Skoda L&K 130 ute concept revealed with sliding door
It is the 10th annual concept designed by the company's academy school students, and honours the company's 130th anniversary.
The students transformed from the Superb Combi wagon into a ute by shortening the roof and roof rails, modifying the B- and C-pillars, and reinforcing the body. Naturally, there's a new wall and windscreen behind the rear seats to separate the tray from the cabin.
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There's also a new tailgate that, at the push of a button, slides out via a rack-and-pinion system to extend cargo tray. When extended, the two bikes housed in the tray-mounted rack slide down from 35 degrees to nearly horizontal to make loading and unloading easier.
Overall length, at 4901mm, is unchanged from the regular Superb wagon.
Another bike can stored on the roof rack, while the right rear door has sprouted an extra door handle as it slides back, like on a people mover, rather swinging outwards on the standard wagon.
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Škoda L&K 130: Concept Car
Credit: CarExpert
To keep track of movements of the bike racing team there are tablet displays on the dashboard and ahead of the passenger's seat, and a permanent internet connection. A radio for communication with the team is installed at the front of transmission tunnel, and a speaker is placed near the rear air conditioning vents.
The seat behind the driver has been removed and replaced by a chilled esky, and the roof lining contains storage nets for snacks and bandages.
The car's strong bike focus has been done to celebrate the company's history. Skoda began life as a bicycle manufacturer in 1895 as Lauren & Klement, named after founders Václav Laurin and Václav Klement. Car making began a decade later, and the company was bought by Skoda, an arms manufacturer, in 1925.
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Both the interior and exterior are finished in red, gold and black trim that's inspired by the original L&K emblem. 3D printed L&K badges are used both inside and out in place of Skoda's fast-disappearing winged arrow logo.
The Superb's plug-in hybrid drivetrain is left untouched, and makes a combined 150kW and 350Nm from its 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor combo. The 25.7kWh battery pack has WLTP range rating of 100km.
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MORE: Explore the MG 5 showroom Content originally sourced from: The MG 5 has received a range of safety upgrades for model year 2025 (MY25), but the small sedan is now offered exclusively in top-spec Essence trim. Technically, MG is still advertising the MY24 MG 5 on its website, indicating there's still stock of the pre-update model. However, while the MY24 MG 5 lineup opened with a base Vibe powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the MY25 MG 5 is offered exclusively in Essence trim with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four. This wears a nationwide price tag of $32,990 drive-away, while MG is advertising MY24 MG 5 Essences at between $30,940 and $31,777 depending on the state/territory. The MY24 Vibe is priced between $26,900 and $27,609 drive-away. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new MG 5. Click here to get a great deal. 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The MG 5 is offered in a single four-door sedan body style. It rides on MacPherson strut front suspension, with a torsion beam at the rear. The MG 5 is backed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. If you service your vehicle within the MG network, this is extended to 10 years or 250,000km. Servicing is required every 12 months or 10,000km. After it received a zero-star safety rating from ANCAP in 2023, MG made safety upgrades to the MG 5. It was re-tested in 2025, and received a substantially better three-star rating. Standard safety equipment includes: In terms of active safety systems, the MG 5 still lacks blind-spot monitoring and any kind of driver monitoring system. There's also no reverse AEB or rear cross-traffic alert/assist system. The MG 5 Essence comes standard with the following equipment: Only a black interior is offered. Dover White and Royal Yellow are the standard exterior paint finishes, with Black Pearl, Misty Grey and Diamond Red metallic finishes costing an extra $700. Brixton Blue premium paint has been discontinued. MORE: Explore the MG 5 showroom Content originally sourced from: The MG 5 has received a range of safety upgrades for model year 2025 (MY25), but the small sedan is now offered exclusively in top-spec Essence trim. Technically, MG is still advertising the MY24 MG 5 on its website, indicating there's still stock of the pre-update model. However, while the MY24 MG 5 lineup opened with a base Vibe powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the MY25 MG 5 is offered exclusively in Essence trim with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four. This wears a nationwide price tag of $32,990 drive-away, while MG is advertising MY24 MG 5 Essences at between $30,940 and $31,777 depending on the state/territory. The MY24 Vibe is priced between $26,900 and $27,609 drive-away. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new MG 5. Click here to get a great deal. Safety upgrades made for MY25 include the fitment of front and rear outboard seatbelt pre-tensioners, seatbelt reminders for all seats, and whiplash-resistant front and rear seats. The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system now includes pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle detection, while adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and emergency lane-keep assist are newly fitted. There's also MG's Intelligent Cruise Assist, which combines adaptive cruise and lane-keep functions. The safety upgrades were sufficient to net the updated MG 5 a three-star ANCAP rating, up from its previous zero-star result. Visually and mechanically, there are no changes to the MG 5 for MY25. A facelifted model has been launched in China, but has yet to be confirmed for Australia. The naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine has been axed. 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Dover White and Royal Yellow are the standard exterior paint finishes, with Black Pearl, Misty Grey and Diamond Red metallic finishes costing an extra $700. Brixton Blue premium paint has been discontinued. MORE: Explore the MG 5 showroom Content originally sourced from: The MG 5 has received a range of safety upgrades for model year 2025 (MY25), but the small sedan is now offered exclusively in top-spec Essence trim. Technically, MG is still advertising the MY24 MG 5 on its website, indicating there's still stock of the pre-update model. However, while the MY24 MG 5 lineup opened with a base Vibe powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the MY25 MG 5 is offered exclusively in Essence trim with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four. This wears a nationwide price tag of $32,990 drive-away, while MG is advertising MY24 MG 5 Essences at between $30,940 and $31,777 depending on the state/territory. The MY24 Vibe is priced between $26,900 and $27,609 drive-away. 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Dover White and Royal Yellow are the standard exterior paint finishes, with Black Pearl, Misty Grey and Diamond Red metallic finishes costing an extra $700. Brixton Blue premium paint has been discontinued. MORE: Explore the MG 5 showroom Content originally sourced from:
