Traffic. The age-old issue affecting our roads, only briefly reduced by widened freeways, new toll roads and badly needed bypasses, until even those fill up with bumper-to-bumper headaches.

Australian governments are considering a new solution, however, borrowed from countries and cities already using it: congestion pricing. That is, charging motorists a toll for driving through congestion hotspots, differing in value at certain times of the day.

The claimed benefits to a congestion charge include reduced travel times, less gridlock, improved air quality and better roads. Sounds great. What’s the cost?

Congestion charges are used in other cities to discourage unnecessary travel through areas that are known to become congested quickly, and promotes the use of public transport, with the ultimate goal of reducing the amount of vehicles on these troubled roadways.

Heavy traffic in these areas, despite upgraded roadways and planning, comes down to a simple point: whether through poorly planned infrastructure or time constraints or mere preference, there are now too many cars on the road to allow free-flowing movement.

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Congestion pricing is similar to a motorway toll, except the driver pays to drive through a specific district, rather than a particular road or motorway. The fees are intended to make the route unattractive to all who don’t specifically need to be in that area.

“It may also help to improve air quality, promote the use of public transport, and generate funds for infrastructure improvements,” says Dr Christopher Standen, a research fellow in applied urban development at the School of Population Health, UNSW Medicine & Health.

Dr Standen says cities like London, Stockholm and Singapore have benefited greatly from congestion pricing.

The pricing would need to be determined carefully, as the charges could be prohibitive for lower-income families and pensioners, which opens another can of worms.

Previous suggestions indicated an estimated fee of 5 cents per kilometre, during peak times – but it could also serve to partner any new charges with a reduction in the fuel excise, which would both minimise the financial impact on motorists and acknowledge the growing number of EVs on the road.

Marion Terrill of the Grattan Institute said a ‘user pays’ system makes sense.

“In the end, if particular roads are in high demand, it’s fairer that people who use them a lot pay more than those who rarely or never use them”.

Grattan Institute’s report also outlined that “the charges would mainly be paid by higher-income drivers, because people who drive to the city each day for work are more than twice as likely to earn a six-figure salary as other workers.”

According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), these charges and new schemes could actually benefit the wallets of Australian drivers.

The FCAI recently proposed a set of plans known as the Road User Charging (RUC), effectively abolishing the usual registration and taxes that come with buying and using a car.

Instead, drivers are charged according to the locations visited and distances travelled, by tracking and monitoring vehicles individually. If you drive less, you pay less, which would greatly benefit those who have a seldom-used “sometimes” car sitting in the garage most of the year.

Road-use charges relating to EVs have been discussed in the past, based on the notion that road maintenance and new infrastructure costs are losing funds that would otherwise have come from those motorists paying the fuel excise.

It has been noted, however, that these costs are actually drawn from the broader tax pool, which EV owners contribute to through higher purchase prices and the related stamp duty that goes with it.

But, as EVs become more affordable over time, the case for lower fuel prices and a general user-pays approach to driving becomes stronger.

What do you think?

Should all motorists be able to pay less for registration and fuel, in exchange for a distance- and congestion-based pricing system?

Volkswagen has teased the new-look Mk8.5 Golf R at Ice Race in Zell am See, a winter snow race in Austria.

The carmaker has not released details of the updated Golf R yet, though visually it follows the rest of the Mk8.5 Golf range with refreshed lighting signatures (including an illuminated badge), updated bumpers, and fresh wheel designs.

Elements of the new R’s design have been left covered by camouflage, suggesting there may be some differences to the grille and LED lights compared to the regular Golf range – possibly the R brand’s signature Lapiz Blue highlights.

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Inside, we expect the updated touchscreen interface with illuminated HVAC sliders, physical wheel buttons in place of the controversial touch-capacitive items, and a larger 12.9-inch touchscreen.

While the Mk8.5 Golf GTI will receive a power bump from 180kW to 195kW for European markets, it’s unclear if the new all-paw flagship’s EA888 2.0-litre turbo will deliver an increase over the 245kW/420Nm made by the R 20 Years special edition model.

Expect the revamped DSG-only R flagship to arrive in Australia after the early 2025 release of the core Golf range (including GTI).

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“Volkswagen R is Volkswagen’s premium performance brand and has stood for sportiness and dynamic performance for more than 20 years”, said head of Volkswagen R Reinhold Ivenz.

“Here at the Ice Race, the past meets the future. We can hardly wait for the Golf R, still disguised here, to celebrate its premiere this summer [Australian winter].”

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Two-time Le Mans winner and touring car Hans-Joachim Stuck was present giving demonstration laps in the all-wheel drive Golf R with its clever torque-splitting differentials.

There’s no word on whether settings have been changed, but it’s safe to assume VW’s R department will have been beavering away to perfect the programming of its electronic systems.

“The Ice Race is a real spectacle. Other drivers would be putting on snow chains in these conditions, but for us racing drivers, this is when the fun really starts”, said Stuck.

The auction for Australia’s most sought-after number plate, NSW 1, has ended with a winning bid of… $11,505,000 plus 7.5 per cent buyer’s premium.

That amount smashes the previous Australian record for a number plate auction, which has stood since 2017 at $2.45 million for ‘NSW 4’.

