Built on Hyundai’s e-GMP dedicated EV architecture, the Ioniq 6 boasts plenty of space inside with standard features like dual 12.3-inch infotainment screens and heated leather seats expected to be fitted as standard.

If you would like to see how the Ioniq 6 stacks up against the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2, we’ve compared them spec for spec in a separate article.

Nissan confirms X-Trail pricing

Pricing has been locked in for Nissan’s new-generation X-Trail in Australia, with the midsize SUV expected to go on sale between October and December this year.

The X-Trail will start at $36,750 plus on-road costs and is available in a choice of four grades with the availability of both five- or seven-seats. A 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is currently the only powertrain available and a hybrid option is expected to follow. 

Standard features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen, LED headlights, 17-inch alloys and rear parking sensors, while high grades net a larger 12.3-inch screen with wireless Apple CarPlay, a heated steering wheel and Nappa leather upholstery.

However, if the X-Trail is a little too small for your situation, Nissan also released pricing and specification details for the Pathfinder this week which seats up to eight!

All the cars and SUVs we reviewed this week:

If what you need is an affordable small SUV that has everything you need the Volkswagen T-Cross brings cute looks, a spacious interior and lots of technology inside the cabin – though be prepared to pay a slight premium over other SUVs in this segment. 

Mercedes-AMG is in for a dramatic shift to electrification in the coming years and leading that charge is the EQS53 luxury sedan, but does it still maintain that same charm and performance as its predecessors?

The new-generation Subaru WRX is only available with adaptive dampers on the top-spec tS model which we think transforms the handling of the car – and particularly so on the WRX Sportswagon we reviewed. 

Underneath, the Hyundai Tuscon and the Kia Sportage are essentially the same cars, but they do feature some notable differences that may better suit you and your needs, as we would out in our head-to-head comparison test. 

Other car and SUV news we covered this week:

• BMW clearly hurt some feelings this week when it announced it would be rolling out a paid subscription option for features such as heated seats in some markets, though so far this move has not been confirmed for Australia.

• Hyundai says it is also considering adopting a similar subscription model for “technologically-based features” though if this option will make an appearance in Australia remains to be seen. 

• Nissan has jacked up the price of the Navara Pro-4X and Pro-4X Warrior grades by $600, but in exchange now fits these top-spec utes with heated seats and power adjustment for the driver.

• As prices continue to climb across the industry, Hyundai has instead reduced the price of the entry-level Ioniq 5 which now starts at $69,900 before on-road costs.

• A senior Volkswagen executive has played down – but not ruled out – the possibility of an SUV version of the second generation Amarok, but with the hard engineering work done and more than a decade worth of selling life in its new ute, it remains a strong possibility.

• Ford has confirmed that 10,000 new-generation Ranger utes are inbound to Australia across the next two months, with is quite a lot but not enough to fulfil the 17,000 orders already placed. 

• Hyundai has poured water on the idea of building a combustion-powered ute but noted that a fully-electric version is under active consideration.

• Toyota will officially ditch the Kluger’s V6 option next year and in its place will be a detuned version of the  Lexus NX’s 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder, which makes more torque but less power.

• GWM Haval has priced the H6 GT coupe-shaped midsize SUV from $40,990 driveaway in Australia, with AWD models commanding slightly more at $46,490.