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SPONSORED It's been a necessary evil since the birth of the automobile, but does anyone actually enjoy going to the petrol station? Treading on a sticky, diesel-coated forecourt is hardly a red carpet or even a warm welcome mat, and feeling your wallet shrink at the same rate as your fuel tank when filling up isn't a great experience either. Then there's the endless temptation of shiny, sugary treats at the counter, shouting at you to spend even more money. Or the lukewarm yellow food that's been sitting under a heat lamp for God only knows how long. Sure, petrol stations are convenient, and refuelling is quicker than recharging an electric car, but what if there was a way you could visit them less often – like your dentist – to save you both time and money. Sounds good, right? CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Honda Civic. Click here to get a great deal. Well you can, simply by choosing a more efficient car like a hybrid, which combines a lean-burning petrol engine with an electric motor to help reduce fuel consumption. Now, before you run to the dealership to trade-in your old gas-guzzler, not all hybrids are created equal, and some do a better job than others at saving fuel in different driving scenarios. As a general rule though, hybrids provide significant advantages in urban areas where the electric motor does more of the heavy-lifting in stop-start traffic than it does beyond the city limits at highway speeds. So, if you're mostly bound by the suburbs then a hybrid is an ideal fuel-saving solution. To test this out, we set up an experiment with the latest Honda Civic e:HEV, which features one of the most advanced conventional hybrid powertrains available today, to see how long we could avoid a petrol station, and therefore how far we could travel on a single tank of fuel exclusively in urban traffic by replicating the average Australian daily commute. On that topic, according to the latest census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) taken in 2021, more than half (53.1%) of working Australians drive a vehicle to work every day. This, however, is likely to be an anomaly as the ABS recognised the 2021 data is the lowest figure in 40 years, and significantly less than the highest 63 per cent result from the previous 2016 census, most likely due to the dramatic rise in stay-at-home work that was in place during the COVID crisis at the time. Either way, it's clear that the majority of Australians use a vehicle to get to work every day, with twice as many (6.4 million) vehicles on our roads in 2021 than there were in 1981 (3.2 million). According to the same census data, the national average commute from home to work is 16.5km each way, with drivers spending a total of 48 minutes behind the wheel every weekday. With all of that in mind, we set up a daily schedule to complete a consistent loop during peak-hour traffic between 4:30pm and 6:00pm Monday to Friday, which included a broad range of urban driving conditions. The route measured a total of 32.1km – replicating that average daily commuting figure – starting from the suburbs before heading into the CBD and back, taking in arterial roads with an 80km/h speed, suburban streets with 60km/h and 50km/h limits, and dense urban streets with a maximum speed of 40km/h. Across that distance, there was a total of 49 traffic lights, seven roundabouts and four stop-sign intersections. So, there were plenty of stop-start events. As for the car itself, the Honda Civic is now exclusively available as hybrid model, with two variant choices: the entry-level L we're using for this test, which costs $47,990 drive-away, and the flagship LX that commands a $6000 premium in exchange for extra features. Both model grades share the same high-tech hybrid powertrain, which links a lean-burning 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine with a CVT automatic transmission that incorporates a pair of electric motors; one that is primarily used a generator to recharge the 1.0kWh lithium-ion battery mounted under the rear seats, and a more powerful traction motor that assists the petrol engine when driving. The engine alone generates 105kW of power and 186Nm of torque, and while Honda does not quote separate outputs for the electric motors like other automakers, its says the powertrain has a combined maximum power output of 135kW and 315Nm of torque. In most situations, the powertrain acts like a regular series-parallel hybrid with the primary electric motor used to get things moving away from a standstill, before the petrol engine chimes in and they work together. The generator unit is used to recharge the battery pack through regenerative braking and under deceleration, but it can also reverse its flow and provide additional power under heavy acceleration. However, unlike some other systems, the Honda can also decouple the petrol engine at cruising speeds and run entirely on electricity. Now, because the battery capacity is reasonably small, it can't do this for long durations like a plug-in hybrid would. But it does make a significant improvement to its fuel consumption, as Honda claims an average fuel consumption of just 4.2L/100km. With a 40-litre fuel tank, that should deliver a theoretical driving distance of around 950km between refills, which means it would take almost six weeks of Monday-to-Friday commuting before we needed to visit a petrol station again. Sounds too good to be true. However, when filling the Civic for the first time, and resetting the trip computer, its digital dashboard indicated I could travel 752km on a single tank, which seems a little more realistic. So, with that, let the experiment begin. Thankfully, the latest 11-generation Honda Civic is a very nice car to spend a lot of time in thanks to a spacious and comfortable cabin that is equipped with the latest in digital conveniences. From the driver's point of view, the cloth-trimmed seat has plenty of adjustment to suit all types of drivers and is both sumptuous in its cushioning and supportive in its bolstering. In fact, the Civic is a high-water mark for comfort in the small-car class. On top of that, there's excellent vision through the glasshouse, the large wing mirrors provide a wide view to adjacent traffic (which is always good in heavy traffic), and the three-spoke steering wheel falls nicely to hand with a logical array