Auctioned by Lloyds, NSW 1 wasn’t the only plate to rake in big bucks today. Queensland’s ‘Q1’ plate changed hands for $5,655,000 plus buyer’s premium, with that figure also setting a new Aussie record for a double-digit plate.

Q1 last sold in 1985 for $100,000 making today’s result a tidy investment for its previous owner, Brisbane’s ‘hair king’ Stefan Ackerie.

The story to here

December 2023: Hitting public auction for the first time in over 110 years, the price of rare “NSW 1” number plates will break records.

The Lloyds Auction House [↗] listing describes the set as “the most sought-after Heritage Plate in Australia” and bidding has already crested $8.04 million at the time of publishing with 43 days remaining on the auction.

The current Australian number plate price record was set by NSW 4 which sold for $2.45 million in 2017, ahead of Vic 14 which saw the hammer at $2,270,500 in 2020. This will shatter both records.

Lloyds calls the auction a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, noting that such valuable plates are typically kept within families when they change hands. We’ll find out just how much NSW 1 is worth when the auction ends at 9:00am AEDT on 27 January 2023.

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Estimated values are one thing, with Peter Bartels’ VIC 1 plate’s value estimated at up to $10 million last year, but NSW 1 is even more special because it’s not been listed for public sale in over a century and hasn’t been spotted since the 1980s.

Issued to the first NSW Police Commissioner, they were acquired by Sir Frederick Stewart in the 1930s, according to a 2006 Sydney Morning Herald article [↗], who was a railwayman turned bus company owner and founding chairman of Australian National Airways.

He passed away in 1961 when the NSW 1 plate was fitted to his Oldsmobile. His widow Lady Majorie Stewart transferred the rare enamel white-on-black plates to her 1981 Ford Fairmont Ghia LTD, alegedly declining an offer of $200,000 (around $500,000 today) to purchase them in 1988.

She passed in 2000 and left hope that the plates would be available, that wasn’t to be the case until now.

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Heritage enamel plates with white numbers on black backgrounds are extremely sought-after, especially for single-digit examples.

It’s likely that NSW 1 will breach $10 million for its final sale price, and it could even set a global record. The current holder is UAE plate 1, which sold for 52.2 million Dirham in 2008, equivalent to around A$14.5 million at the time or $20.5 million today.

After laying dormant for the last 23 years, enthusiasts will be keen to see the plates fitted to a moving vehicle again, whatever the price.

Toyota has revealed two special-edition versions of the just-updated 2024 GR Yaris that are inspired by — and have been co-developed with — the brand’s drivers in the World Rally Championship.

Dubbed the GR Yaris Ogier and Rovanpera Editions, the new models were revealed at Rally Monte Carlo and don’t only bring a host of cosmetic differences but also promise to drive differently, too, thanks to new driving modes tailored to the WRC star’s preferences.

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The new modes replace the existing ‘Gravel’ and ‘Track’ settings in the regular GR Yaris, with the Ogier Edition featuring ‘Morizo’ and ‘Seb’ modes. Toyota says ‘Morizo’ mode was set-up by the company’s chairman, Akio Toyoda, to deliver more consistent race times, while ‘Seb’ mode alters the behaviour of the Torsen limited-slip differentials to “favour the rear wheels” for a more oversteery balance.

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The Rovanpera Edition, meanwhile, has ‘Kalle’ mode which is designed to provide more predictable handling on loose surfaces and ‘Donut Mode’, which is hat tip to Rovanpera’s penchant for drifting and donut turns.

Design tweaks include a unique exterior colour for the Ogier Edition known as “Matte Stealth Gray”, while the Rovanpera Edition has a tri-colour scheme inspired by the Finnish driver’s helmet.

The stitching on the steering wheel also matches the colour of each driver’s national flag, while WRC victory decals are attached on each of the front fenders to commemorate Toyota’s victory in the 2023 WRC driver’s title.

Both cars are limited-edition models with Toyota planning to produce 100 units of each. It’s unclear how many, if any, of the new special editions will reach Australia, though we hope our market scores at least a few.

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Pricing is also yet to be confirmed, however we’d wager it will eclipse the lofty $77,800 sticker of the GR Corolla Morizo Edition. A limited-run version of the GR Yaris’s bigger brother, the GR Corolla Morizo is $15,500 more than the regular car.

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Hyundai’s N Performance arm is about to undertake its most important launch yet, with the Ioniq 5 N said to be a bigger deal than the cult favourite i30 N.

Wheels was invited to sample the new Ioniq 5 N – Hyundai is not labelling it as a performance SUV, hot hatch, or anything else – alongside HMCA product development manager Tim Rodgers who was heavily involved in the car’s chassis tune.

This is a new formula. This is a new type of car… but I think (hopefully) history will say that this car kicked off something

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The last question we asked Tim before getting behind the wheel was this: is the Ioniq 5 N as big a deal as the i30 N? “It’s bigger, I reckon”, he replied.

“Because with i30 N, we made our statement, and we made it clear, but we didn’t write any new rules. The formula was already there.

“This is a new formula. This is a new type of car. It’s a new niche, but I think (hopefully) history will say that this car kicked off something. Let’s see, but that’s what we thought about it.”

That’s been our engineering challenge this entire time… How do we make it enjoyable? How do we make it emotional?

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How was Hyundai Australia involved in the process?

Tim and his team were brought into the development earlier than ever before for the Ioniq 5 N, as were engineers and product planners from North America.

Not only was Hyundai Australia able to give feedback on suspension, chassis, and powertrain calibration, but also more nuanced specification details.

“When I’m there embedded with the engineers, I can talk to them about the product stuff and say things like, ‘Hey, guys, you’ve got to remember this is a $100K-plus car, so this is the expectation from the customer” explained Tim – perhaps that’s why the Ioniq 5 N’s bucket seats are fitted with ventilation and the EV6 GT’s aren’t.

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As for where customers are coming from, Tim’s insight is that Hyundai has “people coming out of the woodwork for this car… We can’t pinpoint it and pigeonhole it into one type of demographic.”

When you look at what else offers so much grunt and chassis tech for $111,000, there isn’t much out there. Cars like the Mercedes-AMG A45 and its GLA 45 relative, and the Audi RS3 and its RSQ3 relation seem the most logical match. The BYD Seal Performance might not be far off for straight-line speed, but the Ioniq 5 N’s talent runs far deeper.

Tim even noted that current owners of i30 N Lines had expressed interest in the new flagship N product. It’s this brand loyalty that’s most interesting, with Hyundai only really making enthusiast cars since the i30 N’s 2017 reveal, the events supporting performance driving have contributed massively to the brand’s cult following.

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Hyundai was keen to capture the i30 N’s DNA above all else – and that’s what makes the Ioniq 5 N so much more than its 3.4-second 0-100km/h sprint.

“What we recognise about EVs is the easy bit is making them go fast in a straight line, right? We know that. The formula is simple: big battery, big motor, 4WD, grippy tyres, done. 0-100km/h in three-point-something. How do we do the rest of the car?

“And that’s been our engineering challenge this entire time: how do we make that power accessible? How do we make it comfortable? How do we make it fun? How do we make it enjoyable? How do we make it emotional? They’re the questions we keep asking ourselves throughout this whole process.”

“And I think, because we’re talking about this sort of stuff more so than the 478kW, we hope that we’ll find the customer that values that’, he added.

We’ve sampled the IONIQ 5 N in pre-production form on ice, and on South Korean roads in production guise, but Hyundai has finally called us an hour north of Sydney for a first local taste of an Aussie-spec 5 N.

Short on distance but not on bumps, the road we’re heading to (known informally as Akuna Bay) is the stuff of nightmares if you happen to be a damper, spring, or suspension bush.

When engineers come to visit and ask the team at Hyundai’s Australian outpost how they tune suspension without using a proving ground, Akuna Bay is the place product development manager Tim Rodgers takes them to demonstrate our roads. It helps that it’s close to the Macquarie Park head office, and one of the roads used before final sign-off of local suspension tunes.

Partially due to the success of the ride localisation program and i30 N involvement (though mainly due to expected demand for the IONIQ 5 N), the electric N car marked the first time Aussie engineers were embedded in tuning from the get-go.

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Tim told Wheels he was thrown in at the deep end, testing the car jetlagged and then being thrown into developing and refining various N-specific components including the rear knuckles and bump stops.

Inside, it’s clear how different the N is from the regular IONIQ 5, with almost no shared DNA. Aside from different interior fabrics is a superb driving position obliged by heated and ventilated manual-adjust bucket seats set millimetres above the carpet and a perfectly sized three-spoke steering wheel.

The centre console is different, too, and is an item former lead engineer Albert Biermann said he obsessed over trimming weight from, yet at 2.2 tonnes (provisional weight, spec not yet finalised), the N is about 70kg heavier than an IONIQ 5 Epiq AWD.

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Of course, that extra weight can be attributed to a combination of things, including enhanced cooling, a bigger battery, stiffening measures – 42 extra welding points and 2.1 metres of structural adhesive for a start – and other things.

Even knowing the depth of engineering behind the 5 N – it being Biermann’s last official start-to-finish N product – and reading Jez’s words from Korea, I was still half-expecting a stiff-limbed limpet tuned for Nurburgring lap times.

Logic goes that with something so large and heavy on such big wheels will always be talent-limited – the flawed, concrete-ride BMW X3 M is the perfect example of this.

Yet the IONIQ 5 N’s compliance in Normal mode took me totally by surprise. Rolling through the waterlogged gravel car park’s potholes at walking pace, the N’s big 21-inch forged alloys eased themselves into depressions as needed and soaked up sharp edges as well as – or better than – a standard IONIQ 5 might’ve.

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Should be damn good at the ‘going to get milk’ part of being an everyday sports car.

Guess that means the body control suffers? You’d be wrong. The IONIQ 5 N was planted and poised, dispatching savage mid-corner bumps that upset even the best hot hatches without breaking a sweat.

That front end is so gripped up, I kept upping entry speeds to find a limit to the grip but it proved impossible on the road, with the IONIQ 5 N’s sticky HN-marked 275/35 R21 Pirelli P Zero rubber holding steady.

And yet the beauty of the IONIQ 5 N is that you’re given something to enjoy mid-corner, with genuine weight transfer and yaw moments that so many fast and heavy cars (including the Kia EV6 GT) erase with high spring and damper rates; in contrast, the IONIQ 5 N is delightfully loose-limbed.

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With the diff set to Sport Plus and the ESC in its half-off mode, a little extra accelerator than you might strictly need on corner exit allows a gentle over-rotation of the rear that can be caught effortlessly with a flick of the wrists.

