The 2024 AA DRIVEN Car Guide NZ Car of the Year is here, and today we are looking at the top three finalists for the Medium SUV category.
Make sure to look out for the top three finalists for all of the 10 categories over the coming three weeks, or check out the City SUV category here (if you are interested in something a bit smaller!).
Medium SUVs make up almost as big a segment of the new car sales mix in NZ as their smaller City SUV siblings, but their larger size and more outdoorsy lifestyle suitability see them have wider appeal across the country.
Like the small SUV segment, the Medium market is saturated with a huge array of models stretching from basic transport right up to high-end luxury offerings and has essentially replaced the sedan and wagon as the go-to for families large and small.
This is also a segment where the hybrid rules supreme, with every one of our finalists featuring at least one petrol-electric model.
Honda CR-V
Along with the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V basically invented the mid-size crossover SUV segment that brought car-like manners and SUV-like practicality to the world.
The latest example of Honda's genre-defining crossover had its work cut out for it going up against the perennial best-selling RAV4, but also had competition from within thanks to Honda’s excellent new ZR-V that slotted into the range above the small HR-V, essentially filling the space occupied by the last CR-V.
But the CR-V came out swinging, with a larger footprint and more economical powertrain that leveraged Honda’s excellent hybrid system to remarkably frugal effect. The CR-V may be larger than ever before, but its powerful 1.5-litre VTEC hybrid powertrain handles it effortlessly.
Honda has also carried over the massive improvement in the quality and design of its interiors that started with the Civic, and the CR-V wraps all this up in a staggeringly practical package that is simply a joy to live with.
Kia Sportage
While the Kia Sportage was actually launched in time to be eligible for last year’s COTY, it wasn’t until this year’s launch of the hybrid model that it really shined.
While the ICE Sportage does everything well, the hybrid elevates everything to a higher level, offering a thoroughly convincing package that is stylish, practical and extremely frugal, essentially taking the fight right to the segment-leading Toyota RAV4.
The hybrid also nicely rounds out the Sportage line up, which is available in a wide array of 2WD and AWD options, with petrol or diesel engines alongside the simply superb hybrid.
Like everything else in the segment, practicality is the highlight of the Sportage, but the excellent hybrid powertrain puts the delicious icing on the thoroughly practical cake.
Nissan X-Trail
Since it first launched in 2000, following a debut appearance at the Paris Motor Show, the Nissan X-Trail has gone on to become one of the most popular SUVs in the world.
With its distinctive boxy styling and wide range of model and drivetrain options, the X-Trail may have come to the party a bit later than the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, but its impact on the segment has been equally meaningful.
With the latest incarnation of the X-Trail, Nissan has refined the X-Trail experience and wrapped it in a handsome new body, while also ramping up the quality, luxury and technology of the popular SUV.
The pinnacle of this approach are the range-topping e-Power hybrid models that offer up an EV-like driving experience by driving the wheels exclusively with electric motors but using an efficient 1.5-litre engine as a generator to supply power.