This week on Chasing Cars: RAV4 reviewed, Toyota tight-lipped on 165kW Hilux and new car wait times revealed

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Some years ago, cruel British tabloids dubbed the woman now known as the Duchess of Cambridge ‘Waity Katie’, because poor Kate Middleton was forced to wait so long for Prince William to pop the question.

While Ms Middleton now has a diamond-encrusted wonder on her ring finger, and her middle finger raised at the same tabloids who camp outside her home hoping to catch her gardening, it’s an experience I think many Aussie car buyers can relate to. 

Just like Waity Katie, they’re stuck in limbo – lumped with a deposit-sized hole in their bank account and nothing but a lofty idea of when their new lease on life will finally arrive. 

Still, at least we don’t have to worry about the paps. 

The whole issue is a huge pain in the arse and car manufacturers aren’t happy with the situation either, so we’ve nailed down the estimated wait times on some popular cars which you can read about below.

Elsewhere in the world of car news, we saw a spicy new electric option from Mercedes-AMG and the Australian range unveiled for the new C-Class sedan, both of which look pricey but impressive.

There was also a few important car launches in Australia this week, including the new-generation Lexus NX midsize SUV and updated Mazda BT-50 ute, and Chasing Cars has video and written reviews on both.

2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid reviewed

The 2022 update for the big-selling Toyota RAV4 midsize SUV isn’t hugely extensive but it has seen the introduction of a few new options including a hybrid variant for the top-spec Edge that was previously a petrol-only proposition.

We were able to get our hands on an Edge Hybrid this week to see if the electric assistance

 actually adds anything to the experience and in short, it absolutely does. In an era when fuel prices are skyrocketing beyond $2/litre, the Edge hybrid is perfectly timed.

Deputy Editor Nathan Ponchard also dived into the nuances of the 2022 RAV4 range and noted a few features on the Edge that you miss out on when compared to the cheaper Cruiser grade.

Toyota Hilux GR Sport gets 165kW

There are now four versions of the Hilux GR Sport available around the globe – none of which have yet been confirmed for Australia, despite it being our best-selling vehicle six years in a row.

The latest version, unveiled for the South African market, features the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder sold in Australia but with the wick turned up to 165kW/550Nm.

It also scores a tough new design that makes it stand out on the road, though the changes aren’t as extensive as a Ford Ranger Raptor’s.

Chasing Cars quizzed Toyota Australia on the potential future for the Hilux GR Sport for our market and while it steered clear of answering that question, a spokesperson noted it was keen to expand the local GR range.

So it seems like we will get a GR-branded Hilux of some kind in the future, but we really aren’t sure which one!

New car wait times for Aussie buyers revealed

In a situation that is evolving and highly dependent on multiple factors, we decided to nail down the estimated wait times on some of Australia’s most popular cars, SUVs and utes.

The situation is complex and can vary based on things such as the make, model, grade and even the state or territory you are trying to buy – so we’ve dedicated an article to each car to provide a full deep dive.

Updated wait times this week:

• Subaru BRZ – dealers say a seven-month wait is expected for new customers but Subaru Australia has not confirmed this yet
• Nissan Patrol 4WD – four to five months
• Nissan X-Trail midsize SUV – ‘reasonable’ stock levels now, more on the way
• Nissan Navara ute –  current stock levels are healthy
• Mitsubishi Outlander midsize SUV – good stock of entry grades, three-month waitlist for mid-spec Aspire and top-spec Exceed and Exceed Tourer grades
• Mitsubishi Triton ute – plenty of stock available in Australia
• Mitsubishi ASX small SUV – two-month waitlist with current stock very limited 

All the cars and SUVs we reviewed this week:

This week we covered a lot of big-name reviews on everything from plush family cars to some serious performance cars.

We held a comparison between our long-term Hyundai i20 N hatch and the second-generation Subaru BRZ coupe to find out which is the best performance car for around $40,000, with both excelling in very different areas.

Next up, deputy editor Nathan Ponchard reviewed a Ford Mustang GT and spoke at length about how the incremental changes over the years have made this a fantastic muscle car to drive and live with every day. 

Mazda is now selling a premium grade of the BT-50 ute known the ‘SP’ which we reviewed to see how it stacks up against established rivals such as the Ford Ranger Wildtrak.

If you like the Toyota RAV4 but think it needs a bit more pizzazz then the new Lexus NX midsize SUV might be for you. Available with several hybrid options and loads of luxury, the all-new NX is well-positioned to take on its German rivals.

Sitting at the top of the NX tree is the 450h+ plug-in hybrid which deserved its own review due to its additional performance punch and pure-electric capabilities. 

Finally, videographer Alek Hoskins took the new Subaru BRZ to a dyno to find out what the real-world power and torque figures are – and the results were impressive and surprising.

Other car and SUV news we covered this week:

• Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the fifth-generation C-Class is now on sale, with the new range comprising two grades, starting at $78,900 before on-road costs.

• Jeep has detailed the line-up for the seven-seat Cherokee L large SUV that will make its debut in mid-2022 with prices ranging from $82,250 to $115,450 (before on-road costs).

• Mercedes-AMG has pulled the covers off its latest all-electric performance car known as the EQE in 43 and 53 guises, with the latter armed with a blistering 460kW/950Nm courtesy of a dual-motor system.

• Mitsubishi says it has been forced to cut back some features on the ES, LS and Aspire grades of its new-gen Outlander to keep stock flowing into Australia amid mass shortages of semiconductors. The top-spec Exceed and Exceed Tourer have had a price bump but retain all their features.

• Drifting into 2022 also marked the 10th anniversary of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR 86 twins. We celebrated by writing up a full explainer detailing how the cars came to be and how they’ve changed over the years.

• The Cupra Formentor midsize SUV will be the headline act of the Spanish marque’s range when it arrives in July and now the grade line-up has been revealed, with a plug-in hybrid and 228kW beast within its ranks.

• Audi says it has been forced to increase the prices of all its cars due to material shortages ranging from a $600 markup on the A1 hatch to a massive $7600 on the RS7 Sportback.

• BMW has introduced the 118i Sport Line which is priced at $48,900 driveaway and offers a more affordable new entry-point into BMW’s line-up.

• ANCAP has assessed the active safety equipment on 16 commercial vans sold in Australia with the all-new Hyundai Staria Load coming out on top, while others like the Mitsubishi Express and the closely-related Renault Trafic are beginning to show their age.

• Porsche has announced a new ‘T’ grade will be added to the Macan range in 2022, with the Macan T slotted just above the base model and the six-cylinder Macan S grade.