The drivetrain is naturally rear-biased, the front motor producing 166kW and the rear 282kW, with the ability to control the ‘torque split’ for drifting around skid pans (though there’s no physical connection between each motor).

Steering is sharp without being hyperactive and it has a nice heft in Sport+ mode with no glugginess – the IONIQ 5 N’s EPAS system is a ‘driver demand’ type that dishes out assistance as the wheel is turned rather than altering it depending on road speed.

Compliance at speed is excellent and our lumpy road dictated that N Custom mode with dampers in Sport was the best. Sport+ (or full N mode, accessed using one of the two wheel-mounted buttons) wasn’t catastrophic but would be best reserved for smoother roads and racetracks.

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As for the difference between Aussie IONIQ 5 Ns and everywhere else’s, N mode is identical but there are a few – rather complex – differences in Normal and Sport.

Rodgers illustrated the nuance of the IONIQ 5 N’s electronically controlled dampers by riding shotgun with a laptop plugged into the car’s mainframe. Using a humble spreadsheet, Tim could adjust all manner of damping parameters on the fly; the most illustrative is the speed-dependent mapping.

Tim effectively told the dampers to relax into their absolute softest setting at all speeds. This resulted in lots of body movement and heave over bumps I had yet to experience.

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Then it was fully hard, which is more in line with what I expected from N mode if I’m honest – that being a busy ride (but still preferable to a BMW X3 M in Normal) that sapped the joy out of driving the N.

Rodgers then dropped the damping force right off again and explained how the various lines of code work to rein in (or allow) body movements. In simple terms, there are two basic inputs for the suspension’s brain: road-induced motion and driver-induced motion.

The former takes information such as the car’s speed, and the size and frequency of bumps (there’s even a speedbump-specific program!), adjusting damping forces up to 200 times a second. The latter responds to your inputs and might change the amount of anti-squat when the driver is accelerating, for example, or pre-empt body roll as the steering wheel turns in.

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In ‘full soft’ on the spreadsheet, inputs other than speed still cause the dampers to react and this gives an insight into the system’s sophistication. Brake heavily and the dampers quickly firm up; turn into a bend and after a moment of wallow the chassis stiffens up suddenly to limit roll.

As Tim points out, when you can feel the systems working clumsily, the effect of them in harmony is amplified: “The magic is blending it all together so that’s invisible because you don’t want a driver to be able to feel any of that. You just want them to be able to drive the car and say it’s incredible.”

The IONIQ 5 N flatters the driver, no doubt, but it gets better. Not only does it make driving fast easy like all limpet hyper hatches (such as the Volkswagen Golf R), but it involves and engages the bit of flesh between the wheel and seat at reasonable speeds.

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Waiting a moment as the body settles on the outside rear, I fire out, just catching the faux limiter at the top of second

This chiefly comes down to N’s implementation of what reads like childish gimmicks in a press release: ‘N e-shift’ simulated gear shifts, three selectable ‘engine’ noises with external speakers (Evolution with the interior level set to 2/10 and the outside speakers on was our preference), fake pops and crackles on the overrun, and a ‘rev-limiter’ that imitates fuel cut.

Clearly though, the N team has been hard at work. Coming into a downhill right-hander I plucked ‘second’ using the paddles while turning in on a trailing brake (the left pedal feels fantastic, by the way).

The IONIQ 5 N jerked slightly as the extra regenerative force simulated the drivetrain shock of a DCT downshift. This helpfully unsettled the rear and pointed the car’s nose towards the apex. Waiting a moment for the body to settle on the outside rear, I fire out, just catching the faux limiter at the top of ‘second gear’.

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It sounds silly as I write it, but the grin on my face and elevated heart rate don’t lie. These are primal reactions that a great sports car can unlock.

Any whingeing about electric cars with silly childish programs is quickly replaced by grins and giggles. That’s what matters for IONIQ 5 N buyers. Plus, if you don’t like them, you can customise these features to your heart’s content, or disable them altogether.

Think of the IONIQ 5 N’s engine fakery as lab-grown meat and you’re on the money. If said meat was served as a steak with no accompaniments, you’d be able to spot the differences: a sinewy texture and slightly different flavour.

But when that meat is ground up into a patty and placed into an artisan burger bun with homemade dill pickle, a perfectly melted slice of cheese and just the right amount of special sauce, it’s a cheeseburger you can’t resist.

The simulated gears also help those used to engines pick the road speed better; all up they make driving the IONIQ 5 N briskly far more satisfying than even a Porsche Taycan.

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Of course, the IONIQ 5 N is savagely fast. Combining the launch control and ‘N grin boost’ functions that unlock the full 478kW and 770Nm outputs with a fully depressed accelerator is enough to make your vision go blurry.

It’s frankly excessive and enough to hit 100km/h in a claimed 3.4 seconds, so it’s nice that the throttle’s long travel makes it easy to meter out that grunt.

The only real negative is the battery element. You can charge the 84kWh battery up quickly (from 10-80 per cent in 18 minutes) with E-GMP’s 800V electric architecture, though that’s null and void without the right kind of fast charger.

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When you’re enjoying the IONIQ 5 N, a full charge will realistically get you 350-420km between stops.

