The best SUVs of the year

COTY 2023 kicks off with the first finalists in our three SUV categories

It’s AA DRIVEN Car Guide New Zealand Car of the Year time again! We’ll be awarding wins in 11 different categories, acknowledging the overwhelming preference for all things SUV but also with a focus on eco-cars and technology: there are Small SUV, Medium SUV, Large SUV, Passenger, LCV, Clean Car HEV/ PHEV/BEV, Sports and Performance, Luxury and Safety categories, not to mention the outright AA DRIVEN Car Guide New Zealand COTY — which will of course be one of the top three cars chosen from those categories.

The focus is on cars launched in the last 12 months, but in fact we have considered all cars on sale as long as they have a fivestar crash rating. Because if you can buy it new, we reckon it should be in contention.

We’re kicking off this week by announcing the finalists in the three SUV categories: Small, Medium and Large.

There’s even more to come over the next few weeks, of course. But for now, let’s take a look at the top SUVs of the year.

Small SUV

Small SUVs are still a really big deal in NZ, accounting for 21 per cent of new- vehicle sales and providing Kiwi buyers with a nearideal blend of high style and city-friendly dimensions. Not just limited to the cheap and cheerful, either: premium makers have embraced this compact segment big-time.

So it’s a diverse trio of finalists this year, comprising mainstream and luxury makers, with ICE, HEV, PHEV and BEV options all covered.

The new BMW X1 might be the brand’s smallest and least expensive SUV, but it offers a similar level of quality and technology to its larger models. It’s a truly high-tech compact SUV, and with prices starting at just over $72k it presents great value for money when you consider it’s a premium product. In some respects this is a miniature version of BMW’s very upmarket iX luxury BEV — especially when you consider that the fizzy threecylinder petrol model (still very clean) has now been joined by a pure-electric model, the iX1.

The Kia Niro flew the flag for electrified powertrains when it was launched back in 2016, and that’s still true for the latest model. It’s a compact SUV that covers all the battery-focused bases: full hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV). It all just works. But where the previous model was low-key in the extreme, the new version also brings striking design and vastly improved quality into the mix. The BEV version is based on a slightly older platform than Kia’s EV6, but the payoff is a sharp

price ($75,990 for the top-specification Water model) and you still get an excellent 460km range.

The Toyota Yaris Cross has been a standout small SUV since it was launched back in 2021 — and remains so, making the cut as a finalist this year again.

That’s on the strength of a model that hasn’t changed all that much in three years: there’s still an entry version with a 1.5-litre petrol engine (although you can’t take delivery of that until 2024), then a full range of petrol-electric hybrids.

One addition is a GR Sport model, with sportier looks, stiffer suspension and some interior enhancements. Yaris Cross prices range from $33,290 to $45,690.

Medium SUV

Medium SUVs are still the single most popular type of new vehicle in NZ, accounting for a quarter of new-vehicle sales year-to-date. So this is the default genre for Kiwi family buyers and yet another where electrified technology has made a massive impression.

In some respects the Honda ZR-V represents a whole new start for the Japanese maker. After years of struggling along with a dated SUV lineup, ZR-V drove in and changed the game for Honda. A medium SUV that’s larger than the old HR-V and smaller than the all-new CR-V (which missed our cut-off for this year), it comes in just two versions. The entry Turbo has a conventional petrol engine and the flagship Sport employs Honda’s clever e:HEV technology: it’s essentially a hybrid system that uses the petrol engine as a range extender, to generate electric power to drive the wheels.

The Mazda CX-60 is also a whole new SUV generation for its brand. Based on a new platform that’s designed for electrified powertrains, it still ticks a few boxes that will get keen drivers excited: the basic format of the platform is a longitudinal engine and rear-drive, and the flagship version boasts a 3.3-litre straightsix mild hybrid engine. But plugin technology is also catered for: the CX- 60 is Mazda’s first-ever PHEV, and despite having a smaller 2.5-litre petrol engine under the bonnet it’s the fastest version you can buy, with 0-100km/ h in 5.8 seconds.

The Tesla Model Y needs no introduction. Essentially a taller version of the Model 3 sedan, it has really captured the imagination of Kiwi buyers and helped cement BEV power as a mainstream choice. It regularly tops the sales charts and is currently the second-best-selling SUV overall for 2023: amazing for a vehicle that’s only available in pure-electric form. The sub-$80k RWD model racks up the big sales numbers, but the enthusiast market is also well-served with the super- fast Performance version: its dual-motor AWD powertrain slingshots it to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds.

Large SUV

The Ford Everest is essentially an SUV version of the Ranger — albeit with more sophisticated rear suspension for a smoother ride and batter handling. Ranger was the overall winner of the AA DRIVEN NZ COTY last year, so no surprise that Everest has made it way here. We’ve had quite a bit of experience with Everest and remain deeply impressed, and Ford NZ has upped the model’s game this year with a new Wildtrak V6 version — a sister model to the hugely successful Ranger Wildtrak. Everest is not your average sevenseat family SUV, of course: that shared Ranger platform means it’s also a hugely capable 4x4 and boasts the full 3.5-tonne towing capacity.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee might look familiar — fans would not have it any other way — but this is a completely new version of the iconic stars-and-bars SUV.

Grand Cherokee was launched in L seven-seat guise first and we were wowed by the luxury-car quality, high technology (night vision is an option, for example) and sheer space. But with the arrival of the shorter-wheelbase model came a massive leap forward for the Grand: the clever 4xe PHEV powertrain, blending an efficient 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with a big battery and electric motor housed within the gearbox — meaning it’s a full 4x4 even in pureelectric mode.

The Lexus RX is something of an SUV icon for the luxury brand . . . and the world of petrol-electric technology in fact: it was one of the first “performance hybrids” on the market. The latest version refines the theme to an extreme degree in the 350h — and then ups the excitement with a new 500h F Sport model, which introduces turbo-hybrid power (incredibly, a first for Lexus), a conventional automatic gearbox and state-of-the-art new features like a Direct4 all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering.