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Medium-size SUV Megatest: Introduction

The hard-fought SUV segment is unforgiving of failure. We gather nine of the freshest high-rise contenders and discover that there are heroes and zeroes here.

Best Medium SUV
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TWENTY seventeen was a breakthrough year for medium SUVs. Though the car-buying public has adored them for more than a decade – inversely proportional to the cooling of affection for large cars – as reviewers, we’ve been patiently waiting for a truly great example of the breed to emerge.

In the latter months Honda’s new-generation CR-V arrived, Holden’s desperately needed Equinox touched down, Jeep’s long-overdue Compass replacement lobbed and the all-new Peugeot 3008 that was crowned 2017 European Car of the Year made it to Oz. All are yet to face the comparison test wringer, but Australia’s favourite SUV – the Mazda CX-5 – received a round of significant updates that prompted this nine-car collection of affordable mid-sized metal, which also includes the still young Volkswagen Tiguan and Ford’s revamped and rebranded Escape.

Medium SUV test
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Critics may have roasted the Hyundai Tucson City when it launched here back in 2005, but two-wheel-drive SUVs are no longer the exception to the rule. And so it goes here – $30-35K front-drive mid-sizers spanning the Haval H6 Premium ($29,990) to Toyota RAV4 GXL ($35,390).

Now, we could’ve asked for a loaded Haval H6 Lux on 19-inch wheels or a base RAV4 GX wearing steel 17s, but neither would’ve quite fit the bill. Driven by the superb value of Ford’s front-drive Escape Trend ($32,990) and Mazda’s 2.0-litre CX-5 Maxx Sport ($34,390), the brief was ‘low-to-mid spec, early 30s’.

Best midsize SUV in Australia
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That also includes the Hyundai Tucson Active X ($33,650, now with GDi engine), Kia Sportage SLi ($34,690), Mitsubishi Outlander LS Safety Pack ($32,000), Subaru Forester 2.5i-L ($33,240, exclusively with AWD) and Volkswagen Tiguan 110TSI Trendline DSG ($34,490).

Just one eligible car failed to make the grid – the otherwise unfancied front-drive Renault Koleos Zen – while Nissan’s closely related X-Trail had a facelift imminent and wasn’t available in time. Question is, can Subaru’s superb-riding, former Megatest winner, the Forester 2.5i-L, be toppled from its exalted perch?

Best medium SUV in Australia
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Medium SUV Megatest Results

Byron Mathioudakis
Barry Park

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