Motoring

The best SUVs, utes, and passenger cars coming in 2023

A red and a silver Ford Mustang

Bruce Newton

Posted January 13, 2023

From the improved Ford Mustang to Mazda’s new foray into luxury SUVs, there is plenty coming in 2023 to be excited about.

Australia is one of the world’s most heavily congested markets for new-vehicle sales, and there’s no sign of slowing down in 2023.

In a bid to get their nose in front, carmakers are constantly launching new and improved models for the consideration of Aussie buyers.

So, what’s new and exciting for 2023? Check out the list of SUVs, utes and passenger cars we’ve assembled below to find out. 

If you can also check out our separate rundown for what electric vehicles are coming in 2023 here.

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New passenger cars coming to Australia in 2023

Ford Mustang

 The iconic sports coupe and convertible enters its seventh generation in 2023 with its Australian arrival slated for the back-half of the year.

 Given the investment focus at Ford – like most manufacturers – is in SUVs, utes and EVs these days, it’s no surprise the new Mustang is a really thorough update than all-new.

 Over the existing platform and revised V8 and four cylinder turbo-petrol drivetrains it will drop a sharper new body and a considerable amount of new in-cabin tech, including a 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen.

 At the top of the range and confirmed for Australia is the Mustang Dark Horse. It produces more power (373kW), has a large aero kit and track-suited suspension and tyres.

MG 5

 Traditionally the MG name evoked images of British sports cars with leaky rooves and wheezing engines. But MG is now a Chinese-owned maker of SUVs and passenger cars.

 They don’t leak and they don’t wheeze. Instead, they are competent forms of transport, priced competitively, well-equipped and backed up by a solid warranty and capped price servicing structure.

 The petrol-powered MG 5 small car joins the local line-up in 2023 and will be a competent form of transport, competitively priced, well-equipped, and backed up by a solid warranty and capped price servicing structure. 

Toyota GR Corolla

 The Toyota Corolla small car has never been regarded as especially exciting, but all that’s going to change from February 2023 when the GR Corolla hot hatch arrives.

 The rev-heads at Gazoo Racing (GR), which is Toyota’s in-house sports and tuning division, have transplanted a 220kW 1.6-litre turbo-petrol triple cylinder engine under the bonnet and mated it with all-wheel drive and a sports suspension.

 The good news is it all sits under a five-door hatchback body, so just like any Corolla it’s ready to head off to the shops. That’s unless you opt for the Morizo edition that bins the rear seats!

 The unknown at this stage is the pricing. That should become clearer in early 2023.

 

A black Mazda CX-60 parked on a pier with a city skyline in the background at nighttime

The Mazda CX-60 is one of the most powerful, but also most expensive, Mazdas to hit the local market.

New SUVs coming to Australia in 2023

Alfa Romeo Tonale

 The latest reboot for the famed yet faltering Italian brand is a compact SUV that rolls out in February 2023 as a petrol-electric mild hybrid and then at the end of the year as a plug-in.

 While the last Alfa reboot starred the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV that were developed on a bespoke rear-wheel drive platform, the Tonale is an unashamed badge engineering job, rolling on the same front-wheel drive underpinnings as the Jeep Renegade and Compass. 

 Pricing starts at $49,990 for the entry-level Ti and $56,400 for the Tonale mild hybrids (both plus on-road costs).

 Chery Omoda 5

 Chery is a Chinese brand that made an unsuccessful foray into Australia between 2011 and 2016, but is now back with a new generation of vehicles and wildly ambitious sales targets.

 First SUV off the rank is the brand new Omoda 5, a light-duty SUV about the size of a Hyundai Kona. Due here early in the new year, it will initially arrive with orthodox turbo-petrol engines and later add plug-in hybrid petrol-electric and battery electric versions.

 No official pricing as yet, but the tip is an initial two-model line-up with a starting price that might just scrape under $30,000. The compensation for a price thousands above the Chinese MG ZS is the promise of a high level of comfort and safety equipment.

 Chery will follow up the Omoda 5 later in 2023 with two larger SUVs, the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro. An all-new urban off-roader with Jeep overtones codenamed the J-Series may also reach Australia in 2023.

 GWM Tank

 The first new model of 2023 (some people might even get their keys late in 2022) is the GWM Tank 300, a Chinese ladder-frame SUV designed to go seriously off-road.

 But while the usual suspects in this part of the market such as the Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport come with turbo-diesel engines, the Tank 300 is powered by a 2.0-litre petrol-electric drivetrain.

 Measuring up at just under 4.8m long, the five-door five-seat Tank 300 will come in two specifications with pricing starting at $55,990 drive-away.

 Watch out for the larger Toyota Prado-sized Tank 500 coming later in 2023.

 

A dark grey Subaru Crosstrek parked on a grassy knoll

The Subaru XV has been reborn as the Crosstrek, with pricing expected to rise.

