This week on Chasing Cars: Toyota Kluger arrives, BMW i4 detailed and Honda EV coupe rumours

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It’s been a big week for us on Chasing Cars as we celebrate the launch of our EV range test that was a collective effort over several months and we’re very happy with the result, so once you’re done reading this go check it out.

In the world of cars we had an important landing this week with the Toyota Kluger which arrived with an all-important hybrid option in an effort to replicate the runaway success that is the RAV4 midsize SUV.

The latest Australian sales results also came out which showed that the market is booming and the Toyota HiLux is literally unbeatable, pandemic or no pandemic.

In EV news, we caught up with the brains at Chargefox who outlined their future strategy and also had a chat with the folks in the SA Premier’s office who detailed their $13.4 million plan to install 530 chargers around the state.

Toyota Kluger goes on sale in Australia

It’s the one you’ve all been waiting for. Arriving with a starting price of $47,650 (before on-road costs) the seven-seat SUV is available with three grades that will cost you as much as $75,400 (before on-roads).

Toyota has been smart to bring the hybrid version to Australia but unlike the overseas models or the RAV4 midsize SUV sold here you can’t get one with front-wheel drive which isn’t the end of the world but it does mean the price of entry is likely a bit higher than what it could have been.

Sitting on the same TNGA-K platform as the RAV4 the Kluger is safer, more practical and likely more comfortable and dynamically capable than it has been previously. It also features updated tech such as an eight-inch display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

BMW i4 coming this year

The all-electric version of the famous 3-Series has been fulled detailed and while there is yet to be a full-fat M model unveiled, even the base model will likely be a bit of a handful.

Available in three grades the top-spec version is the M50 which channels 400kW of power and 795Nm of torque through all-four wheels, and is good for a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds.

It also looks to have some long legs with up to 590km of WLTP-tested range which will really take the fight to the Tesla Model 3 Performance. Set to arrive in Australia later this year.

Honda’s EV coupe rumours

I should start this by pointing out this is 100 per cent a rumour at this point in time, but it makes a lot of sense and lines up with what Honda big-shots have pointed to previously.

Japanese publication CarSensor said Honda is currently running a production version of the very swish Sports EV Concept around its headquarters in Toyota and could come out as early as next year.

It’s said to sit on the same platform as the Honda e hatch which makes sense since Honda would be unlikely to throw the underpinnings away after just one use.

The Honda e isn’t exactly lightning quick but it does have 100kW of power and 315Nm of torque that it sends exclusively to the rear wheels, and should hopefully be a bit lighter than the current 1.6-tonne curb weight with fewer doors.

Other car and SUV news that mattered this week:

• The Genesis G70 arrived in Australia this week with a starting price of $63,000 (before on-roads) and comes with a pretty extensive standard features list that includes the likes of a panoramic sunroof and a heap of safety and performance tech. 

• BMW also gave us some more details on the iX all-electric large SUV which will arrive in Australia priced from $135,900 (before on-road costs) with 600km of range.

• What is the best selling car in Australia? The Toyota HiLux of course, with the rest of our top 20 also being made up by the RAV4, CX-5 and Hyundai Kona.

• Looking specifically at the 20 best-selling SUVs we saw a wide mix of everything from the Toyota Landcruiser to the Subaru Outback and Mazda CX-30 – all of which are purchased for very different reasons.

• We caught up with Chargefox this week who outlined their future strategy to help curb range anxiety which will see it turn from installing superfast 350kW chargers to 175kW chargers which are often three times cheaper but they will build far more as a result.

• We also spoke to the SA Premier’s office who outlined their $13.4 million EV charging plan, which will focus on building slower 7kW chargers in car parks and faster 100kW chargers along major highway routes.

• Just weeks after Hyundai set a world record by travelling 887.5km on a single tank of hydrogen, Toyota blew past that and set a new benchmark of 1,003km in their Toyota Mirai, despite the sedan having an official claim of just 650km.

• But what if you want to fill up your hydrogen car in Australia? We did up a quick run down on the key locations that can be found in Canberra and Melbourne, with more set to be built in Victoria and Brisbane. 

• Peugeot also entered the hydrogen space this week with a new version of the e-Expert van with more range than the EV version at 400km, but you can fill it up in around five minutes.

• While we won’t get that in Australia we could get some other EVs from Peugeot including the 2008 small SUV, 208 hatch or even fully-electric versions of their commercial vans.

• Kia gave us a sneak peak at the Sportage which is set to come to Australia late this year. The fifth-gen midsize SUV now wear a sleek new look at sports a huge single huge LED screen on the inside.

• Honda celebrated the launch of the Civic Type R Limited Edition this week by wrapping their TCR race car in a matching yellow livery. Just 20 models are promised for Australia at $70,000 driveaway.