LA Motor Show week (now known as AutoMobility LA) is always a bit an onslaught of cool and interesting cars and this time around was no exception.
With COVID-19 still being a right pest in regards to travel we sadly weren’t able to be there in person but the information was coming in thick and fast; from absolute weapons like the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS unveiled alongside futuristic concepts like the Hyundai Seven – there was a lot to enjoy.
Back home in Australia, we finally got our hands on the charming Hyundai i20 N that packs a lot of performance for the money – it’s a similar story with the Polestar 2 which we found in our review presents a very enticing ownership for those after the fully-electric lifestyle.
The AutoMobility Show saw the reveal of many new cars this week.
Citroen also launched the very quirky C4 and a big crash test of SUVs in the US with more realistic criteria revealed some alarming results for many of our most popular cars.
This and much more kept us busy and you reading this week so let’s jump into it.
Ford Ranger Raptor and Everest spotted in Victoria
With the Ford Ranger set to be revealed in full next week on November 24 it was only a matter of time until we saw pictures of the Ranger Raptor and Everest on Aussie roads.
The pictures snapped both vehicles on the Blue Rag Range Track in the Victorian High Country with the pair spotted in heavy camouflage and wearing enough off roading gear to fill up an ARB shop front.
The Ford Ranger Raptor was spotted doing development work in the Victorian High Country.
Key details like the twin exhaust pipes, pumped-up wheel arches and chunkier tyres are all a dead giveaway that what we are looking at is the Ranger Raptor.
The Everest is loaded up with more gear but we can still see the new headlight design that is shared with the new Ranger and the F-150.
Ford Australia takes considerable pride in the amount of local development that goes into the Ranger and closely related Everest and it’s good to see the pair are tuned to handle the tough Aussie conditions as part of their development.
Porsche GT4 RS unveiled
Porsche unveiled the GT4 RS this week and if you think you’ve seen this car before you have – the folks at Stuttgart announced last week that it lapped the Nurburgring 23.6 seconds faster than a regular GT4 – which really sets the tone for how intense the GT4 RS is.
Engineers have finally equipped the GT4 RS with the same howling 4.0-litre flat-six found in the 911 GT3 road car, turned for 368kW of power and 450Nm of torque and revs all the way out to 9000rpm.
The team at Chasing Cars now have this Cayman on our wish lists. Please, Santa?
Porsche says the GT4 RS can hit 0-100km/h in just 3.4 seconds and is 35kg lighter than the standard GT4 with a weight of 1415kg with a full tank of fuel.
Priced at $300,800 before on-road costs it’s also over $80k more expensive than a regular Cayman GT4 but you get what you pay for. Australian deliveries are slated to begin mid-way through 2022.
Mazda CX-60 spotted
In a bad spot of luck for Mazda but good news for us, Japanese media spotted the CX-60 midsize SUV during an official video shoot for the brand.
It’s our first glimpse at the first vehicle that sits on Mazda’s new Large Product Architecture that utilises a longitudinal engine layout, that supports six-cylinder engines and is rear-wheel drive as standard with AWD as an option.
The CX-60 was spotted filming with its long bonnet and sleek looks.
Mazda has already confirmed the CX-60 for Australia with an expected release date in late 2022.
The CX-60 is part of a new offensive into the more premium segments that will also include the CX-70, CX-80, CX-90 and potentially a new Mazda 6 – though the latter is not yet confirmed.
All the cars and SUVs we reviewed this week:
Over on the Chasing Cars youtube channel we reviewed the Polestar 2 sedan that has just arrived in Australia and is taking the fight directly to the Tesla Model 3 – and has the goods to back it up.
Next was the Lexus LS 500 Sports Luxury that is perhaps overlooked in this segment that also includes the S-Class and has recently had an update to sweeten the deal – but it’s not cheap.
Nathan Ponchard tested the i20 N on track and said it was a great performance car.
By far the most exciting review of the week was for the Hyundai i20 N hot hatch that Nathan Ponchard was able to take for a spin at Wakefield Park and came away from it very impressed.
As a hot ‘hatch’ we broke down in detail why this is a great performance car but also a surprisingly practical car to live with. We’ve done up a review in both video and written form.
Other car and SUV news we covered this week:
-
The Hyundai Kona N arrived in Australia this week in a choice of two grades with a starting price of $47,500 before on roads equipped with a 206kW engine and a DCT transmission.
-
Alongside it was the charming i20 N which offers a lot of bang for buck at $32,490 before on-road costs and packs a lot of practicality matched with a potent 1.6-litre turbocharged engine matched with a mechanical locking differential as standard.
-
Mazda unveiled the US-market CX-50 this week that looks to be around the same size as the CX-5 with a more butch appearance and comes with standard all-wheel drive.
-
Over in the US, the IIHS increased the weight and speed of its side crash test trolley to represent bigger and heavier cars on our roads. Only the Mazda CX-5 was given a good rating while the Honda HR-V and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross received a poor rating.
-
Citroen launched the uber-cool C4 in Australia this week in a single and well-equipped grade priced from $37,990 before on-road costs in a shape that sits somewhere between a hatchback, sedan and an SUV.
-
An electric version, known as the e-C4, is under consideration for Australia and we hope it comes because with a decent range of 350km and a price that could start from $47,900 it has the potential to be a smash hit with buyers.
-
Hyundai unveiled the Seven concept this week – a large SUV that previews the inevitable Ioniq 7 large SUV with cool features such as the split coach doors, swivelling seats and active air flaps to cool the brakes.
-
Kia also launched its version known as the Concept EV9 that previews the inevitable EV9, which boasts up to 500km of range, a 27-inch screen, a super airy cabin and sustainably-sourced materials.
-
Porsche also unveiled the Taycan GTS this week that starts from $237,000 before on-road costs and will arrive next year, offering a sporty all-rounder in the range.
-
Reports say Toyota’s next-generation Land Cruiser Prado will get a 2.4-litre engine combined with a hybrid system – and it’s not the first time we’ve heard this rumour either.
-
Lexus announced a switch to a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia bringing it into line with the industry standard and up from the previous four-year, 100,000km warranty.
-
Volkswagen has given the T-Roc small SUV a subtle facelift that has added a new set of headlights and a padded dashboard inside and a new touchscreen. Expect it here around July 2022.
-
We’ll find out more about the facelifted 2022 Toyota RAV4 line-up soon but in the meantime we cast our eyes over to the US market to see what upgrades have been made to their range that will likely copy across to ours.
-
The many Australians currently waiting for a new Toyota will take some relief that the Japanese carmaker is ramping up production levels to build 800,000 vehicles in December.
-
Citroen will bring the C5 X raised wagon to Australia in the third quarter of 2022, offering a genuinely unique vehicle with a long list of features sure to keep buyers happy.
-
Acura has ripped the covers off the Integra which is a five-door liftback with a 149kW 1.5-litre turbocharged engine. It’s currently in prototype form and will go into production in 2023 – but likely won’t come to Australia.