News Editor

CarsGuide

30 Jun 2022 • 1 min read

The best new cars coming to Australia in 2022

Tung Nguyen

News Editor

CarsGuide

30 Jun 2022 • 1 min read

Toyota's new Corolla Cross crossover could outsell the Corolla hatch and sedan to become the brand's third most-popular model.

New car stock might be hard to come by at the moment, with the industry ravaged by an ongoing global pandemic and shortages in semiconductors, but that doesn't mean the fresh metal will stop coming.

In fact, 2022 looks to be a bumper year for new cars, as some hotly anticipated models were delayed from 2021, many nameplates will receive new-generation updates, and even box-fresh car brands will arrive to try and make their mark here in Australia.

So, what exactly is there to look forward to? From a new-generation Ford Ranger to Kia's first all-electric model, here are the best new cars coming to Australia in 2022 (timing subject to change).

Cupra Formentor - July

Every brand, from Hyundai to Honda, now all seemingly have a hot hatch to call their own, but with the market shifting quickly to an SUV preference, where are all the performance crossovers to take advantage?

Enter Volkswagen Group's Cupra brand, which will land in June 2022 headlined by its Formentor small SUV that will try and steal sales away from the hot hatch crowd.

With a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine outputting as much as 228kW to all four wheels, the Formentor could be the hot hatch tormentor the likes of the Hyundai i30 N and Ford Focus ST are scared of.

Cupra Formentor 2022 review

Cupra Formentor

4.1

Cupra Formentor

From

$51,990

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Ford Ranger - July

Ford's crucial next-generation Ranger ute will hit local showrooms in mid-2022 to take on the best-selling Toyota HiLux as well as the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton, Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50.

The exterior is new, borrowing styling elements from its F-150 sibling, while the interior has also bee spruced up with more tech and a portrait-style touchscreen - at least in higher grades.

Engine choices will also be overhauled, with the 2.2-litre four-cylinder and 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel engines being discontinued to make way for six-cylinder powertrains.

Ford Ranger

From

$36,880

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Honda HR-V - April

Honda has consciously taken a half-step back in the Australian market, shifting to an agency model of sales operations and admitting it will sell less cars than it did before.

While the Jazz, City and Civic sedan are now gone, it puts even more pressure on the HR-V small SUV to perform well for the Japanese brand, and with a new-gen version due in early 2022, Honda is hoping for a home run.

The ingredients are all there - cutting-edge design, practical dimensions and a hybrid powertrain to sway frugal-minded customers - but time will tell if the new HR-V can rival the likes of the Mazda CX-30 and Mitsubishi ASX.

Honda HR-V 2022 review

Honda HR-V

3.8

Honda HR-V

From

$34,900

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Kia EV6 - February

The near-$70k asking price for the cheapest EV6 actually isn’t quite as steep as it sounds. (Air RWD variant pictured)

Kia Australia has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and the EV6 electric car might be the model that forever transforms the South Korean brand from budget to bougie in many minds.

Being a mid-size SUV, the EV6 is the right size for Australia, and with a battery up to 77.4kWh in size, range on a single charge is rated at over 500km for some variants, which should be enough to alleviate some anxiety.

Pricing kicks off from $67,990 before on-road costs, making it more affordable than the closely related Hyundai Ioniq 5 that opens at just under $72,000 and one of the most affordable mid-size electric SUVs on the market.

Kia EV6 2022 review

Kia EV6

4.1

Kia EV6

From

$72,590

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Lexus LX - April

If the off-road ability of the Toyota LandCruiser appeals to you, but its utilitarian interior leaves you wanting more, Lexus has the answer for you in its LX.

Due to touch down in April, the LX differs from its LandCruiser sibling thanks to unique exterior styling and more upmarket interior appointments.

Key to this will be the LX's flexible seating configuration, with four- five and seven-seat configurations on offer to make the most of the upper-large SUV's dimensions.

Lexus LX 2022 review

Lexus LX 570

3.7

Lexus LX 570

From

$139,920

Mahindra XUV700 - Late 2022

The Mid-size SUV market is the second-largest in Australia and is fiercely contested by the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Ford Escape and Nissan X-trail, so Mahindra's XUV700 could be the shake-up the segment needs to become exciting again.

Available with a five- or seven-seat configuration, the XUV700 replaces the ageing XUV500 from late 2022 and is built on a new platform and features cutting-edge equipment like flush door handles and twin 10.25-inch multimedia displays.

Powering the XUV700 is either a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (developing 147kW/380Nm) or a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel (available in114kW/360Nm or 136kW/420-450Nm tunes), paired to manual or automatic transmissions.

Mahindra XUV700

3.8

Mahindra XUV700

From

$36,990

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Nissan Z - August

After over a decade on sale, Nissan will finally retire the 370Z in mid-2022 to make way for its successor, the retro-styled Z sports coupe.

Underneath, the new Z might share its underpinnings with the 370Z, but the long bonnet hides a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 capable of 298kW/475Nm - outmuscling even the brawny 285kW/500Nm of the Toyota Supra rival.

The Nissan Z has another ace up its sleeve though, as the rear-drive coupe will be offered with a six-speed manual transmission, an increasingly rare feature in today's new cars.

Nissan Z

From

$75,800

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Subaru WRX - May

Love or hate the styling, Subaru's new-generation WRX is coming in the second quarter of 2022 to shake-up the local hot-hatch-dominated performance-car scene.

With a larger 2.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, the WRX punches out 202kW/350Nm and is paired to either a manual gearbox or continuously variable automatic transmission, but it's the all-wheel-drive grip that should give the new Subaru performance hero the edge against many of its front-drive rivals.

Australian pricing and features are still yet to be revealed, but if the WRX can retain its circa-$40,000 before on-road costs starting price, it could be one of the best bang for buck sports cars in the country.

Subaru WRX 2022 review

Subaru WRX

3.8

Subaru WRX

From

$47,490

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Toyota Corolla Cross - Second half

How many SUVs are too many? For Toyota, the answer is not enough, because it will bring the Corolla Cross to sell alongside the Yaris Cross, RAV4, C-HR, Kluger, Prado, Fortuner and LandCruiser in the second half of 2022.

With SUVs being so hot right now, don't be surprised if the Corolla Cross usurps the long-running Corolla for third-place on Toyota Australia's pecking order - behind the HiLux and RAV4.

Exact features have yet to be locked in, but the Corolla Cross will be powered by a version of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as found in the current Corolla hatch and sedan, as well as a new 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that will appeal to frugal buyers.

Toyota Corolla Cross

4.1

Toyota Corolla Cross

From

$33,980

Based on Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

Mazda CX-60 - Late 2022

Now officially revealed after a big leak late last year, the CX-60 will take Mazda in a bold new direction thanks to upmarket styling cues and a new a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Mazda has also revealed the CX-60 will be one of the first models on a new platform, designed to accommodate both rear- and all-wheel-drive traction, as well as newly developed six-cylinder engines.

Expect to see the CX-60 land in local showrooms in late 2022, while other models to expand Mazda's line-up could also include the CX-70, CX-80 and CX-90 SUVs.