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We're lucky, us car journalists. We get to drive oodles of exciting new cars throughout the year — sometimes so many you start to forget your favourites — so making this list was a nice walk down medium-term memory loss lane.
There's no restrictions on battery, hybrid or combustion power, schedule for release or any particular order to this list. These are simply the cars that left the biggest impression on me in this year.
In some cases it was sheer driving enjoyment that had me flawed but others were a breath of fresh air, which forced me to ask questions, or they simply nailed the brief. Here are my top five drives of 2024.
The most significant new car this year? Probably. If you’re Australian, that is. The new Prado scores fresh ‘GA-F’ underpinnings from its bigger 300 Series brother, 48-volt boosted engine, 3.5-tonne towing capacity, excellent ride and handling and all-new cabin design.
And we haven’t even got to the looks yet. What an excellent nod to the past without ever coming close to pastiche — this is no New VW Beetle.
Tested in the Prado's adopted homeland of Kakadu National Park in Australia's Top End, the ice cold air conditioning, long-legged touring capacity and surprising agility had me talking non-stop about what a great effort the latest '250 Series' Prado is.
The Prado’s boot isn’t perfect (and more power would always be nice) but for the price and considering its intended function, Toyota’s family-friendly 4WD wagon hits the nail on the head. If only the GX came in more exciting colours.
It will never sell in great numbers but the Renault Megane E-Tech represents the kind of electric car I like: One I lust for a little bit. The concept car design may mean the rear window is borderline useless and the big wheels make for a firm ride, yet it’s never crashy or unpleasant.
Punch is adequate, the amount of driving range suits my lifestyle and the cabin materials — plenty are made from recycled plastics — are a stratosphere above Renault of old (I should know, with a plasticky Clio II in the garage).
The Megane E-Tech is likely to be forgotten as the ‘Renaulution’ hits full speed ahead with the launch of the new Renault R4, R5 and Scenic E-Tech electric cars, but I will fondly remember this rolling concept car in years to come.
In a world where the average family car price is skyrocketing, the new HS keeps it real. The base model Vibe isn't the last word in dynamic excellence or styling panache, it's just a smooth riding, quiet and confident car at a very good price.
While running one as a long termer, News Editor Dom Tripolone is finding the glitchy multimedia system a bit troublesome and it didn’t start once. I didn’t run into these problems so I was more busy being impressed by the comfortable rear seat.
A sharp price and 10-year warranty might help allay some fears of stepping into the driver’s seat of a still-new and relatively unproven brand in Australia.
Thank goodness Ford didn’t mess with the Mustang recipe. Well, at least not too much. With its new tech platform underpinning plenty of cabin whizz-bangery, the ‘S650’ ’Stang had all the potential to be a Gen Z yawn fest.
Lucky then that the new ‘S650’ Mustang brakes better, turns sharper and responds faster than ever before. It’s got a trick ‘drift’ brake with the electronic park brake, ‘Line Lock’ (read: burnout) settings and you can get a six-speed manual paired with a five-litre V8. What’s not to love?
As good as the four-cylinder is, I’d advise buying the bent-eight before you can’t anymore. And even though the GT manual with MagneRide adaptive dampers is excellent, I’d walk straight past and get into the Dark Horse with optional Recaros.
The words ‘game' and 'changer’ are used a lot. Probably too much. In this case, though, they’re absolutely warranted.
I know I said in no particular order but the Ioniq 5 N is the exception. It resets the boundaries for electric car driving enjoyment, which was previously elusive. Even the Porsche Taycan was an exercise in impressive forces much more than a smile-creator.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N changed all that. Features that read like silly gimmicks in a press release like fake exterior exhaust sounds and eight simulated gears are so well implemented that you can’t help but smile as you snag the ‘rev limiter’ or feel the electric motors simulate transmission shock as you pull a lower gear on turn-in.
Sheer agility sits at odds with the Ioniq 5 N’s considerable 2230kg kerb weight and yet this tough, taught SUV breathes over imperfections, swallows mid-corner bumps like nothing and is genuinely adjustable. The Ioniq 5 N’s biggest problem is that, if you’re driving properly, you’ll run out of range too fast.
With the 'N Vision 74' allegedly heading for production perhaps it won't be Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren that crack the code for electric super cars, but Hyundai instead.
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