of fingertip controls (all the audio settings are on the left side and the cruise control is on the right). Plus, it is heated which makes for a nice way to start on a chilly winter's morning. The digital instrument cluster is also easy to read due to crisp, clean graphics that include a traditional speedometer on the right and a power meter on the left, which makes it easy to monitor when the powertrain is drawing from or replenishing the battery. If you're interested, that is quite literally the only way you can tell when the petrol engine is active as the transition from electric to hybrid power is totally seamless. Unlike other hybrids, in which it is obvious when the petrol engine comes to life – either through a jerky motion, more sudden acceleration or audibly – the Civic's engine is supremely quiet and smooth. And it also feels punchier than its power outputs suggest, with instant response and decent acceleration when you mash the throttle pedal from any speed, which we did on several occasions during this experiment. In fact, we didn't lightfoot the Civic at all, as it was important to replicate normal driving behaviour during this experiment. We also used its dual-zone climate control system the whole time and tapped into the wireless Apple CarPlay via its 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display to listen to music or podcasts for entertainment – just as you would normally. The end result took longer than we anticipated. After driving the same loop at the same time every day during the working week, we covered just over 700km before the fuel light came on. And we still had more than 50km of driving range available before it was completely empty. In total, it took 21 days, and 13.5 hours, of driving at an average speed of just under 50km/h to achieve a final fuel consumption figure of 4.4L/100km, which is pretty close to Honda's claimed figure. So, that equals a full month between visits to the petrol station for the average Australian if you just drive to work and back. It would be even longer if you live closer or had less congested traffic. If you calculate that out, with the current price of standard unleaded petrol, it costs around $800 a year for fuel to run the Civic Hybrid, which is peanuts. And considering Honda only charges $199 for each annual service, that makes it even more attractive. So, if you want to steer clear of petrol stations more often, the latest petrol-electric powertrains like the one in the Honda Civic e:HEV are proof that fuel-saving technology also saves you time and money. MORE: Everything Honda Content originally sourced from: SPONSORED It's been a necessary evil since the birth of the automobile, but does anyone actually enjoy going to the petrol station? Treading on a sticky, diesel-coated forecourt is hardly a red carpet or even a warm welcome mat, and feeling your wallet shrink at the same rate as your fuel tank when filling up isn't a great experience either. Then there's the endless temptation of shiny, sugary treats at the counter, shouting at you to spend even more money. Or the lukewarm yellow food that's been sitting under a heat lamp for God only knows how long. Sure, petrol stations are convenient, and refuelling is quicker than recharging an electric car, but what if there was a way you could visit them less often – like your dentist – to save you both time and money. Sounds good, right? CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Honda Civic. Click here to get a great deal. Well you can, simply by choosing a more efficient car like a hybrid, which combines a lean-burning petrol engine with an electric motor to help reduce fuel consumption. Now, before you run to the dealership to trade-in your old gas-guzzler, not all hybrids are created equal, and some do a better job than others at saving fuel in different driving scenarios. As a general rule though, hybrids provide significant advantages in urban areas where the electric motor does more of the heavy-lifting in stop-start traffic than it does beyond the city limits at highway speeds. So, if you're mostly bound by the suburbs then a hybrid is an ideal fuel-saving solution. To test this out, we set up an experiment with the latest Honda Civic e:HEV, which features one of the most advanced conventional hybrid powertrains available today, to see how long we could avoid a petrol station, and therefore how far we could travel on a single tank of fuel exclusively in urban traffic by replicating the average Australian daily commute. On that topic, according to the latest census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) taken in 2021, more than half (53.1%) of working Australians drive a vehicle to work every day. This, however, is likely to be an anomaly as the ABS recognised the 2021 data is the lowest figure in 40 years, and significantly less than the highest 63 per cent result from the previous 2016 census, most likely due to the dramatic rise in stay-at-home work that was in place during the COVID crisis at the time. Either way, it's clear that the majority of Australians use a vehicle to get to work every day, with twice as many (6.4 million) vehicles on our roads in 2021 than there were in 1981 (3.2 million). According to the same census data, the national average commute from home to work is 16.5km each way, with drivers spending a total of 48 minutes behind the wheel every weekday. With all of that in mind, we set up a daily schedule to complete a consistent loop during peak-hour traffic between 4:30pm and 6:00pm Monday to Friday, which included a broad range of urban driving conditions. The route measured a total of 32.1km – replicating that average daily commuting figure – starting from the suburbs before heading into the CBD and back, taking in arterial roads with an 80km/h speed, suburban streets with 60km/h and 50km/h limits, and dense urban streets with a maximum speed of 40km/h. Across that distance, there was a total of 49 traffic lights, seven roundabouts and four stop-sign intersections. So, there were plenty of stop-start events. As for the car itself, the Honda Civic is now exclusively available as hybrid model, with two variant choices: the entry-level L we're using for this test, which costs $47,990 drive-away, and the flagship LX that commands a $6000 premium in exchange for extra features. Both model grades share the same high-tech hybrid powertrain, which links a lean-burning 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine with a CVT automatic transmission that incorporates a pair of electric motors; one that is primarily used a generator to recharge the 1.0kWh lithium-ion battery mounted under the rear seats, and a more powerful traction motor that assists the petrol engine when driving. The engine alone generates 105kW of power and 186Nm of torque, and while Honda does not quote separate outputs for the electric motors like other automakers, its says the powertrain has a combined maximum power output of 135kW and 315Nm of torque. In most