And that’s a shame because it may prevent Australian owners from being able to get out and explore the kind of epic backroads that this car would devour with joy. That’s a problem common with any performance-oriented EV, from Born to Taycan, so it’s unfair to knock the IONIQ 5 N down a peg for that.

Things are looking good for Hyundai’s first electric N car; it really does redefine your expectations.

We’ll be exploring the IONIQ 5 N in greater depth to see if we can’t find a chink in its armour (that currently seems rather impermeable), with a road and track drive in March followed by a comparison to put its excellence in context.

Porsche has taken a bold step with the 2024 Macan, making its strong-selling medium SUV electric only and upping the price by the best part of $40k.

But Porsche hasn’t exactly short-changed Macan owners, the new entry-level Macan 4 is only 24kW shy of the old GTS range-topper, and its 0-100km/h sprint is a brisk 5.2 seconds.

There’s also a bigger footprint – which should mean more cabin space – and it’s capable of charging faster than the expensive Taycan.

For current owners, is the new Macan worth a look? Read on to find out exactly how the new 2024 electric Macan compares to its ’95B’ predecessor.

JUMP AHEAD

• Dimensions + boot space
• Range and performance
• Interior and cabin design
• Pricing

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Dimensions & boot space

As you’d expect from a new-gen vehicle, the Macan has expanded – though not entirely proportionally.

Exterior dimensions have all grown in a linear fashion, to 4784mm long, 1938mm wide and 1622mm tall. But the single largest increase for the new Macan is its 86mm longer wheelbase – this certainly bodes well for rear seat occupant comfort.

It hasn’t hurt cargo space, either, the new Macan’s boot is bigger and it even packs a ‘frunk’ under the bonnet with 84L of space.

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Powertrain and performance

The other expected improvement for a new model is increased outputs and faster acceleration with all-wheel drive maintained.

Porsche has taken this a rather long way, though, with more than twice the torque of the twin-turbo Macan GTS in the new 1130Nm Macan Turbo. Power is up by 45 per cent (in overboost mode) for a one-second faster 0-100km/h sprint.

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The entry-grade Macan 4 benefits from similar improvements, its torque climbing from 400Nm to 650Nm and power to 300kW chopping the ‘base’ Macan’s standard sprint time by 1.2 seconds

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In addition to higher power and faster acceleration, Porsche’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings give the new Macan some other advantages, too.

The new car will be offered with rear-wheel steer and twin-valve adaptive dampers for the first time (tech shared with the larger Cayenne), while Porsche’s refined active adaptive air suspension (PASM) is standard in the Turbo and optional on the Macan 4.

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• What is a Powertrain or Drivetrain?
• Power vs torque
• Car suspension explained
• Automatic transmissions (‘gearboxes’) explained
• Chassis control systems explained
• Car vs Ute vs SUV: How the vehicle you buy should guide the way you drive
• What is the WLTP emissions and range test?

Comparing new and old Macan’s electricals doesn’t make much sense, but the Taycan gives a good idea of how Porsche’s improved its technology.

Like the Taycan’s ‘J1’ platform, the Macan’s PPE boasts 800-volt electrics and peak 270kW DC charge speed, but the refinements are clear. Despite its bigger 96kWh gross battery, the new Macan charges from 10-80 per cent faster than the Taycan.

An official WLTP driving range figure hasn’t been released for the Macan yet, so we can only speculate what the larger battery and active aerodynamics will achieve for its efficiency.

The Taycan’s 452km figure isn’t hugely impressive; to compete with long-range (and more affordable) vehicles the Macan will need to be able to travel at least 500km – preferably 600km – from a single charge.

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Interior and cabin design

Porsche knows not to mess with a good thing – especially the ergonomic excellence of its timeless interiors.

The new Macan borrows some of its technology (thankfully not the digital vent controls) from the Taycan, such as the 12.6-inch curved digital driver’s display and 10.9-inch touchscreen.

The digi dials replace the current Macan’s analogue gauges, and there’s a separate digital panel with physical toggles for controlling the new car’s HVAC system.

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Thankfully, the near-perfect circular steering wheel with physical controls and drive mode dial remains.

Also evident is a commitment to customisation in the new car – the paint-matched purple upholstery with contrast blue ambient lighting is a bold choice, and there will naturally be more subdued options, such as the two-tone cream and black option seen in the Macan Turbo.

Porsche has not confirmed precise figures for head and leg room, but we know the new taller Macan’s front seats are set 28mm lower, and the rears 15mm lower, than the outgoing car.

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Pricing

Everything should be better in the new Macan, with a cutting edge electric drivetrain, more space, new looks, and enhanced suspension performance promised.

Everything except the price that is. The new base Macan 4 costs nearly the same as the old top-spec GTS, and the $188,100 Macan Turbo now matches the larger Cayenne S for list price.

Porsche’s customers aren’t short on money, but it’s a gamble to change the price and powertrain recipe of its second best-selling vehicle so drastically – the Macan found 87,355 homes last year globally and the Taycan 40,629.

The Stuttgart-based marque rarely gets it wrong, though. And given the success of Taycan compared to Panamera last year, Porsche customers (at least globally) clearly aren’t scared of going electric.

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Following today’s leak, Porsche’s first electric SUV has been priced for Australia, with the 2024 Macan 4 arriving later this year from $133,700.

Launching with two variants initially, the all-wheel-drive Macan 4 packs 300kW while the flagship Turbo develops a whopping 470kW and 1130Nm – enough to frighten a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N in a straight line.

This is Porsche’s first outing of the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings that boast 800-volt capability, twin-valve dampers, rear-wheel steer, and a 96kWh usable battery pack in the Macan.

Although it’s distinctively Porsche, the larger second-gen electric Macan has a few new details including Taycan-inspired lighting signatures and a rounder rear end.

Inside, Porsche has implemented a familiar layout and moved back to physical controls for the cabin vents – perhaps in response to the less-than-rosy reception of Taycan’s digi-vents.

“We are taking the Macan to a completely new level – with exceptional E-Performance, the new Driver Experience, and a very impressive design,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche at the new Macan’s debut in Singapore.

Matching the zero-emission nature of the new Macan, Porsche will build the BMW iX3 and Mercedes-Benz EQC rival in a ‘carbon neutral way’ at its Leipzig manufacturing plant.

JUMP AHEAD

• 2024 Porsche Macan pricing
• 2024 Porsche Macan features
• Dimensions
• Powertrain, batteries, and driving range
• Safety
• Warranty and servicing
• Availability

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2024 Porsche Macan pricing

The new electric Macan is, expectedly, a lot dearer to get into. The entry-level Macan 4 costs $39,900 more than the current unsuffixed model.

The Turbo, meanwhile, is a whopping $46,400 dearer than the ICE GTS. However, both are meaningfully more rapid; it’s hard to consider Porsche’s new Macan as a direct replacement for the old medium-sized SUV in price or performance terms.

Click here for an even clearer picture of how the new Macan compares to its predecessor.

Prices exclude on-road costs

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2024 Porsche Macan features

Porsche is yet to confirm exact Australian specifications. However, we know a few details about the brand’s new EV.

Inside it features a 12.6-inch curved digital driver’s display, and there’s a 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen in the centre.

A first for the Macan nameplate is an optional 10.9-inch passenger display and augmented reality head-up display for the driver.

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The dearer Turbo gets standard (all optional on the Macan 4) 21-inch alloy wheels (22s are optional), Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM, or air suspension), power steering plus, and 14-way power adjust ‘comfort’ seats.

Turbo exclusives include a panoramic roof, Porsche Electric Sport Sound, Sport Chrono package, and four-zone climate control.

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Dimensions

The new Macan has grown up, measuring 4784mm long, 1938mm wide, 1622mm tall, and riding on a 2893mm wheelbase.

It’s bigger in every metric than the car it replaces (Porsche hasn’t quoted an official weight figure yet but expect it to be around 2200kg) and that means more cabin space.

The front seats are 28mm lower and the rear 15mm lower with enhanced legroom. Cargo carrying is up, too, with 540L of boot space (87L more) and the bonus of an 84L ‘frunk’ under the bonnet.

It’s also capable of towing a braked load weighing up to 2000kg.

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Powertrain, battery, and driving range

It’s well accepted that making an electric vehicle powerful isn’t particularly hard – that said, peak outputs of 470kW and 1130Nm in the twin-motor Macan Turbo are stunningly high.

Porsche claims a 0-100km/h sprint of just 3.3 seconds, and a top speed of 260km/h for the Turbo.

The Macan 4 is no slouch, with its two motors you’ll experience 300kW and 650Nm in overboost mode, a 0-100km/h time of 5.2 seconds, and 220km/h top speed.

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The brand says the Macan’s permanently-excited ‘PSM’ electric motors are particularly efficient and ‘enable optimum reproducibility’ of peak power.

Putting the grunt to the road is Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, an electronically locking rear differential.

Porsche also describes the Macan’s ‘Integrated Power Box’ (IPB) that allies the high-voltage heater, DC/DC converter and onboard AC charger to optimise efficiency.

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Between the axles is a 96kWh usable (100kWh gross) battery pack.

Porsche hasn’t published a final WLTP driving range yet, but a drag coefficient of 0.25 and active aero (including spoiler, air curtains, and other features) should see it achieve over 550km in the test.

It’ll charge quickly, too, thanks to the 800V architecture’s ability to take DC electricity on board at 270kW.

Porsche says 10-80 per cent at ultra-rapid charging locations will take 21 minutes, and the clever architecture can speed charging up at 400V DC locations to 135kW by effectively splitting the single 800V battery into two items.

The Macan will accept up to 11kW AC from a home wallbox.

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Safety

The Porsche Macan is yet to be evaluated by Euro NCAP or ANCAP.

Porsche will include adaptive cruise control, lane-trace assist, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera, side airbags (and more) on all Australian-delivered electric Macans.

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Availability

The second-gen electric Porsche Macan will arrive in Australia in Macan 4 and Macan Turbo guises in late 2024.

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Model on test: GT-Line diesel AWD

Kia is absolutely sauntering right now, buoyed by a series of well-received new cars.

After the fillip from the Wheels COTY-winning EV6 and the excellent seven-seat EV9, the Korean giant has turned its attention to one of its volume favourites.

Late last year we tested the run-out version of its Sorento seven-seat SUV in a group test and it put some comprehensive manners on the rest of the bunch.

As such, there must be an element of hearts sinking into boots amid rival manufacturers as Kia whips the wraps off its Sorento PE. That’s ‘Product Enhancement’ in Kia-speak, but most of us would call it a mid-life facelift.

