WE DON’T LIKE reminding ourselves that living in one of the world’s most locked-down cities – ahem, Melbourne – during a once-in-a-century health crisis denies you a few things.
First, it was the 2020 Australian F1 Grand Prix. Then an AFL final. Soon, it quickly dawned on us a while would pass before we’d see big competition in the flesh again. So, you can imagine the collective groan heard around the Wheels office when we had to cancel the first midsize SUV mega-test organised in a while.
With the Hyundai Tucson landing fresh from a generational makeover in April, we finally had a showdown sorted until our entries from Toyota, Subaru and Mazda were forced to pull out. Thankfully, we didn’t have to send home the plucky new Hyundai Tucson. We’ve been meaning to throw the Honda CR-V and Skoda Karoq that did show up into a scrap since they underwent light refreshes in 2020. Taking on a category favourite would also offer them a chance to re-establish their talents.
Of course, it helps that our three share more than just white paint jobs and the same market segment. They come to us sans options and either as the base variant in their respective model ranges or one rung above, ensuring that – on RRP – they’re priced within hundreds of dollars to each other in the under-$35K bracket. On top of this, and because of their range positioning, the trio is also closely aligned on powertrain layout. Each variant houses a petrol inline four-cylinder engine placed latitudinally, supplying drive to the front wheels through an automatic transmission.
Esta historia es de la edición January 2022 de Wheels Australia Magazine.
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Esta historia es de la edición January 2022 de Wheels Australia Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
JAGUAR XE
JAGUAR WAVES GOODBYE TO LOWER-END PRODUCTS”
LOTS TO LIKE, NIGGLES TO FIX
MAZDA'S BOLDEST SUV YET WAVES GOODBYE, BUT IS IT A HIT OR A MISS?
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE MORNING
ELLEN'S UP WITH THE LARKS BUT GETS AN UNWELCOME EARLY MORNING ALARM
LAND OF CONFUSION
OR HOW THE GENESIS GV80 STILL MANAGES TO KNOT THE BROWS OF THE UNINITIATED
CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
NAME YOUR TOP 10 HOT HATCHES AND WE’LL BET NONE OF THEM HAVE BATTERIES. THE ABARTH SO0E AND MINI COOPER SE AIM TO POWER INTO THAT OPPORTUNITY
Polar expresS
A DROP-TOP FERRARI ON THE COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR? ANDY ENRIGHT RUGS UP FOR A FRESH BLAST THROUGH SOUTH GIPPSLAND'S FINEST ROADS
DYNASTY REUNION
AHEAD OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE GS0 BMW Mo, WE FIND OUT WHICH GENERATION OF MUNICH'S SUPER-SEDAN IS THE GREATEST EVER
FORD CAPRI
THE EV YOU ALWAYS PROMISED YOURSELF?
VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG R
TOP-TIER TOUAREG DELIVERS WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM THAT R BADGE
MG 4 X-POWER
MG TAKES A MULLIGAN ON THE X-POWER