situations, the powertrain acts like a regular series-parallel hybrid with the primary electric motor used to get things moving away from a standstill, before the petrol engine chimes in and they work together. The generator unit is used to recharge the battery pack through regenerative braking and under deceleration, but it can also reverse its flow and provide additional power under heavy acceleration. However, unlike some other systems, the Honda can also decouple the petrol engine at cruising speeds and run entirely on electricity. Now, because the battery capacity is reasonably small, it can't do this for long durations like a plug-in hybrid would. But it does make a significant improvement to its fuel consumption, as Honda claims an average fuel consumption of just 4.2L/100km. With a 40-litre fuel tank, that should deliver a theoretical driving distance of around 950km between refills, which means it would take almost six weeks of Monday-to-Friday commuting before we needed to visit a petrol station again. Sounds too good to be true. However, when filling the Civic for the first time, and resetting the trip computer, its digital dashboard indicated I could travel 752km on a single tank, which seems a little more realistic. So, with that, let the experiment begin. Thankfully, the latest 11-generation Honda Civic is a very nice car to spend a lot of time in thanks to a spacious and comfortable cabin that is equipped with the latest in digital conveniences. From the driver's point of view, the cloth-trimmed seat has plenty of adjustment to suit all types of drivers and is both sumptuous in its cushioning and supportive in its bolstering. In fact, the Civic is a high-water mark for comfort in the small-car class. On top of that, there's excellent vision through the glasshouse, the large wing mirrors provide a wide view to adjacent traffic (which is always good in heavy traffic), and the three-spoke steering wheel falls nicely to hand with a logical array of fingertip controls (all the audio settings are on the left side and the cruise control is on the right). Plus, it is heated which makes for a nice way to start on a chilly winter's morning. The digital instrument cluster is also easy to read due to crisp, clean graphics that include a traditional speedometer on the right and a power meter on the left, which makes it easy to monitor when the powertrain is drawing from or replenishing the battery. If you're interested, that is quite literally the only way you can tell when the petrol engine is active as the transition from electric to hybrid power is totally seamless. Unlike other hybrids, in which it is obvious when the petrol engine comes to life – either through a jerky motion, more sudden acceleration or audibly – the Civic's engine is supremely quiet and smooth. And it also feels punchier than its power outputs suggest, with instant response and decent acceleration when you mash the throttle pedal from any speed, which we did on several occasions during this experiment. In fact, we didn't lightfoot the Civic at all, as it was important to replicate normal driving behaviour during this experiment. We also used its dual-zone climate control system the whole time and tapped into the wireless Apple CarPlay via its 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display to listen to music or podcasts for entertainment – just as you would normally. The end result took longer than we anticipated. After driving the same loop at the same time every day during the working week, we covered just over 700km before the fuel light came on. And we still had more than 50km of driving range available before it was completely empty. In total, it took 21 days, and 13.5 hours, of driving at an average speed of just under 50km/h to achieve a final fuel consumption figure of 4.4L/100km, which is pretty close to Honda's claimed figure. So, that equals a full month between visits to the petrol station for the average Australian if you just drive to work and back. It would be even longer if you live closer or had less congested traffic. If you calculate that out, with the current price of standard unleaded petrol, it costs around $800 a year for fuel to run the Civic Hybrid, which is peanuts. And considering Honda only charges $199 for each annual service, that makes it even more attractive. So, if you want to steer clear of petrol stations more often, the latest petrol-electric powertrains like the one in the Honda Civic e:HEV are proof that fuel-saving technology also saves you time and money. MORE: Everything Honda Content originally sourced from: SPONSORED It's been a necessary evil since the birth of the automobile, but does anyone actually enjoy going to the petrol station? Treading on a sticky, diesel-coated forecourt is hardly a red carpet or even a warm welcome mat, and feeling your wallet shrink at the same rate as your fuel tank when filling up isn't a great experience either. Then there's the endless temptation of shiny, sugary treats at the counter, shouting at you to spend even more money. Or the lukewarm yellow food that's been sitting under a heat lamp for God only knows how long. Sure, petrol stations are convenient, and refuelling is quicker than recharging an electric car, but what if there was a way you could visit them less often – like your dentist – to save you both time and money. Sounds good, right? CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Honda Civic. Click here to get a great deal. Well you can, simply by choosing a more efficient car like a hybrid, which combines a lean-burning petrol engine with an electric motor to help reduce fuel consumption. Now, before you run to the dealership to trade-in your old gas-guzzler, not all hybrids are created equal, and some do a better job than others at saving fuel in different driving scenarios. As a general rule though, hybrids provide significant advantages in urban areas where the electric motor does more of the heavy-lifting in stop-start traffic than it does beyond the city limits at highway speeds. So, if you're mostly bound by the suburbs then a hybrid is an ideal fuel-saving solution. To test this out, we set up an experiment with the latest Honda Civic e:HEV, which features one of the most advanced conventional hybrid powertrains available today, to see how long we could avoid a petrol station, and therefore how far we could travel on a single tank of fuel exclusively in urban traffic by replicating the average Australian daily commute. On that topic, according to the latest census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) taken in 2021, more than half (53.1%) of working Australians drive a vehicle to work every day. This, however, is likely to be an anomaly as the ABS recognised the 2021 data is the lowest figure in 40 years, and significantly less than the highest 63 per cent result from the previous 2016 census, most likely due to the dramatic rise in stay-at-home work that was in place during the COVID crisis at the time. Either