Does Tesla or BYD make a better EV? Is it possible to go 1000 km without filling up? What’s it like to ride in a hearse (while alive)? And can Kia’s first-ever ute overcome its ugliness to woo Canberra’s light-rail builders? In 2025, Region’s motoring writer James Coleman has attempted to answer these, your burning questions, through his weekly car reviews. Here are 15 of your favourites.
15. Only a mother might love its face – but can the new Kia Tasman lure others?
by James Coleman
The “shot” of the 2025 Kia Tasman X-Pro. Photo: James Coleman.
Kia’s first effort has made quite the entrance to the heavily congested Aussie ute market, but what’s it like? Over to Region motoring writer James Coleman, who says there’s a lot to love.
14. One week, 1000 km, zero refills: This Chinese SUV is the most economical car I’ve ever driven
by James Coleman
The 2025 Jaecoo J7 SHS looking extra good under some Canberra blossoms. Photo: James Coleman.
Sydney to Canberra and back, plus a week’s worth of around-town driving … and still 200-odd km left in the tank? Yep. It has its issues, but there’s plenty to like about this SUV newcomer from China, as Region motoring writer James Coleman discovered.
13. Is this the most un-Toyota Toyota ever built?
by James Coleman
You’ll want to be doing at most 20 km/h over speedhumps with this suspension. Photo: James Coleman.
“A car is not a car if it’s not fun.”
These are not the words of Enzo Ferrari or Jeremy Clarkson.
They came from the mouth of Toyota CEO Koji Sato at the launch of the new RAV4 in May this year.
12. MG’s first ute arrives – with a few tricks up its sleeve
by James Coleman
Getting muddy – but you’ll probably want to raise it if you do this often. Photo: MG Motor Australia.
When the Volkswagen Amarok first came along, there was a great deal of hullabaloo about the fact that, finally, here was a ute that could fit a standard Euro-sized wooden pallet in the back.
Well, all these years later, MG’s ute has just taken things a step further.
11. Which of Australia’s best-selling EVs should you buy?
by James Coleman
The BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y are Australia’s best-selling electric SUVs. Photo: James Coleman.
Tesla or BYD, that is the question. James Coleman put them both to the test to find an answer. Yeah, about that …
10. This $430,000 Porsche ruined every other car for me
by James Coleman
The Hawkesbury River boat ramp has never looked better. Photo: James Coleman.
Would you like a “decorative side logo PORSCHE text” with your “Shade Green Metallic” Porsche 911? That’ll be a total of $8750 for both.
How about an “Exclusive Design” fuel filler cap? $280, thank you very much. Mirror bases painted in exterior colour? $1120. Ventilated seats? $2200. Electric sunroof? $4720. A lift-kit that raises the front suspension so you don’t scrape its pretty little nose on kerbs and speed bumps? $4950.
All in all, options alone increase this car’s starting price from $380,100 to $431,700. And that’s not even driveaway.
9. Inside the custom Mercedes that carries Canberrans on their final ride
by James Coleman
William Cole Funerals’ Naithan Matthews and Bill Cole. Photo: James Coleman.
Want to save on your registration? Buy a hearse. For real.
“Registration is special,” William (Bill) Cole explains.
“It’s a little bit cheaper than standard because the the third-party component is lower on a funeral-vehicle because they reckon it’s less likely to be involved in a prang.”
8. Waiting for EVs to charge was a pain – until this $135,000 Volvo came along
by James Coleman
The new Volvo EX90, in top-of-the-line Ultra spec. Photo: James Coleman.
I’ve never looked forward to charging an EV more than during this past week.
Tesla might allow you to play games on the centre screen when parked, and many other cars’ infotainment systems now come with YouTube – and that’s all well and cool.
But Volvo’s new EX90 takes in-car entertainment to a whole new level – thanks to its Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
7. If you wanted more proof the Chinese are shaking up Australia’s car industry – this new ‘Super Hybrid’ SUV is it
by James Coleman
The Geely Starray EM-i costs $40,707 driveaway in the ACT. Photo: James Coleman.
