This week on Chasing Cars: T6.2 Ranger reviewed, Civic Type R and X-Trail hybrid revealed

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How do you improve on the perfect car? Well, Honda seems to think you start by making it a lot less ‘challenging’ to look at, as we saw this week when it unveiled the new-gen Civic Type R.

Looks are subjective of course but I don’t think I was alone in my relief when the covers finally came off, though what really matters is the oily bits underneath, which we’ll jump into in a second as the reveal of the Type R was far from the only important event this week.

This week we saw a lot of industry news with Bosch working hard to speed up semiconductor production, ANCAP rolling out new safety criteria and we saw more prototypes of the inbound Mitsubishi Triton being put to the test on public roads.

On the review front, we put the Nissan Patrol to the test off-road, took our first drive in the Cupra Born and most importantly – drove Ford’s T6.2 Ranger for the first time.

New-gen Ford Ranger reviewed

The outgoing Ford Ranger is the second best-selling vehicle in Australia, and as we found out on our dual-cab mega test, the best ute on the market, so how does the new one stack up?

Contributor Iain Curry tested out the Ranger Range on the official launch and came away impressed with the solid driving dynamics and modernised cabin which integrates new tech without making your life harder. Not to mention, that new V6 turbo-diesel engine is a peach.

It wasn’t all good news though, the leaf-sprung rear end still offers a jittery ride and the Ranger is a bit more expensive than it used to be but it’s clearly a price Aussies are willing to pay.

We’ve published both a written and video review of the Ranger – along with a separate written review of the Wildtrak V6 variant. 

Honda Civic Type R revealed

After much teasing, Honda finally unveiled the Civic Type R this week debuting a far more conservative appearance – which is still a bit spicy thanks to its black spoiler.

The interior is trimmed in a classic shade of red and we know from testing the regular Civic that the touch and feel of the cabin should be noticeably better on the new Type R.

New technology like a digital instrument cluster sits beside the iconic billet shift knob, showing that you can modernise a car while retaining tradition.

A six-speed manual transmission remains and is mated to Honda’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder VTEC engine which is said to be more powerful than old model which boasted outputs of 228kW/400Nm.

Nissan X-Trail Hybrid unveiled

Nissan unveiled the fourth-generation X-Trail for the Japanese market this week and armed it exclusively with its ePower hybrid system which is expected to arrive in Australia in 2023. 

With Nissan’s Variable Compression petrol engine acting as a generator for the 150kW/330Nm front and 100kW/195Nm rear electric motor, the X-Trail’s ePower system operates more than an EV than a traditional hybrid like a Toyota RAV4, but we don’t yet know which setup is more efficient. 

Those outputs are nothing to be made light of, and could make the X-Trail a very quick SUV, especially considering Nissan’s eForce technology proves the motors with the flexibility to send more power to the outside wheel during corners to tighten your driving line.

A choice of FWD and AWD options will be available in Japan – along with the option of both five- and seven-seats, though what specification comes to Australia remains to be seen.

All the cars and SUVs we reviewed this week:

We love a Toyota LC300 but bloody hell are they expensive; enter the Nissan Patrol Ti, a fully-loaded and V8-equipped base model that has won a lot of hearts in Australia – so is it worth the praise?

The Isuzu MU-X sits in the very popular segment of seven-seat 4WDs but sets itself apart by wisely focusing on offering a huge amount of interior space and safety that makes it a very appealing option for family buyers – as well as a great adventure vehicle. 

The Cupra Born is on its way to Australia and editor Tom Baker scored our first overseas drive to find out if the RWD hot hatch was any good. 

Kia’s second-generation Niro Electric has now landed in Australia and offers a (relatively) affordable way for Aussies to get into a fully-electric small SUV, with the new model showing a genuine improvement over its predecessor when it comes to everyday livability. 

Other car and SUV news we covered this week:

• Ford unveiled the F-150 Raptor R this week which finally slots a V8 under the bonnet, the supercharged setup makes 521kW/868Nm and is sourced from the Mustang GT500. 

• Honda unveiled the sixth-generation CR-V midsize SUV in the US last week and it’s at least 12 months away from Australia, so where will our model be made? We investigate. 

• Semiconductor manufacturer Bosch is injecting some $3 billion worth of funds to speed up its ability to produce chips quicker – but it won’t solve the problem overnight. 

• Prototypes of the Mitsubishi Triton are popping up with increasing frequency in the last few months, so we broke down what this means, what the new-gen ute will include and when you can expect it to arrive. 

• You’ve probably heard of the Nissan Navara but what about its SUV sibling the Terra? It’s unlikely to come to Australia in its current form but the citation could soon change with a second-generation model likely in the works.

• As seemingly every car manufacturer touts a desire to push their products upmarket (and charge accordingly) Hyundai has confirmed it won’t adopt “premium pricing” despite offering some more premium products in recent years. 

• ANCAP is set to launch a new list of testing criteria that will take effect as of January 1 2023, these include the ability to exit a car easily when it’s underwater and a slew of new active safety technology requirements.