way, it's clear that the majority of Australians use a vehicle to get to work every day, with twice as many (6.4 million) vehicles on our roads in 2021 than there were in 1981 (3.2 million). According to the same census data, the national average commute from home to work is 16.5km each way, with drivers spending a total of 48 minutes behind the wheel every weekday. With all of that in mind, we set up a daily schedule to complete a consistent loop during peak-hour traffic between 4:30pm and 6:00pm Monday to Friday, which included a broad range of urban driving conditions. The route measured a total of 32.1km – replicating that average daily commuting figure – starting from the suburbs before heading into the CBD and back, taking in arterial roads with an 80km/h speed, suburban streets with 60km/h and 50km/h limits, and dense urban streets with a maximum speed of 40km/h. Across that distance, there was a total of 49 traffic lights, seven roundabouts and four stop-sign intersections. So, there were plenty of stop-start events. As for the car itself, the Honda Civic is now exclusively available as hybrid model, with two variant choices: the entry-level L we're using for this test, which costs $47,990 drive-away, and the flagship LX that commands a $6000 premium in exchange for extra features. Both model grades share the same high-tech hybrid powertrain, which links a lean-burning 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine with a CVT automatic transmission that incorporates a pair of electric motors; one that is primarily used a generator to recharge the 1.0kWh lithium-ion battery mounted under the rear seats, and a more powerful traction motor that assists the petrol engine when driving. The engine alone generates 105kW of power and 186Nm of torque, and while Honda does not quote separate outputs for the electric motors like other automakers, its says the powertrain has a combined maximum power output of 135kW and 315Nm of torque. In most situations, the powertrain acts like a regular series-parallel hybrid with the primary electric motor used to get things moving away from a standstill, before the petrol engine chimes in and they work together. The generator unit is used to recharge the battery pack through regenerative braking and under deceleration, but it can also reverse its flow and provide additional power under heavy acceleration. However, unlike some other systems, the Honda can also decouple the petrol engine at cruising speeds and run entirely on electricity. Now, because the battery capacity is reasonably small, it can't do this for long durations like a plug-in hybrid would. But it does make a significant improvement to its fuel consumption, as Honda claims an average fuel consumption of just 4.2L/100km. With a 40-litre fuel tank, that should deliver a theoretical driving distance of around 950km between refills, which means it would take almost six weeks of Monday-to-Friday commuting before we needed to visit a petrol station again. Sounds too good to be true. However, when filling the Civic for the first time, and resetting the trip computer, its digital dashboard indicated I could travel 752km on a single tank, which seems a little more realistic. So, with that, let the experiment begin. Thankfully, the latest 11-generation Honda Civic is a very nice car to spend a lot of time in thanks to a spacious and comfortable cabin that is equipped with the latest in digital conveniences. From the driver's point of view, the cloth-trimmed seat has plenty of adjustment to suit all types of drivers and is both sumptuous in its cushioning and supportive in its bolstering. In fact, the Civic is a high-water mark for comfort in the small-car class. On top of that, there's excellent vision through the glasshouse, the large wing mirrors provide a wide view to adjacent traffic (which is always good in heavy traffic), and the three-spoke steering wheel falls nicely to hand with a logical array of fingertip controls (all the audio settings are on the left side and the cruise control is on the right). Plus, it is heated which makes for a nice way to start on a chilly winter's morning. The digital instrument cluster is also easy to read due to crisp, clean graphics that include a traditional speedometer on the right and a power meter on the left, which makes it easy to monitor when the powertrain is drawing from or replenishing the battery. If you're interested, that is quite literally the only way you can tell when the petrol engine is active as the transition from electric to hybrid power is totally seamless. Unlike other hybrids, in which it is obvious when the petrol engine comes to life – either through a jerky motion, more sudden acceleration or audibly – the Civic's engine is supremely quiet and smooth. And it also feels punchier than its power outputs suggest, with instant response and decent acceleration when you mash the throttle pedal from any speed, which we did on several occasions during this experiment. In fact, we didn't lightfoot the Civic at all, as it was important to replicate normal driving behaviour during this experiment. We also used its dual-zone climate control system the whole time and tapped into the wireless Apple CarPlay via its 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display to listen to music or podcasts for entertainment – just as you would normally. The end result took longer than we anticipated. After driving the same loop at the same time every day during the working week, we covered just over 700km before the fuel light came on. And we still had more than 50km of driving range available before it was completely empty. In total, it took 21 days, and 13.5 hours, of driving at an average speed of just under 50km/h to achieve a final fuel consumption figure of 4.4L/100km, which is pretty close to Honda's claimed figure. So, that equals a full month between visits to the petrol station for the average Australian if you just drive to work and back. It would be even longer if you live closer or had less congested traffic. If you calculate that out, with the current price of standard unleaded petrol, it costs around $800 a year for fuel to run the Civic Hybrid, which is peanuts. And considering Honda only charges $199 for each annual service, that makes it even more attractive. So, if you want to steer clear of petrol stations more often, the latest petrol-electric powertrains like the one in the Honda Civic e:HEV are proof that fuel-saving technology also saves you time and money. MORE: Everything Honda Content originally sourced from: SPONSORED It's been a necessary evil since the birth of the automobile, but does anyone actually enjoy going to the petrol station? Treading on a sticky, diesel-coated forecourt is hardly a red carpet or even a warm welcome mat, and feeling your wallet shrink at the same rate as your fuel tank when filling up isn't a great experience either. Then there's the endless temptation of shiny, sugary treats at the counter, shouting at you