 Honda ZR-V 

 The compact SUV segment is one of the most popular in Australia and Honda will join the action with the ZR-V in 2023.

 Boasting a bit of mini-Maserati look, the five-door five-seat ZR-V is a new nameplate that will be offered as both a 2.0-litre petrol-electric e:HEV hybrid and an orthodox 1.5-litre turbo-petrol.

 It will be part one of a dual-pronged attack an upgraded Honda hybrid SUV attack on the Toyota RAV4, with the larger new-generation CR-V joining the action later in the year.

 Hyundai Kona

 Due for its global reveal around mid-year and to be in Australia before the end of 2023, the new Kona compact SUV replaces a vehicle that is still among the most popular in the segment as it nears retirement.

 It will sit on new underpinnings, grow in size inside and out and have an all-new interior with a big upgrade in tech spec.

 But the tip is not to expect too much in the way of drivetrain updates in these waning days of the internal combustion engine. If you’re into new energy the good news is the second generation Kona will continue to offer an electric powertrain.

 Mazda CX-60

While most global car companies invest heavily in electrification and park internal combustion engine development, Mazda has gone the other way, launching a new generation of inline six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.

 The first model to feature the new tech is the five-door five-seat CX-60 SUV, which is topped by a plug-in hybrid flagship that is the most powerful Mazda ever sold in Australia and, at $87,252 before on-road costs, one of the most expensive.

 There are cheaper hybrid and PHEV CX-60s but they’re all beyond $60,000 when you add on-road costs, emphasising this model is part of a push by Mazda to head upmarket. 

 The CX-60 arrives from June 2023. A larger seven-seat CX-90 has also been announced and confirmed for Australia.

 Subaru Crosstrek

 The artist formerly known as Subaru XV will be renamed Crosstrek when the third-generation of the compact SUV arrives in the first quarter of 2023.

 It will go on-sale in four different variants and two carryover drivetrain choices – 2.0-litre petrol and hybrid. As per Subaru tradition, the Crosstrek will only come to Australia as an all-wheel drive.

 While the exterior is new – if familiar – the interior has been overhauled and is highlighted by an 11.6-inch vertical infotainment touchscreen.

 Pricing is TBA, but it will be going up.

 

A red Volkswagen Amarok ute driving down a dusty red dirt road under a clear sky

You can get your hands on the Volkswagen Amarok from April 2023.

New utes coming to Australia in 2023

 Ford F-150

One of the most famous and enduring vehicles in the world, the F-150 full-size pick-up arrives down under in mid-2023 in four different guises.

The big Ford is actually being converted from left-hand drive to right-hand drive in Melbourne by a sanctioned third party contractor rather than coming out of the factory in the USA with the steering wheel swapped over.

That means you’re unlikely to get much if any change out of $100,000 for even the cheapest version of the F-150 offered in Australia. 

Given rival utes from Chevrolet and RAM are already sold in Australia for those sort of prices, no surprise Ford is confident it will sell every F-150 it can get its hands on.

All that money buys a lot of vehicle. All Aussie-spec F-150s will be dual cabs, measure up at least 6.0 metres long and comes with a 298kW/678Nm turbo-petrol V6 engine. There will be no diesel options.

 Mitsubishi Triton

Due for reveal in the first half of the year and on-sale in Australia by the end of 2023 as a dual cab, the new Mitsubishi Triton will be a vastly changed beast.

That’s because Mitsubishi is joined with Nissan in a technology sharing pact so the new Triton will have a lot in common with the next Nissan Navara.

 Details are scant about the Triton at the moment, but we do know it’s going to be a bigger and blockier in its external styling and will also eventually come with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

 Much of the development of the new Triton is being conducted in Australia, which will please its huge local fanbase. Less pleasing will be the inevitable price rises that will come with the new generation.

 Toyota HiLux GR Sport

 Toyota will add this flagship version of the top-selling HiLux ute family to its line-up in the second half of 2023.

 While not a full blown off-road racer like the Ford Ranger Raptor, the GR Sport could come with both uprated suspension and more power from its 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine than the standard HiLux. 

Volkswagen Amarok

 On sale from April in Australia, the new Amarok shares much of its technology with the latest Aussie-developed Ford Ranger.

 The chassis and drivetrains are supplied by Ford while much of the exterior and some bits and pieces in the interior are unique to the second generation VW dual-cab.

 The new Amarok benefits from a huge equipment uplift compared to its predecessor. That applies to both safety and high-tech infotainment gear.

 Five model lines and four drivetrains will be offered with the Amarok in Australia, including a turbo-petrol four-cylinder also employed by the Ford Mustang.

 The Amarok will be premium-positioned as the most expensive mainstream ute on the market. Such is the pent-up demand, VW is predicting record sales for what is its most popular model.

 

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