In recent months arrivals have included a new Hyundai Santa Fe from Korea, Holden Acadia from USA, and an upgraded Ford Everest from Thailand.
Up at the top end of the selection there's already the new Audi Q8 and BMW X5. During 2019 they're going to be joined by a swag of other luxury product, including a V8-engined Volkswagen Touareg, refreshed Volvo XC90, new-generation Mercedes-Benz GLE, Maserati Levante GTS V8, and a monster BMW X7.Even further up the scale there's the likes of the 4.0-litre twin turbo V8-engined Lamborghini Urus which is recognised as the world's fastest SUV, and the Bentley Bentayga, and they may be joined some time in the future by Aston-Martin's first SUV, the DBX.Add to all of that existing quality product including the Toyota Land Cruiser 200, Land Cruiser Prado, Highlander and Fortuner, the Mazda CX5 and CX-9 with their Takami editions, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Skoda Kodiaq, Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, LDV D90 which is soon to become available with 4WD, and SsangYong Rexton will which soon add an entry Teammate model to its selection, and it becomes obvious there is wide choice in this vehicle segment.
Wide price choice too - of several hundred thousand dollars.
Such vehicles are consistently in demand because they are the new-age big cars.Whereas just a few years ago any large SUV was very much ute-based and in so many respects drove like them, the latest iterations are chock-full of a wealth of driving aids that help them offer very luxurious and safe rides.
An outstanding example is the new BMW X5.
Among a wealth of dozens of standard and optional driver aids is a voice-operated personal assistance that simply requires the driver to say "Hey BMW", and it will act on requests ranging from listing the nearest restaurants to setting a destination in the satellite navigation.And while these largest SUVs are usually the ones with the biggest engines, that's changing too, with product downsizing the cubic capacity of their powerplants in the interests of better fuel economy and exhaust emissions.
A great example is the Ford Everest which can now be purchased with a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre engine.
Most of the large SUVs come with seven seats - which is something that no large sedan or wagon could ever do – and because the third rows are often left folded down, the vehicles offer superior load space, too.The large SUV has now reached a level of maturity where it features a very wide range of product.
Wide range of prices too – it goes from less than $60,000 through to several hundred thousand dollars.
The variance in pricing is obviously a case of getting what you pay for, and at the top end the level of specification you get is exceptional.