Before we wade into what’s changed, it’s perhaps worth positioning the Sorento within Kia’s huge and growing range of SUVs.

The Korean marque’s rapid push to electrification is well documented, with the EV6 and newly arrived EV9 spearheading the charge. Following later this year will be the baby Russian doll version of the EV9, in the Minecraft-rendered shape of the EV5.

But, let’s face it, not everyone’s after an EV, and Kia will still sell you (in ascending size) a Stonic, a Seltos, a Sportage or a Sorento. The seven-seat Sorento MQ4 generation only debuted in 2020, so it’s about due for a facelift.

Still, maybe it’s a case of ask and you shall receive. In our sub-$80k large SUV comparison, the Sorento didn’t turn in a faultless performance.

As Dylan Campbell noted, “an abundance of black gives it a dark vibe, while its 10.25-inch infotainment display now seems a bit small for the richest grade. The menu graphics look a bit last-decade and the lack of USB-C outlets further betray its age – as does wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.”

Kia fixed all of that in this latest update to the Sorento and had it left the changes to that, it would, in all likelihood, have been enough to see this version of the car into its dotage at or near the top of the class. Unwilling to gamble on near or near enough, Kia went further. Quite considerably further.

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What hasn’t changed are the basic bones of the vehicle. Or indeed, what you’ll find beneath the bonnets.

The 3.5-litre petrol front-wheel drive variant and the all-wheel drive 2.2-litre diesel model provides the power for the vast majority of Sorento customers and these come in four trim grades: S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line, the latter of which mops up over 30 percent of all sales. Kia expects the diesel engines to account for fully 80 percent of all Sorento registrations. So much for diesel being on the skids.

On top of that, there are hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Sorento also offered – albeit solely in GT-Line trim – and they’ll be arriving on our shores later in 2024, so we’ll set those electrified models aside for the purposes of this review.

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For 2024, Kia has targeted five key areas

It clearly needed to refresh the interior design, but it has also updated the exterior detailing to distinguish it from its predecessor, it has included additional comfort and convenience features, it has boosted safety and it has also improved the vehicle dynamics.

The styling changes are possibly the only real area of contention. The pre-facelift Sorento was an undoubted looker but, to me, the preoccupation with grafting elements of the EV9’s front end onto the Sorento has given it a pinched, squinty front end that’s neither one thing nor the other.

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The ‘face’ of the car has vanished, and the previously rather svelte Peter Schreyer tiger-nose grille has enlarged to a bit of a bottom-feeder maw.

The rear end treatment is a good deal slicker, with neater rear lamps and a more rugged look to the bumper assembly and skid plate.

Two new paint finishes, Volcanic Sand Brown and Cityscape Green, have been added to the colour palette, bringing the exterior colour choices to a total of nine.

Unfortunately there’s only one no-cost paint finish, Clear White. You’ll have to pay extra for Snow White Pearl, Mineral Blue, Steel Grey, Gravity Blue, Silky Grey and Aurora Black Pearl.

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Jump inside the cabin and the updates are considerably more cohesive.

Much of the design influence hails from the EV6, with that car’s integrated curved display being introduced to first the Sportage and now the Sorento.

It not only comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, at last, but also features Kia’s latest iteration of the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit. As in the EV9, the latest Kia Connect system is installed, with its capability to receive over the air software updates.

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Kia Connect also includes some neat features like a valet mode that allows the user to monitor where and how the car’s being used, it can lock and unlock the vehicle beyond the range of a traditional key fob, can precondition the cockpit temperature and defrost the car and will adopt the driver’s last preferred settings upon system start.

Models from Sport+ upwards can also open the windows if required to vent hot air as you approach.

The GT-Line gets a 4.3-inch instrument cluster, and a huge 12.3-inch display with moveable icons, the performance boosted by a new chipset. There’s a capacitive touch control to switch between HVAC and infotainment. This is activated quite cryptically via a long press on a toggle switch.

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Models below GT-Line get a smaller 4-inch digital cluster (above), and it pays to inspect the spec sheet quite closely – because Kia’s been pretty clever with the trim walkup. Lower grade models miss out on some key pieces of kit, like in-built navigation.

There’s a new and improved head-up display that now shows the turn-by-turn instructions from Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as Kia’s native nav. Like many such systems it disappears if you slip on a pair of polarised sunglasses.

There’s also a digital centre mirror that delivers a clearer and crisper image at night or in adverse weather. It’s also a boon if you’ve got a tall rear passenger in the middle seat or if you’ve loaded the Sorento to the gunwales.

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The GT-Line also features a new ambient lighting system. This illuminates the shifter, with more generous spread across the dash, and can be linked to the drive modes.

A 12-speaker Bose stereo is also a standard fit on trims from Sport+ up. The old T-bar shifter is no more, with a rotary gear shift dial now marshalling the eight-speed auto and creating a slicker look in the cabin. It even features a haptic response to let you know when you’ve shifted into reverse. Push button start and remote start are standard across the range.

Other equipment upgrades? Expect second row sunshades from Sport+ up and privacy glass from Sport. USB-C charging features throughout, replacing the old USB-A sockets for quicker charging and you’ll never have the old USB 50/50 lottery of plugging the cable in upside down.

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Safety gear is also upgraded

All models get AEB Junction Turn and the audible overspeed alert (3db quieter now) introduced in 2022, but it’s now easier to revert to the silent, visual information mode.