to spend even more money. Or the lukewarm yellow food that's been sitting under a heat lamp for God only knows how long. Sure, petrol stations are convenient, and refuelling is quicker than recharging an electric car, but what if there was a way you could visit them less often – like your dentist – to save you both time and money. Sounds good, right? CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Honda Civic. Click here to get a great deal. Well you can, simply by choosing a more efficient car like a hybrid, which combines a lean-burning petrol engine with an electric motor to help reduce fuel consumption. Now, before you run to the dealership to trade-in your old gas-guzzler, not all hybrids are created equal, and some do a better job than others at saving fuel in different driving scenarios. As a general rule though, hybrids provide significant advantages in urban areas where the electric motor does more of the heavy-lifting in stop-start traffic than it does beyond the city limits at highway speeds. So, if you're mostly bound by the suburbs then a hybrid is an ideal fuel-saving solution. To test this out, we set up an experiment with the latest Honda Civic e:HEV, which features one of the most advanced conventional hybrid powertrains available today, to see how long we could avoid a petrol station, and therefore how far we could travel on a single tank of fuel exclusively in urban traffic by replicating the average Australian daily commute. On that topic, according to the latest census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) taken in 2021, more than half (53.1%) of working Australians drive a vehicle to work every day. This, however, is likely to be an anomaly as the ABS recognised the 2021 data is the lowest figure in 40 years, and significantly less than the highest 63 per cent result from the previous 2016 census, most likely due to the dramatic rise in stay-at-home work that was in place during the COVID crisis at the time. Either way, it's clear that the majority of Australians use a vehicle to get to work every day, with twice as many (6.4 million) vehicles on our roads in 2021 than there were in 1981 (3.2 million). According to the same census data, the national average commute from home to work is 16.5km each way, with drivers spending a total of 48 minutes behind the wheel every weekday. With all of that in mind, we set up a daily schedule to complete a consistent loop during peak-hour traffic between 4:30pm and 6:00pm Monday to Friday, which included a broad range of urban driving conditions. The route measured a total of 32.1km – replicating that average daily commuting figure – starting from the suburbs before heading into the CBD and back, taking in arterial roads with an 80km/h speed, suburban streets with 60km/h and 50km/h limits, and dense urban streets with a maximum speed of 40km/h. Across that distance, there was a total of 49 traffic lights, seven roundabouts and four stop-sign intersections. So, there were plenty of stop-start events. As for the car itself, the Honda Civic is now exclusively available as hybrid model, with two variant choices: the entry-level L we're using for this test, which costs $47,990 drive-away, and the flagship LX that commands a $6000 premium in exchange for extra features. Both model grades share the same high-tech hybrid powertrain, which links a lean-burning 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engine with a CVT automatic transmission that incorporates a pair of electric motors; one that is primarily used a generator to recharge the 1.0kWh lithium-ion battery mounted under the rear seats, and a more powerful traction motor that assists the petrol engine when driving. The engine alone generates 105kW of power and 186Nm of torque, and while Honda does not quote separate outputs for the electric motors like other automakers, its says the powertrain has a combined maximum power output of 135kW and 315Nm of torque. In most situations, the powertrain acts like a regular series-parallel hybrid with the primary electric motor used to get things moving away from a standstill, before the petrol engine chimes in and they work together. The generator unit is used to recharge the battery pack through regenerative braking and under deceleration, but it can also reverse its flow and provide additional power under heavy acceleration. However, unlike some other systems, the Honda can also decouple the petrol engine at cruising speeds and run entirely on electricity. Now, because the battery capacity is reasonably small, it can't do this for long durations like a plug-in hybrid would. But it does make a significant improvement to its fuel consumption, as Honda claims an average fuel consumption of just 4.2L/100km. With a 40-litre fuel tank, that should deliver a theoretical driving distance of around 950km between refills, which means it would take almost six weeks of Monday-to-Friday commuting before we needed to visit a petrol station again. Sounds too good to be true. However, when filling the Civic for the first time, and resetting the trip computer, its digital dashboard indicated I could travel 752km on a single tank, which seems a little more realistic. So, with that, let the experiment begin. Thankfully, the latest 11-generation Honda Civic is a very nice car to spend a lot of time in thanks to a spacious and comfortable cabin that is equipped with the latest in digital conveniences. From the driver's point of view, the cloth-trimmed seat has plenty of adjustment to suit all types of drivers and is both sumptuous in its cushioning and supportive in its bolstering. In fact, the Civic is a high-water mark for comfort in the small-car class. On top of that, there's excellent vision through the glasshouse, the large wing mirrors provide a wide view to adjacent traffic (which is always good in heavy traffic), and the three-spoke steering wheel falls nicely to hand with a logical array of fingertip controls (all the audio settings are on the left side and the cruise control is on the right). Plus, it is heated which makes for a nice way to start on a chilly winter's morning. The digital instrument cluster is also easy to read due to crisp, clean graphics that include a traditional speedometer on the right and a power meter on the left, which makes it easy to monitor when the powertrain is drawing from or replenishing the battery. If you're interested, that is quite literally the only way you can tell when the petrol engine is active as the transition from electric to hybrid power is totally seamless. Unlike other hybrids, in which it is obvious when the petrol engine comes to life – either through a jerky motion, more sudden acceleration or audibly – the Civic's engine is supremely quiet and smooth. And it also feels punchier than its power outputs suggest, with instant response and decent acceleration when you mash the throttle pedal from any speed, which we did on several occasions during this experiment. In fact, we didn't lightfoot the