The manual transmission is dying and many sceptics would say that this is a good thing but I generally don’t have time for such people.
As such, it brought me great delight this week to see Hyundai, Subaru and Nissan all confirmed their new performance cars would feature a stick shift option and for that, they must be applauded.
The next generation of the WRX looks to be one of few new sports cars to keep a manual transmission
We also saw victories in other areas this week with Hyundai getting very close to confirming a Tucson Hybrid and rumours circulating that Mazda is developing a new rotary engine powered by environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel, incredible stuff.
As far as reviews go, we finally got our hands on the Genesis GV70 and reviewed some slick luxury sedans from Jaguar and Lexus but I’ll go into a bit more detail on that in a second.
Nissan unveiled the Z coupe this week which is expected to land in Australia next year
Nissan unveils the Z coupe
Wait, haven’t we seen this before? Well yes.
Nissan released the Proto Z concept about a year ago and, after being wildly commended for its design, they decided to stick with it bar a few small changes and personally I think it’s bloody gorgeous.
What really caught the attention of enthusiasts, however, was the fact Nissan has managed to fit a twin-turbo 3.0L V6 engine under the bonnet, which makes 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque.
Packing a twin-turbo 3.0L V6 engine making 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque, the Z will have some punch
That’s more power than a Toyota Supra makes, and if our estimations are correct the Z will also undercut its BMW-developed rival by as much as $20,000 when it lands in Australia next year with an unconfirmed price of around $65,000 (plus ORC).
Buyers can pick from either a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic, plus Nissan adds a mechanical locking differential at the rear on the top grade Z.
While it does sit on the old 370Z chassis, it features an interior packed full of modern amenities such as a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, Apple CarPlay and even important safety features such as rear-cross traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring.
The facelifted i30 N when on sale this week with more power and everyday tech
Hyundai i30 N goes on sale in Australia
We knew the details for a while and now the Hyundai i30 N has gone on sale in Australia. Priced at $44,500 before on-road costs it’s a bit more expensive than before but it’s also faster, safer and features more tech for the daily drive.
The biggest change for the facelift however is the addition of the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic option that commands a $3,000 premium over the six-speed manual but is expected to become very popular.
Hyundai engineers have turned up the wick on the 2.0L turbocharged four-banger which now sends 206kW/392Nm to the front wheels, enough for the i30 N to get from 0-100km/h in 5.4 seconds when equipped with the DCT.
Inside we find a 10.25-inch centre touchscreen, wireless phone charger and optional N Light Seats which are trimmed in a combination of Alcantara and leather for a 2.2kg weight saving.
This week we reviewed the Genesis GV70 equipped with the twin-turbo 3.5L V6 engine
Genesis GV70 3.5 reviewed
Competing with rivals such as the Audi SQ5 and Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 in the popular luxury midsize SUV segment, we reviewed the brand new Genesis GV70 with the range-topping variant armed with a 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6.
With a price of $83,276 (plus ORC) it’s not cheap but it does represent a great value buy compared to its competitors and with 279kW/530Nm at your disposal, this SUV is alarmingly fast.
The interior was also a lovely place to be with its gorgeous leather interior and 14.5-inch superwide touchscreen, though sadly Genesis has yet to add a wireless function for the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you’ll still be faffing about with cables.
It’s also very useful with plenty of backseat room for an SUV of this class and a handy 542-litre boot that can be accessed via the power tailgate. For more details, read the full review here.
Genesis unveiled the GV60 offering an electric SUV with a coupe body style for the first time
Other car and SUV news we covered this week:
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The Genesis GV60 was unveiled this week and while we don’t know much just yet, its coupe shape and fully-electric drivetrain are quite eyecatching, expect it here next year.
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Could the Hyundai i30 N become all wheel drive in the future? Very possibly says key Hyundai product planners, in fact, engineers already built an AWD mule with up to 300kW just to test it out. We likely won’t see anything this generation but next time things could be different.
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Hyundai Australia also told Chasing Cars it’s looking to organise right-hand drive versions of the Tucson Hybrid for Australia which could be a huge hit given the success of the Toyota RAV4.
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Honda’s premium brand Acura announced a new Integra is coming next year, we don’t know if it will be coming to Australia but the anticipation is high.
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Toyota gave the HiLux ute a small price bump while adding a few new features like the new connected services function that calls emergency services after a crash and other specification changes.
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Its large SUV sibling the Fortuner received similar changes, with the base grade new equipped with dual-zone climate control and the top-spec Crusade grade now costs an extra $1,535.
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Jaguar announced the F-Pace midsize SUV would be getting a few changes next year including a general cheaper price but also wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
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The Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ twin coupes launched overseas this week and a sitdown chat with the engineers revealed it could get more power in the form of a hybrid system.
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Lamborghini revealed the Countach LPI 800-4 this week which sits on the same chassis as the Aventador but has very different styling. Only 112 will be made and they’ll cost around AU$3.24 million each.
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Hyundai dropped the price of the Kona Electric this week and added a shorter range variant, the end result is the starting price of this EV SUV is now $7,500 cheaper than before at $54,500 (plus ORC).
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The Subaru was supposed to reveal the WRX this week but sadly Covid-19 has delayed that as well. Instead, we got a teaser video that showed off a manual transmission and hinted at the engine it might use.
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Speaking with Hyundai Australia product planners this week, they confirmed to Chasing Cars it would continue developing the suspension of Hyundai and Genesis models for Australia but not every model will get the special treatment.
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Mazda is reportedly working on a rotary engine powered by hydrogen fuel that could keep the internal combustion engine going while producing zero emissions.
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Mini built a very special concept car appropriately called the ‘Strip’ that experiments with different methods and materials to help build cars more sustainably.
We reviewed the Jaguar XF this week which offers keen driving dynamics and a lovely ride
Other cars and SUVs we reviewed this week:
Continuing our theme of big luxury sedans we had a look at the Jaguar XF this week and were delighted with how well it flowed along Australian roads and the improvements in build quality.
It only has a single grade in Australia priced at $102,376 (plus ORC) but we think it represents good buying compared with its rivals, offering huge amounts of space in the backseats and boot making it quite practical as well.
Taking a look at the flagship Lexus LS 500h (hybrid) this week, we found a glorious car with a silky 3.5L V6 combined with a strong hybrid motor that creatures a truly luxurious experience.
It’s a great car but we think the non-hybrid LS 500 makes more sense, and if you really love electric power take a look at the incoming Mercedes-Benz EQS.