Models from Sport up also get Highway Driving Assist(HDA). This is an adaptive cruise control system with stop and go functionality that also packages a much-improved Land Following Assist system.

Nervous in shopping centre car parks? Go for the GT-Line and you’ll have the assistance of Parking Distance Warning which now features side alerts as well as the previous front and rear zones. Despite the changes to the front bumper and grille design, ANCAP Has pledged to carry across the MQ4 Sorento’s existing 5-star safety rating.

2024 Kia Sorento boot space

The Kia Sorento has a 179-litre boot with all seven seats in place, rising to 608 litres with five seats up and 1996L with both the third and second rows folded.

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How does it drive?

Kia’s chassis guru Graeme Gambold has, somewhat unexpectedly, blown the overtime budget on improving the ride and handling of this latest Sorento.

When we tested it last year, we found it agile and unexpectedly lively at the rear. This model features the same springs and stabiliser bars as its predecessor, but there have been some big changes in how the car is damped. Lessons learned in the development of the EV6 have been utilised here, with the Sorento now getting expensive ZF Sachs SDC3 dampers.

These feature ZF Sachs’ latest valve tech, and feature three separate valves and includes a special pocket valve designed especially for the Sorento. In other words, these shocks are even more capable than those fitted to the EV6 and further differentiates body control from ride comfort.

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The biggest improvement is in secondary ride: the high-frequency nervousness that can afflict large vehicles on poor surfaces.

On typically poor Victorian country roads, this generation Sorento feels noticeably better damped than its predecessor and there’s an added benefit that there’s less noise, vibration and harshness transmitted into the passenger cell. As a side note, with the prior MQ4 Sportage, the petrol and diesel versions were treated to local chassis tuning whereas the hybrid models weren’t. That’ll change with this update.

If you’re an existing Sorento owner, you’ll also notice that the steering will feel different. That’s because this generation car has been treated to a revision of the electrically-assisted power steering. It still features a rack-mounted motor, but all of the software, including the firmware, the algorithm base and the steering maps are new. I’m a little less convinced about this particular update.

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Yes, the steering feels slicker and quieter, turning in a little more keenly just off-centre, but it seems a little more mute than before, with an oddly artificial feel.

Having said that, it’s probably one of those things you’d notice in the first 24 hours with the Sorento and then never register again once you’d become accustomed to it. Kia has recently finalised the towing ratings for the new Sorento and reports that it comes to market with a 2.0-tonne braked towing figure.

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2024 Kia Sorento pricing

One of the key factors that got the original MQ4 Sorento across the line in our sub-$80K SUV test last year was its pricing.

This latest update typically tacks around $3500 model for model on top of its predecessor. Its pricing will undoubtedly dent the value proposition a little, but even if this updated Sorento were pitched into that comparison again, it’d still be markedly the most affordable vehicle.

It’s even a little easier to get hold of one now.

Kia was plagued by some severe supply issues in 2023, and was punished with order cancellation rates of around 20 percent from private buyers as a result, but the wait time for the new Sorento is estimated at between three and four months.

Kia’s local boss Damien Meredith doesn’t believe the cost of living issue will knock sales. “There’s a resilience in the Australian economy that we always underestimate,” he says.

“I’m confident in the economy, confident in the market and confident of what we’re getting into. We’re very happy with finishing fourth [by marque in local sales] but that’s historic data. We’re firmly focused on what we need to do in 2024.”

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Warranty and servicing

The Kia Sorento is covered by a seven-year / unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Service costs and schedules differ depending on the powertrain you choose, but all are covered by seven years of capped-price servicing. The turbo-diesel and petrol V6 Sorentos require servicing every 12 months/15,000km.

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VERDICT

In making a proven class winner even better, Kia should be congratulated. The changes wrought here are more than enough to carry the Sorento MQ4 safely and serenely into its eventual runout.

What’s more, it’s hard to see anything coming in the short term that’ll dethrone it for families looking for a safe, competitively priced, reliable seven-seat road-biased SUV. Job done.

Specs

It’s back, almost! The global hit responsible for a massive boost in Formula 1 audience numbers returns for its sixth season next month – just as 2024 pre-season testing wraps up in Bahrain.

As with earlier seasons of the show, this latest series will look back at the previous year’s championship – which means, this time, a big focus on the record-breaking run of Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing.

Expect other key ‘plot points’ to include the year’s starring moments from Aston Martin and McLaren, and the return of our local hero Daniel Ricciardo with AlphaTauri.

This latest announcement comes just weeks after Netflix revealed it has signed off on development of a similar series, focusing this time on America’s NASCAR formula.

The past couple of years have also seen screen plans for Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton, with Ricciardo signed up to produce a scripted F1 series for Disney’s Hulu service, while Hamilton is working on an F1 film for Apple, with Brad Pitt lined up to star.

When is Drive to Survive season 6 starting?

Season 6 of Netflix’s Drive to Survive will be available to watch from February 23, everywhere around the world.

How many episodes will be in Drive to Survive season 6?

Netflix has yet to reveal how many episodes will be in season 6 of Drive to Survive, although all previous seasons had 10 episodes running between 30 to 60 minutes each.

Is there a Drive to Survive season 6 trailer yet?

Despite announcing the series return today, Netflix has not yet released a trailer for Drive to Survive season 6.