The best Large SUVs of the year
Meet the finalists in our SUV Large category
Our AA DRIVEN Car of the Year kickoff continues with the three finalists in the Large SUV category. While they don’t match Small or Medium in terms of sales volume, full-sized SUVs are a key element in the Kiwi SUV lifestyle — not least because most offer seven seats, with the ability to mix and match that third-row seating with luggage space as required.
Large SUV
The Kia Sorento is back! The Korean SUV actually won this category in 2021 and due to the unique way we evaluate our categories — with every new vehicle on sale eligible, rather than just those launched in the previous year — there’s always the option for an old favourite to make its mark all over again.
That’s the case with the Sorento, which offers a combination of generous space, some cutting-edge active safety equipment in the higher-specification models and a comprehensive range of powertrain options. You can have the Sorento in 2WD or AWD, “pure” petrol or diesel, petrol-electric hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) forms; the latter with a zero-emissions range of 57km.
When we declared Sorento the winner in 2021 we loved the way high technology was integrated seamlessly into the driving experience, including the Blind-spot View Monitor (BVM) in the main instrument panel (as per the smaller Sportage) and even the Remote Start Parking Assist (RSPA), which allows you to park and retrieve the vehicle from a narrow space while standing outside it. Such features can seem like gimmicks, but they prove genuinely useful in day-to-driving. Last year we said “the quality and equipment levels in the Sorento could make you think twice about buying a premium European SUV”. That’s still true.
The all-new Mitsubishi Outlander is another large SUV that has made massive gains in quality and technology. The model has always been available in 2WD and AWD, with petrol or PHEV powertrains, but the choice and customer offering has really ramped up with this new model.
An increase in overall size means where Outlander previously straddled the medium/large categories, the new model is a proper full-size family-SUV contender. The value-led petrol versions continue, but the appeal of the PHEV especially has increased exponentially.
For a start, the larger battery now gives a truly impressive 84km of electric-only range and can still be charged using either AC or DC power — the latter allowing you to really maximize that EV running when public fastcharge stations are available.
The PHEV still employs Mitsubishi’s excellent Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) AWD system, utilising dual electric motors.
The Outlander PHEV is now also available with third-row seating, something previously restricted to the conventional petrol/diesel versions. So it’s truly now an eco-SUV for Kiwi family life.
Another 2021 favourite making a return for this year is the Toyota Highlander.
It’s always been an accomplished allrounder, but with the latest model’s move to petrol-electric hybrid power it’s become especially relevant to NZ’s Clean Car market.
Derived from the RAV4’s hybrid powertrain but with higher output, the Highlander features E-Four AWD — which employs a separate rear electric motor in combination with the hybrid system at the front.
In fact, the hybrid has proven so dominant, Toyota NZ no longer offers the petrol V6. But it still offers a wide range of specification levels in the Highlander hybrid, from GXL to Limited to the SUV-with-everything Limited ZR.