When you slide into a brand-new SUV that costs $2500 less than a base Toyota RAV4 and there’s a full surround-sound system, a full leather-like interior with heated and cooled seats, and a screen telling you it’ll go close to 1000 km before needing fuel, you know something’s up in the car world.
In this case, it’s Geely. One of a flood of Chinese car brands now popping up in Canberra alongside Deepal, Leapmotor and Zeekr.
But while the name might sound made-up, and the logo looks a bit like a Windows rip-off, it has actually been in the business of making cars for a while.
6. How does a mega slab of Americana work in the city?
by James Coleman
The GMC Yukon Denali (it took great care to get out of the driver’s seat for this). Photo: James Coleman.
In case you thought Dodge RAMs and Chevy Silverados weren’t already enough, the Indo-Australian tectonic plate just got a little heavier.
The GMC Yukon Denali has landed.
With no more Holden to worry about, General Motors is clearly pushing hard Down Under.
5. Audi has created a rare thing in its updated seven-seat SUV
by James Coleman
The shape is about a decade old already, but does that mean it’s no longer any good? Photo: James Coleman.
It’s like the fountain of youth. The elixir. The holy grail. A seven-seater SUV that is also a joy to drive.
Alfas and Porsche have done it with five-seater SUVs—thumbed their noses and blown sloppy raspberries at physics by making intrinsically big and heavy vehicles that handle with grace and agility.
But can you pull off the same trick in a car with seven seats? Surely that’s a bridge too far. Not in the Audi Q7.
4. Just before you buy that Kia Carnival, Ford’s first people-mover is worth a look
by James Coleman
The Ford Tourneo is the first people mover Ford has ever sold in Australia – and it wants a piece of the Kia Carnival. Photo: James Coleman.
In the right car, the road to Twin Falls in Queensland’s Springbrook National Park would be motoring nirvana.
Leafy trees huddling over tight hairpins, breaking every so often for views down the valley before dropping away entirely as the horizon turns into the sea.
But I’m in very much not the right car. I’m in a van – about as van as it gets. Still, when you’re hauling two kids and the in-laws on a Gold Coast holiday, needs must.
3. A 7-seat Peugeot for the price of a Hyundai. Should you?
by James Coleman
Get yours in ‘Obsession Blue’. Photo: James Coleman.
If you’re buying a Peugeot, it’s probably because you’ve always bought Peugeots.
Your grandfather rode a Peugeot bicycle, or used a Peugeot pepper grinder, and his mum wore a Peugeot corset (no joke – today’s French car brand has chosen some interesting diversifications in its 215-year history).
But should it be this way?
2. Subaru finally makes a proper hybrid – but is it any good off-road?
by James Coleman
This wasn’t even in the ‘Deep Snow/Mud’ mode. Photo: James Coleman.
“Own the road. Conquer the wild. The next-generation Subaru Forester has arrived.” So declares the press material for the 2026 Subaru Forester.
Every SUV maker says this, of course. The difference is that Subaru owners actually believe it. Talk to one and you’ll soon hear about “symmetrical all-wheel drive”, “X-Mode”, and that time they drove straight up Mount Everest – without chains.
1. This tiny Hyundai is hands-down the cutest car on the market
by James Coleman
If only it were a little cheaper. Photo: James Coleman.
The Coleman family went through the multi-faceted pain that is moving house recently and, normally, Providence smiles upon us to make situations like these a little easier, and my test car for the week will be something with ample space – like a seven-seat SUV, or dual-cab ute.
Not this time. We ended up with a car that’s about as small as a car can be before it’s legally a motorbike. Or sold in the toy section at Coles. The Hyundai Inster Cross.
But the 3.8-metre-long, matt-green hatch was also impossible to be mad at, if only because of how heart-meltingly cute it looked.
Follow the Motoring category on Region to get more of this content in 2026.