Civic at all, as it was important to replicate normal driving behaviour during this experiment. We also used its dual-zone climate control system the whole time and tapped into the wireless Apple CarPlay via its 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display to listen to music or podcasts for entertainment – just as you would normally. The end result took longer than we anticipated. After driving the same loop at the same time every day during the working week, we covered just over 700km before the fuel light came on. And we still had more than 50km of driving range available before it was completely empty. In total, it took 21 days, and 13.5 hours, of driving at an average speed of just under 50km/h to achieve a final fuel consumption figure of 4.4L/100km, which is pretty close to Honda's claimed figure. So, that equals a full month between visits to the petrol station for the average Australian if you just drive to work and back. It would be even longer if you live closer or had less congested traffic. If you calculate that out, with the current price of standard unleaded petrol, it costs around $800 a year for fuel to run the Civic Hybrid, which is peanuts. And considering Honda only charges $199 for each annual service, that makes it even more attractive. So, if you want to steer clear of petrol stations more often, the latest petrol-electric powertrains like the one in the Honda Civic e:HEV are proof that fuel-saving technology also saves you time and money. MORE: Everything Honda Content originally sourced from:
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19 hours ago
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Why Chery Australia is bringing its Toyota Kluger rival with only PHEV power
Chery Australia has just launched Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of its previously petrol-only Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 SUVs, and now the next model in the lineup is set to go without petrol options altogether. The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is due in Australia in the third quarter (July to September) of 2025, and it has now been confirmed that it will only be available in this PHEV guise – a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol powertrain, available overseas, won't be offered here at launch. Speaking at the local launch for the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 Super Hybrids, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris confirmed to CarExpert that the brand will "only introduce the Super Hybrid variant of Tiggo 9" and outlined several reasons why. "Frankly, I think it's a better car. We, as a global business, are much more focused on moving towards new energy, which is obviously Super Hybrid and BEV (battery-electric vehicle)," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "The Super Hybrid Tiggo 9 performance is exceptional, I think we'll be able to price it – like our other products – very competitively, and to be able to deliver great value. "I'm just not sure that in our lineup, if you look at all the way from Tiggo 4 right through to Tiggo 9, it doesn't make sense in that lineup to introduce an [internal combustion] Tiggo 9." Chery Australia hasn't confirmed performance, range or economy figures, but has confirmed the local Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid will use a turbo 1.5-litre engine mated with a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, like the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8. For context, the petrol powertrain available overseas features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed Aisin automatic transmission, with drive sent to all four wheels. "If we were to introduce [the petrol] hypothetically, it probably would end up being priced very similarly to a Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid, for example," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "In which case, it doesn't make much sense, and the driving experience in those Super Hybrids is just so much better than any ICE vehicle. I just don't think it would add any depth to the product range by offering too many models." Pricing for the Tiggo 9 has yet to be confirmed, though the smaller Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is priced from $45,990 to $49,990 drive-away. The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is therefore expected to be more expensive, likely around $55,000, although it could still significantly undercut rivals such as the Mazda CX-80 P50e (priced from $76,245 before on-roads) and the Kia Sorento PHEV (from $84,660 before on-roads). MORE: Chery taking on Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-80 with new plug-in hybrid large SUV MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery Australia has just launched Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of its previously petrol-only Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 SUVs, and now the next model in the lineup is set to go without petrol options altogether. The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is due in Australia in the third quarter (July to September) of 2025, and it has now been confirmed that it will only be available in this PHEV guise – a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol powertrain, available overseas, won't be offered here at launch. Speaking at the local launch for the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 Super Hybrids, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris confirmed to CarExpert that the brand will "only introduce the Super Hybrid variant of Tiggo 9" and outlined several reasons why. "Frankly, I think it's a better car. We, as a global business, are much more focused on moving towards new energy, which is obviously Super Hybrid and BEV (battery-electric vehicle)," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "The Super Hybrid Tiggo 9 performance is exceptional, I think we'll be able to price it – like our other products – very competitively, and to be able to deliver great value. "I'm just not sure that in our lineup, if you look at all the way from Tiggo 4 right through to Tiggo 9, it doesn't make sense in that lineup to introduce an [internal combustion] Tiggo 9." Chery Australia hasn't confirmed performance, range or economy figures, but has confirmed the local Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid will use a turbo 1.5-litre engine mated with a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, like the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8. For context, the petrol powertrain available overseas features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed Aisin automatic transmission, with drive sent to all four wheels. "If we were to introduce [the petrol] hypothetically, it probably would end up being priced very similarly to a Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid, for example," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "In which case, it doesn't make much sense, and the driving experience in those Super Hybrids is just so much better than any ICE vehicle. I just don't think it would add any depth to the product range by offering too many models." Pricing for the Tiggo 9 has yet to be confirmed, though the smaller Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is priced from $45,990 to $49,990 drive-away. The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is therefore expected to be more expensive, likely around $55,000, although it could still significantly undercut rivals such as the Mazda CX-80 P50e (priced from $76,245 before on-roads) and the Kia Sorento PHEV (from $84,660 before on-roads). MORE: Chery taking on Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-80 with new plug-in hybrid large SUV MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery Australia has just launched Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of its previously petrol-only Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 SUVs, and now the next model in the lineup is set to go without petrol options altogether. The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is due in Australia in the third quarter (July to September) of 2025, and it has now been confirmed that it will only be available in this PHEV guise – a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol powertrain, available overseas, won't be offered here at launch. Speaking at the local launch for the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 Super Hybrids, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris confirmed to CarExpert that the brand will "only introduce the Super Hybrid variant of Tiggo 9" and outlined several reasons why. "Frankly, I think it's a better car. We, as a global business, are much more focused on moving towards new energy, which is obviously Super Hybrid and BEV (battery-electric vehicle)," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "The Super Hybrid Tiggo 9 performance is exceptional, I think we'll be able to price it – like our other products – very competitively, and to be able to deliver great value. "I'm just not sure that in our lineup, if you look at all the way from Tiggo 4 right through to Tiggo 9, it doesn't make sense in that lineup to introduce an [internal combustion] Tiggo 9." Chery Australia hasn't confirmed performance, range or economy figures, but has confirmed the local Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid will use a turbo 1.5-litre engine mated with a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, like the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8. For context, the petrol powertrain available overseas features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed Aisin automatic transmission, with drive sent to all four wheels. "If we were to introduce [the petrol] hypothetically, it probably would end up being priced very similarly to a Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid, for example," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "In which case, it doesn't make much sense, and the driving experience in those Super Hybrids is just so much better than any ICE vehicle. I just don't think it would add any depth to the product range by offering too many models." Pricing for the Tiggo 9 has yet to be confirmed, though the smaller Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is priced from $45,990 to $49,990 drive-away. The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is therefore expected to be more expensive, likely around $55,000, although it could still significantly undercut rivals such as the Mazda CX-80 P50e (priced from $76,245 before on-roads) and the Kia Sorento PHEV (from $84,660 before on-roads). MORE: Chery taking on Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-80 with new plug-in hybrid large SUV MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery Australia has just launched Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of its previously petrol-only Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 SUVs, and now the next model in the lineup is set to go without petrol options altogether. The Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is due in Australia in the third quarter (July to September) of 2025, and it has now been confirmed that it will only be available in this PHEV guise – a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol powertrain, available overseas, won't be offered here at launch. Speaking at the local launch for the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 Super Hybrids, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris confirmed to CarExpert that the brand will "only introduce the Super Hybrid variant of Tiggo 9" and outlined several reasons why. "Frankly, I think it's a better car. We, as a global business, are much more focused on moving towards new energy, which is obviously Super Hybrid and BEV (battery-electric vehicle)," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. "The Super Hybrid Tiggo 9 performance is exceptional, I think we'll be able to price it – like our other products – very competitively, and to be able to deliver great value. "I'm just not sure that in our lineup, if you look at all the way from Tiggo 4 right through to Tiggo 9, it doesn't make sense in that lineup to introduce an [internal combustion] Tiggo 9." Chery Australia hasn't confirmed performance, range or economy figures, but has confirmed the local Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid will use a turbo 1.5-litre engine mated with a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, like the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8. For context, the petrol powertrain available overseas features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed Aisin automatic transmission, with drive sent to all four wheels. "If we were to introduce [the petrol] hypothetically, it probably would end up being priced very similarly to a Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid, for example," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "In which case, it doesn't make much sense, and the driving experience in those Super Hybrids is just so much better than any ICE vehicle. I just don't think it would add any depth to the product range by offering too many models." Pricing for the Tiggo 9 has yet to be confirmed, though the smaller Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is priced from $45,990 to $49,990 drive-away. The Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid is therefore expected to be more expensive, likely around $55,000, although it could still significantly undercut rivals such as the Mazda CX-80 P50e (priced from $76,245 before on-roads) and the Kia Sorento PHEV (from $84,660 before on-roads). MORE: Chery taking on Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-80 with new plug-in hybrid large SUV MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from:
